The Advancement of Technologies in the Communication Field Essay

The Advancement of Technologies in the Communication Field - Essay Example A good case study to commence with will be our chemical process design group project. Through it, the description of what project management and planning is is revealed. Before the commencement of our project week, the inception of this project week was planned prior to our meetings which were organised with minutes and agendas being recorded concurrently. I was tasked with the role of being a chair of the design project since I was eloquent and fluent. With this, I was deemed to allow full participation and leadership in the project altogether. In order to meet project deadlines and also our groundwork, we used Gantt charts as well as some Microsoft programs. However, the major setback was the individual performances of project/group members in the assigned tasks. It was duly noted that the persona of each member played a critical role in project completion since some members were more involved than others. The result of this was a failure in the first part of the design project. Wi th this, I examined each member’s advantage and disadvantage, including myself, by requesting them to come up with a SWOT analysis of themselves. This assisted me to adopt dissimilar management as well as leadership techniques for individual members. As a result, the majority of inactive members became more involved with the second part of the design strategy, and we successively achieved a positive result. In order to solve and analyse a situation at hand, it is a necessity to embrace teamwork. This will ensure a more positive end result.

Luxury Brands Essay Example for Free

Luxury Brands Essay Luxury Brands: What Are They Doing About Social Responsibility? David S. Waller, Marketing Discipline Group, University of Technology Sydney Anurag G. Hingorani, Marketing Discipline Group, University of Technology Sydney Abstract Although luxury goods may be synonymous with extravagance, lavishness, and even waste, it may appear to be a contradiction that a number of companies that manufacture and sell luxury brands have also discovered the value of being socially responsible. With growing criticism of the high costs and exploitation in the manufacture of luxury goods, some companies are increasing the extent to which corporate social responsibility and sustainability issues feature in their business practices. This paper will look at the issues regarding luxury brands and social responsibility, and will focus on LVMH Moà «t Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world‟s largest luxury goods conglomerate. Introduction Despite the recent global financial crisis and continuing economic troubles worldwide, sales of luxury brands are growing. According to the Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study, luxury spending in 2011 rose 8% to â‚ ¬185 billion ($US274 billion) in 2011, with growth in the US, Europe and China, which was after a fall in sales in 2008 and 2009 (Holmes 2011). Brand names like Chanel, Yves St Laurent, Louis Vuitton and Tiffany Co. have become household names and brands that some people aspire to purchase and wear. However, luxury brands have also been often criticised for being extravagant, overpriced, exploiting third world suppliers, and wasteful when many people are struggling financially. As luxury brands promote themselves to the global audience, some companies are increasing the extent to which corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability issues feature in their business practices. This paper will explore the issues related to luxury brands and social responsibility, with a particular focus on LVMH Moà «t Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world‟s largest luxury goods conglomerate which includes internationally recognised brands such as Christian Dior, TAG Heuer, Fendi, Marc Jacobs, Guerlain, Kenzo and Givenchy. A content analysis of the 2010 Annual report will reveal the CSR initiatives/activities undertaken by LVMH and some implications for CSR disclosure will be discussed. Background Since some embarrassing corporate ethical and financial disasters, many organisations are taking steps to improve their corporate governance, ethical practice and CSR activities (Agrawal and Chadha, 2005; Margolis and Walsh, 2001). There has been particular interest in CSR, in which there is a â€Å"concern for the impact of all of the corporations activities on the total welfare of society† (Bowman and Haire, 1976, p. 13). CSR activities