Motivation in the Workplace at SAS Institute Essay

When it comes to motivation in the workplace, SAS Institute seems to have it masters. No one wants to come to work every day and spend time away from their families all the time on a daily basis, but something makes us do this each and every day that we go to work. Work motivation is the factor that makes behave the way we do in order to get up and go to work every day. It determines the level of effort we are going to put into our work and our behavior about work (George & Jones, 2012). A company’s most valuable asset is its creative capital and it takes a unique company to think outside the box to find creative ways to motivate those creative employees. SAS Institute has developed a solid employee management plan that has sustained their work force and has continued to make it grow stronger. The company has been ranked the 6th in the â€Å"Best Companies to Work For† by Fortune Magazine for several years in a row and calling SAS Institute â€Å"the closest thing to a worker’s utopia in America† (Harvey, 2000). So what makes this company so great with their employee management? SAS Institute creates an environment where employees can development new and innovative products, they have a performance based reward system that includes not only financial benefits but overall benefits to health as well, and they establishing their strong core values to their employees. INTRINSIC MOTIVATION According to the text, intrinsic motivation is the kind of behavior that people have when they enjoy what they do and put in the extra time and effort on their own without any incentive other than the sense of accomplish and achievement (George & Jones, 2012). SAS Institute prides itself on the many ways that it inspires employees to want to work hard and make those kinds of achievements. The company’s values are employee-centered and from all the research over the years, that philosophy has believed to have worked  for them and others who are starting to copy their methods. They make the work interesting by provides ways for their programmers to create their own products. Instead of acquiring other companies that might have a particular product already created, they invest in the research and development that it would take for their employees to create those products. This keeps the employees interested in their work and keeps things challenging for them. SAS invests twenty percent of their revenue each year into research and development (George & Jones, 2012). By using this investment, SAS believes and has proven they can diminish the possibly of economic downturns that most technology companies experience (George & Jones, 2012). It is up to the managers to keep the employees motivated in their creativity. SAS has created ways of motivation that exceed money or fear of being reprimanded (Hall, 2014). Everyone that works at SAS is treated the same no matter what. From the head of the company to the person that takes out the trash, all employees get the same benefits. They also eliminate the need for a hierarchy structure in order to make things work within an organization. Because of this level of motivation, SAS Institute’s turnover rate is one of the lowest in the country. This creates a cost savings of an â€Å"estimated $85 million a year† (Hall, 2014). The company believes in an open door policy that gives their employees the freedom to give management feedback and have the company response in a positive way to that feedback. Basically, SAS allows their work force to manage their selves. They realize that allowing people to create their own schedule opens up the doors for their creativity to flow. SAS’s theory of performance is about giving the people the tools they need to get the job done and then get out of the way. SAS also encourages employees to change jobs within the company to broaden their horizons by providing different types of training and positive reinforcement from management. EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION Extrinsic motivation is motivation that is performed by providing material or social rewards or a reason to avoid being punished (George & Jones, 2012). SAS Institute goes to great lengths to offer their employees the best there  is in benefits. Their vision is the more a company can maximize their employees’ creative ability, the more those employees will produce not just good work but great work. SAS provides their work force with a flexible work program that allows them to be able to come up with creative and innovative ideas any time whether it is on their 9 to 5 schedule or any other time. This allows employees to feel free to be more creative because they are not confined to a conventional way of thinking of ideas only happen during work hours. The company understands that employees need time for their families and time to relax. So, SAS provides their campuses with individual private offices, child care centers, summer camps, health care physicians on site, fitness an d recreation center, and access to all kinds of services that the employee would have to go to outside of work (George & Jones, 2012). The company is rich with resources for their work force. Employees are not hassled about needing specific tools in order to make their job more conductive. They also provide free food in their cafeterias. SAS even stocks all their break rooms with large canisters of M&Ms for everyone (Harvey, 2000). So, why does SAS do so much for their employees? A major of an average employee’s life is spent at work, so wouldn’t it be a better environment that would make you want to come to day in and day out if it was centered on combining home life with office life. This is what SAS has create, a work environment that surrounds their work force with the comforts of home at work. They discourage working more than 35 hours a week (Harvey, 2000). People want to work for a company that cares about them and where they want to go in their careers. SAS doesn’t just say they are going to do these things they show people and in return their work force performs to their peak potential which in turn creates huge profit for the company. CONCLUSION SAS Institute is one of those companies that embrace the new age of workers and understands that sometimes that conventional ways of doing things might not be a good fit for today’s technology saavy workers. In order to get the most out of their creative work force, they try to nurture as many of their needs as possible and have been very successful at it.  By providing their employees with their physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem  motivators, and self actualization, they have created a â€Å"workplace utopia† (Harvey, 2000).  They SAS uses intrinsic motivation more than extrinsic motivation which is a different way of getting the most performance out of a work force and in turn create maximum productivity and loyalty to the company. Employees are more satisfied with their contributions and want to work hard at their jobs. REFERENCES Harvey, F. (2000, Jul 26). Of chocolates and profit sharing: MANAGEMENT EMPLOYEE PERKS: In an industry where staff loyalty is a rare commodity, SAS institute holds on to its programmers. fiona harvey. _Financial Times_ Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/248916235?accountid=458. Hall, T. (2014, Jun 09). Managing and Motivating Creative Employees. _Workplace 101: A Profiles Global Business Blog._ Retrieved from http://info.profilesinternational.com/profiles-employee-assessment-blog/bid/206603/Managing-and-Motivating-Creative-Employees

Plate Tectonics Theory Essay

‘Evaluate how plate tectonics theory helps our understanding of the distribution of seismic and volcanic events’ In 1912, Alfred Wegener published his theory that a single super continent named Pangaea once existed about 300 million years ago. He proposed that Pangaea then later split into two continents of Laurasia in the north and Gondwanaland in the south and that today’s continents were the result of further splitting of these two land masses. Where the plates split are known as plate boundaries. Wegener’s theory of continental drift was supported by both geological and biological evidence that these areas were once joined. The geological evidence included the rock sequences in Northern Scotland closely agreeing with those found in East Canada, indicating that they were laid down under the same conditions in one location as well as the obvious jig saw fitting appearance of today’s continents, in particular, the bulge of south America fitting into the indent below west Africa. The biological evidence comprised of fossil findings linking different continents. Fossil brachiopods found in Indian limestones were comparable with similar fossils in Australia and the fossil remains of Mesosaurus’ were found in both South America and southern Africa. It is unlikely that the same reptile could have developed in both areas or that it could have migrated across the Atlantic. Despite the evidence, Wegener’s theory was unable to explain how continental movement had occurred. However from the 1940’s additional evidence accumulated after the discovery of the mid-Atlantic ridge and huge oceanic trenches. Examination of the ocean crust either side of the mid-Atlantic ridge suggested that sea-floor spreading was occurring. Magnetic surveys of the ocean floor in the 1950’s, showed regular patterns of paleomagnetic striping surrounding the ridges. It was discovered that when lava erupts on the ocean floor, magnetic domains within iron rich minerals in the lava are aligned with the magnetic field of the earth. This fixes as the lava cools and records the earths polarity at the time of their cooling. As the polarity of the earth reverses every 400,000 years, bands of normal and reversed polarity rocks are mirrored on either side of the mid ocean ridges, suggesting that new rocks are being added equally on either side. Surveys also established the age of the rocks and found young ages for places on or near the ridges and much older ages for rock nearer to the continental masses, demonstrating that older crust is continually being pushed aside by  new crust. The discovery of sea floor spreading led to the assumption that the earth must be getting bigger however this was not the case and the discovery of oceanic trenches allowed for the conclusion that plates must be being destroyed at different boundaries to accommodate the increase in their size at mid-oceanic ridges. Hot spots around the core of the earth generate thermal convection currents within the mantle which cause magma to rise towards the crust and then spread before cooling and sinking. This circulation of magma is the driving force of plate movement. This movement has an effect on all the plates determining their type of boundary each with their own features and resulting volcanic and seismic events. Divergent boundaries occur along spreading centers where plates are moving apart and new crust is created by magma pushing up from the mantle resulting in oceanic ridges and rift valleys. Where two oceanic plates are moving apart they produce mid oceanic ridges with their form influenced by the rate at which the plates separate. Volcanic activity occurs along the ridge forming submarine volcanoes which sometimes rise above sea level accommodating fairly gentle sides and frequently gentle eruptions. An example of this is located in Surtsey, to the south of Iceland, and Iceland itself. As new crust forms and spreads, transform faults occur at right angles to the plate boundary due to shearing pressure. The parts of the spreading plates on either side of these fault lines may move at different rates causing shallow focus earthquakes. Where two continental plates are spreading they produce rift valleys. The brittle crust fractures at sections as it moves apart causing a normal fault where hanging wall falls down relative to the foot wall due to tensional stress. A feature of a rift valley is known as a ‘graben’ which forms when a block of rock falls between two faults and creates the valley floor and also a ‘horst’ which is formed when a block of rock is pushed up between two faults. This area is associated with volcanic activity as the crust is much thinner than in neighbouring areas. Convergent plate boundaries occur when two plates are moving towards each other. Where oceanic and continental crusts meet, the denser oceanic crust is forced under the lighter continental plate known as subduction. The down warping of the oceanic plate forms a very deep ocean trench and the continental plate edge is affected by the reverse fault lines that cause folding of the plate to produce uplifted rock that forms Fold Mountains. As  the oceanic crust descends, the inc rease in pressure can trigger major earthquakes along the line of the sub ducting plate. As it descends further the surroundings become hotter and additional heat from the friction causes the rock to melt in the benioff zone which begins to rise as plutons of magma. When they reach the surface they form composite explosive volcanoes. Eruptions can also occur offshore producing volcanic islands referred to as island arcs. Where two types of the same plate meet they create collision zones by which the compression of the two plates results in the folding of the plate to form Fold Mountains. As there is little subduction, there is no volcanic activity however the movement of plates can trigger shallow-focus earthquakes. Conservative plate boundaries occur when two crustal plates slide past each other and the movement of the plates is parallel to the plate boundary. The movement of the plates creates stresses between the plate edges and as they rub past each other the release of friction triggers shallow focus earthquakes. However as there is no subduction, there is no volcanic activity. The best known example of a conservative boundary is the San Andreas Fault in California, where the pacific and North American plates move parallel to each other. Volcanic activity that does not occur along any plate boundary can be the result of many a fault lines and hot spots beneath the crust. Alfred Wegener’s theory allowed us to gain insight into the potential creation of our tectonic plates and their boundaries. The evidence provided by wegener’s theory and the record of paleo-magnetism upon the ocean floor supported the idea that the tectonic plates are moving. Supported by the theory of convection currents, the movement of these plates helps our understanding of the distribution of seismic and volcanic events by allowing us to identify varying plate boundaries that create different features and as a result cause these events. This explains their distribution, as events such as these are located in areas above plate boundaries, apart from the odd one which can occur above many a fault lines or hot spots caused by the movement of plates.

