New and Social Media for Public Relations Strategies

New and Social Media for Public Relations Strategies INTRODUCTION The topic of the dissertation deals with the research into the use of progressively emerging technology of new media, as a tool, by the public relation practitioners. The focus is mainly on the adoption of various new media tools, by practitioners, for practicing public relation activities. There’s a huge market for new media and, if used properly, it can be a great tool to maintain effective relations by the organization and in projecting a very positive image of the organization. New media not only allows public relations practitioners to reach out to and engage their publics in conversation, but also provides an avenue to strengthen media relations..New Media is emerging as an important public relations tool and empowers two way symmetrical communications with publics and stakeholders. PR professionals are confronted with the swift rise of social media that forces practitioners to pay due and timely attention. They are not only excited about utilizing these tools together w ith conventional media, but are also excited about speaking directly to their publics and stakeholders without the involvement of any intermediaries. The current study examines the use of new media as a tool for public relation practitioners. With the advent of improved and fast way of accessing information, people have changed their ways to get information. Observing this changing trend, PR professionals have also started using New Media to play their role effectively. It has reduced the need of third party influencer, like media, to communicate with the public. New Media facilitates PR professionals to interact directly with their organization’s public, specifically consumers. The focus of study is to know about the new media tools being used by practitioners and their opinion about its use, whether they blend the new media tools with traditional tools to perform various activities of public relations, the advantages and challenges they are facing using New Media for Public Relations in chandigarh. This is a cross sectional descriptive survey done by interviewing Public Relation practitioners working in chandigarh. PUBLIC RELATIONS: In the early 1900s, Ivy Lee  and  Edward Louis Bernays  came up with the first definition of PR: a management function, which tabulates public attitudes, defines the policies, procedures, and interests of an organization followed by executing a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance. Dr. Rej F Harlow, a PR scholar and practitioner, undertook the task of compiling published PR definitions. Analyzing 472 definitions ,he put forward a working definition, that says : â€Å"Public Relation is a distinctive management function which helps establish and maintain mutual lines of communication, understanding, acceptance and cooperation between an organization and its publics ; involves the management of problems or issues ; helps management to keep informed on and responsive to public opinion ; defines and emphasizes the responsibility of management to serve the public interest ; helps management keep abreast of effectively utilizing change, serving as an early warning system to help anticipate trends; and uses research and sound and ethical communication as its principal tools.† PUBLIC RELATION ACTIVITIES: Publicity: It involves disseminating information through selected media with the motive of gaining public attention, without paying to the media. Promotion: It attempts to gain the support for a person, product, organization or an idea. It helps consumers know about the product, the price, or the place. Issues/Crisis management: It has a proactive nature of identifying issues that can likely concern to an organization and, thus, involves development of a response mechanism to manage such unanticipated situations. Community relations: By maintaining good relationships with members of the community, more customers can be attracted through word-of-mouth and also generates customer loyalty. Media relations: It involves circulating messages through media and to keep a watch on how the product / organization’s image is being portrayed by the media. Developing good relationships with media persons is an important activity in the PR process. Event management: It involves planning activities or events which will attract media attention to a person, product, organization or an idea. Employee relations: It involves building work culture and team relationships among the employees by sharing information, promoting involvement and inculcating a sense of pride in business achievement. It helps in improving teamwork, staff retention and productivity. Advertising It is a paid form of presentation and communication from an identified sponsor. Businesses use advertising to promote their product, while non-profit organizations use ads to raise awareness or encourage a change in behavior. Lobbying: It involves a professional attempt to bring about a change to a government policy, corporate policy, or public opinion that is favorable towards the organization, cause or group. During political campaigns, in order to affect public opinion, parties may engage PR firms as lobbyists. TRADITIONAL TOOLS USED IN PUBLIC RELATIONS: Publicity Media: Press: A Public relation person acts as the voice of the organization and provides information about the activities of the organization, its policies and programmers to the public through the press. Various ways in which information can be provided to the press are: Press Releases: It is written information of timely nature, about the policies and activities of an organization that is sent to all news media by an organization. Editorials/Articles /Features: A public relations person, have to maintain good relationship with the media and should have effective persuasive skills, in order to provide background material to suggest subjects for editorials. Television: Due to great scope of television as a publicity medium, it is a highly effective tool for Public Relations. Radio: Radio can be effectively used in Public Relation as it covers more than 90% of the Indian population. Films/Videos/Documentaries: It can be used for both the internal or external public to train and motivate employees and educate consumers. Oral Communication: It is majorly use for internal public, such as employees, to provide them training or information about the organization’s policies. Various ways to perform Oral Communication are: Meetings: It is a formally arranged gathering of two or more persons, to serve some purpose. Speeches: Formal speeches are the fastest way of conveying information.The public relations department is involved in research, speech writing and training of speakers. Other ways for oral communication can be telephones calls, public address system, panel discussion, counseling etc. Printed Literature: Publicity literature helps organization to promote its products, services or activities.These can take various forms. House Journal: It is an organization’s publication that caters its internal public and external ‘public’. Its objective is to create an environment for exchange of thoughts on various issues concerning an organization and its employees. Annual Reports: It can serve as prestige publication to attract prospective investors. Brochures: It usually covers information on a specific subject and is used for various purposes such as explaining a new programme, to ask for