Literature. Crusoe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Literature. Crusoe - Essay Example It is not just an immense tree, but is "five foot ten inches in diameter at the lower part . . . and four foot eleven inches diameter at the end of twenty-two foot." Furthermore, time is measured with similar exactitude, as Crusoe's journal shows. We may often wonder why Crusoe feels it useful to record that it did not rain on December 26, but for him the necessity of counting out each day is never questioned. "As I had once done thus in my breaking away from my Parents, so I could not be content now, but I must go and leave the happy View I had of being a rich and thriving Man in my new Plantation, only to pursue a rash and immoderate Desire of rising faster than the Nature of the Thing admitted;" (p.257) All these examples of counting and measuring underscore Crusoe's practical, businesslike character and his hands-on approach to life. But Defoe sometimes hints at the futility of Crusoe's measuring-as when the carefully measured canoe cannot reach water or when his obsessively kept calendar is thrown off by a day of oversleeping. Generally, we see that there is a major sense of class superiority. Robinson hired one "European servant" and a "Negro slave" on his plantation. We are supposed to assume that one is better than the other. The basis of such distinctions is rooted in religion. ... The basis of such distinctions is rooted in religion. Defoe introduces what is perhaps the most important background component to the story--the role of Christianity, particularly as it connects to relationships with other people. What appears to be a friendship between Robinson and Xury is turned into a common master-slave relationship when Crusoe decides to part with him so that Xury will be Christian in ten years' time. The fact that he is willing to forsake his companion in this manner indicates how strongly the Christian faith is entrenched within him. Essentially it is the driving force behind this decision. The excerpt below exemplifies how Crusoe viewed his life when faced with crisis which can have an economic nature and how God acts to help him get through it. "I have been in all my Circumstances a Memento to those who are touched with the general Plague of Mankind, whence, for ought I know, one half of their Miseries flow; I mean, that of not being satisfy'd with the Station wherein God and Nature has plac'd them; for not to look back upon my primitive Condition, and the excellent Advice of my Father, the Opposition to which was, as I may call it, my ORIGINAL SIN." (p. 168) It happen'd one Day about Noon going towards my Boat, I was exceedingly surpriz'd with the Print of a Man's naked Foot on the Shore." (p. 172) The business-like friendship between Xury and Crusoe is further emphasized when the narrator procures a plantation in Brazil. Astounded by the hard work, he wishes dearly for "his boy Xury." The diction of this line demonstrates possessiveness toward Robinson's companion. Ironically, he only longs for his company when there is back-breaking labor to be done. It appears that Xury's un-Christian status degrades him in the eyes of the narrator and

Clinical Supervision As a Professional Requirement for All Nurses Assignment

Clinical Supervision As a Professional Requirement for All Nurses - Assignment Example The Council of Midwifery and Nursing acknowledge this practice as an imperative part of medical governance. This practice of clinical supervision is a legal obligation for midwives other than for nurses (John, 2000 p 16). Clinical supervision is a practice that requires thorough preparation, especially if one is going for the first clinical supervision. John Driscoll came up with a model that is used to reflect the practice of clinical supervision. The analysis of the first clinical supervision assumes three main aims. They include an analysis of professional and personal expectations of a supervisee in clinical supervision. The second aim is to know the manner to be ready for the primary clinical meeting, and the third aim is to identify the essential skills that will help a supervisee to reap the most benefits from the meetings of clinical supervision (John, 2000 p 18). It is indispensable for as a supervisee to examine continuing skills to build up as a supervisee prior to the pri mary meeting. This will help the supervisee to get a forehand in matters that will be looked at during the supervision. It is also imperative to reflect on the ways of overcoming the barriers to begin the supervision and assume full accountability for what turns out in clinical supervision (John, 2000 p 22). In addition, consider the essential limits to glance at prior to going for the initial clinical supervision meeting. Lastly, you should come up with a list of personal needs that you expect to satisfy in the clinical supervision and analyze the effectiveness of that supervision against then identified needs.  Clinical supervision is a professional partnership between the supervisor and the clinical supervisee. However, it is imperative to get a chance to reflect on your personal opinions, and myths, as well as concerns. This is an integral part of preparation as a new-fangled supervisee before meeting with your supervisor. This can be achieved by completing a SWOT analysis tha t will highlight the things that you have as a practitioner that you can capitalize on meetings of clinical supervision. A SWOT analysis will help you to identify some of the benefits that you will get for involving yourself in clinical supervision. The same analysis will help the supervisee to identify any anticipated barriers in participating in clinical supervision, as well as identify the actions that need to be taken to overcome these hindrances (John, 2000 p 23). SWOT analysis highlights the strengths that a person has, the weaknesses that need to be addressed, the opportunities and the threats that may low a person down while going for something (John, 2000 p 68). The supervisee has a role to toil inside the supervisory association to gain maximum benefits from clinical, supervisory meetings. This will increase their efficiency and autonomy in the practice of nursing. As a supervisee performs their role, they should get a good comparison between their own thoughts and the act ual way of doing things based on the SWOT analysis they had formed earlier (John, 2000 p 65).  