and disclosure have increased with organisations identifying different types of CSR initiatives that they undertake, including those that relate to work output, HR activities, social/community commitment, and environmental initiatives (Gray, Owen and Maunders, 1987; Luo and Bhattacharya, 2006; Waller 2009; Waller and Lanis, 2009). These CSR activities can help promote a specific image that management would like to portray to its various stakeholders, and counter criticism for other issues that may affect the company. The luxury industry thrives on the creation of an image and the communication of brandassociations. This contributes to the interest in luxury brands by many consumers who might want to portray a particular image or feel a certain way by acquiring and consuming luxury goods and services. Not only consumers but also academic and industry researchers are  interested in luxury brands (Bendell and Kleanthous 2007; Fionda and Moore 2009; Kapferer and Bastien 2009; Phau and Prendergast 2000). Most consumers prefer to purchase a wellknown, reputable brand over a cheaper, unknown brand, especially when making highinvolvement purchases, or products that reflect a buyer‟s personality. Luxury provides selfexpression which reflects class, status, and quality. However, at a time when there is increasing unemployment, economic troubles around the world, and a downturn in sales, there is a concern that a luxury brand is elitist and uncaring for the wider community. In 2007, the WWF-UK measured 10 luxury brands on their environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance – and the brands did not fair well (Bendell and Kleanthous 2007). In relation to the marketing of luxury brands in a world of rich and poor, the report states: â€Å"Luxury brands are experiencing rapid expansion in societies that contain both very rich and very poor people. Such societies can view displays of conspicuous consumption as a threat to social cohesion. This is true, for example, in China, where the authorities in Beijing have banned the use of billboards to advertise luxury products and services. In this context, the credibility of luxury products and services will be derived from their ability to generate wellbeing, not only for consumers, but also for those involved in (or affected by) their production, use, reuse and disposal.† The report ranked the top 10 largest luxury goods companies on an environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance ranking. This was based on: (1) what the companies report to the community; and (2) what media and non-governmental organisations have said about the companies. The companies were given a score out of 100, and graded from A (the best) to F (the worst). Out of the 10 companies, none were graded more than a C+ with LOreal topping the ranking, followed by Hermà ¨s and Louis Vuitton. By being more proactive in their civic responsibilities and keeping within government regulations in their business operations, an organisation can build a reputation as a good corporate citizen. Some CSR activities that luxury brands can undertake include eco-friendly ingredient sourcing, fair pricing, eco-manufacture, and efficient non-wasteful distribution, as well as corporate sponsorship. This study will examine the CSR activities run by LVMH Moà «t Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world‟s largest luxury goods conglomerate, via a content analysis of the LVMH 2010 Annual Report. The main company information about LVMH is found in Table 1. Table 1: LVMH Moà «t Hennessy Louis Vuitton Company Information Luxury goods, retail Industry Founded Headquarters Products Brands 1987 Paris, France Clothing, cosmetics, fashion accessories, jewellery, perfumes, spirits, watches and wines Includes: Moà «t et Chandon, Hennessy, Glenmorangie, Fendi, Donna Karan, Givenchy, Kenzo, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Parfums Christian Dior, Guerlain, Bulgari, TAG Heuer, Zenith, Hublot, DFS, Le Bon Marchà © â‚ ¬20.32 billion â‚ ¬3.032 billion 83,540 Methodology Organisations can communicate their CSR information through a variety of sources such as advertising, annual reports, public relations and their websites. In this study, the annual report was analysed as this is the only document produced regularly to comply with regulatory requirements and is central to the organisation‟s own image (Gray, Kouhy and Lavers 1995). After finding the LVMH 2010 annual report online from the company website (www.lvmh.com), a search was made for a social responsibility section in the report.