donations.’Take home or mail-out brochures make consumers cognitively connected to the organization and its products and services. Other forms of Printed Literature can be catalogues, booklets, leaflets. Miscellaneous Communication Tools: Stickers, posters, labels, Racks or bins, window display, Packaging, gifts like calendars, diaries, pens, key chains. Direct mail: (Newsletters.): Regular newsletters providing relevant information about the organization or/and its products/services can fortify relations with customers. Advertorials: Advertisements in the form of news stories allow to associate advertising with the credibility of the newspaper. Press Conferences: It involves calling media representatives together at a place to disseminate newsworthy information regarding the organization. Media Previews: When introducing a new product or organizing new plants and facilities ,the day before the official public showing, the media is given a preview ; company officials welcome media persons and answer their queries. PressTours: It involves transporting a press party a long distance. Press officials are invited individually to witness a landmark achievement, the commissioning of a project or a crisis situation .The Public relation officer briefs them time to time and give background information during press tour. Media-Management Luncheons: Luncheons are arranged in which media representatives have an opportunity to meet management, to hear about new corporate developments and to inspect facilities. Clip Sheets: News stories and illustrations are reproduced in newspaper format to show news editors how stories and pictures will appear in print, are distributed by PR department to editors of daily and weekly newspapers. Press kits: It contains mimeographed news releases, photographs, biographies, and background material that are prepared by PR departments and distributed to the media at special events. Publicity Distribution Services: It provides production and low cost distribution of news and pictures to editors and news writers of business magazines, newspapers and radio and television stations. Exhibitions: It helps to get the instant feedback of the consumers so that their doubts can be clarified and, thus, build customer’s confidence. Special Events: Its aim is to publicize about the organization and its products in such a way that it attracts the attention of media so that it gets the best coverage possible. Outdoor Media: PR professionals use it for disseminating information about their organization’s policies and programmes. Attendance at public events: Presence at Public Events is valuable promotional opportunities. It gives an added advantage over competitors. It gives the opportunity to directly reach the public. NEW MEDIA: The term ‘New Media’ originated in 21stCentury. It accounts for everything related to digital communication technologies, that is, related to computer or any mobile device connected to internet is the necessary requirement for new media. Its key feature is Interactivity. In context of Public Relations, the term ‘new media can be aptly called as Social media as being social is all about building and maintaining relationships. But considering the larger context social media is a subset of new media. Still sometimes these two terms are used interchangeably. In terms of Public Relations, New media tools can help in following ways: Connectpeople with information and services. Collaboratewith internal and external Createnew content, services, and channels of communication that help you deliver information and services. DEFINITIONS OF NEW MEDIA: According to Oxford dictionary: New Media is a means of mass communication using digital technologies such as the Internet. As defined by Webopedia, new media is: A generic term for the many different forms of electronic communication that are made possible through the use of computer technology. The term is in relation to old media forms, such as print newspapers and magazines that are static representations of text and graphics. DIFFERENT FORMS OF NEW MEDIA: Web sites: A location on the World Wide Web that contains a home page and is owned and managed by an individual, company or organization. Online Newsroom: An  online newsroom  (also known as a  press room,  media room,  press center  or  media center) is a website that contains information about a corporation or organization. The online newsroom was initially created for corporate communicators and  public relations  firms to target traditional  media  outlets, fundamentally newspapers, magazines, radio stations and television stations. Electronic mail: Most commonly referred to asemailore-mailsinceca.1993,it is used for exchanging digital messages. Online communities: Group of people with similar goals or interests connect and exchange information using web tools. Virtual Reality Worlds: A three-dimensional environment is simulated on the computers monitor screen. It allows and its users to interact via graphical avatar representations of themselves. Video sharing: Allow you to upload and share online videos Webcasts: Internet-based communication tools used to broadcast live or recorded audio and/or video over the internet so that information could be delivered to a broad audience and, in this case, audiences are also connected with each other. It can be either one-way presentation or an interactive session Webinars: Internet-based typically one way communication tool that can be understood as a specific type of web conference. It involves online polling and question -answer sessions. It can be recorded in order to benefit those who were not able to attend the scheduled time. Web conferences: Internet-based communication tools used to conduct live meetings or presentations over the internet. Widgets: A web widget is a small application that you can embed in a social network site, blog, or website to share content. RSS (Real Simple Syndication) Feeds: To receive updates without browsing sites for the latest information, RSS feeds are used. These can be used to share information from the organization to the readers. It gets the user subscribed to a particular website. Video and computer games: It provides high level involvement to the user. These could be single or multi player games .They may or may not be online. Podcasting: Podcasts are free audio or video files that can be listened to or watched on the computer or mobile device. It can be an easy and inexpensive way to provide information to your target audience(s). Blogs Vlogs: A website with periodical updates (posts) that include text, graphics, videos and hyperlinks. Usually informal in style, blogs allows their readers to leave comments. Wiki: An online resource that covers information on almost all the general topics. Web advertising: Internet advertising, such as banners, pay-per-click ads, pay-per-call ads and pop-ups, provides a way of reaching people who use the internet for shopping or to gather information. Instant Messaging (IM): Due to its simplicity, ease in usage and relatively high level of synchronicity, IM is now widely used internet based communication tool at the workplaces. Chat Rooms: A part of an online service that provides virtual world human interaction in real time. Social Networking: A website that helps in getting connected to one’s family and friends and share information. Cell Phones: These facilitate consumers to get handy with the latest information and provide instant updates in their inboxes when something happens.