Night World : Soulmate Chapter 14

Stay here,† Rashel said sharply, but Hannah ran with the rest of them toward the front of the house. She could hear a ferocious snarling and barking outside-a very familiar sort of sound. Nilsson and the other CIA guys were running around. They looked grim and efficient, moving fast but not frantically. Hannah realized that they knew how to do this sort of thing. She didn't see Lupe. The snarling outside got louder, building to a volley of short barks. There was a yelp-and then a scrambling noise. After a moment of silence there came a sound that lifted the hair on Hannah's forearms-a wild and eerie and beautiful sound. A wolf howling. Two other wolf voices joined the first, chording, rising and falling, interweaving with each other. Hannah found herself gasping, her entire skin shivering. Then there was one long sustained note and it was over. â€Å"Wow,† the tiny blond called Gillian whispered. Hannah rubbed her bare arms hard. The front door opened. Hannah felt herself looking toward the ground, but nothing four-legged came in. Instead it was Lupe and two guys, all disheveled, flushed, and grinning. â€Å"It was just some scouts,† Lupe said. â€Å"We ran them off.† â€Å"Scouts from Maya?† Hannah said, feeling a tightness in her stomach. It really was true, then. Maya was trying to storm the house to get to her. Lupe nodded. â€Å"It'll be okay,† she said almost gently. â€Å"But I think all of you better stay inside today. You can watch movies or play games in the game room.† Hannah spent the day talking with the Circle Daybreak members. The more she found out about them, the more she liked them. Only one thing made her uncomfortable. They all seemed to defer to her-as if, somehow, they expected her to be wiser or better because of her former lifetimes. It was embarrassing, because she knew she wasn't. She tried to keep her mind off Thierry†¦ and Maya. But it wasn't easy. That night she found herself walking restlessly through the house. She wound up in a little anteroom on the second floor that looked down on the enormous living room. â€Å"Can't relax?† The lazy murmur came from behind her. Hannah turned to see Ash, his lanky elegant body propped against a wall. His eyes looked silver in the dimly lit room. â€Å"Not really,† Hannah admitted. â€Å"I just wish they'd find Thierry. I've got a bad feeling about it.† They stood for a moment in silence. Then Ash said, â€Å"Yeah, it's hard to be without your soulmate. Once you've found them, I mean.† Hannah looked at him, intrigued. The way he said that†¦ She spoke hesitantly. â€Å"This morning Thea said you were all here because you had human soulmates.† He looked across the room at French doors that led to a balcony. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"And-well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Maybe she's dead, Hannah thought suddenly. Maybe I shouldn't ask. â€Å"And you want to know where mine is,† Ash said. â€Å"I didn't mean to pry.† â€Å"No. It's okay.† Ash looked out at the darkness beyond the French doors again. â€Å"She's waiting-I hope. I've got some things to put right before I see her.† He didn't seem scary anymore, no matter how his eyes changed. He seemed-vulnerable. â€Å"I'm sure she is waiting,† Hannah said. â€Å"And I'll bet she'll be glad to see you when you've put things right.† She added quietly, â€Å"I know I'll be glad to see Thierry.† He glanced at her, startled, then smiled. He had a very nice smile. â€Å"That's true, you've been in her shoes, haven't you? And Thierry's certainly tried to make up for his past. I mean, he's been doing good works for centuries. So maybe there's hope for me after all.† He said it almost mockingly, but Hannah caught an odd glistening in his eyes. â€Å"You're like her, you know,† he added abruptly. â€Å"Like my-like Mary-Lynnette. You're both†¦ wise.† Before Hannah could think of something to say to that, he nodded to her, straightened up, and went back into the hallway, whistling softly through his teeth. Hannah stood alone in the dim room. For some reason, she felt better suddenly. More optimistic about the future. I think I'll be able to sleep tonight. And tomorrow, maybe Thierry will be here. She clamped down hard on the rush of hope that filled her at the thought. Hope†¦ and concern. After all she'd said to him, she couldn't be absolutely sure how Thierry would receive her. What if he doesn't want me after all? Don't be silly. Don't think about it. Go outside and get a breath of air, and then go to bed. Later, of course, she realized just how stupid she had been. She should have known that getting a breath of fresh air only led to one thing in her life. But at the moment it seemed like a good idea. Lupe had warned her not to open any outside doors-but the French doors only led to a second-floor balcony overlooking the backyard. Hannah opened them and stepped out. Nice, she thought. The air was just cool enough to be pleasant. From here she could look across dark stretches of grass to flood-lit palm trees and softly splashing fountains. Although she couldn't see Thierry's people, she knew they were out there, stationed around the grounds, watching and waiting. Guarding her. It made her feel safe. Nothing can get to the house with them around it, she thought. I can sleep just fine. She was about to turn and go back inside when she heard the scratching. It came from above her. From the roof. She glanced up and got the shock of this particular lifetime. There was a bat hanging from the roof. A bat. A bat. A huge bat. Upside down. Its leathery black wings were wrapped around it and its small red eyes shone at her with reflected light. Wild thoughts tumbled through Hannah's mind, all in a fraction of an instant. Maybe it's a decoration†¦ no, idiot, it's alive. Maybe it's somebody to guard me. God, maybe it's Thierry†¦. But all the while, she knew. And when the instant of paralysis passed and she could command her body again, she sucked in a deep breath to scream an alarm. She never got the chance to make a sound. With a noise like an umbrella opening, the bat unfolded its wings suddenly, displaying an amazingly large span of black membrane. At the same moment something like sheet lightning seemed to hit Hannah, a blinding surge of pure mental energy. She saw stars, and then everything faded to darkness. Something hurt. My head, Hannah thought slowly. And my back. In fact, she hurt all over. And she was blind-or she had her eyes shut. She tried to open them and nothing changed. She could feel herself blinking, but she could only see one thing. Blackness. Utter, complete blackness. She realized then that she'd never seen real darkness before. In her bedroom at night there was always some diffused light showing at the top of her curtains. Even outdoors there was always moonlight or starlight, or if it were cloudy, the reflection of human lights, however faint. This was different. This was solid darkness. Hannah imagined she could feel it pressing against her face, weighing down on her body. And no matter how wide she opened her eyes or how fixedly she stared, she couldn't see even the slightest glimmer breaking it. I will not panic, she told herself. But it was hard. She was fighting an instinctive fear, hardwired into the brain since before the Stone Age. All humans panicked in complete blackness. Just breathe, she told herself firmly. Breathe. Okay. Now. You've got to get out of here. First things first. Are you hurt? She couldn't tell. She had to shut her eyes in order to sense her own body. As she did, she realized that she was sitting up, instinctively huddling into herself to keep safe from the darkness. Okay. I don't think you're hurt. Let's try standing up. Very slowly. That was when the real shock came. She couldn't stand up. She couldn't. She could move her arms and even her legs. But when she tried to lift her body, even to shift position slightly, something bit into her waist, keeping her immobile. With a crawling feeling of horror, Hannah put her hands to her waist and felt the rough texture of rope. I'm tied. I'm tied†¦. There was something hard against her back. A tree? Her hands flew to feel it. No, not a tree-too regular. Tall, but squarish. A post of some kind. The rope seemed to be wound many times around her waist, tightly enough that it constricted her breathing a little. It bound her securely to the post. And then it fastened above or far behind her somewhere-she couldn't find any knots with her fingers. It felt like very strong, very sturdy rope. Hannah knew without question that she wasn't going to be able to wiggle out of it or untie it. The post seemed very sturdy, too. The ground under Hannah was dirt and rock. I'm alone, she thought slowly. She could hear her own gasping breath. I'm all alone†¦ and I'm tied here in the dark. I can't move. I can't get away. Maya put me here. She left me to die all alone in the dark. For a while, then, Hannah simply lost control. She screamed for help and heard her voice echo oddly. She pulled and twisted at the rope with her fingers until her fingertips were raw. She threw her whole body from one side to the other, trying to loosen the rope or the post, until the pain in her waist made her stop. And finally she gave in to the galloping fear inside her and sobbed out loud. She had never, ever, felt so desolate and alone. In the end, though, she cried herself out. And when she'd gasped to a stop, she found that she could think a little. Listen, girl. You've got to get a grip. You've got to help yourself, because there's nobody else to do it. It wasn't the cool wind voice or even the crystal voice-because they were both just part of her now. It was Hannah's own mental voice. She had accepted all her past selves and their experiences, and in return she felt she could call on at least some of their wisdom. Okay, she thought grimly. No more crying. Think. What can you tell about your situation? I'm not out in the open. I know because there's no light at all and because of the way my voice echoed. I'm in a big†¦ room or something. It's got a high ceiling. And the floor is rock. Good. Okay, do you hear anything else? Hannah listened. It was hard to concentrate on the silence around her-it made her own breathing and heartbeat seem terrifyingly loud. She could feel her nerves stretch and fray†¦ but she held on, ignoring her own noises and trying to reach out into the darkness with her ears. Then she heard it. Very far away, a sound like a faucet dripping slowly. What the hell? I'm in a big black room with a rock floor and a leaky faucet. Shut up. Keep concentrating. What do you smell? Hannah sniffed. That didn't work, so she took long breaths through her nose, ignoring the pain as her midsection pressed against the rope. It's musty in here. Dank. It smells damp and cold. In fact, it was very cold. Her panic had kept her warm before, but now she realized that her fingers were icy and her arms and legs were stiff. Okay, so what have we got? I'm in a big black refrigerated room with a high ceiling and a stone floor. And it's musty and damp. A cellar? A cellar without windows? But she was just fooling herself. She knew. The skin of her face seemed to sense the pressure of tons of rock above her. Her ears told her that that musical dripping was water on rock, very far away. Her nose told her that she wasn't in any building. And her fingers could feel the natural irregularity of the ground underneath her. She didn't want to believe it. But the knowledge crowded in on her, inescapable. I'm in a cave. A cave or a cavern. Anyway, I'm inside the earth. God knows how deep inside. Deep enough and far enough that I can't see any light from an entrance or vent hole. Very deep inside, her heart told her. She was in the loneliest place in the world. And she was going to die here. Hannah had never had claustrophobia before. But now she couldn't help feeling that the mass of rock around and above her was trying to crush her. It could fall in at any minute, she thought. She felt a physical pressure, as if she were at the bottom of the ocean. She began to have trouble breathing. She had to get her mind off it. She refused to turn into that screaming, gibbering thing in the darkness again. Worse than the thought of dying was the thought of going insane down here. Think about Thierry. When he finds out you're missing he'll start looking for you. You know that. And he won't give up until he finds you. But I'll be dead by then, she thought involuntarily. This time, instead of fear, the idea of her death brought a strange poignant loneliness. Another life where I missed him, she thought. She blinked against tears suddenly. Oh, God. Great. It's so hard. So hard to keep hoping that someday it's going to work out. But I'll meet him again in my next life. And maybe I won't be so stupid then; I won't fall for Maya's tricks. It'll be harder for him, I guess. He'll have to wait and get through the years day by day. I'll just go to sleep and eventually wake up somewhere else. And then someday he'll come for me and I'll remember . . . and then we'll start all over. I really did try this time, Thierry. I did my best. I didn't mean to mess things up. Promise me you'll look for me again. Promise you'll find me. I promise I'll wait for you. No matter how long it takes. Hannah shut her eyes, leaning back against the post and almost unconsciously touching the ring he'd given her. Maybe next time she'd remember it. Suddenly she didn't feel sad or afraid anymore. Just very tired. Eyes still shut, she grinned weakly. I feel old. Like Mom's always complaining she feels. Ready to turn this old body in and get a new†¦ The thought broke off and disappeared. Was that a noise? Hannah found herself sitting up, leaning forward as far as the rope would allow, straining her ears. She thought she'd heard†¦ yes. There it was again. A solid echoing sound out in the darkness. It sounded like footsteps. And it was coming closer. Yes, yes. I'm rescued, I'm saved. Hannah's heart was pounding so hard that she could hardly breathe to yell. But at last, just as she saw a bobbing point of light in the blackness, she managed to get out a hoarse squawk. â€Å"Thierry? Hello? I'm over here!† The light kept coming toward her. She could hear the footsteps coming closer. And there was no answer. â€Å"Thierry†¦ ?† Her voice trailed off. Footsteps. The light was big now. It was a beam, a flashlight. Hannah blinked at it. Her heart was slowly sinking, until it seemed to reach stone. And then the flashlight was right in front of her. It shone in her face, dazzling her eyes. Another light snapped on, a small camping lantern. Vision rushed back to Hannah, sending information surging to her brain. But there was no happiness in it. Hannah's entire body was ice cold now, shivering. Because of course it wasn't Thierry. It was Maya. I hope I didn't disturb you,† Maya said. She put down the lantern and what looked like a black backpack. Then she stood with her hands on her hips and looked at Hannah. I will not cry. I won't give her the satisfaction, Hannah thought. â€Å"I didn't know vampires could really change into bats,† she said. Maya laughed. She looked beautiful in the pool of lantern light. Her long black hair fell in waves around her, hanging down her back to her hips. Her skin was milky-pale and her eyes looked dark and mysterious. Her laughing mouth was red. She was wearing designer jeans and high-heeled snakeskin boots. Funny, Hannah had never noticed any of Maya's clothes before. Usually the woman herself was so striking that it was impossible to focus on how she was dressed. â€Å"Not all vampires can shapeshift,† Maya said. â€Å"But, then, I'm not like other vampires. I'm the first, my darling. I'm the original. And I have to say I'm getting really sick of you.† The feeling is mutual, Hannah thought. She said, â€Å"Then why don't you leave me alone? Why don't you leave me and Thierry alone?† â€Å"Because, then, my sweetpea, I wouldn't win. And I have to win.† She looked at Hannah directly, her face oddly serious. â€Å"Don't you understand that yet?† she said softly. â€Å"I have to win-because I've given up too much to lose. It can't all be for nothing. So winning is all there is.†