The Pros and Cons of Technology Essay examples -- Term Papers Research

The Pros and Cons of Technology As far back as I can remember my family and I have taken advantage of technology. The types of technology have changed over the years, along with our usage and dependence on it. Technology is a fundamental part of our lifestyle, including both work and play. What is interesting is that we also have many friends who use very little technology in their day-to-day living. This drastic difference makes one wonder how necessary the technology really is, and whether or not our dependence on it is healthy in the long run. It is really easy to just get caught up in using technology without thinking about the pros and cons. I was born in the 80’s, so technology as, I know it, was beginning to take aim at the mainstream United States and the world. I grew up in an era of change, whether or not this change is good is yet to be determined. When I talk about technology I am making reference to computers, automation, and most â€Å"new age† technology. My first exposure to computers was at my dad’s lab at the University of Michigan Dearborn. The computer was ancient by today’s standards, but at the time it was a marvel of technological triumph. When I was five we bought a home personal computer (pc) for my mother to write papers and utilize the Internet. I became increasingly fascinated with the possibilities the computer brought be and I was hooked. In school we had little Apple 2Es that only worked when they wanted to but we still used them every day. My mother had a large influence on my relationship with technology. First of all, she felt strongly enough to ban video games and most television shows the first ten years of my life. I started to test educational software for children when I was five because my... ...r, not batteries, because we were out in the woods for weeks on end. I settled on a small solar panel that could accommodate the digital device. The problem was that it didn’t work reliably, so just the use of the camera alone ate up my time that could have been better spent. Progress? I think not. Now, as I bash technology for some of its downfalls, I am still reminded about its benefits for medicine, and transportation. Isn’t that kind of progress beneficial for our civilization? Again the answer is, well, yes and no. Sure, we can get from point A to point B faster, but we pollute the environment and rely heavily on nonrenewable resources, which we can’t afford in the long run. I foresee my generation having to confront this. I see myself using new technologies, but, like Gomez-Pena, continuing to maintain balance, and staying grounded in a less â€Å"virtual† world.

Why People Commit Murder

What Triggers People to Commit Murder? Alicyn Nitsch Criminology April 17, 2013 Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide. (Wikipedia) In most countries, a person convicted of murder is typically given a long prison sentence, possibly a life sentence where permitted, and in some countries, the death penalty may be imposed for such an act. (Wikipedia) Murder has been a common crime in the United States and it has taken a lot of influence for kids and teens.  Control Key and Word – Text and Graphics.The rate of killings in the U. S. involving five or more victims — one generally accepted definition of a mass killing — represented less than 1% of all homicides 25 years ago, and still does today. (Kluger,Jeffery)Though it is difficult to have a control on such factors but a little attention of parents on their children can minimize growth of criminal nature in their kids. Education is another criterion of prevention of such criminal activities. Education makes a person to distinguish between right and wrong and makes him stable and balanced.He is thus able to withstand any kind of circumstances and develops a potential to overcome any situation. (Shipali, Sharma) Murders are committed for many different reasons. One major reason people commit murder is due to anger. People are often confronted with feelings of disappointment, frustration and anger as they interact with government officials, co-workers, family and even fellow commuters. (Greeneimer, Larry) In Anger, a person often tends to lose his senses. He loses