Close Reading of a Short Fiction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Close Reading of a Short Fiction - Essay Example She went to the extent of even changing her name just to show her real ethnical identity. The name ZitkalaSa means ‘red bird’ in the Indian language. In writing her autobiographies: School Days of an Indian Child and Impressions of Indian Childhood, we learn more of the kind about her life and experiences. Discussion The publication, The School Days of an Indian Girl, has a purpose of explaining the experience the author had while attending boarding schools meant for teaching and civilizing Indians. In a much broader outlook, the publication aims at showing the whole world the suppression that the inherent American culture faced after the colonization of the United States. Zitkala uses the power of the pen to express the pains she underwent while trying to keep true to her beliefs and roots. The publication achieved its purpose for which it was written. The plot of the story is well defined, it begins with Zitkala as young girl of eight years, whose curiosity and innocen ce has given an intense desire for the apple orchards to be educated by missionaries. The plot develops as we are told of the experiences and suffering she undergoes together with her friends while at the mission school. However, the climax comes when she returns home to meet her mother. There is a sudden twist of events as she does not feel happy being at home; she wants to go back to school. The conflict comes in when her mother does not allow her to go back to the mission school. She goes back to school against the wishes of her mother and this creates a rift between them. The rift makes Zitkala unhappy and it is so unfortunate that the story ends before the rift between them is resolved. Zitkala is the main character in the publication. She is portrayed as a brave individual who is not threatened by anything despite her young age and small size. Her bold nature is seen in the way she was very adamant to cut her hair. The mission staff had to look for her and grab her by force. S he is also emotional, and this is seen in the way she always hid in her room and cried because they were not in good times with the mother. The lady at the mission school is also another character that helps in plot development of the story. She is a symbol of pain and suffering. She is very cruel and often punished Zitkala and her friends even in situations where they did not misunderstood each other. Zitkala tells in a melancholic way how sometimes they were punished unjustly for the misunderstandings. This made her seek for revenge in some little ways. She narrates how she blames the well-meaning, hardworking and ignorant woman who was inculcating superstitious ideas in their young and pure hearts. In addition to the sadness that those days bring to her, they cast darkening shadows of how her past years had been. Loss of freedom clearly portrays itself as a main theme in Zitkala’s publication, The School Days of an Indian Girl. Being an Indian, she had got used to self-det ermination and independence. This is clearly shown when she finds it weird and difficult to cope up with the life at school. The fact that whistles and bells signaled every action that was to be done did not please her at all (Zitkala, pp.35). She was irritated with this kind of life and thus she calls it ‘iron routine’. According to her, all that was testing the chains which had bound her individuality tightly like mummies ready for burial. She had grown up in Dakota knowing that people did

The Marketing Mix Promotion Strategies Case Study

The Marketing Mix Promotion Strategies - Case Study Example This strategic plan saturated the market making it more difficult for newer entrants to gain a step hold in the huge market. This move was also aimed at rivaling the sporting wears giant Nike. The acquisition was done in order to make the company more viable for consumers where they can create a synergy between both the companies so that they can challenge the rival. However, the acquisition led to mixed responses from the consumers resulting in a share value decline as well. Just before the Olympics fever gained momentum, Adidas took the initiative to launch another promotional campaign where they have highlighted their products and the ambassadors. This massive promotional campaign was launched in Europe and one could see huge structures of either Adidas shoes being loaded on a truck, or football players standing in a circle. All these initiatives were highlighting the presence of the brand in the forefront of such a major even in sporting history, whereby players are supporting their attire etc. The combination of the two big brands present in the shoe industry can termed to be a positive sign for the company. They can combine their efforts; match their strengths together in order to create a new level of a brand. However, there are threats of brand cannibalization which led to the main slump in prices when the merger news was spread around.