The merits and shortcomings of quantitative and qualitative research

The merits and shortcomings of quantitative and qualitative research Research methods are technique(s) for gathering data (Harding, 1986) and are generally dichotomized into being either quantitative or qualitative. It has been argued that methodology has been gendered (Oakley, 1998), with quantitative methods traditionally being associated with words such as positivism, scientific, objectivity, statistics and masculinity. In contrast, qualitative methods have generally been associated with interpretive, non-scientific, subjectivity and femininity. Quantitative Research Techniques and Procedures Qualitative analysis is a process that is often the precursor to quantitative, statistical work; a process to make the tacit underpinnings of an issue explicit; a process you can use to deepen your understanding of complex social and human factors that cannot be understood with numbers; a process that helps you figure out what to count and what to measure (Kerlin, 1999, p. 1). A common way of conducting quantitative research is using a survey. Surveys usually involve filling in a questionnaire. There are, of course, many different kinds of quantitative research besides the survey. Observational research involves watching or observing various behaviors and patterns. More complicated forms of quantitative research are experimental research or mathematical modelling research (Peter J.P. Donnelly J.H, 2000). In the social sciences, quantitative research refers to the systematic empirical investigation of quantitative properties and phenomena and their relationships. The objective of quantitative research is to develop and employ mathematical models, theories and/or hypotheses pertaining to phenomena. The process of measurement is central to quantitative research because it provides the fundamental connection between empirical observation and mathematical expression of quantitative relationships. Quantitative research is used widely in social sciences such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, and political science. Research in mathematical sciences such as physics is also quantitative by definition, though this use of the term differs in context. In the social sciences, the term relates to empirical methods, originating in both philosophical positivism and the history of statistics, which contrast qualitative research methods. Qualitative methods produce information only on the particular cases studied, and any more general conclusions are only hypotheses. Quantitative methods can be used to verify, which of such hypotheses are true. Qualitative Research Techniques and Procedures Qualitative research is a generic term for investigative methodologies described as ethnographic, naturalistic, anthropological, field, or participant observer research. It emphasizes the importance of looking at variables in the natural setting in which they are found. Interaction between variables is important. Detailed data is gathered through open ended questions that provide direct quotations. The interviewer is an integral part of the investigation (Jacob, 1988). This differs from quantitative research which attempts to gather data by objective methods to provide information about relations, comparisons, and predictions and attempts to remove the investigator from the investigation (Smith, 1983). According to Andrew (2007), qualitative research is a method of inquiry appropriated in many different academic disciplines, traditionally in the social sciences, but also in market research and further contexts. Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern such behavior. The qualitative method investigates the why and how of decision making, not just what, where, when. Hence, smaller but focused samples are more often needed, rather than large samples. According to Andrew (2007), qualitative research is used to denote approaches which are supported by a set of hypotheses concerning the way the social world functions. It deduces many of its basic principles from the perspective that there are fundamental differences between the science of human world and science of natural world and consequently needs to use distinctive methods. Here, attention is focused upon looking at the world through the eyes of studied objects and upon evolving concepts and theories which are grounded in the collecting data. So, qualitative research connected with own accounts of the individuals of their attitudes and behavior. The significance of qualitative research consists in setting stress on describing, understanding complex phenomena. It investigates, for instance, the relationships and patterns among factors or the context in which the activity happens. It is concentrated on understanding the full many-dimensional picture of the subject of investigatio n. Qualitative methods produce information only on the particular cases studied, and any more general conclusions are only hypotheses (informative guesses). The aim of qualitative research is to deepen our understanding about something, and usually this means going beyond the numbers and the statistics. Qualitative research helps us to give reasons why the numbers tell us what they do. It is often contrasted to quantitative research and they are very often used together to get the bigger picture of what we are trying to find out. Qualitative research helps us flesh out the story. Face-to-Face Interviews and Focus Groups The most common forms of qualitative research are face-to-face interviews and focus groups. Face-to-face interviews are just that: Meeting someone in person and discussing various issues. The informant or person you are interviewing may be an expert in a particular field (e.g. the editor of a newspaper) or they may be someone who is affected by the issues you are researching (e.g. someone who is HIV positive or who reads the media). Focus groups involve discussions with two or more participants. While questions for focus groups need to be prepared to guide and focus the discussions, the responses are often free-ranging, as the participants are encouraged to explore the issues at hand in an in-depth way. While focus groups and interviews will help you develop explanations for quantitative data, sometimes they can provide you with quantitative data themselves Basic Differences between Quantitative and Qualitative Research Techniques Quantitative and qualitative research methods differ primarily in: their analytical objectives the types of questions they pose the types of data collection instruments they use the forms of data they produce the degree of flexibility built into study design The key difference between quantitative and qualitative methods is their flexibility. Generally, quantitative methods are fairly inflexible. With quantitative methods such as surveys and questionnaires, for example, researchers ask all participants identical questions in the same order. The response categories from which participants may choose are closed-ended or fixed. The advantage of this inflexibility is that it allows for meaningful comparison of responses across participants and study sites. However, it requires a thorough understanding of the important questions to ask, the best way to ask them, and the range of possible responses. Qualitative methods are typically more flexible that is, they allow greater spontaneity and adaptation of the interaction between the researcher and the study participant. For example, qualitative methods ask mostly open-ended questions that are not necessarily worded in exactly the same way with each participant. With open-ended questions, participants are free to respond in their own words, and these responses tend to be more complex than simply yes or no. In addition, with qualitative methods, the relationship between the researcher and the participant is often less formal than in quantitative research. Participants have the opportunity to respond more elaborately and in greater detail than is typically the case with quantitative methods. In turn, researchers have the opportunity to respond immediately to what participants say by tailoring subsequent questions to information the participant has provided. Merriam (1988) provided a basis for differentiating