Madonna's Voyage to the iWorld Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Madonna's Voyage to the iWorld - Term Paper Example Music and technology have always gone hand-in-hand. As far as 1877, when the voice was first recorded with the inventions of the phonograph and graphophone, the music industry has already been assisted and improved by what innovation has to offer. Given that Madonna’s rise to stardom happened in the 80s, this is also where this paper will begin to trace the chronology of the technological development in the music industry and how Madonna figured out in all of them. By the end of the 1970s, music sales drop and various record companies start campaigns within the industry to restrain or even eliminate home taping. However, in 1979, cassette popularity skyrocketed with the launch of the Sony Walkman. This introduction corresponds to the upgrading of the sound quality of the cassette. Instantly, the cassette tape became the sole format that can be used in your home, carried in your pocket and played in your vehicle. The Recording Industry Association of America, which is the lobby ing and trade organization of the record industry, constantly fought for taxes placed on blank tapes up until the 1980s. Eventually, legislators gave the music labels a part of the sale of each blank tape. In 1978, Sony and Philips revealed their proposal to collaborate and produce an identical format for the Compact Disc. Record labels then revealed, in 1982, a global standard that guarantees that all kinds of CDs will work on every CD player there is. During the same year, â€Å"52nd Street† by Billy Joel was made public in Japan, which is the first ever CD to be launched in the world. Come 1988, the CD exceeded the LP in terms of sales percentage. The 80s was considered the most important period in the history of the recorded audio industry, primarily because of the launch of the Compact Disc. Within three years of the arrival of the compact disc in the industry, one million CD players have already been sold in the electronics market. In comparison, it took more than a dec ade for the manufacturers of colored television to sell one million TVs. Shortly after the introduction of the CD, the Digital Audio Tape (DAT) was launched. Unfortunately, it was met with abrupt opposition from music publishers and composers since they feared the possibility of the piracy, especially because of the almost perfect duplication capability and excellent sound quality of the DAT. From the kick-off, RIAA contends for a tool to be positioned inside the recorder in order to prevent duplication. Even after this tool, which is known as the "serial copy management system†, was placed on all DAT recorders sent to the United States, composers and music publishers continued claiming for fees on every DAT tape or machine sold as a compensation in case of home taping. This dispute led to the lack of support of the format from the record industry. Seeing that the DAT format is not feasible, record labels decided not to produce or market pre-recorded DATs. Since there is no pr e-recorded tape, no one will buy a recorder. Ultimately, since there are no sales for recorders, a market for pre-recorded tape is non-existent. In 1990, the mishmash of the Internet and digital audio started an explosive phenomenon – the creation of the Moving Pictures Experts Group-1 Layer-3 or simply MP3. This is a compressed audio file with a small size but still the same sound quality. This format makes file transfer way easier. Madonna knew well how she can make use of these new technological developments in the music industry to the fullest. The internet also made her popularity easier to enhance and spread out. However, along with advantages are disadvantages brought about by the same technological innovations. A proof of pop superstar Madonna’s awareness of how technology can advance her career is her fight to gain tight and control over a domain name that clearly alludes to her name and makes use of her popularity. The said domain, madonna.com, is actually a pornographic website that is obviously riding with her name’