Journal Article (Current event on Wall Street Journal) Essay - 1

Journal Article (Current event on Wall Street Journal) - Essay Example Smaller changes in the tax policy are supposedly getting in, and as a result of tax changes, there will be a direct implication on the economy. Sparshott elaborates that there is an expectation that there will be a shrink in the gross domestic product, which has an enormous implication on the economy by an estimate of 0.9 percent (7). The conjecture incorporates the full connotation of the fiscal cliff. More research as seen in the article by Sparshott indicates that there is an economic consequence of going over the fiscal cliff, and a much higher probability of staying off the cliff which many analysts and economist have ignored over time (8). To calm the nerves of the people who rely on the economy of the nation for their well-being, Sparshott explains that there is hope still, and there is a thin line separating the achievement of the fiscal plan and the current conditions (7). Further research by renowned researchers according to Sparshott indicates that economists figure that the economy of the nation is more stable and will survive (7). This is an indication of the fact that the country’s economy will be stable enough for the investors to risk a huge amount of money into the country. This assurance by researchers does not concur with many estimates by renowned analysts. However, the case is totally different in consideration to other analysts who indicate that the economy has an extensive process ahead so as to stabilize. In this case, the chances of survival of the country’s economy are negotiable. To back this argument, it is recommended to assess the entire state of the economy not a section of it. In this case, the assumption that the economy is stable is for the reason that there is a notable improvement in the housing market recovery. This recovery consequently leads to a steady fall in the level of unemployment which further leads t o a solidifying bank leading

What is Leadership Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

What is Leadership - Article Example l cause, an explorer traveling a path through the wilderness for the rest of his group to follow and an executive manager growing an own company's policy to keep up with the competition from rival parties. This essay discusses the process of leadership, particularly, transformational leadership model recommended by James MacGregor Burns and then advanced by Bernard Bass (Manktelow and Carlson, 2015). I came across transformational leadership model, which focuses on visionary thinking and promoting change, in place of management activities that are intended to maintain and progressively increase current performance. Leaders assist themselves and others to do the right things. Leaders keep track of the direction to be followed. They create an inspiring idea and create something that is authentic. Leadership is about setting the direction of where you need to do to be successful as a team or an organization. Leadership should be self-motivated, exhilarating, thrilling and inspiring.  However, while leaders put across the direction to be followed, they must also use management tools to guide their followers to the right purpose, in a smooth and efficient manner (Manktelow and Carlson, 2015). I recently watched a video regarding inspirational leadership (link provided below) and learned that to create an inspiring vision of the future in business; the vision has to be a realistic, convincing and striking representation of where you want to be in the near future. Vision offers a sense of direction sets preferences and gives a marker so that you can tell that you have accomplished what you wanted to attain. A persuasive vision offers the base for leadership, but it is the leader’s skills to motivate and inspire people that assist them to accomplish that vision.  