qualitative and quantitative research techniques based on their characteristics. Characteristics of Qualitative and Quantitative Research Point of Comparisons Qualitative Research Quantitative Research Focus of research Quality (nature, essence) Quantity (how much, how many) Philosophical roots Phenomenology, symbolic interaction Positivism, logical empiricism Associated phrases Fieldwork, ethnographic, naturalistic, grounded, subjective Experimental, empirical, statistical Goal of investigation Understanding, description, discovery, hypothesis generating Prediction, control, description, confirmation, hypothesis testing Design characteristics Flexible, evolving, emergent Predetermined, structured Setting Natural, familiar Unfamiliar, artificial Sample Small, non-random, theoretical Large, random, representative Data collection Researcher as primary instrument, interviews, observations Inanimate instruments (scales, tests, surveys, questionnaires, computers) Mode of analysis Inductive (by researcher) Deductive (by statistical methods) Findings Comprehensive, holistic, expansive Precise, narrow, reductionist However, there is a range of flexibility among methods used in both quantitative and qualitative research and that flexibility is not an indication of how scientifically rigorous a method is. Rather, the degree of flexibility reflects the kind of understanding of the problem that is being pursued using the method. Merits of Quantitative Analysis The use of surveys permit a researcher to study more variables at one time than is typically possible in laboratory or field experiments, whilst data can be collected about real world environments. The usefulness of a survey is that the information you get is standardized because each respondent the person who fills out the questionnaire is answering the exact same questions. Once you have enough responses to your questionnaire, you can then put the data together and analyze it in a way that answers your research question or what it is you want to know. Since case studies follow a structured format, different situations can be compared or analyzed comparatively. Case studies are typically short (often no more than 5 pages long) and usually only contain the essential information needed to present a situation and, if necessary, to describe and properly analyze a problem. Quantitative data can determine when students have achieved or failed a task, and they can provide national ranking, percentiles, and allow researchers to conduct comparison analyses. Nevertheless, they cannot provide the total picture of why a particular student has either succeeded or failed (Burnaford et al., 2001; Gall et al., 1996 and Mc Bride Schostak, 2000). In quantitative research, the researcher neither participates in nor influences what is being studied; thus, he/she examines the circumstances objectively. In some qualitative research, the researcher may play a more subjective role and participate by being immersed in his/her research. That is, the observer may be the teacher or the facilitator. This role is often the case with when action research, case studies, and focus groups are used in educational research. Advantages of surveys Good for comparative analysis. Can get lots of data in a relatively short space of time. Can be cost-effective (if you use the Internet, for example). Can take less time for respondents to complete (compared to an interview or focus group) Specific concrete example; Can help with problem solving; Are often interesting to read. Demerits of Quantitative Analysis A key weakness of quantitative analysis is that it is very difficult to realise insights relating to the causes of or processes involved in the phenomena measured. There are, in addition, several sources of bias such as the possibly self-selecting nature of respondents, the point in time when the survey is conducted and in the researcher him/herself through the design of the survey itself. It could be argued that the quantitative researcher is more precise, but the response would be that with people it is not possible to be so precise, people change and the social situation is too complex for numerical description. Quantitative research has a tendency to clarify where clarification is not appropriate. (Mc Bride Schostak, 2000, pp. 1-2) Disadvantages of Surveys Responses may not be specific. Questions may be misinterpreted. May not get as many responses as you need. Dont get full story. Can take time to develop; Depending on format, may need some level of good writing skills; Do not usually give broad overview of issue at hand. Merits of Qualitative Techniques The approaches of the qualitative research differ from the methods of the quantitative research. Quantitative methods have their aim in dividing into clearly defined parts, or variables. When we research an issue which we know how to quantify, for example, what can be quantified for sure, we may leave out the factors which are crucial to the real understanding of the phenomena under study (Andrew, 2007). Qualitative methods are helpful not only in giving rich explanations of complex phenomena, but in creating or evolving theories or conceptual bases, and in proposing hypotheses to clarify the phenomena. Besides, value of the qualitative research consists in validity of the information received; people are minutely interviewed so as the obtained data would be taken as correct and believable reports of their opinions and experiences. Its major disadvantage is that small group of interviewed individuals can not be taken as representative (Andrew, 2007). Case studies involve an attempt to describe relationships that exist in reality, very often in a single organization. Case studies may be positivist or interpretivist in nature, depending on the approach of the researcher, the data collected and the analytical techniques employed. Reality can be captured in greater detail by an observer-researcher, with the analysis of more variables than is typically possible in experimental and survey research. Another type of qualitative analysis is site visits. Site visits help you understand your research better; site visits (e.g. when you visit an organization, a manufacturing plant, a clinic or a housing project) are very useful and sometimes even necessary ways of gaining additional insight and making your theoretical information concrete in your mind. They allow you to observe what is going on, and to ask questions you may not have thought about. Qualitative research has a phenomenological focus that can provide an enriched and detailed description of the participants actions and/or viewpoints (Veronesi, 1997). Advantages of Face-to-Face Interviews Can allow for in-depth knowledge sharing; Helps to develop the bigger picture; Helps with analysis of results; Good for networking (e.g. you may be referred to other people to interview). Advantages of Focus Groups Good for community participation (grassroots input); Helpful in developing ideas and sharing latent, or hidden, knowledge spontaneously; Enables you to get information from a number of individuals simultaneously. Advantages of Site Visits and Observation Demerits of Qualitative Analysis Case studies can be considered weak as they are typically restricted to a single organization and it is difficult to generalize findings since it is hard to find similar cases with similar data that can be analyzed in a statistically meaningful way. Disadvantages of Face-to-Face Interviews Can be time consuming; May be difficult to arrange an interview time; Can be difficult to compare and analyze information. Disadvantages of Focus Groups Can be difficult to set up; Participants may need to be paid; Need to be sensitive to who the facilitator is; May need a translator; Sometimes difficult to organize and analyze information. Disadvantages of Site Visits and Observation Take time; Can be expensive (depending how far you need to travel); With observation in particular, you need to be careful how you interpret what you see. With site visits, you may want to make sure you have a guide so that you can ask questions However, the disadvantage of the quantitative as well as qualitative research is that they do not always underpin understanding of multi-dimensional pictures (Andrew, 2007).