A letter and a statement Essay Example for Free

A letter and a statement Essay Right at the bottom of the page the companys reminder about data protection act can be found. The bottom of the letter is a tearaway slip which has a unique background colour of pale blue. The purpose of this letter is to inform the customer about their bonus claims about their life insurance. The letter is brief and formal. The letter consists of a tear away slip, which takes most of the space on the page. The letter text consists of few paragraphs explaining the how to contact the company about any queries regarding the customers bonus claims. The letter is related to a bonus claim is has a reference number below the address. The letter is generally written in a simple form allowing any one to read the letter and understand it. The letter is split in to two main parts one being the main letter, which has all the text and images and the other being the tearaway slip which is on the letter if any contact details are incorrect. The letter needs a few improvements. Currently there is no background colour for the letter making it boring and making it less important. If the letter had colour, it would allow the customer or person reading it remember it. Generally all of the components are properly located on the letter with the image and text being in the right location. Also the unique thing is that the companys contact details are in a different place then other letters. Other improvements could include making the companys slogan more effective by using colour and a border around it that will make it stand out and look effective. Currently the letter is eligible because of the simple language used with in the letter. Also the letter is set out in simple manner allowing the letter it be understood easily and is precise to the point. If the language changes, this will make the letter hard to understand and can put of some customers. The instructions for the tearaway slips are easy to understand allowing the customer to follow them easily. The Britannia Life statement has the logo situated in the same place as in the letter. The logo is in the top right hand corner of the page. The logo has the companys colours included init being royal blue. The logo consists of a shape that is a rectangle and text saying the companys name. The date cannot be found on the statement. The companys colours are used in the logo as well as the background and in the table. The background colour of the statement is pale blue. The cells in the tables with the headings of the columns have dark blue background. In the middle of the statement the address of the customer can be viewed. On the left of the customers address there is some text explaining a telephone number, which could be used by the customer if they do not understand any thing or have a query. Below there is a big table taking most of the space on the page. The table consists of seven columns. Right at the bottom below the table there is an important notice explaining the company and explanation of the headings. The purpose of the statement is to give the customer information on the current state of their pension funds for the future and the bonuses they have received. The statement also informs the customer of the basic profit and any other new bonus received. In the table all the details about their pension are given including the total basic profit benefit. The Britannia Life statement is easy to understand, as there is no complex language used at all. Mostly it consists of figures and values. The statement is formed of two main parts with the top half consisting of the logo and contact phone number. Also the top half of the statement has the contact address for the customer. The other half of the statement consists of the table, which holds vital information relating the customers pension policy and any bonuses they have received. The statement is set out to landscape format. The Britannia Life statement could not really be improved as the table uses all of the space wisely. The statement is clear and easy to understand. The main thing that could be changed is that the companys contact details should be shown allowing the customer to contact the company easily with out any hassle of finding contact information. The statement has clear headings and values with big points size making it easier by any one to understand unintelligent or unilliterate. The statement currently is really simple made up of tables that divide all the details in to areas. This makes it really simple to understand the costs and bonuses received by the customer on their pension. The background colour around the table makes the table stand out making it simpler to understand the details. Analysis Alliance Leicester has their logo in the same position on letter and the statement being on the top left hand corner of the pages. But AXA has its logo in the middle of the page, right near the top on the statement and on the letter. Both companies use their company colours in the logo. First of AXA used dark blue and red in their logo and Alliance Leicester use orange and blue in their logo. The last company Britannia Life has its logo in the same position on both documents being on the right top hand corner. However all of the companys have situated their logo in different places on the top of the page and all of the companys logos can be recognised by the companys colour being used in them. The Alliance Leicester use a unique layout on their letter as it consists of a line separating the actual letter and some advantages in big point size in bold on right hand of the page. While the AXA letter is simple with