Services Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Services Marketing - Case Study Example For a restaurant like Electtrico, this means refurbishing interiors to reflect the warmth and romance of a lover's rendezvous that is at once secluded yet accessible. The setting is tranquil but effervescent, the lights subdued and hypnotic, the music playing sweet and intoxicating from the dining hall's grand piano. This completes the service theatre. And then the sumptuous repast comprised of the restaurant's renowned Italian-Mediterranean fare rendered expertly by its award-winning chef, washed down with gourmet wines from Italy's finest vineyards. Elegant setting, gastronomic delights, gracious attendants, complimented with the practical considerations of ease of parking and accessibility of location - these would be the essentials that would define the Electtrico experience. Situated in the heart of London's business district, Electtrico is geared towards the young professionals who, in their late twenties and up, have begun to develop the sophistication to enjoy fine dining. Currently situated on the lower level of a two-story edifice, the restaurant proper is complimented by a pizza bar where the young, single and available can meet new acquaintances. In fine, this paper will bring together suggestions for the restaurant's marketing mix by which it will attract its clientele and mount a bid to compete against the other Italian restaurants within a comparable niche segment while differentiating its service. This paper will determine the pricing strategy to be adopted, training for the front line employees, the physical evidence as previously described, and the process of orchestrating the entire experience. With the price being the major differentiating factor in any business, and keeping in mind the major target segment, the price at the restaurant can be fixed at a level which is just above the average so a balance is achieved in all respects. Also, this kind of a pricing strategy can attract other target segments in large numbers. This study will also harmonize all these elements into a cogent and strategic whole, so that Electtrico's management will be guided in the further choices and revisions it may wish to introduce. Ultimately, by these suggestions, it is expected that Electtrico will be able to increase its market share, improve customer retention, and establish a leading name in this industry. Benvenuto, caro amico! THE START OF THE FINDINGS . I Exterior of the restaurant 1.1 Architectural style and signage Restaurant visibility and accessibility constitutes an

Do lung epithelia in COPD undergo transition to behave more like Essay

Do lung epithelia in COPD undergo transition to behave more like finroblast - Essay Example This process of repair, if successful, is beneficial to the body because it enables the affected tissue restore its functions (Pauwels et al., 2012). However, the repair process can be defective leading to collagen overproduction, formation of excess fibroblasts and fibrosis. This defective repair of epithelia tissue has not been well explored. A more detailed evaluation is important to give proper insight on whether pathological repair of the lung tissue because of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can lead to conversion of an epithelial cell into a fibroblast. To begin with is an elaboration of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease (Barnes and Kleinert, 2004). It is characterised by ineffective flow of air in and out of the lungs. Less air flows in and out of the lungs because air sacs and airways have lost elasticity, air sac walls are destroyed and airway walls are inflamed and thickened. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is a disease that keeps progressing (getting worse) since onset and makes it difficult for a person to breathe. COPD is found to start and develop slowly and increasingly limit an individual’s ability to perform tasks (Control et al., 2012; Romain A. Pauwels and Rabe, 2004). In some countries like United States of America, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is a common term for two conditions namely emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Air sacs walls are damaged in emphysema thereby lose their shape and appear floppy. Further damage leads to damage of air sac walls leading to larger but fewer air sacs instead of several tiny ones. Hence, the respiratory function of the lung is greatly affected and subsequently gaseous exchange is reduced too. In most instances, emphysema is accompanied by chronic bronchitis hence use of a Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease as a term to describe the two condition (Han et al., 2010). COPD symptoms rarely occur at early stages

AED Wk 8 DQ 1 Replies Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

AED Wk 8 DQ 1 Replies - Coursework Example John smith: exceptionalities addressed include john’s outstanding intelligence, his ability to learn things fast with little help from instructors especially if they are hands on. in addition, John thrives on organization, structure and procedures as they provide him with balance. This is revealed by the fact that any change in school program leaves him confused and emotional. The teacher should incorporate instructive technology to keep John’s attention considering he enjoys working with electronics. Few, short and doable assignments should be given enabling him to complete tasks. Organization and structure should also be emphasized in the classroom environment and dealing with behavior (Rosenberg, Westling & Mcleaskey, 2007). Ethan Andrew: exceptionalities addressed include his academic excellence especially in mathematics and reading. He is also good at sports including basketball and swimming. His lack of attention is caused by lack of proper rest, as he is not sleeping well. This could be because of watching TV after bed as he does after eating. The classroom environment should be organized with everything placed in its designated location to ease finding things. At home, the mother should provide procedures of things to do while getting ready for school. The teacher should also eliminate distractions in class (Rosenberg, Westling & Mcleaskey, 2007). Sumer smith: exceptionalities addressed involve her capability to work one-on-one with the teacher and other students. Additional information is that she is a below average student hence will need attention and adaptation from the teacher to ensure she catches up with the other students. This is indicated by her inability to process information, as she should at her age and grade. The teacher should make use of instructional technology that converts texts to sound, has images and colorful illustrations. One-on-one and peer

Is solar energy a viable option for the future Research Paper

Is solar energy a viable option for the future - Research Paper Example A passive solar home harnesses the sunrays without use of mechanical and electrical devices such as heat pumps, or electrical controls to move and distribute the heat. The key to designing a passive solar home is to best take advantage of what the local climate has to offer. Passive solar techniques are easily incorporated into new home designs; however, existing buildings can be adapted to collect and store solar heat. Passive solar homes can incorporate heat through direct gain of the sunrays, indirect gain or Thrombe walls, and the use of isolated gain or sun spaces. In the direct gain method, sunlight enters the house through south facing windows with a glazing application made of translucent glass. The sun then hits brick flooring or masonry walls that are typically dark colors, to absorb the heat. Then as the house cools down at night, the heat is transferred into the room for several hours. Some passive homes use water barrels placed in strategic locations to catch the sun hea t. It is then transferred into the room as the home cools down at night. Water stores twice as much heat as masonry per cubic foot of volume. Water tanks do require some maintenance, since water does not support itself. The tanks require periodic treatment to prevent alga growth. The amount of passive solar in a particular area depends on how large the area of glazing and amount of thermal mass. The glazing area determines how much heat can be collected. The thermal mass determines how much heat can be stored. If the thermal mass is not large enough, the house could overheat. The ratio of thermal mass to glazing has to be determined by the climate in which you live. Thermal mass must also be insulated in order to retain the stored heat as long as possible. Loss of thermal heat is especially prominent when the thermal mass is directly connected to the ground or in contact with outside air. The temperature around the thermal mass needs to remain at or above the temperature of the ther mal mass itself. Even if you live in a simple house with south-facing windows without thermal mass, you still have potential passive solar elements. This is called solar-tempering. To make best use of this type of passive solar heating, install window treatments that reduce nighttime heat loss and prevent overheating during the summer months. The indirect gain method or Thrombe walls are the most commonly used method. The wall is usually 8-16 inches thick, masonry wall, and on the south side of the house. Then either a single or double layer of glass is mounted one inch or less in front of the wall. Solar heat is then absorbed by the dark color of the wall and then the heat is transferred into the living area. The Trombe releases the heat into the home over a period of several hours. The heat collected usually reaches its highest temperatures in the late afternoon. When the outside temperatures drop, the wall radiates heat into the room. Heat travels through a brick wall at the rate of one hour per inch. Therefore, heat absorbed in an 8 inch thick brick wall at 12:00 noon will enter the living space of the home around 8:00 p.m. So if your highest temperatures are collected in the brick wall at 4:00 in the afternoon, the heat will be transferred to the living area at 12:00 midnight. The third