Loyalty in Julius Caesar :: Julius Caesar Essays

A Question of Loyalty in Julius Caesar Loyalty defined means faithfulness to one's friends, country, ideals, etc. What should one do when these loyalties conflict with one another? One would have to choose. A choice that can make or break a man, which I believe broke many men in the play Julius Caesar. One did not know who was friend or foe. One's dearest friends actually your foes? Not possible, is it? Yes, it is. That is the story of Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar, a great, noble man. A man for his country. A man loved by many and respected by all. Even respected by the men that cursed him with death. Why would men that loved and respected one kill them? Loyalty is the answer. A feeling of loyalty for your country that surpassed the loyalty of righteous virtues. Perhaps if loyalty had not been involved, the country of Rome would not have been torn apart. Or perhaps if loyalty to all and everything had been involved a great ruler named Caesar would have reigned for years. If the people of Rome would have remained loyal to Caesar perhaps a war would not have occurred, in fact, it most certainly would not have. After the death, the angry mob should have put the conspirators to death, not let them toy with their minds as they would a five year old. The mob, like a great many people, believe what is easiest to hear. In the mob of people did loyalty exist? Doubtful, little if any. What coexisted in the crowd with that little loyalty was ignorance, and much of it. I believe that Brutus showed the greatest amount of loyalty to his country. He just went about showing it in a corrupt manner. He sacrificed a great friend for what he thought would better Rome. Perhaps Brutus was one of the most noble in the play, but he was also the most misled. He was noble for assassinating not for selfish needs, but for the needs of the country. However, I believe he was weak. Weak for believing that Caesar was "ambitious". Brutus believed the one side of things that he heard, and that was from Cassius. Brutus is a prime example of people believing what

The Media Distorting Information on Illnesses :: Health Medical Essays

The Media Distorting Information on Illnesses Make sure you always use a condom or you might catch AIDS, a disease which will most likely kill us all anyway. Oh, and get your flu shot because this is going to be the worst flu season ever! And do not even think about eating that hamburger or you might put yourself at risk for Mad Cow Disease! Don’t be so quick to open up your mail, or you might get infected with Anthrax! Did you dump all the water out of the pool in the backyard? If not, mosquitoes infected with the West Nile Virus may kill you and your whole family! We better call our friends and tell them about all of this. Wait! Does sunscreen increase your risk of getting skin cancer? Are we all doomed to die from any of these threats? As members of the information age, people grow even more dependent on the information that we get from television, newspapers, and the internet. Constantly on the move, no one has time to fact check every single headline story. As a result, we are putting our faith in sources that crank out sensational headlines to boost ratings and newspaper memberships. So should we all be living in bubbles for the rest of our lives to avoid the many diseases that are competing to take our lives? Or do we use logic to help us wade thru the myths and misinformation? We all know about the flu shots being offered for the past two years, and every year the virus is supposedly getting worse. Therefore, you see long lines at grocery stores with elderly people along with young children to get their flu shot taken care of immediately. And as every year, the hospitals run into a shortage, then the hype of people who really need it not getting it jumps up. Yet no one asks the question â€Å"Do the flu vaccines work?† We see the word vaccine and assume that it will completely prevent us from getting sick. If someone was ask risk of dying from the flu, would the immunization that they received save their life? Or would the flu affect them as badly as if they didn’t get the shot? Kristine M. Severyn R.Ph., Ph.D. says, â€Å"Although influenza is associated with more disease, hospitalization, and death in â€Å"at risk† populations, no adequate controlled studies exist which proves that the influenza vaccine reduces the incidence of inf luenza in these groups†(Vaccine Risk Awareness Network).