Complaint Management in Social Media - A Comparative Linguistic Essay

Complaint Management in Social Media - A Comparative Linguistic analysis between Company Websites and Facebook - Essay Example Research findings indicate that complaints are rarely responded to and usually only where the language used is complimentary to and/or helpful to the firm. Therefore, contrary to Hirschman’s theory of exit-voice, companies are not taking advantage of defensive marketing tools calculated to retain customers. Social media is defined as any online forum or site on which users may exchange information, opinions or knowledge. In other words the term social media refers to websites in which users are able to freely post to those websites. Brunty and Helenek define social media as a â€Å"social medium† which facilitates communications between users and communications between users and those who created or manage the website or page. Social media also includes a forum in which users can exchange content. Social media websites provide a variety of ways for users to communicate and include email, message boards, instant messaging, video or audio chatting. The idea is to provide a â€Å"sense of community among users†. ... In this regard, businesses are looking at various ways in which they can benefit from social media via social networking tools such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.3 Businesses are now entering unchartered territories in that they can now engage consumer-to-consumer discussions through various online social networking strategies. These communications are uncensored for the most part and permit the consumers to speak to one another freely about businesses and their products. Social media also provides a platform for consumers to speak directly to business management.4 From the perspective of business, the â€Å"quality of user-general content† can range from â€Å"excellent to abuse and spam.†5 Previously, consumers merely went online to explore content and information relative to a business and its products and/or services. Increasingly, consumers are adding their own content to a company’s profile, blogs or websites.6 Thus social media has the capacity to impac t a business’s reputation, sales and might even impact its success.7 This is all the more important because social media tools are increasing alongside internet users who are gathering at social network sites. For example a Pew Report demonstrates that young adults in the US between the ages of 18 and 29 have increased the use of social networks online via cellular telephones. Between 2006 and 2008 online social networking via cellular telephones, among young adults in the US increased by 10% (from 55% to 65%).8 Overall, access points to social networking via the internet have increased exponentially over the years. Globally, users engaged in social networking increased from 54% to 77% by

Chocolate eassy Essay Example for Free

Chocolate eassy Essay Chocolate is†¦ Well when you think about chocolate you have a joy feeling, and it’s exciting. Not all chocolate is wonderful though, there are many different kinds of chocolate and depending on the type of person you are not all chocolates are enjoyable. You can tell a differences of chocolate by the appearance, smell, texture, flavor, and especially the percent of coca in a chocolate. The coca plays a very important role in chocolate. Coca is cocoa butter and powder mixed which is cocoa solids and it all comes from the cocoa beans, usually found near the equator. In my experiment of tasting and telling differences between chocolates I found the important role coca plays. The difference coca made with 90%-85% coca in a chocolate. The 90% coca was very dark and dull compared to the 85% that was slightly lighter, less dull than the 90% one. The smells for both the 90% and 85% were similar except the 90% chocolate smelled very dull of chocolate just like black coffee as was the taste also, in the 85% coca it was still hardly any smell of chocolate but very mild and the test was more sugary until the black coffee after taste. The texture of all the chocolates felt the same in my hands but in my mouth it was the hardness or easiness of how the chocolate melted, the 90% chocolate did not really melt it was snappy an di had the chew it to break it down, the 85% chocolate started to melt a little bit but I still had to bite to break it down. Now which chocolate would you prefer? Even though the 90%-85% coca wasn’t much of a difference in the amount of coca, it made a difference in taste, but how much of a difference will 70% coca to the 85%-90% make? Now with less coca the chocolate is starting to look like the average Hershey’s bar we get from any store worldwide. Now there’s less coca I get more of a milk chocolate smell but it’s only a little stronger than the 85% coca. This type of chocolate melts or at least it starts to melt in my mouth and is a lot smoother than both the other chocolates. The flavor of this chocolate with only 70% coca is almost like black coffee with sugar but no milk or cream. Out of all the chocolates that were tried so far the 70% would be my pick of a chocolate. Milk chocolate. One of the most common eaten chocolates in the world, but did you know there are different qualities of milk chocolate and they differ from taste, smell, texture, and appearance? Threes the simple generic brand milk chocolate always 35% coca, wow a drop from every other chocolate, right. The generic chocolate is the lightest of all the milk chocolates and the cheapest as well as quality. All the milk chocolates have around the same smell except the generic brand smells duller of milk chocolate but bold of chocolate more than the dark chocolates. The generic chocolate tastes like the cheap Easter candies, or like drown out not really flavored coffee, old and cold coffee. Again 35% coca but a higher quality chocolate, the one and only Hershey’s brand that’s seen on almost every shelf at stores. The appearance in Hershey’s gives you the signature look of chocolate, it’s the darkest of the 3 kinds of quality milk chocolates. This one has the strongest chocolate smell it gives you the memory of that enjoyable taste of CHOCOLATE. Instead of the coffee flavors that every other chocolate has had Hershey taste like how it smells, wonderful. The highest quality of chocolate is less seen and is also more expensive than Hershey. The look is just a little darker than Hershey but has a very distant flavor. There’s more flavorings in the more expensive brands like vanilla milk sugar and any other additives. All the milk chocolates of 35% coca melt in your hand, even though the qualities are different there all 35% and have the same melting temp and have very distinct flavors. The last chocolate that was tried isn’t actually a chocolate but it’s in its name, none other but white chocolate. The looks are completely different it’s white/yellow because there’s eggs and not coca and also only has coco butter in it. It smells like Hershey’s milk chocolate but taste completely different like cream. The white chocolate melts in my mouth still and there are also different qualities of white chocolate. Two other chocolates that were tried are chili chocolate and sea salt chocolate. Both just have additives in it as different flavors and are 47% coca. The two flavors tasted different than any other chocolate because you weren’t just getting the chocolate taste. Although both of the chocolates smelled, had the same appearance and texture as all the other dark chocolates, it tasted very different. My thoughts on this experiment, changed my thinking of chocolate all together I didn’t know that coca could make such a big difference in the taste smell appearance or texture of a chocolate.