only text on it related to the actual letter its self. Also the AXA letter has a lot of free space with the Alliance Leicester letter being more compressed. Overall the Britannia Life is different as it has a tearaway slip making it different from them all. The letter also has space available near the top half of the letter but the bottom of the letter is depressed for space because of the tearaway slip. Generally the Britannia Life letter is simpler to understand then the Alliance Leicester and AXA letter because of the complex language used throughout. All of the letters have the customers address, which is a standard piece of information in the correct place being on the left hand side of the page just below the top of the page. The dates can be found on all of the letter but in different locations. First of all the date on the Alliance Leicester letter is situated on the top right hand side. The date on the AXA letter is found on top right hand side nearly the same position as the Alliance Leicester date. But the date on the Britannia Life letter is found in different location, which is situated above the address on the left hand side of the page. All of the letters have contact details of the organizations on them. Two of the letters have them generally in the same position. The two letters that have the contact details in the same position are the Alliance Leicester letter and the AXA letter. The difference of the contact details is that the Alliance Leicester contact details have a background colour being bright orange but the AXA contact details do not have any background colours or patterns. The Britannia Life contact details are totally in a different position, which is on the top right hand of the page just underneath the logo. The Alliance Leicester letter consists of bullet points as well text. The text has different sub headings to make it easier for the reader to understand what each section is about. But the other letter from AXA and Britannia are simple letters with one overall heading explaining what the whole letter is about and purpose. Those letters do not have any special formatting used with in them for example the bullets points in the Alliance Leicester letter. Different types of information can be found at the bottom of each letter. First of all at the bottom of the Alliance Leicester letter we can find the contact details as well as the copyright trademark act. Consequently only the contact details can be found on the AXA letter. But on the Britannia Life Letter at the bottom the data protection act details can be found informing the customer about how the company regards and obeys the act at all times and explaining to the customer that their personal information is safe with the company. Britannia Life Letter is the only letter to have an image on it none of the other letters have an image on them. The statements are all different with only two statements having the date on them being from Alliance Leicester and AXA. All of the statements use tables in them. The most tables are used in the AXA statement to show all the details about the motor insurance customer details. However in the Alliance Leicester statement the table is used to show the payment due amounts and dates. A big table can be found in the Britannia Life statement, which takes mostly the space on the statement. That table is used to show something totally different from the other statement. It is there to show the bonuses and policy information about the pension funds. All of the statements show the state of different things. The Alliance Leicester statement shows the state of the current account of a customer and shows the payment due dates. The Alliance Leicester statement informs the customer about their credit limit and how much credit limit they have available. The Alliance Leicester statement has a slogan but the AXA statement does not have a slogan. However the Britannia Life statement does not have a slogan but the letter does in a different position being on the top left hand side of the page. The AQA statement shows renewal details of the insurance. It has details of the company and drivers. The details can be found in the tables that have colour used in the cells with the headings same as the Britannia Life Statement table. The Britannia Life statement informs the customer of the state of their bonuses and pension policies with figures and numbers making it easier. The statement does not have a slogan unlike the Alliance Leicester Statement. All of the statements have contact details found on them but all the contact details vary. The only contact detail found on the Britannia Life statement is a telephone number on the top left side of the landscape-formatted page. But on the AXA statement the contact details can be found at the bottom also in the top table, which has a telephone number. The contact details in the Alliance Leicester statement can be found on the top right hand corner. The contact detail is a telephone number and an address. The Alliance Leicester has colour used on it in the logo and a background behind where the credit limit is shown. But the only source of colour on the AXA statement is the colour used in the logo and in the cells, which contain the headings. There is no background colour used. Alternatively in the Britannia Life statement colour is used in the logo. There is also colour used in the background through out the page. Colour can be found in the cells in table, which contain the headings for the columns. The Britannia Life Statement also has a picture in the background of table showing a bridge none of the other statement has an image in the background.