Motif Essay Essay

In a narrative, such as a novel, motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the pieces major theme. The Serial Garden is a short story written by Joan Aiken. The Serial Garden is about Mark Armitage, a boy who dwells in and out of magical worlds. In The Serial Garden Aiken uses various motifs to promote and instruct the books proposition. A motif is an element that appears numerous times in a literary work. The motif of reluctance is portrayed trough the fussy behavior of Aikens characters. For example, when Marks mother, Mrs. Armitage asks him if he wants cold rice and pudding for breakfast. Mark answers with rebuttal. Mark is reluctant to eat rice and pudding for breakfast since it is not from the larbor and rather chilly looking. Therefore, his mother sends him to run down to Miss Pride to get a small packet of cereal. In addition, reluctance is illustrated when Mark finds Rudi, the princess’s long lost love and the princess is reluctant to go to his house. Since she insists it is not proper etiquette. The princess concludes because she is royal it would not be an act of dignity. Look more:  irony in huck finn essay Furthermore, hesitancy is depicted when Rudi is reluctant to proceed to see the princess, until he feeds his dogs first. Rudi is reluctant since he believes the dogs may not be hungry and that they were visitors and they must be taken care of. The motif of reluctance is presented various times throughout The Serial Garden. As well as the motif of reluctance the motif of imprisonment is illustrated. For example, when Mr. Armitage locks himself in the larder. Mr Armitage’s imprisonment is a result of him trying to find out the location the mouse uses to get into the larder. Mr. Armitage shuts himself in so that no member of the family can disturb his vigil. As a result the spring attached to the door jammed therefore, locking himself in. Another example is when the princess falls in love with Rudi and decides to marry him. The princess’s father disapproves of the marriage since Rudi was a common person. Therefore, her father keeps strict guard to halt the princess from escaping. As a result, the Princess slips in-between the pages of the book to escape her father. Then, when she and  Rudy decide to marry, the princess has her maid to bring the book to him. Although, the maid fails to get the book to Rudi therefore, locking the princess in the garden for fifty years. The concept of a character being constrained is displayed several times in The Serial Garden. In addition, the motif of excitement through the anxious behavior of Aiken’s characters is depicted. For example, when mark goes to Miss Pride asking her if she were to have sections one two four and five of breakfast brikks. Miss Pride answers with dismay almost sure she does not carry them. Although, as she was looking in her tattered and cluttered cellar where she is most likely not to find it; to her excitement Miss Pride found a little cache of breakfast brikks, which turned out to be the remaining sections, six, one and two. Another example is Mark asks Mr. Johansen if he is able to identify a tune he is about to whistle. As mark comes to the end of the tune, Mark is surprised to see Mr. Johansen’s eyes fill with tears. Mr. Johansen’s lament is a result of his emotion towards the tune because of it reminding him how happy he was when he wrote it. Then, when Mr.Johansen states that he wrote the tune Mark reacts with excitement. Furthermore excitement is depicted, when mark tells he Princess, Lota belongs to Rudolf Johansen. The princess’s excitement is a result of identifying her long lost love, Rudi. The motif of emotion is portrayed numerous times in the Serial Garden. Beneath the magical surface of a fairytale lies a reservoir of timeless symbolic forms and images. Several motifs are reluctance, entrapment, and excitement. Excluding the use of literary motifs most novels would not be worth reading. Motifs are an indispensable element of literature in The Serial Garden written by Joan Aiken.

Introduction of American Essay

This paper is dedicated to the history of American Revolution and the War for Independence. The primary purpose of the survey given here is to carry out an analysis of the events of the late 18th century in the British colonies in North America on the basis of vast historical material published in the United States. The process that took place before and during the 1776-1783 period when 13 British colonies’ aspiration for independence broke out into the so-called War for Independence is very remarkable for it’s many unique features, on the one hand, and for many historical parallels that took place a century later when the world-wide spreaded colonial system began to collapse. John Adams, second President of the United States, declared that the history of the American Revolution began as far back as 1620. â€Å"The Revolution,† he said, â€Å"was effected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people. † The principles and passions that led the Americans to rebel ought, he added, â€Å"to be traced back for two hundred years and sought in the history of the country from the first plantation in America. † As a practical matter, however, the overt parting of the ways between England and America began in 1763, more than a century and a half after the first permanent settlement had been founded at Jamestown, Virginia. The colonies had grown vastly in economic strength and cultural attainment, and virtually all had long years of self-government behind them. Their combined population now exceeded 1,500,000-a six-fold increase since 1700. The implications of the physical growth of the colonies were far greater than mere numerical increase would indicate. The 18th century brought a steady expansion from the influx of immigrants from Europe, and since the best land near the seacoast had already been occupied, new settlers had to push inland beyond the fall line of the rivers. Traders explored the back country, brought back tales of rich valleys, and induced farmers to take their families into the wilderness. Although their hardships were enormous, restless settlers kept coming, and by the 1730s frontiersmen had already begun to pour into the Shenandoah Valley. Down to 1763, Great Britain had formulated no consistent policy for her colonial possessions. The guiding principle was the confirmed mercantilist view that colonies should supply the mother country with raw materials and not compete in manufacturing. But policy was poorly enforced, and the colonies had never thought of themselves as subservient. Rather, they considered themselves chiefly as commonwealths or states, much like England herself, having only a loose association with authorities in London. At infrequent intervals, sentiment in England was aroused and efforts were made by Parliament or the Crown to subordinate the economic activities and governments of the colonies to England’s will and interest – efforts to which the majority of the colonists were opposed. The remoteness afforded by a vast ocean allayed fears of reprisal the colonies might otherwise have had. Added to this remoteness was the character of life itself in early America. From countries limited in space and dotted with populous towns, the settlers had come to a land of seemingly unending reach. On such a continent natural conditions stressed the importance of the individual. 1. Frontier situation The colonists-inheritors of the traditions of the Englishman’s long struggle for political liberty-incorporated concepts of freedom into Virginia’s first charter. This provided that English colonists were to exercise all liberties, franchises, and immunities â€Å"as if they had been abiding and born within this our Realm of England. They were, then, to enjoy the benefits of the Magna Charta and the common law. In the early days, the colonies were able to hold fast to their heritage of rights because of the King’s arbitrary assumption that they were not subject to parliamentary control. In addition, for years afterward, the kings of England were too preoccupied with a great struggle in England itself – a struggle which culminated in the Puritan Revolution – to enforce their will. Before Parliament could bring its attention to the task of molding the American colonies to an imperial policy, they had grown strong and prosperous in their own right. From the first year after they had set foot upon the new continent, the colonists had functioned according to the English law and constitution – with legislative assemblies, a representative system of government, and a recognition of the common-law guarantees of personal liberty. But increasingly legislation became American in point of view, and less and less attention was paid to English practices and precedents. Nevertheless, colonial freedom from effective English control was not achieved without conflict, and colonial history abounds in struggles between the assemblies elected by the people and the governors appointed by the King. Still, the colonists were often able to render the royal governors powerless, for, as a rule, governors had â€Å"no subsistence but from the Assembly†. Governors were sometimes instructed to give profitable offices and land grants to influential colonists to secure their support for royal projects but, as often as not, the colonial officials, once they had secured these emoluments, espoused the popular cause as strongly as ever. The recurring clashes between governor and assembly worked increasingly to awaken the colonists to the divergence between American and English interests. Gradually, the assemblies took over the functions of the governors and their councils, which were made up of colonists selected for their docile support of royal power, and the center of colonial administration shifted from London to the provincial capitals. Early in the 1770s, following the final expulsion of the French from the North American continent, an attempt was made to bring about a drastic change in the relationship between the colonies and the mother country.