Managing Cultural Diversity Management Essay

Managing Cultural Diversity Management Essay Davis (2003, p. 45) argues that cultural differences are usually created by race-ethnicity, gender, function, and tenure among the organization factors. Difference in culture may result to the rise of conflicts among team members. This usually results to disrupted communication within the organization and eventually negative outcomes. Therefore, it is the role of every organization and entire management to come up with various ways of managing and reducing negative effects of cultural differences. Management in various organizations should ensure that they are able to detect and avoid such cases from arising. Political backgrounds and experience are other major factors that contribute to cultural differences. Multicultural teams and differences in most occasions generate dilemmas in the organization management. Cultural differences usually create considerable obstacles to efficient teamwork. Recognizing various underlying cultural causes of conflicts is the main challenge in managing multicultural teams by organizations management. It is also a great challenge for management to get teams back into the track as well as empowering members to manage and deal with the challenges of cultural differences in future. Work-group diversity has become one of the most challenging issues that are facing various organizations currently. Various factors like demographic, cultural and legal factors have greatly changed the composition of organizations work forces. Demographic factors include multi-culturalism, equality initiatives, globalization, and declining birth rates. Therefore, this requires managers, employers, and employees to be sensitive to both intra- and intergroup differences. They are also required to adopt practices and policies which are effective in coping with such changes. Managing cultural diversification Ely Thomas, (2001, p. 230) maintains that managers and team members can manage cultural differences. This is only possible if they adopt and chose the right strategies within their organizations. Cultural difference poses various challenges which include hindering success within the organization. They pose as a barrier to effective communication which is a key element in any organization. Cultural difference creates differing attitudes towards authority and hierarchy hence difference in the ways people are treated. It also leads to conflicts especially when making decisions. These challenges are a great hindrance towards success and development of any organization. Therefore, managers need to come up with various strategies and policies in ensuring cultural differences and challenges are eliminated. According to Nankervis, Compton Baird, (2002, p. 120), they are four main strategies of dealing with cultural challenges for managers and various teams in organizations. They include adaption, structural intervention, managerial intervention and exit. Adaption mainly involves acknowledgement of cultural gaps frankly and even working around them. Managerial intervention involves early setting of norms and even bringing in of high-level management. Structural intervention is changing of the teams shape. Exit involves removing a team member in case the options have failed. They are several steps that any organizations management can adopt in dealing and eliminating cultural differences. Identification of the challenge is the key and first step in dealing with multicultural differences. Assessing the circumstances under which the differences are occurring is another crucial step towards dealing with multicultural differences. Adaption is a great strategy that organizations encourage in dealing with cultural diversity. This involves teams finding various ways of working with and around the challenge that they encounter. It also involves adapting practices and attitudes without necessarily making changes to the assignment of the group. Adaption works well when members of the team or organization acknowledge and even name their differences in culture as well as assuming their responsibilities. It also involves figuring on various ways to live with the cultural differences. Adaption has been seen as the best way of dealing with cultural diversity difference as it does not demand a lot of time as compared to other strategies. This is mainly because members of the team take part in problem solving while learning from the process. This kind of mind set plays a great role in ensuring there are creative in protecting their cultural differences within the organization. Organization taking this type of initiative en sures that cultural diversity does not affect its performance and operations among its teams. Various organizations managements have found adaption as an ideal strategy towards solving cultural diversity. This is mainly because it is effective and solves its own problem with little input from management. Team members must be aware of this strategy in order for it to be successful in solving the intended problems or differences. However, negotiating a common understanding may take sometime among the team members. Structural intervention is another way that organizations are utilizing in ensuring they manage the cultural diversity. It is an intentional reorganization or reassignment that is designed to reduce or eliminate source of conflict between people or teams. It is also intended to reduce interpersonal frictions that largely contribute to cultural diversity. The strategy works effectively when obvious subgroups separate the team. This is mainly if team members are clinging to negative stereotypes of one another or feel threatened. Structural intervention also involves creating smaller working groups of diversified cultures. This enables team members to know and even respect every team member. Various organizations utilize or use this strategy as it encourages reduction of cultural diversity within the organization. Structural intervention as a strategy for managing cultural diversity shields people who are not working well in a team. Managerial intervention also plays a vital role in solving organizations cultural diversity effects. Although the failure to involve team in decision making may result to a stalemate, it is important for managers to intervene when cultural diversity blocks the success of decision