Violent Video Games Children

Violent Video Games Children The Effects of Violent Video Games on Children Computer video game is one of the most popular trends among children as well as young adults. From the time it was invented it has evolved into a more exciting and challenging media games of all time. The technological advancement has made it even more exciting for the players to religiously play and challenge themselves of what are the things in store for them while they are playing. The graphics and sound effects fascinate its audience, as if they are really there in the setting of the situation, especially those three dimensional computer machines which are seen mostly in computer arcades. The ability of the player to control and maneuver the situation made it more even exciting. Violent video games have been one of the most sought themes among the players. But with the increasing number of people engaged into this computer games, a lot of issues has also been raised, as to the negative effect and the benefit of these violent video games to children and young adults. This essay wi ll argue that violent video games do have a negative effect on children. Early experiments using physiological measures of arousal such as: galvanic skin response, heart rate and respiratory changes found that children are emotionally responsive to even animated television violence. The effects of violent video games on young adults arousal levels and aggressive thoughts have been measured. Results indicated that college students who had played virtual reality game had a higher heart rate and exhibited more aggressive thoughts in a post test, than those who played a non-violent game (Grossman DeGaetano 70-71). These physiologic changes stimulate the sympathetic system which creates excitement and this â€Å"good† feeling makes them to do it repeatedly. Similarly, as cited in an article in AllPsych Journal entitled, The Psychological Effects of Violent Media on Children, The Academy of Pediatrics states â€Å"More than one thousand scientific studies and reviews conclude that significant exposure to media violence increases the risk of aggressive behavior in certain children, desensitizes them to violence and makes them believe that the world is a ‘meaner and scarier place than it is† (Tompkins). According to Tompkins, if children become accustomed and believed that this violent behavior is acceptable and normal it will be hard to change that belief as they grow older. She also relates this to the study of domestic violence where in a person exposed to this violence tend to be either abused or abuser. She further explains this by citing the Columbine incident as an example, where in the two students, who committed a violent act are video fanatics. Their exposure to violence was linked to their violent act since both of them came from a good family. Moreover, â€Å"reward increases imitation† (Gentile 136). And this process of rewarding in computer games makes it more addicting because children tend to be reinforced when they are rewarded, which in psychology termed as â€Å"positive reinforcement† but this reward system in computer games defeats the true purpose of â€Å"positive reinforcement†, that good acts should be rewarded in order to reinforce the action, where as computer rewarding rewards its players after killing or defeating their opponent. Furthermore, â€Å"Participation in violent video games cast a negative cloud over the childrens views of interpersonal interactions. One research revealed that preschoolers most likely experienced fear and anxiety when they saw bloodied victims and watched expressions of emotional distress in connection with the medias constant showing of the events of September 11th and their aftermath† (Cantor, 2002). These experiences that are internalized by children, unconsciously affects their behavior, and when they are placed in situations similar to what they have seen, the child could become anxious and restless. On the contrary there are opposing reaction from different sectors regarding this matter, the president of the Interactive Software Association, Doug Lowenstein stated, â€Å"I think the issue has been vastly overblown and overstated often by politicians and others who do not fully understand, frankly this industry. There is absolutely no evidence, none, that playing a violent game leads to aggressive behavior† (qtd in Bushman Anderson 353). But how can we expect them to see the negative effect of these violent video games, well in fact what they mean is purely business. Likewise, Steven Johnson said: â€Å"The most debased forms of mass diversion-video games and violent television dramas and juvenile sitcoms-turn out to be nutritional after all (9). It is nutritional in the sense that learning comes along while playing these violent video games, such as mastery and control and hand-eye coordination. But this paper totally disagrees with this notion. There are more appropria te ways of learning these things, without jeopardizing the minds of these children of what is good and what is wrong, such as art camps, and other indoor and outdoor activities that utilizes the body, where in physical, psychological and emotional aspects are given importance, which builds friendship and the values of sportsmanship, as well as maintaining a healthy active body, which computer games dont give. Furthermore, computer video games promote isolation, aggressive behavior and a sedentary life style by sitting long hours in front of these computers. In conclusion, violent video game has a significant effect on children, not only on their behavior but also on their physiologic state as well as the emotional state especially that of a vulnerable individual. The government sector should be more critical and sensitive on how to protect its citizen with this kind of media. Parents on the other hand, who have the first hand decision whether to buy this violent video games or not, since they are responsible in giving money or buying this for their children, and what ever decision they would take they should know the consequences of the possible effects of these materials to their children. And users of this video games should be reminded that everything in excess is not good. Annotated Bibliography Anderson, Craig A., and Brad J. Bushman. Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggressive Cognition, Aggressive Affect, Physiological Arousal, and Prosocial Behavior: a Meta-Analytic Review of the Scientific Literature. Psychological Science 12.5 (2001): 353-359. Apr. 2008 Dr. Craig A. Anderson, a professor and chairman of Department of Psychology in Iowa State University. He is a distinguished professor and Director of the center for the study of violence. Most of his current researches focus on aggression especially on the potentially harmful effect of exposure to violent entertainment media. Dr. Brad J. Bushman, a professor in University of Michigan, has a PhD in social psychology in University of Missouri. His focuses are the consequences and causes of aggression. In this research, the authors used methods such as literature search literature, criteria for relevance, coding frame and meta-analytic procedures, to test if violent video games will result to increase aggression in children and young adult. They found out that after conducting the experiment using experimental and non-experimental designs, in both male and female, that it poses public health threat to children and youths including college individuals. Exposure is negatively associated w ith prosocial behavior, and the long term effect on the development of aggressive behavior is absolutely related to exposure to violent video games. This is in contrast to the study made by Tompkins in 2003, which shows no proof that signifies either negative or positive effect of media violence. It is important in this research as it illuminates the side taken by this paper. Cantor, Joanne. The Psychological Effects of Media Violence on Children and Adolescents. Joannecantor. 19 Apr. 2002. HEC  Montreal. 19 Apr. 2008 . Joanne Cantor is an expert on the effects of the mass media on youth. A Professor Emerita and Director of the Center for Communication Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a well-known expert on children and the mass media. Joanne Cantor and her associates have conducted a program of research to explore developmental differences in media-induced fright reactions based on theories and findings in cognitive development. This study illustrates the effects of media events and images are less bothering on older children, where as other things become potentially more upsetting. This gives another highlight to the side taken by this research that there is a significant negative effect on the part of the children. Gentile, Douglas A. â€Å"Media Violence and Children: a Complete Guide for Parents and Professionals†. London: Praeger Publications, 2003. Douglas Gentile, a known developmental psychologist and a research director for the National Institute on Media and the Family. He conducts many researches about children and adult. In this book, he contends that learning comes from repetition. The fact that the violent games require violent acts to be played over and over again creates an ideal learning situation. But what the players are learning is antisocial behavior and the idea that violence is a good way to resolve conflict. He used data from other books, studies made by different authors, and other references in order to come up with a book that serves as guideline for parents and professional with regards to the effect of media violence to children. One important insight was when he said that the difference between television and computer games when it comes to the response of the individual is that violence in televisions are rarely sustained, because of commercial gaps and changing of scenes, in contrast to video games whe re violence is continuous. Where in players should always be alert for hostile enemies and must constantly choose and enact aggressive behaviors, exposing children to continual stream of violent scene. In contrast with the book of Grossman and DeGaetano, where in the authors were more subjective of the subject matter; by trying to make a call and make action on media violence, Douglas A. Gentile showed neutrality on the issue and focused more on how to guide parents and professionals decide on the issue after presenting the datas. Grossman, Dave, and Gloria Degaetano. â€Å"Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill: a Call to Action Against TV, Movie Video Game Violence†. First ed. New York: Crown, 1999. LT. Col. Dave Grossman, who is a retired US Army and a professor of military science in Arkansa State University. He is the author of On Killing: Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society, and specialized in the study of psychology of killing, which he called â€Å"killology.† Gloria DeGaetano is a known educator in the field of media violence, and the author of Screen Smarts: A Family Guide To Media Literacy. The authors, used datas from different resources: books, journals, researches of different authors, in order to come up with a book which calls for an action against T.V.., movie and video game violence The book talks about different factors as to the effect of media violence on children. They are very much concern of the negative effects of this violence in media as well as video games to children. They presented in their book the negative effects of media violence to society, that in reality there are a lot of children and teenagers engage themselves in to violent acts, and the disadvantages that this gives to the individual, their family and the society. This research used this book, because it gives a distinct description on what this paper is trying to point out, that there is significant negative effect on the childs behavior, it does not only gave comprehensive details, but the insights of the authors made it more meaningful. Johnson, Steven. Everything Bad is Good for You. Canada: Riverhead Books, 2005. Steven Johnson, who is a well-known author Mind Wide Open: Your Brain and the Neuroscience of Everyday Life, and a distinguish writer in New York, put emphasis on his book that violence on television and video games are not really bad for children. For the author, the kind of education that video games are giving is not learned in classroom situations or cannot be seen in museums. There are benefits in playing violent computer games. He wants to tell the reader that the learning in computer games enhances cognitive faculties, not dumbing them down. In his book, he made comparison between reading books and playing video games. According to him, reading books or novels enhance our imagination, while playing video games help you to choose the right decision by evaluating facts, examining situation, and by considering your long term goals. In contrast with the study made by Bushman and Anderson and that of Joanne Cantor, where in the two believed that there is significant negative effect of violent video games on children. Tompkins, Aimee. The Psychological Effects of Violent Media on Children. AllPsych Journal (2003). 20 Apr. 2008 . Aimee Tompkins used the reports of the studies made by the Academy of Pediatric Society, The National Coalition on Television violence and cited stories where in violent video game fanatics were involved in shooting incidents and killing people, in order to assess the psychological effects of violent media on children. After presenting and analyzing the studies made, the author concluded that there was no proof either positive or negative long term outcomes of violent media and that parents should pay more attention on the activities of their children. In contrast on the result of the study made by Bushman Anderson, that there is a significant effect on the behavior of children by increasing their aggression. This study was given importance in this essay because it gave another perspective on the issue discussed.