Impact of escalating gas prices on the U.S. Essay Example for Free

Impact of escalating gas prices on the U.S. Essay The oil prices have been creeping higher in the recent past and the current gas market conditions in the United States of America are very uncertain as well as unstable which has further led to a lot of negative effects on the gas consumers. The gas prices have been rapidly escalating in the American markets which have led to the amplification of the medium term economic effects. The American economy’s prosperity remains at risk for as long as the oil prices in the country remain very high and also unstable. The increasing oil prices in America also quantitatively affect the country’s macro economy. The impact of the escalating oil prices on the US economy The oil prices in America remain a very important determinant in the overall performance of the country’s economy. It is also important to note that the overall increase in the oil prices in America has further led to a transfer of income from the American economy to the exporting countries through a trade shift. In America the degree of the direct effects of a specified gas price is highly determined by the share of the oils’ costs in the income of the country and also the ability of the gas users to reduce their personal consumption and wholly change from the gas to other alternatives. The increasing gas prices in America has also highly affected the rate of inflation since in most of the times the consumer price index has been on the increase and this clearly shows that there is a correlation between the oil prices movements and the changes which occur in the rate of inflation. This then clearly stipulates that the increasing oil prices in America further drive up the imported oils costs and in general terms the rate of inflation. (Anne, 2007) With the worlds demand for oil rapidly increasing and the oil supplies very limited, then the American economy is more likely to suffer the damage in the short as well as long-term. The high oil prices in America are amongst the key factors which have made many economists to scale back their predictions for the country’s economic growth in the present year. The country’s economic growth rate has highly reduced because of the increasing oil prices and this has resulted to a growing rate of unemployment in America. (Brown, 2004) The gasoline prices in America are expected to even hit new highs since the American refineries are currently producing as much gasoline as they can include other oil products. In the larger picture the American authorities have not built any new refineries or even upgraded the old ones because of the environmental and the regulatory concerns. If the oil supplies were to greatly increase then the supplies of the major oil products would not substantially grow and thus the gas prices and the other refined products would stay very high. (Harvey, and Ted, 2007) The higher oil prices in America also highly spurs inflation and this further leads the federal reserves to push the interests rates up and this in turn causes the car loans the mortgages and the credit cards to become much more expensive than they already are. This whole issue sends a lot of ripples through the financial markets in America. The rising rate of inflation tends to highly affect the bond prices which further reduces the economic growth that could help in keeping the interests rates down. When the gas prices go up then the bond prices also go up because the economic growth rate is very slow but this does not similarly apply to the stock markets. On the other hand the high gas prices have a negative impact on the stock markets as this leaves the consumers with very little monies to spend as this also undermines the corporate earnings which are key to the prices in the stock markets. The depreciating US dollar has contributed to the escalating gas prices which are partly based on the dollars value. Source: Anne, F. (2007): Comparison of US gasoline Vehicle Fuel prices in the U. S. Pedant Centre on Global Climate Change, Washington In America the hurricane threats to the oil platforms, the labor strikes, the terrorist threats and the fires at the oil refineries and also other problems which are short lived they all are not wholly responsible for the escalation of the gas prices. They however push the gas prices higher but they are not the fundamentals in causing the high escalating gas prices. (Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Office of the Chief Counsel 2006) Currently there has been an increasing speculation in the oil market globally and therefore there is an increase in the American gas prices and this could extend into the long term. America has the highest and the largest oil demand so far in the world and therefore the depleting domestic production and also the expanding demand by the oil consumers in the US further leads the country to import oil from the foreign countries. This dependency then has made the country very vulnerable to any disruptions in the oil supplies. In America the increasing gas prices makes the other unconventional sources of oil very attractive to the businesses. For the working class in America that includes those who earn their living without any benefits and also those who have older vehicles with an average of less than 20 MPG, they are usually faced with several alternatives. They commute by using the public transportation, the light rail, the rapid transit as well as the bus, they also carpool, scooter, motor cycle, walk or even bicycle or even relocate to the inner city if one resides in the areas that are suburban. Surprisingly many businesses are also moving away from the 24 hour operation since the higher gas prices are highly discouraging the lifestyle trends of the past. Some restaurants and also cafes are also closing down very early and they are well known for their 24 hour operating cultures. The airlines have also been heavily affected by the same and they have not been left out in introducing the fuel surcharges or they can even scale back their operations in efforts to trim the fuel costs which are spiraling. The high gas prices has also affected the schools in many districts and particularly the large school bus fleets have reduced since the schools can no longer maintain to run the high fuel costs of the buses. The ongoing gas hike in America has worried very many people especially the consumers who are spending so much The American economists further state that if the Americans will have to spend more money on their gas consumptions then they will definitely have very little money that is left for to spend on the other goods and services. Also as the gas prices go up then the prices of other goods and services especially the foods also go up. The gas prices in America are highly affected and driven by the costs of the crude oil and the escalating oil prices in America are being attributed to the to the high Americans demand . An example of this is that during the summer vacation seasons most of the American family’s require more gas since they use their vehicles for the long trips. (Bearn, 2003) Conclusion There are many reasons that lead to the increased gas prices in America and also the decrease in oil supply. This has been partly because of the Middle East’s growing turbulence and it is the world largest oil producing region in the world. In the hurricane Katrina scenario the supply flow from the gulf coast offshore rigs which is the largest oil source in America for the domestic market was heavily crippled. This further led to the a temporary shut down of two major on shore pipelines and also at least 10% of the country’s refining capacity was not in operation in the storms wake. In America despite the increase in the gas supplies the prices have continually raised at a very fast rate than in the past and this has further led to an increased discussion on the theory of the peak oil and a future possibility that would see the supply of oil highly reducing. Some experts say that even though the oil supplies themselves are not reduced the easily accessible light sweet crude sources have almost been exhausted and in the future the Americans will depend on the more expensive sources and alternatives to the heavy oil. (Anne, 2007) The united states of America always keeps about 700 million crude oil gallons for storage to cover far any national emergencies but this reserves have gone down to 650 million gallons as more oil is being diverted from the reserves to the markets at large. Reference: Standard Poors DRI, The U. S. Economy, issues 2000/12, 2001/1, 2001/2 and 2001/3. WEFA, US Outlook, issues December 2000, and January, February and March 2001 Brown, S. (2004): U. S. Gasoline Prices on the Rise Once Again, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Expand Your Insight, May http://www. dallasfed.org/eyi/usecon/0405gasoline. html ASEAN Competitiveness Study, McKinsey Company, August 2003 Higher Global Oil Prices Implications for Asia in 2005, Asian Development Bank, 2005 http://www. adb. org/Documents/Books/ADO/2004/update/part030200. asp Developing Asia and the World, Asian Development Bank, 2005, http://www. adb. org/Documents/Books/ADO/2004/update/part010000. asp Higher Global Oil Prices Implications for Asia in 2005, Asian Development Bank, 2005 http://www. adb. org/Documents/Books/ADO/2004/update/part030200. asp Switch it Off, The Asia Section, The Straits Times, June 2, 2005