making. Managerial intervention has been used in many occasions by various organizations to solve sort out its problems effectively. Setting norms early in a team through managerial intervention assists the team towards starting out effectively. Managers encourage team members to encourage each other towards ensuring everybody is appreciated and encouraged to work with each other despite cultural diversity. Managers address the issues like language barrier and ethnic diversity directly. They encourage them on various ways to solve cultural diversity within the team and entire organization. Exit is another strategy that is utilized towards reducing the problems of cultural diversity. This is usually the last and infrequent strategy towards managing cultural differences. It is important for those members who are not happy with their teams to move out of the team to another team. This will ensure there is continued delivery of efficient services. Exit of one or several members is used by organizations as a last resort. One or several members of the team or organization may be kindly requested formally by management to exit. They may also exit voluntarily from the team. According to Bhatia Chaudary (2003, p. 25), managing diverse culture within an organization is not an easy task. Realizing and managing cultural diversity within an organization has been on the increase. This is assisting greatly in facilitating organizational progress and success. On a broad perspective, organizations can manage cultural diversity through communication. This is creating awareness among the employees and various teams on the importance of diverse values of peers. Another way is through cultivating; this is facilitating encouragement, support, and appreciation of any employee achievement by all other colleagues. Diverse culture can also be managed through capitalizing strategies. This involves linking diversity to every process of business and strategy such as employee development, re-engineering, succession planning, performance review and management. Organizations also adopt various innovative ways towards management of cultural diversity. This includes incorporating various people from different cultural backgrounds as well as acknowledging the importance of their cultural. Appreciating people cultural background usually leads to reduced background differences. This ensures there is a common organizational diversity that does not affect the performance of various teams. Organizations have also started empowerment to all members regardless of race or gender. Empowerment is crucial towards making of an effective decision making. Towards reducing culture diversity difference, organizations are encouraging free contribution towards decision making processes. Utilization of empowerment in diverse organizations results to more trust among the team members as well as higher productivity. Empowerment in an organization with diverse culture has been seen to make team members feel their contribution in a manner that is more worthwhile and meaningful. This assists greatly towards improvement of diversity climate hence accomplishment of organization objectives. It is also crucial for various organizations to initiate diversity training programs as illustrated by Perkins, (2006, p. 60). Leaders and managers in organizations should be trained on how to manage and understand culturally diversified employees. Employees as well should be provided with adequate training on the importance of understanding people with different cultures. This will greatly assist in improving the differences that arise when people of different cultures work together. Training is crucial towards the breakdown of stereotypes as well as reducing prejudicial attitudes among the team members. Mentoring and networks are other effective ways towards improvement of the diversity climate. Mentors usually provide recognition, support, and challenge in order to assist in shaping the future for those individuals they are assisting. Mentors are in most occasions beneficial mainly because it assists in keeping minorities on the track. It also assists in keeping them focused withi n any culturally diversified organization. Networking is also another crucial process that assists organizations in managing the cultural diversity within the teams. Networking acts as a source of encouragement and support to various employees with diversified cultural differences. It is also crucial for organizations to strength top-management commitment towards creating a positive diversity climate within the organization. This commitment should be distributed even to the lowest management levels. All managers at every level within an organization should openly and strongly support all policies, strategies, and practices that support the management of culture diversity. This will greatly assist towards reducing culture diversification related challenges within an organization. It will assist in improving and increasing the benefits associated with culture diversity. Conclusion Cultural differences that face multicultural teams may not necessary attribute to diversity challenges. However, these differences underlay the problems that require to be addressed in various teams in organizations. Cultural diversity may not only have negative effects on the working of a team, but they may result to problems in management as well. If any organizations management intervenes early in any cultural challenge within the organization, this may lead to good resolution of the problem. Organizations management should set up norms; structure social interaction as well as engaging all people within the team in solving problems arising due to cultural difference. Managing cultural diversity well has various benefits that are associated with it. Effective management of cultural diversity usually results to organizational benefits or success. Organizations with an effective managed multi-culture have a cost effective competitive edge. It also results to the promotion of minority friendly reputation among prospective employees. Organization with good management of cultural diversity usually results to an increased flexibility and adaptability in case of any environmental changes. Effective management of culture diversity will assist in improving and increasing the benefits associated with culture diversity.