the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. Also, the rush of adrenaline makes him to commit crime.What turns anger into action is self-control. Watching a movie showing violent acts predisposes us to act violently. Even just listening to violent rhetoric makes people more inclined to be violent. Iron ically, the same mirror neurons that make people empathic make them very vulnerable to all sorts of influences. Indeed, after many years of studies on mirror neurons and their functioning, scientists are shifting their lab research to the study of the control mechanisms in the brain for mirror neurons. The key issue is the balance of power between these control echanisms are called top-down—because they are all like executives that control from the top down to the employees—and bottom-up mechanisms, in the opposite direction, like mirror neurons. This anger could turn into something deadly such as revenge. Revenge can make a person to commit crime. When a person is not able to take revenge by direct means then he adopts indirect and unlawful means to punish his enemy. Peer influence and poor parenting skills are the reasons for easily giving up the path of honesty and truth. Signs that a person is disturbed enough to take action are quite visible.When it does happen, t he people likeliest to commit the crime fall into a drearily predictable group. They're 95% male, and 98% are black or white — not a big surprise since more than 87% of the population is made up of those two races. action itself is a sign, a desperate form of communication from a disturbed individual. Connecting with the subject, that person may have rethought some of the activity of mirror neurons toward a truly empathic behavior, rather than in the service of the deranged imitative violence leading to action. The violence shown in Televisions is also highly responsible in negatively affecting one’s mind.Kids and teenagers generally try to mimic the stunts and the violence acts shown in the TV. The violent games of video games and computer games are very famous among kids and teens. Such games and scenes shatter their innocent brain and are responsible for making them aggressive and violent. Another key note in why people commit murder is due to mental health and past experiences. According to neuropsychologist Jonathan Reed; 49. 4% had a developmental disorder in childhood, 87% had a brain injury, 85% had a history of substance abuse, 45% had a psychiatric history and 35% have had a history of abuse in childhood.Exactly what is going on in their heads can never be known and the neuropsychological factors don’t explain the trigger or situation in which the murder took place. However, it is clear that there are neurological and neurodevelopmental factors going on here, and given what we know about these in childhood and from case studies, it is unclear how much control such individuals have in a given situation. (Reed, Jonathan) So many of these people’s problems seem to stem from experiences and events in their childhoods. People are not criminals by birth.Their circumstances, needs and their upbringing make them criminals. Another big factor that criminals are brought up by is poverty. Poverty is one of the main factors for commit ting a crime. When a person is helpless with no money in hand and a huge family to support then in such cases his circumstances forces him to take up the gun in his hand. There are many terrorist associations that hire such needy people for little money and use them in their criminal acts like murders, bomb explosions, kidnapping etc. Unemployment, which is another cause of poverty, is the main cause of aggression in today’s youth.Lack of job opportunities misleads the youth to take up this direction and earn money in this way. (Shipali, Sharma) The Greed of possessing materialistic things and the intense desire to have a luxurious life by any possible means leads a person to follow this track of crime. It is a human desire to lead his life luxuriously which is sometimes not possible in the little income of a person. (Shipali, Sharma) For this reason some people look up for easy and fast methods of gaining cash and they do not even hesitate to take up the life of some other i nnocent person. It’s greed that completely weighs over their judgment.