A Study On Media And Audiences Media Essay

A Study On Media And Audiences Media Essay With the coming of year 2010, the definition of â€Å"media† itself has changed the term of media now applies to many new communication technologies and many traditional media format has applied new technology to meet the needs of audiences. Thus technology and innovation have expanded media options for the public and audience, while the audience itself has changed in this new media age. The calling into question their role in democracy since many of these new media are essentially not â€Å"mass† any more (Sunstein, 2001). In light of this, â€Å"media use† should be re-conceptualized to include active and interactive, and not only passive, behavior on the part of the audience. The aim of this essay is to answer the question â€Å"In what ways do changing media formats and technologies present challenges to how audiences have been traditionally conceptualized?† author will answer the question by investigate the recent literatures and find out what resear chers recently consider the new audience and new media environment. The essay will go through the issues include the new media environment which focus on internet/online media; the notion of new audience whether the notion of audience has been changed, a comparison between historical audience and new audience will be conduct in the article; some audience theories will also be addressed in the essay such as reception theory and audience active theory, to take a look into these theory may be useful to analyse whether this theory still match the todays situation; challenge of new audience research will be the last part of the article, in this part, author will take an analysis based on the research work done by Livingstone (2004). It shows the challenges facing by audience and media research before and in the new age. By analyse those issues related with new media and new audience, there may be an answer to meet the question which be raised in the aim of the essay. Changing media environment We are in the midst of a digital revolution that is giving way to a â€Å"new information environment† (Bimber, 2003). We are facing the world with a moving target as once-new media become familiar and eve-never media emerge. The common feature of those new media is internet based. The internet made everything possible and changed peoples behavior after it emerged. Manuel Castells has argued that the flows dominate contemporary life in his book The Information Age, ‘our society is constructed around flows, flows of capital, flows of information, flows of technology, flows of organizational interaction, flows of images, sounds, and symbols (Castells, 2000: 442) the emerging of new media or the new format of media accelerate the liquidity of the world. For media user, you can whether read news on newspaper on the way to work or open the mobile phone and connect to the internet and read the news you are most interested in and check your email box anytime you want. You can also whether check the program schedule on newspaper and waiting for the program broadcast on television or just open your laptop and go to BBC website and watch the favorite drama anytime and any episode. When your tutor suggest s you to purchase a text book, you can whether go the high street book store or just go to Amazon.co.uk to buy a book in relevant cheap price. Those available choices indicate that the media environment has been changed, Producer like government, business, broadcast institution or press industry are taking advantage of internet and new technologies as it can be more globalised and fast disseminate to audiences in every corner of the world. Its different from traditional mass media but a more interactive media, most importantly, converging with new media to create a complex media-rich and liquid environment. Online media environment With no doubt, we are in the internet age now. Even in the media industry, almost every traditional mass media format has a new internet based version, online broadcast, online journal, online TV, online newspaper, online news, online games, online advertising etc. it shows both producer and audience are highly demand on the new technology based media because of the common features of those newly medium have such as convenient, easy to access and of course interactivity. â€Å"Web 2.0† is one of most important technology in newly internet space or cyberspace. Pew gave a definition of Web 2.0 the ability of people to use a range of information and communication technology as a platform to express themselves online and participate in the commons of cyberspace is often heralded as the next phase of the information society. (Pew, 2007: 2) Web 2.0 enhanced the interactivity of audience when they use online media and made them more active when they consumption news or other information. The example of famous media website which takes advantage of web 2.0 is www.youtube.com. People can not only watch video clip on it but also they can rating and leave comments on it. The hot video clips on home page usually depend on the rate of click. Moreover, people can upload their own video to the website and share the video with friends or people all over the world. At this time, audiences convert to producers. The chart below presents the result of a survey conducted in 2004 for investigate whether people prefer online or offline media to obtain information. From the chart we may find out the advantages of online media. Sources: Frank Magid Association, Online Publisher Association, â€Å"Multichannel Media Brands,† 2004. www.online-publisher.org Although the data are gathered in 5 years ago, it dose shows the advantages of online media, people can find what they want easy and quick on internet rather than search on a news paper or television. However people in 2004 feels that use offline media are more enjoyable and satisfying. It indicates that traditional media cannot be replaced by the online media. One thing need to be mentioned is people consider both online and offline media are the same when they consider which is more reliable and trustworthy. It is different in my country, in China; most people prefer trust online media rather than offline media controlled by government. News media Take news consumption as an example. People traditionally obtain news and information from newspaper and TV News broadcast channel. But nowadays, the internet version of newspaper becomes more and more adoptable for audience. JOEY KA-CHING CHAN and LOUIS LEUNG (2005:7) suggested ‘online news media distinguish themselves from traditional media in a number of ways: they are interactive; they offer convenience, which embodies easy access, searchable features and the ability to cross-reference through hyperlinking; and they provide multimedia features. Being interactive is a important feature for new media, audience are not only passive receive messages but engage with the news event and trying to explore what happening behind news by search related news on the internet. Matt Carlson (2007) mentioned the rise of online news search engines allows users to set their own parameters governing the section of news according to personal preference. Matt took Google News as an example in h is article and states that Google news always reports a story from different side of view which may force the authority to be more democracy. ‘I want this to be a force for a democracy. One of the things that makes us objective is we show all points of view. Even if you disagree with one, we give you both the majority and the minority point of view. The ones you dont agree with are education. Its nice to know what the other side is thinking. Youll see left-leaning ones as much as much as you see right-leaning ones. Frankly, the software doesnt know the difference between left and right, which is good. (quoted in Kramer, 2003: n.p.) it just like King (1998: 26) argued that interactivity not only describe the high level of control and interactive with content but also present the increasing interactive with news producer such as feedback availability. Audience nowadays becomes more and more powerful in this new media environment. Audiences in historical perspective Before discuss the challenge of conceptualize new audience, it is necessary to take a look into audiences in history. Marie Gilespie (2005: 14) gives us a brief introduction of this perspective. He suggests in most research about media and communication in twentieth century, the researcher usually focus on todays media and todays audiences with the popular medium like television. However, the idea of the audience can be traced back to ancient times. And Marie think it is important to learn the lesson from history when something can be similar or entirely new ‘In history, audience means a face-to-face audience in the presence of a communicator or entertainer, whether at a political meeting, the theatre or a concert (Marie 2005: 14) Denis McQuail (1997: 3) use classical Graeco-Roman audience definition to identify the audiences feature today: Planning and organization of viewing and listening, as well as of the performances themselves Events with a public and popular character Secular content of performance-for entertainment, education and vicarious emotional experiences Voluntary, individual acts of choice and attention Specialization of roles of authors, performers and spectators Physical locatedness of performances and spectator experience We can find that some of the features of Graeco-Roman audience are similar with todays audience in mass media environment. The only obviously difference is mass media eliminated the limitation of co-location. Even in todays internet media background, some of the features above still match the todays audience, that is, no matter media environment changes, there are some characteristics will not change. This not means there will be no challenge to conceptualized new audience in new environment based on new technology. The aim of discussing the historical media audience is to find the link between history and nowadays society. Although the environment and technology has changed a lot, there are still many common features maintained from ancient time to mass media age and from mass media age to new media age. Changing audiences ‘From a coach potato to cybernauts is the title of Eugenia Siapera(2004)s article. The author analyse the change of television audiences to online audience. The article focuses on the broadcasters website such as BBC Channel to investigate the relationship of audience online and offline (TV broadcast). It is the fact that people gradually adopt into the new media environment. And it begins to change the notion of audience. Siapera (2004: 15) suggested the notion of audience has been expanded by the inter-media. The audience has been hitherto most interactive in the digital media age. (Rob cover 2006: 16) ‘Coach potato usually describe people who always sitting behind television and watch TV program. This image usually presents more passive way of people receive message from producer. However audience becomes more and more active. The new technology offers different platform for audience to interact with other audiences or the producer. Take fandom as example, Audiences no wadays can easily form or find a fan club on website such as blogging and forum, more over the broadcasts website usually design and develop the certain function to allow audience track their favorite star or program (Siapera 2004: 09) For example, ‘EastEnders (the BBCs soap opera and one of the most developed programme sites: http://www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders/) has regular updates on what is happening in the soap, a chat room, newsletter, message board, and voting on what should happen to characters/storylines. The producer may be influenced by the audience opinions to adjust the storyline or what happened next to gain more audiences support. It is what I mentioned before that audience can interact and influence the producer in the new media age. The channel established by producer on internet made audiences more easily to send their feedback to the producer. The reason why producer take audiences opinions serious is because in todays world, the audience can be seen as consumer , ‘I suggested, is adopted by those who conceptualize the audience as a market (Livingstone 1998a) and the profitability of program is only standard to justify whether it should be continue or stop. Some American drama can continue make and broadcast for many seasons such as ‘Friends but some are not. ‘The ultimate power of internet fandom is in controlling the actual life and death of a series. For fans of a show, that power is usually in the hands of a network executive or, for a syndicated series, a production company. (Victor Costello and Barbara Moore 2007: 16) It depends on whether there are many audiences like it or not. It again, indicates that audience being more and more powerful which can influence both producer and context. Reception under new media environment The phenomena stressed above may challenge the traditional reception theory in mass media age. Reception theory points out that ‘Audience interpretations or decoding have been found to diverge depending on viewers socio-economic position, gender, ethnicity, and so forth, while the possibilities for critical or oppositional reading are anticipated, enabled or restricted by the degree of closure encoded into the text or genre.'