European Imperialism Essay -- essays research papers

European imperialism during 1450-1750, began as a plan to gain more riches for the European nations. The Europeans did this for three main reasons, which were for God, Gold, and Glory. The Europeans domination over Latin America, Africa and Asia were made out to be good for the native people of these lands. However, the Europeans were not there to help these geographic areas. They were there to spread their influence and gain riches for themselves and the European nations. The successes and failures of the Europeans and non Europeans would decide their relationship status for as long as they could co-exist. In Latin America, Cortes who was the conqueror of Mexico, and Pizarro the conqueror of Peru and the Incans, would control the ancient Latin America civilizations for many years to come. In order to maintain steady control over the area, the two conquistadores would have to create a faà §ade for the Inca’s, Mayans, and Aztec tribes. This faà §ade, would have to hide the fact that the Europeans had no intentions of providing aid for these natives. The extraction of riches and slaves would have remained a secret, while the Europeans would settle and pretend to help the natives out. Bringing guns, medicine, and other European inventions to the Latin American tribes and trading for more gold and other spices gave a peaceful demeanor to the Europeans. The slave trade involving the Latin Americans would become the hardest thing to justify and later on it would be the cause of man...

personaliy theories :: essays research papers

1925 - present Theory Behaviorism, with its emphasis on experimental methods, focuses on variables we can observe, measure, and manipulate, and avoids whatever is subjective, internal, and unavailable -- i.e. mental. In the experimental method, the standard procedure is to manipulate one variable, and then measure its effects on another. All this boils down to a theory of personality that says that one’s environment causes one’s behavior. Bandura found this a bit too simplistic for the phenomena he was observing -- aggression in adolescents -- and so decided to add a little something to the formula: He suggested that environment causes behavior, true; but behavior causes environment as well. He labeled this concept reciprocal determinism: The world and a person’s behavior cause each other. Observational learning, or modeling Of the hundreds of studies Bandura was responsible for, one group stands out above the others -- the bobo doll studies. He made of film of one of his students, a young woman, essentially beating up a bobo doll. In case you don’t know, a bobo doll is an inflatable, egg-shape balloon creature with a weight in the bottom that makes it bob back up when you knock him down. Nowadays, it might have Darth Vader painted on it, but back then it was simply â€Å"Bobo† the clown. All these variations allowed Bandura to establish that there were certain steps involved in the modeling process: 1. Attention. If you are going to learn anything, you have to be paying attention. Likewise, anything that puts a damper on attention is going to decrease learning, including observational learning. If, for example, you are sleepy, groggy, drugged, sick, nervous, or â€Å"hyper,† you will learn less well. Likewise, if you are being distracted by competing stimuli. Some of the things that influence attention involve characteristics of the model. If the model is colorful and dramatic, for example, we pay more attention. If the model is attractive, or prestigious, or appears to be particularly competent, you will pay more attention. And if the model seems more like yourself, you pay more attention. These kinds of variables directed Bandura towards an examination of television and its effects on kids! 2. Retention. Second, you must be able to retain -- remember -- what you have paid attention to. This is where imagery and language come in: we store what we have seen the model doing in the form of mental images or verbal descriptions. personaliy theories :: essays research papers 1925 - present Theory Behaviorism, with its emphasis on experimental methods, focuses on variables we can observe, measure, and manipulate, and avoids whatever is subjective, internal, and unavailable -- i.e. mental. In the experimental