One Art Essay

A villanelle poem is a nineteen line poem that consists of five, three-line stanza followed by a quatrain. Bishop’s poem brings a fascinating irony between different levels of losses. Between each stanza, the development of trivial losses escalates into a bigger and traumatic loss that was unprepared for. An intense repetition of the phrase â€Å"the art of losing isn’t hard to master† suggests a few given things (Bishop 1499). She attempts to bring out the fact that â€Å"losing† is a type of skill that you can gain by overcoming. Therefore, by mastering it, you have the ultimate control. Throughout the poem, the phrase â€Å"art of losing† has been used to emphasize the speaker’s effect on how â€Å"it isn’t hard to master,† which suggests â€Å" that the speaker is trying to convince herself that losing things is not hard and she should not worry† (â€Å"Essay Interpreting â€Å"one Art† By Elizabeth Bishop† Page 1 of 2). In fact, the â€Å"art of losing† takes an increasingly significant role all throughout the poem. Each stanza represents what she loss and the level of the loss. †Language and verse form show in â€Å"One Art† how the losses increase in importance as the poem progresses, with the losses in lines 1-15 being mostly trivial or not very important to the great loss in lines 16-19 or a beloved person† (Page 2 of 2). From the beginning of the poem, her losses began to be trivial such as â€Å"lost door keys, the hourly bad spent† (Bishop 1499). Bishop used â€Å"second person. â€Å"Lose something every day. † seems to command one to practice the art of losing things† (Page 1 of 2). Towards the last three stanzas, the second person point of view was shifted to first person point of view after a few references to herself using the subject â€Å"I. † Bishop also suggests how you can practice to perform this type of art by using illustrations of progressive losses from trivial to more significant losses throughout the poem. â€Å"Four times, the narrator asserts that there these losses are â€Å"no disaster. Thus, the central thesis of this poem is that over time, one may learn to cope with loss, even with the loss of those we love† (â€Å"Elizabeth Bishop’s â€Å"One Art† Page 1 of 2). By using different claims of losses, Bishop was able to suggest a statement following certain types of solutions to deal with the loss. For example, the first stanza, including throughout the poem, included the fiercely used phrase that â€Å"the art of losing isn’t hard to master† (Bishop 1499). In the second stanza, it provides the answer to the conflict of trying to master the art of losing by â€Å"losing something every day. Accept the fluster of lost door keys, the hourly bad spent†¦Ã¢â‚¬  With this said, Bishop suggests to readers that by â€Å"practicing losing farther, losing faster,† the readers will be able to achieve their goal: to master the art of losing (1499). â€Å"As we do so, we will recognize that these daily losses truly are no signifi cant† (â€Å"Elizabeth Bishop’s â€Å"One Art† Page 1 of 2). When Bishop adds reference to herself in the poem, the transition from the more trivial day-to-day losses is nothing compared to her own specific incidents. Her incidents include â€Å"lost of her mother’s watch,†¦/†¦next-to-last, of three loved houses went. /†¦lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,/ some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Bishop 1499). The bigger loss suggested in this poem was â€Å"-Even losing you† (1499). The Webster definition of losing is: resulting in or likely to result in defeat, or marked by many losses or more losses than wins. In the beginning of this poem, losing is defined as the misplacement of an item; therefore, resulting in not being able to locate the item again. For instance, the lost door keys were a misplaced item. But, as the poem progresses, the items being lost are getting bigger and more significant. The level of losing is definitely becoming more defining and more coping. â€Å"Places, and names, and where it was you meant/ to travel†¦ I lost my mother’s watch. And look! my last, or/next-to last, of three loved houses went†¦I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,/ some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent/†¦it wasn’t a disaster† (Bishop 1499). The combination of stanza 4 and 5 give a couple of suggestions. First, the poem progressed from the smaller things that should not have been of concern to larger things that start to matter. â€Å"But by stanza four, a slightly different meaning of â€Å"losing† creeps into the poem—that is, â€Å"losing† as â€Å"coping with loss†¦The narrator apparently manages to cope†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Elizabeth Bishop’s â€Å"One Art† Page 2 of 2). In this poem, the attitude that the speaker conveys in each stanza seems to fluctuate as the losses get greater. With her uses of punctuation and â€Å"courageous pretense built into this poem,† it seems as though Bishop tries to convey a â€Å"wry, funny, and flippant and very determined not to sound weepy- eyed† type of attitude (Krishnan Page 1 of 3). The trivial matters suggested in the beginning of the poem don’t seem to cause a big affect on the speaker’s attitude. Towards the end, the poem conveyed a sense of how the speaker was feeling by using â€Å"the joking voice, a gesture I love† (Bishop 1499). With this â€Å"joking voice,† she was able to yet again point out that â€Å"the art of losing’s not too hard to master† (1499). With this repetitive type of suggestion, it is almost as if â€Å"this phrase turns it into an incantation, warding off potential feelings of loss† (Elizabeth Bishop’s â€Å"One Art† Page 2 of 2). This poem uses an abundant amount of literary devices especially hyperboles and irony. One Art is a very ironic villanelle poem. The phrase â€Å"losing is an art† might suggest that her attempt of persuading herself and readers that internal pain can be evaded; even if the predictable, and most catastrophic, losses that happen in our lives does not have to be a disaster; or could it be an excuse? (Schmeer Page 1 of 3). The hedging in the narrator’s phrases parallels hedging throughout this poem, a poem whose very existence denies what its lines seem to want to claim: the art of losing is hard to master, especially when that â€Å"art† refers to coping with the loss of someone we love, someone who goes away, someone whose going away is a disasterâ⠂¬ .