(Marie Gillespie 2005: 40) Audience reception research towards television study revealed parallel connections between the conventions of television and viewers decoding strategies like the soap opera viewer builds up an understanding of the characters, puzzles over the secrets, eagerly anticipates the cliff-hanger, guesses the outcome of a subplot, recalls when appropriate the significant events from past episodes, etc., all in accordance with the conventions of the genre (Livingstone, 1998). It just like Cultural theorist Stuart Hall suggested in his theor y of encoding and decoding. He argued that audiences not just passive accept text but people can create their own mean of the text and the communication process should not be linear model such sender-message-receiver model rose by Shannon. The following chart is Halls Encoding and Decoding model, in the model, hall stressed the meaning of a text is not inherent within the text itself, but is created within the relationship between the text and the reader. We may find that even the halls model neglected the relationship between sender and receiver. As I mentioned before, the audience nowadays can influence the producer. So I suggest that todays communication process is a loop which every element in the process can be influenced by other elements. And nowadays, with the internet developed, the relationship between the text and the reader may convert to between the text and reader and other readers. Take times online as example, reader may write comments towards specific news and share the comment with other reader. The interactions within those readers which may influence the result by interpret the meaning of text. The two step flow theory also has been challenged by new media age as the process of decentralized the authority. The internet enhanced the availability of information flow. If people may express their opinion on the public space on the internet, Twitter can be a good example; audiences are more and more interested in tracking what other peoples point of views. At the same time the power of opinion leader becomes more and more declined. It is one of the reason why Twitter and youtube.com being successful. Audience Selectivity and Involvement in the New Media Environment With no doubt, the newer media environment enables audience to be more active, it not only means that audiences have muti-channels on the new cable television but also suggests that audiences nowadays have a wide range of medium choice. Perse (1990: 3) argues there are two dimensions of audience activity. The first one is a qualitative component and describes type of activity. It includes selectivity, evolvement, and utility. Audiences can easily target what they want to receive from the new media such as internet. Take online news as example, www.bbc.co.uk allows audience to customize their own home page. People can choose the type of news or information they may interest in and put them together on the home page of BBC website like the picture below: It has been changed a lot from traditional ‘one to many model to ‘one to one model which means highly customized and personalized design based on the cookie technology and web 2.0. The new media technology can help you to filter what you may not like and try to enhanced personal relevance with their audiences. And audiences become more selective and evolve with the context they received. Livingstone (2004: 6) suggested that the new media environment expended the range of issue and arguments in ‘active audience theory. Audiences or the media user become more active which means they are more selective, self-directed. Can new media environment blurry the boundary of being a producer and receiver. Changing relationship between audiences and producers A growing number of ordinary citizens are actively producing media content, challenging these traditional notions. We have seen an unprecedented level of citizen participation in media content-making, with the prevalence and use of blogs, chat rooms, forums, and citizen journalism (Bowman Willis, 2005). The â€Å"former audience,† a term coined by Dan Gillmor (2006), is now actively participating in content generation for a greater variety of media on a scale we have never seen before. Those large numbers of people are able to be more involved in the news and content making process itself. Typical media use is more active and interactive than it has been in the days when a handful of companies controlled content and dissemination. Consequently, the once distinct roles of â€Å"the elite producers of content and the mass consumers of content† are shifting, and the â€Å"distinction between producers and consumers of content† is blurring (Howard, 2004, p.11). A Pew study found 57% of teens who use the Internet create content online (Pew, 2005). People use digital media to share their favorite news and information with others, by emailing or posting on other sites. Until May of 2008, youtube.com and facebook.com ranked 3rd and 4th most visited website on internet. This information indicates audience keen on produce their own video or context on internet and express themselves which also means there has been a shift in power from large media institution to ordinary people. Challenging of audience study in new media age Livingstone (2004: pointed out three main challenges which audience research facing for recent age. Those challenges include the gap between what people say and what people do in real life and the unclearly relationship between text and reader, for example the reception theory and the debate on the process of encoding and decoding and also the question of media effects which may influence audiences. Furthermore, the demographic factor should be considered in audience research just like other social science diversified audience from different demographic background may interpret the same message differently. Those challenges have been existed in mass media age. The question is dose the challenge will be modified in new media or their will be some new challenge towards internet/online media age? Livingstone (2004) gives us the answer in his article called the ‘challenge of changing audience he suggests that all the old challenges towards mass media research still exist, and in s ome extent the challenges has been magnified in todays internet media background. It is more and more difficult to find out what online audience practices in their private space such as their bedroom. What they said on online chatting room may totally different with their own behavior in real life. This type of real practices or experiences is hard to record compare with to investigate the audience in a public space such as Movie Theater. Even to research family television experiences in audiences living room is more achievable than to investigate the online audience as Livingstone argues that online audience and online experience is more personal and private. It leads to the difficulties when conduct observation and interview research. Despite the issue of privacy, the cookie may be a good tool to track online audiences behavior when they surfing on the internet. It may track what part or type of website are most frequently being click by online user, this technology now being widely used in website design, such as www.amazon.com, the most famous online book ret ailer, customized the home page when people login to the website. There will be some book on the suggestion list which based on you pervious practice like keyword scan or the book you being purchase. The second challenge raised by Livingstone is about the relationship between text and reader. He suggested when this challenge met the online media environment, it brings both practical and theoretical problem. Not like data collected from traditional mass media, new media researcher need to process uncountable data gathered from internet to analyse the relationship between the text and the audiences. In addition, large portion of data are temporary and mean less. More over the notion of text itself has been modified in some extent in online environment. For most of online user (include online media researcher), they have no idea with the hypertext. It is the source of the online content, producer or website designer develop the online world by this hypertext rather than the text we familiar with in real life. Again, the blurring of producer and audience also can be seen as a challenge to research in to the relationship between the text and receiver as the notion of receiver itself has been changed. The last point draw by Livingstone is about moral panic related with online media such as the question about whether internet will result harm to young people or children. This challenge has been inherited from television age. Researchers tried to identify the harm towards young audience caused by the violent movie, TV program, comics or other threatens factors. ‘At present, these moral panic centre on the internet, with anxiety expressed about violent, stereotyped, commercially exploitative or pornographic content and about the reinforcement of individualistic, lazy, prejudice, uncritical or aggressive actions. (Gillespie 2005: 12-13) Compare with traditional media, internet is more accessible for any resource on the virtual world. It is the reason why some researchers prefer to ban the online media rather than to take an in-depth research towards it. Take online game in China as an example. The famous MMORPG World of Warcraft is quite popular within Chinese player. 5 million accounts have been created in this online game in Chinese mainland. Many young people spent much time on playing online game in the virtual world. This phenomena draws socialist attention, they worries about those young people may be affected by the violence game like World of Warcraft, however most of them just want ban this online game in China without doing any research on other related area to investigate why young people addicted to this game. Some so called ‘psychologist even use electric shock to ‘help those young online game addicts. Doubtless, challenges faced by new media research can be trace back to history, however some new problems gradually out and beginning to be addressed (Hine 2000) Conclusions We are now in the liquid world. The new information environment, enabled by digital technology (internet), has changed the relationship between audience and media. Although the new audience still maintain some features from traditional audience, some new features of audience has been addressed by new media researcher. Audiences are becoming less passive and more in control of the use of media platform. They can be more selective and evolved with new media they can decide when, where and what type of the information they need to engages with. Audience now my decoding context better while they share their comments with other audience, also if they want, audience can convert to producer and create their own content on cyberspace. The classical audience theory need to be modified to suit the new environment such as the encoding and decoding process, as the audience becomes more powerful than ever before, they can influence the producer and messages producer created that is the communica tion process in new media age should pay more attention the interactive between producer and audiences. In addition, the two-step flow model has been challenged in online environment as audience nowadays are less influenced by opinion leader but peer review on internet offered by other audience. In the new media environment, the challenges, both old and new problems, which media researcher facing still exist. It is difficult for researcher to record online audiences practice and their experiences since the privacy of online behavior. In addition the new model of text hypertext becomes a challenge for explore the relationship between text and receive in new media environment. Moreover some researchers consider the online media can harm for young people and been a threat to society. It leads them to be more reluctant to do more complex research into this area. The analysis of the issue in this article suggests that even if most features of audience and media which addressed in past r esearch still suit todays situation, the changes in media technology and format do cause the challenges about how we conceptualize audiences. Reference Marie Gillespie (2004) Media Audiences, Open University Press, Chapter 1 pp40 Livingstone, S. (2003) ‘The Changing Nature of Audiences: From the Mass Audience to the Interactive Media User, pp. 337-59 The Blackwell Companion to Media Research. Oxford: Blackwell. Livingstone, S. (1998) Making Sense of Television: The Psychology of Audience Interpretation, 2nd edn. London: Routledge Hine, C. (2000) Virtual Ethnography. London: Sage. Hall,S.(1980) ‘Encoding/Decoding in Hall, S., Hobson, D., Lowe, A. and Willis, P. Culture, Media, Language, London, Hutchinson Bimber, B. (2000). The study of information technology and civic engagement. Political Communication. 17:329-333 Livingstone S. (2004). The Challenge of Changing Audiences: Or, What is the Audience Researcher to Do in the Age of the Internet? European Journal of Communication, Mar 2004; 19: 75 86. Livingstone, S, (1998a) ‘Audience Research at the Crossroads, European Journal of Cultural Studies 1(2): 193-217. Sonia Livingstone (2006) The Influence of Personal Influence on the Study of Audiences. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 2006; 608; 233 ROB COVER (2006) Audience inter/active: Interactive media, narrative control and reconceiving audience history.New Media Society 2006; 8; 139 Joey Ka-Ching Chan, Louis Leung (2005). Lifestyles, reliance on traditional news media and online news adoption. New Media Society, Vol. 7, No. 3, 357-382. Frank Magid Association (2004). Online Publisher Association, â€Å"Multichannel Media Brands,† www.online-publisher.org Sunstein, C. (2001). Republic.com. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. Pew Internet American Life Project (2007, May 7). A Typology of Information and Communication Technology Users Bowman, S. C. Willis (2005). The future is here, but do news media companies see it? Nieman Reports, 59(4):5-9 Howard, P.N. (2004). Deep democracy, thin citizenship: The impact of digital media in political campaign strategy. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences, 597:1-17. Matt Carlson (2007). BLOGS AND JOURNALISTIC AUTHORITY: The role of blogs in US Election. Journalism Studies, Volume 8, Issue 2 April 2007, pages 264 279 Kramer, S. (2003) ‘Google News Creator Watches Portal Quiet Critics With â€Å"Best News† Webby, Online Journalism Review 25 September, King, E. (1998) ‘Redefining Relationships: Interactivity Between News Producers and Consumers, Convergence 4(4): 26-32. Victor Costello and Barbara Moore (2007) Cultural Outlaws: An Examination of Audience Activity and Online Television Fandom. Television New Media 2007; 8; 124 ELIZABETH M. PERSE. (1990). Audience Selectivity and Involvement in the Newer Media Environment. Communication Research 1990; 17; 675 Eugenia Siapera. (2004). From couch potatoes to cybernauts? The expanding notion of the audience on TV channels websites. New Media Society 2004; 6; 155 Fernando Bermejo (2009) Audience manufacture in historical erspective: from broadcasting to Google.New Media Society 2009; 11; 133 Alexa Traffic Rank for YouTube (three month average). Alexa Internet. http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/youtube.com. Retrieved 2009-08-26. Accessed @ 15th Dec 2009 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6900001.ece#comment-have-your-say Accessed @ 1st Nov 2009 http://media-ucn.co.uk/Lecture%20notes/EncodingDecoding%20Lecture.htm Accessed @ 6th Jan 2010