method, the standard procedure is to manipulate one variable, and then measure its effects on another. All this boils down to a theory of personality that says that one’s environment causes one’s behavior. Bandura found this a bit too simplistic for the phenomena he was observing -- aggression in adolescents -- and so decided to add a little something to the formula: He suggested that environment causes behavior, true; but behavior causes environment as well. He labeled this concept reciprocal determinism: The world and a person’s behavior cause each other. Observational learning, or modeling Of the hundreds of studies Bandura was responsible for, one group stands out above the others -- the bobo doll studies. He made of film of one of his students, a young woman, essentially beating up a bobo doll. In case you don’t know, a bobo doll is an inflatable, egg-shape balloon creature with a weight in the bottom that makes it bob back up when you knock him down. Nowadays, it might have Darth Vader painted on it, but back then it was simply â€Å"Bobo† the clown. All these variations allowed Bandura to establish that there were certain steps involved in the modeling process: 1. Attention. If you are going to learn anything, you have to be paying attention. Likewise, anything that puts a damper on attention is going to decrease learning, including observational learning. If, for example, you are sleepy, groggy, drugged, sick, nervous, or â€Å"hyper,† you will learn less well. Likewise, if you are being distracted by competing stimuli. Some of the things that influence attention involve characteristics of the model. If the model is colorful and dramatic, for example, we pay more attention. If the model is attractive, or prestigious, or appears to be particularly competent, you will pay more attention. And if the model seems more like yourself, you pay more attention. These kinds of variables directed Bandura towards an examination of television and its effects on kids! 2. Retention. Second, you must be able to retain -- remember -- what you have paid attention to. This is where imagery and language come in: we store what we have seen the model doing in the form of mental images or verbal descriptions.

Pericles and His Influence on Athens

Ancient Greece had many ups and downs in its very long history. As a growing civilization, it earned numerous allies as well as enemies. One of these great enemies was the Persians. Although the Persians were very powerful adversaries, the Greeks defeated them and at that point, the era of classical Greece began. The Delian league, which was created to unite all states and protect them from intruders, had turned into an empire. This empire was governed by Athens.As peace and harmony was restored in Greece, the city of Athens was about to experience it’s greatest epoch. A time filled with power and great social and political wealth. All of which was the product of a great man’s work. His name was Pericles. Pericles was born in the year 495 B. C. into a very noble family. He was the nephew of Cleisthenes who founded Athenian Democracy. Pericles lived his whole life in a political environment. When he became involved in Athenian affairs, he received a very good reputation. In 462 B. C. e began to dominate the politics in Athens as a key leader in the democratic movement. Not only was he a great orator, In the history of the ancient Greek civilization, there were many powerful and contributing men and women. Only one could be called the â€Å"Greatest Greek† and that man’s name is Pericles. Pericles was a wise and powerful leader of the city of Athens. He was a great supporter of the concept of democracy. Pericles guided Athens almost through the entire Peloponnesian War. Pericles promoted the arts and literature.This was a main reason Athens held the reputation of being the educational and cultural centre of the ancient Greek world. Pericles' rule as a political leader in Athens is called the Golden Age of Pericles, and he was an eager supporter of democracy. He wanted all citizens of Athens to take an active part in politics, and he was the first to pay servants to the state. All Athenians chose members of the council, and Pericles res tored and built many temples and structures, such as the Parthenon on the Acropolis, employing the poorest citizens.