civil war in rwanda essays

civil war in rwanda essays In this essay I will be writing about the civil war in Rwanda. I will be explaining, why it happened, how it happened, when it happened, and give you all the details. A mountainous country in east central Africa, the Republic of Rwanda lies south of the equator. It is one of Africa's smallest countries, covering an area of only 10,169 square miles (26,338 square kilometers). Zaire and Lake Kivu border Rwanda on the west, Uganda on the north, Tanzania on the east, and Burundi on the south. Rwanda's relief consists of a series of hills with steep slopes that often alternate with deep valleys. A chain of volcanoes, the Virunga Mountains, is in the north. Numerous small lakes are scattered in the southeast. It contains a population of 6,700,000 people, which are divided into the three major ethnic groups: Hutus (88%), Tutsis (11%), and Twa pygmies (1%). The civil war in Rwanda began in April 1994 and ended July 1994. This war was between the Hutus and the Tutsis. They both had different points of view in how to control Rwanda. The Tutsis then began a group called: Tutsi Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). On April 6, 1994, the airplane carrying President Habyarimana and the President of Burundi was shot down. This gave command to all military and militia groups to kill all of the Tutsis. In this event 800,000 Tutsis were killed. This was one of the reasons for their civil war. Another reason was because they didnt agree in sharing Rwanda in political matters. Rwanda was like a toy both Hutus and Tutsis wanted but couldnt share. This civil war only lasted fourteen weeks. During this war, 1.7 million Hutus fled Rwanda and found shelter in their neighboring countries: Uguanda, Burubdi, Tanzania, and Zaire. Fleeding from Rwanda also gave problems. In the refugee camps the people had concentrated in huge numbers at barren places with no sanitation, polluted water, and little food. These conditions added to the number of d...

APA Referencing †Citing Social Media Posts

APA Referencing – Citing Social Media Posts APA Referencing – Citing Social Media Posts With social media, information now spreads faster than ever. And you might even need to cite a social media post in an academic paper at some point. Its a strange new world were living in.(Photo Credit) But social media posts need to be cited when they appear in academic writing, so make sure you get it right! In this blogpost, we look at the rules for doing this with APA referencing. Citing a Social Media Post APA treats publicly available posts on platforms like Facebook or Twitter as websites. As such, if mentioning a Twitter account or Facebook page in passing, you need to provide a URL in parentheses within the text: Thousands of people use the Financial Times’ Twitter account (https://twitter.com/ftfinancenews) to get breaking news on the markets. If referring to a specific post or update on social media, however, you’ll need to give a full in-text citation with a named author and date of publication: In a post on Facebook, the former president referred to the Paris Climate Agreement as â€Å"a crucial step forward in the fight against climate change† (Obama, 2016). In such cases, social media posts cited in your work should be accompanied by an entry in the reference list at the end of your document. Reference List In the reference list, APA has specific requirement for social media posts. The general format is: Surname, Initial. [Screen name/given name]. (Year, Month Day). Title or excerpt [Platform]. Retrieved from URL This includes providing a screen name and the date that the post was made. Since many social media posts don’t have a title, an excerpt of up to 40 words can be used instead. For example, the reference for the Facebook post cited above would appear as: Obama, B. [Barack]. (2016, November 4). Today marks a crucial step forward in the fight against climate change, as the historic Paris Climate Agreement officially enters into force. Lets keep pushing for progress [Facebook status update]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/barackobama/posts/10154306132531749 Make sure that the URL provided is specifically for the post in question, not just the page or account from which it is taken. Citing a Personal Communication The rules for citing social media are a little different when the post isn’t publicly available (e.g., if it was a direct message). In this case, you treat the post as a personal communication. To do this, you should indicate that the information comes from a personal communication in parentheses as part of your citation, plus give a date for the message: Dr. Smith (personal communication, January 12, 2017) claimed that the study was promising but inconclusive. Since personal messages are not public, APA does not require you to include them in the reference list.