Lateral Ankle Sprain Injury Health And Social Care Essay

Lateral Ankle Sprain Injury Health And Social Care Essay The aim of this essay is to provide a factual study and evaluation of the implications of a lateral ankle sprain and the pathopysiological processes that may be involved. This study discusses the social and psychological factors that may impact on the patients experience of such injuries, highlighting the importance of . The following case study on Mr Attallah Khan provides a platform to discuss presenting biopsychosocial factors that need to be considered when devising a management plan. Mr Khan sprained his ankle whilst taking part in a three legged race. He turned over on his right ankle experiencing intense pain with inability to bear weight. The main structures within the ankle that would be affected in this type of injury would be the three main lateral ligaments that help to prevent the ankle form rolling forward and outward together with the muscles of the lateral compartment, peroneus longus and peroneus brevis.( re the anterior talofibular ligament, the posterior tablofibular ligament and the calcaneofibular ligament.) Hubbard T, Wikstrom E, states that anterior talofibular ligaments (ATFL), reported to be the weakest is the first ligament injured. This is followed by calcaneofibular ligament (PTFL) and finally to the posterior talofibular ligament (PTFL). X-rays of right ankle showed no fractures. Mr Khan is a week post injury and at sub acute level of inflammation. The subacute stage is when healing and repair occurs. As a result of the inflammation Mr Khan has experienced soreness and swelling that causes him a lot of discomfort at the end of the day. He uses the crutch to help him get about but finds it difficult managing stairs and manoeuvring around the office. Hubbard T, Wikstrom E states that in order to regain stability of the ankle joint, immediate care and rehabilitation should focus on enhancing ligament healing. 2. Mr Khan lives with his wife and two children. He has been recently promoted to Partner in a city law firm. He is fairly active and enjoys family activities such as playing with the children and family walks. Mr Khan may feel immense pressure and anxiety to carry on with his normal daily duties at home and at work despite his injury. He suffers from tension headaches which may be a result of heavy work pressures as a result of his demanding position, for this he takes ibuprofen. Although Mr Khan takes for his headaches it may slow down the healing of the damaged ligaments. NSAIDs work by inhibiting the production of prostaglandins, substances that are involved in pain and also in the creation of collagen Warden S.J et al ( 2009) Collagen is the key element of most tissues and without prostaglandins collagen cannot be made which will hinder the repair of the tissue. By taking such painkillers Mr Khan may continue daily duties without the signals of pain resulting in further injury t o the affected area. Mr Khan also continues to work and has to also commute to the city and meetings, this lack of rest and weight bearing on the ankle may further delay the healing process. Mr Khan has forthcoming plans to travel in four months to America and then to Pakistan this will make a quick recovery his main priority. Mr Khan is a successful professional, intelligent and very motivated. With this in mind (Hegna T, Sveram M 1990) states that it is important to structure a rehabilitation plan that may influence motivation during recovery and it is necessary to try and identify which factors arouse each individuals motivation so that strategies can be used to enhance it. In order provide a successful plan for rehabilitation it would be necessary to set achievable, realistic goals in line with Mr Khan desired outcome which to walk again uninhibited by pain or swelling. To achieve full compliance may prove to be very difficult but the practitioner being seen as the professional whose role is to help patients achieve their objective may promote patient adherence. In Mr Khans case the management plan must include functional activities that are designed to initiate full recovery of the injury which will in turn allow Mr Khan to get on with his life. Management of Mr Khans lateral ligament injury will involve protection, rest, ice ,compression and elevation (PRICE) and function rehabilitation ie. Early mobilisation with support states Mattacola G, Dwyer K (2002). Research shows that early mobilisation of the joint will stimulate collagen bundle orientation and therefore stimulate healing. The primary goal for Mr Khan is to manage the pain, control the inflammation and protect the joint so that healing can take place. Hubbard T, Wikstrom E, (2010). state that in the acute stages of healing it is important to protect the lateral ligament of the ankle because the damage caused would have caused increased laxity. Protection is required with ankle bracing to prevent re-injury while the ligament heals. Rest is a necessary element to Mr Khans plan, this may however be difficult to enforce as Mr Khan is a very active man and may feel it necessary to place his treatment plan secondary to his family and work commitments. Enforcement of thi s rule may require discussions with Mr Khan in order to identify the factors that may hinder him from fully resting his ankle, this may also require the supervision and cooperation of the rest of his family. Factors to consider may be his workload as a new partner in the solicitors firm in which he works, together with the fact that the climbing of stairs with a crutch to get to his office is proving very difficult for him. This may require a temporary relocation of his office to the ground floor or a period of working at home until Mr Khan is able to bear weight on the ankle. Mr Khan is an intelligent man and needs to appreciate the logic in the activities he has been asked to do. It is important for the rehabilitation plan to reflect Mr Khans objectives but equally as important is the requirement for Mr Khan to cooperate and fully embrace the plan in order for it to be successful. Mr Khan must also elevate the ankle to reduce the swelling which will result in less pain; an ice com pression will also assist in this process. With less pain present Mr Khan may begin to engage in gentle mobilisation techniques leading onto exercises that restore motion and strength usually within 48 to 72 hours of injury. It is vital that the patient has complete confidence and have an understanding that if they cooperate and comply with each stage of the plan it will eventually lead to a successful outcome. Dividing the rehabilitation up into short term goals such as reducing the inflammation resulting in less pain progressing to long term goals will allow both patient and practitioner to monitor and measure the success of the treatment and make adjustments where necessary. When short term goals are accomplished this then provides encouragement and motivation for future stages in the treatment. Mr Khan must understands that if the inflammation is first addressed and dealt with then the pain will subside leading to increased range of motion and joint stability, thus leading to a return of activities of daily living (ADL). Patients can become non-compliant to treatment plan if they do not appreciate the rationality behind what they are asked to do. Ley. P. (1988) states that by Improving communication by either increasing the amount of information provided or by using special techniques can often led to increased understanding, recall and satisfaction. Mr Khan is impatient and frustrated with his injury and feels that it is an obstacle to fulfilling the commitments he faces with this in mind it is important to explain why it is necessary to engage with to the treatment and failure to do so may lead to a delayed recovery, that may prevent him from not only continuing in his weekend walks with the family but also may result in him having to cancel his forthcoming travel plans. The Biopsychosocial model of health best fits this case as it is vital to take into account the biological, psychological and socio-cultural factors surrounding Mr Khans case. By not focusing on the injury in isolation but taking into account Mr Khans lifestyle, mind-set, commitments, education, perception of control and his ultimate goals, a precise achievable treatment plan can be devised to help restore him not only back to full, pain-free mobility but to his role in society as a husband, father and lawyer.

F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby Essay -- essays research papers

Wealth, Love, and the American Dream It has been said that F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is about the pursuit of the American dream. It has also been said that the novel is about love, ambition, and obsession. Perhaps both are true. Combined, these themes may be understood in their most basic forms among the relationships within the novel. After all, each character’s reason for belonging to a relationship speaks very strongly of what really makes him tick; each character’s manifestation of his own desires is found within his lover. Throughout the novel, what universally unites each character beyond anything else is the love of a dream or position and involvement in relationships for the success of that dream. Jay Gatsby has loved Daisy Buchanan since their romance of his youth. Beautiful, rich, and refined, Daisy serves as a symbol of Gatsby’s wealth- she represents what 17-year-old James Gatz invented himself to be. The product of years of unfulfilled waited and longing by Gatsby, she becomes a sort of trophy dream. "Her voice is full of money", Gatsby says (Fitzgerald 127). This delightful figure of speech shows precisely what Gatsby desires. The poor boy from the mid-west hoped to be a great man; Daisy has become the manifestation of this desire. Thus, he believes that by impressing her and being accepted by her he can fully posses that dream. After all, Gatsby believes that with his fabulous wealth he can buy anything he wants, especially Daisy. Longing for the love of his youth, he shapes his whole life around this objective of becoming worthy of her. "He had waited five years and bought a mansion where he dispensed starlight to casual moths so that he coul d ‘come over’ some afternoon to a stranger’s garden" (Fitzgerald 83). Daisy had become the be-all and end-all of his mad ambition, and yet, his approach is passive and wasteful. Instead of actively seeking Daisy, he throws lavish parties, hoping she will stumble in. He finally resorts to a poorly planned meeting, using Nick as an accomplice and stumbling through a reunion that he had planned for all the years she had been away. Unfortunately for Gatsby, Daisy has married in his absence the hulking, brutish Tom Buchanan, the sort of man one would have expected her to marry all along. Tom represents old money, Ame... ...re within Myrtle to make public her new station in life. Unfortunately, there is not much structure within the apartment or the relationship itself. Neither can support the goals and ambitions brought into the relationship. Just as their apartment seems cramped due to more furniture than the building allows, their relationship is crowded and messy without any real feeling or structure. What is common in these relationships is the desire for the attainment of one’s dream through the use of one’s lover. Gatsby loves Daisy because she represents wealth and success, Daisy loves Tom because he holds the promise of a continued place as a member of American aristocracy, and Myrtle loves Tom because she believes that her relationship with him will grant her a place in high society. Although these relationships may exhibit pure ambition they do not exhibit pure love. Perhaps the novel is making a statement about the nature of ambition itself. When intertwined and mistaken with love, ambition causes hurt, disillusionment, and tragedy. And thus, perhaps Fitzgerald is saying that when the American dream is one based on money and mistaken for love, tragedy occurs.

Greed in Julius Caesar :: Julius Caesar Essays

Greed in Julius Caesar Greed can disrupt a family, town, or even a country. The play "Julius Caesar" was a great example of the power of greed. In the play "Julius Caesar" the driving forces were Cassius, Brutus, Marc Antony, and Octavius Caesar. Cassius was the brother in-law of Brutus and was also the creator of the group of conspirators. Cassius was also a senator of Rome. Cassius's greed for power, good reputation, and his jealousy lead to Caesars death. Cassius had the most honorable man in Rome to help in his plot to kill Caesar. Brutus was the honorable roman which Cassius took control of. Brutus loved Rome and all of the Roman people. Brutus was actually the true leader of the conspirators because he made the important decisions. Brutus had a different motivation for killing Caesar. The conspirators killed Julius Caesar because they were worried that if Caesar had succeeded in becoming king all the conspirators would lose their power. Brutus's motive for killing Julius Caes ar was his fear of Caesar destroying the city of Rome. Mark Antony was a regular Roman citizen, who was good friends with Julius Caesar. After Julius Caesar's death, Marc Antony recited a speech at Julius Caesar's funeral to all the people of Rome. The speech caused the plebeians to destroy everything in sight. It was by his speech that Marc Antony got his revenge towards Brutus and Cassius. Octavius Caesar was the nephew of Julius Caesar. When he got to Rome he and Marc Antony teamed up to fight against the forces of Brutus and Cassius. It was at Brutus and Cassius's last battle where Octavius and Marc Antony succeeded in their plan. Cassius had many motives for the killing of Julius Caesar. One of Cassius's motives was his greed for power. Cassius believed that he should have as much power as Julius Caesar. Cassius was also worried that if Julius Caesar had been king he would lose all of his power and become another regular citizen of Rome. Cassius showed his greed for power when he would always talk about how Caesar would get so much power and he was treated like he was nothing.

War Horse Movie Review

Macaulay I had the honor of watching War Horse' in my history class, this movie came out in December of 2011 This amazing film was directed by Steven Spielberg, the top three actors were Jeremy Irvine, Tom Hedonistic, and Benedict Cumberland.Darkroom,1 914: Even against if wife's Narrator who Is farmer, buys a thoroughbred horse rather than a work horse, when his teenaged son Albert trains the horse and calls him Joey, You couldn't break them apart, when his crops falls, the farmer sell Joey for the way and he Is shipped to France where, after escapes he Is featured by the Germans and changed hands twice before he Is found.When He runs he gets caught In the barbed wire In No Man's Land a few years later and Is freed, He gets brought back behind British lines where Albert, WHO has enlisted In the war and Is now a private, has been temporarily blinded by gas, but still somehow recognized Joey. However, as the war has ended they declared Joey Is set to be auctioned off, after he is soug ht be auctioned off, The Grandfather of a little girl who had Joey in the beginning of the movie buys Joey, But when he realized That Joey truly longs to Albert, he kindly returns Joey to him stating that â€Å"It is of course what my Granddaughter would've wanted, she IS the boss. I would highly Horse is not for everyone. I would recommend it to those who can take hard truth, and are interested by wars. Even though this book is an historical fiction, it is filled with facts. I wouldn't recommend this book to those who are easily upset and emotional. It shows some of most amazing stories of the life and death of the million horses who served in the Army between 1914- 1918. Over a million died, with fewer than 100,000 returning home.