People are not born as a criminal Essay

People are not born as a criminal. In fact, they are born neutral but then learn criminal behavior as they get older. Why is that? They are born as neutral human beings, but what events cause deviance action? How do they learn? Individuals learn criminal behavior through outside influences or the events that happen in their past. Causes such as nature and the environment in which the person is brought up in are key factors to criminal behavior. The upbringing of an individual primarily shapes the future personality of said person. This is done through family or societal influences, imitation of one’s role models, being surrounded by criminal people or through media influences such as video games and violent movies. It is theorized that a strong link exists between negative experiences from the past and criminal offenses that people do, since childhood is the basis for the growth of personality and forming the pathways that individuals take as adults. When an individual is going through a rough childhood, anger or frustration is created within the person who further increases their chances of taking the wrong path towards deviant behavior. Or when an individual lives in a society or family where abuse or drug use is normal, the chances of the individual following the same path is very high. Studies have revealed that out of 200 serious juvenile offenders that were asked, over 90% of them had serious childhood trauma. 74% were physically or sexually abused and 30% suffered the disturbance of losing a significant person sometime during their life. Criminals such as Robert Thomson, John Venables, Jesse Pomeroy, Cheryl Pierson and Peter Dinsdale (otherwise known as Bruce Lee), have suffered severe problems in terms of their family relations, whether it is through abuse or an immoral influential figure. So according to this, individuals have a much higher chance of leading a criminal life based off their childhood trauma and the way in which they were influenced. In this essay, the question of why people commit crime will be explored through the psychology and learning theory lens. The cases of John Venables, Jesse Pomeroy and Sergeant Robert Bulges will also be discussed. The Social Learning Theory suggests that learning occurs when an individual (the learner) observes the copier (the model). The learner’s criminal behavior is reinforced from the model and they learn beliefs that are favorable to  crime. The theorist argues that people are not born as a criminal. They learn to think and act violently as a result of their day to day experiences. These experiences can include observing the behaviors of friends, family, and media. There are four factors that can increase violence; a stressful event like a threat, challenge or assault that can heighten anger, aggressive skills or techniques learned through observing others, a belief that aggression or violence will be socially rewarded (for example, reducing frustration, enhancing self-esteem, providing material goods or earning the praise of other people) and finally, a value system that tolerates violent acts within certain social contexts. A child’s mind is undeveloped fully and is innocent. They learn from observing their surrounding environment, whether it is a good or bad thing since they do not have a sense of right and wrong. If an individual is surrounded by a bad environment, they have a higher chance of doing the same t hing. A significant influence on a child’s mind is their family. Family, in general, are groups of related individuals living under the same roof. As human beings, we learn learn everything from family first, because those are the people we spend the most time with. So family reflects of what we do, who we are and is also a reflection of how we are brought up. The family is divided in three groups; parents, siblings and relatives. If a child is brought up in an abusive environment, this will affect him negatively and the chances of him/her continuing this path will be much greater. The effects of sibling can also lead to criminal life. The elder siblings are the role models so an individual who has siblings that follow a criminal life will be a bad influence on the individual. For example, if that sibling is involved with the drug use or dealing with drugs, he would also teach his younger sibling to do the same. And if that sibling learns it and sees that is an easy way to obtain mo ney, he would continue doing that in their future. The media also plays a major role on a society. An individual who plays or watches a lot of violent video games and movies tend to do the same thing. There have been several tragedies due to the influence of games. The biggest example is the Columbine High School massacre by Klebold and Harris and is said that to have been hugely influenced by the video games. They essentially have criminal models that they associate with. As a consequence, these individuals come to view crime as something that is desirable. The  psychology theory explains criminal behavior as a consequence of individual factors, such as negative early childhood experiences, and poor socialization which results in criminal thinking patterns. Criminals and deviants are seen as suffering from personality deficiencies. Thus, crimes result from abnormal, dysfunctional, or inappropriate mental processes within the personality of the individual. These defective or abnormal mental processes could be caused from a variety of things, including a diseased mind, inappropriate learning, improper conditioning, and the absence of appropriate role models or the strong presence of inappropriate role models. Psychoanalytic theory, developed by Sigmund Freud, explores the idea of teen or adult behavior being impacted by early childhood experiences. For Freud, aggression was a basic human impulse, that is blocked in well-adjusted people who have experienced a normal childhood. However, if the aggressive impulse is not controlled, or is repressed, it could leak out of the unconscious and a person can engage in random acts of violence. A child who has had a rough childhood has a hard time controlling their anger and when the anger is uncontrollable, it can lead them to follow a deviant behavior. Individuals who had a negative childhood, such as being picked on at school, having abusive parents, losing a significant other or being neglected can affect their mind (depression) and create feelings of anger or frustration. Researchers suggest that some serious violent offenders may have a serious personality defect commonly known as psychopathy. These psychopaths are not born as a psychopath. They become psychopath because of a number of early childhood factors. These factors include having an emotionally unstable parent, parental rejection, lack of love during childhood and inconsistent discipline.  ­ Psychopaths are impulsive, have low levels of guilt and frequently violate the rights of others. It had been estimated that approximately 30 percent of all prison inmates in the United States are psychopaths. There are several cases in which an individual has divorced parents, which in some instances creates an unstable environment where he/she is moving from house to house. Not having a permanent home or a sense of belonging can negatively affect the individual, which could create anger or frustration. Through divorced parents it is theorized that the serious defenders come from â€Å"broken home†. For instance, in James Burgler case, both Robert Thompson and John Veneables originated from the families  where the parents were divorced. Siblings also have an effect which is through the idea they can trigger neglect and attention seeking. Families with large number of children often mean that siblings receive little individual attention from parents and that can affect an individual mind in a bad way. This can often lead to a child acting outside the law in a cry for attention from their families. The child may view getting into trouble with the police to be the only method of capturing individual consideration from their parents. Criminals Robert Thompson and John Vneables both came from large families, suggesting that their actions have been, in part, to seek attention. The boys were jealous of their siblings, as John’s brother and sister received extra attention from their mother and while Robert viewed his mother caring for her new baby in a way that he couldn’t remember being cared for. So the imbalance in a family can cause the child with less attention to become a criminal. Such a person with this kind of imbalance in their life along with abusive parents can start to have an urge to feel superior . Because a child is sick and tired of being treated poorly, they commit crimes since (in their mind) it’s the only way that they can get attention. He will start attacking the victims that are weak in order to be in control and to feel in power. According to the psychology theory, an individual who has had a multitude of bad experience builds up the anger and eventually it bursts, causing a person to go insane. And that behavior will continue until the trauma that triggered it is fully addresses and overcome. Like a person with overdeveloped superegos feels guilt for no reason, and wishes to be punished in order to be relieve this guilt that are feeling. Committing crimes is a method of obtaining such desired punishment and relieving guilt. According to psychology theory a deviant behavior can be explained by psychological trauma in one’s past. This is a psychological condition in which a traumatic incident in one’s past causes an individual to have abnormal reaction which can also be committing crime. PTD is usually invoked in cases of child abuse. The case of Jesse Pomeroy in the late 19th century is a prime example of abuse during childhood being a key criminogenic factor. Jesse was born in Boston, USA and from a very early age, he suffered abuse from his alcoholic father, elder brother and occasionally his mother. When a child is consistently hurt in this way he naturally seeks revenge. Therefore in a desperate attempt to become the victimizer rather than the victim, he turned to victims that were unable to fight back, showing the traits of serial killer. By age 15, Jesse was guilty of two murders and 8 torture victims. In the case of Sergeant Robert Bales, an American soldier who served four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, he was accused of getting drunk and going into a town in Afghanistan and murdering 16 Afghanis without provocation. Experts are already speculating that the psychological trauma of multiple deployments contributed to sergeant Bale’s alleged deviance. Sometimes psychology and learning overlap each other. Sometimes learning is influenced by the psychological factors. For an example, individuals for the most part do not learn until they have motivation, which comes from experiences and situations in their lifetime. Parents who choose to be very strict with their child, therefore allowing only limited freedom, can cause the child to rebel against the authority of the parents, often in an extreme way and can go against all moral values. The child learns to go against the parents. And if the society doesn’t give an individual something that he deserves, it will create the feeling of frustration that they will learn to get what they desire in an illegal manner. Psychology and Learning theory proves that a person is not born as criminal, they are made criminal. They are born neutral; they learn to become a criminal because of the society and environment they are surrounded by. There are always factors that converts innocent mind to a criminal mind. There are always motivations that make an individual learn how to act in a deviant behavior. Even if one’s parents are criminals or lead a wrong lifestyle, one isn’t born a criminal – it is a learned trait. Outside factors such as siblings and societal influences also contribute to criminal behavior. Citation Dechant, Arista B. â€Å"COASTLINE JOURNAL.† COASTLINE JOURNAL. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. â€Å"Psychological Theories of Deviance.† Boundless. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. â€Å"Review of the Roots of Youth Violence: Literature Reviews.† Chapter 2: Psychological Theories. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. Crossman, Ashley. â€Å"Social Learning Theory.† About.com Sociology. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. â€Å"Labeling Theory.† Boundless. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. Samenow, Stanton E. â€Å"Inside The criminal mind.† Psychology Today. Stanton E Samehow, 4 March. 2013. Web 21 March, 2013 Bryant, lee. â€Å"Why Do People Commit Crime?†. Why do People Commit Crime? Lee Bryant, n.d. Web 21 March. 2013 â€Å"How People Become Criminal.† Hubpages. N.p, n.d. Web 21 March, 2013. Robinson, Annie. â€Å"To What Extent Does Nurture Cause a Child to Grow up to Be a Criminal?† New Political Centre. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. â€Å"Cocktailtime – Childhood Experiences and Their Impact on Criminal Behaviour.†Cocktailtime – Childhood Experiences and Their Impact on Criminal Behaviour. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.