Strategic Analysis of Walmarts Advantages in its Environment

Strategic Analysis of Walmarts Advantages in its Environment Strategic Analysis is to analyse Walmart macro-environmental and micro-environmental. The analysis methods use such as PESTLE Analysis, Porters 5 Forces Analysis, SWOT Analysis and Competitive Advantage to analyse the corporate business environment. PESTLE Analysis PESTLE is the structure to investigate the volatile business environments in which Walmart operates by discovering the forces that effecting the corporate operation. Political and Legislations Environment As Walmart operates in the global scale; the performances of the corporate are influenced by the political and statutory law of the country invested. For instance, the employment statutory laws of a country are to ensure investors provide varieties of jobs to its population at large from flexible, locally based low paid jobs to centrally located high pay jobs (Balchin, 1994). Besides that, the go global strategies has its impacts on the local retails market when a giant company such as Walmart penetrate into the country it causes local retails shutting down due to incompetent to compete in term of its predatory pricing policy (Basker, 2007). The author indictment that Walmart paying low salary to its employees; to protect its competitiveness in its retails market but it leading to high turnover rate of its employees. Economical Environment For the past four years, the world facing global economic crisis which leading to high unemployment, increases of fuel prices, and losing consumer confidence  [1]  . However, the crises assist Walmart to sustain its retail businesses even though the fuel price escalating above US$ 100/barrel because consumers becoming price conscious on seeking products value for money. The strategic uses by Walmart Canada: 1. sharing the truckloads with the suppliers to ensure all fully loaded, 2. switching manual stocking shelves to automatic tilted shelves which will deliver next item to the front, and 3. lowering the lighting and increasing the roof insulation, (The Star, 2008), as to reduce its operating costs. Socio-Cultural Environment As Walmart go globalise, the corporate has to adapt the changes of social and cultural differences because it can easily affect employees morale in workplace and consumer experiences. Based WPP (2008), Americanisation is not easy to establish in foreign countries because of the heterogeneity of perception, language, cultural and needs especially in European, Asia-Pacific and Africa (Sorrell, 2008). Environment and technological Environment Environmental and technological plays a significant part in the Walmart products/services developments because it improves customer satisfaction and perception in their shopping experience and observation. Besides that Walmart is one of the fastest retailer to adopt latest technology in their business operation. For example: radio frequency identification technology (RFIT) which reduces its out-of-stock goods with this technology (Wilbert, 2006) and using thin film solar technology to boost its renewable energy uses which could produce up to 22.5 million kilowatts hours of clean energy annually (Walmart Stores Web Site, 2010). Besides that, Walmart adopt eco-friendly products such recycle bottle, shirt made of transitional cotton and sustainable coffees (Walmart, 2008). Porters 5 Forces Analysis In order for Walmart to find an effective source competitive advantage; the Porters five forces analysis is uses to analyse its market environment to sustain and develop its customer foundation and ensure a profit (Collins, 2010). Threat of substitute goods and services Threat of substitution in supermarket/grocery store is lower on foodstuffs but moderate to high on non-foodstuffs. In food retailing industry the main concern is the convenience store and the greengrocers which easily substituted by the consumers. However, it does not position a direct threat to Walmart because their market size relatively smaller and compare to Walmart they are no match in term of the corporate cost leadership generic strategy and its predatory pricing of everyday low price which make difficult for a small retail chain to compete (Hayden et al., 2002). Nonetheless, Walmart is always looking for economical substitutes on the market and to retain its loyal customers. Threat of entry of new competitors In supermarket/grocery stores threat of entry is minimise as it required a lump sum amount of money to build up brand name and competitiveness. However, the renowned leading food retailers have already secured its brand name globally such as Tesco, Carrefour, Aeon, etc  [2]  . Besides that, in order Walmart to set up a new supermarket it required extensive time and resources before the proposal authorised by the government. In addition, government protectionism  [3]  on local goods, suppliers and retails industry might create unforeseeable threat of entry into new market. Intensity of competitive rivalry Rivalry in supermarket/grocery stores is commonly high due to direct competition against local supermarket, multinational supermarket such as Tesco, Carrefour, Aeon, etc. These retailers will compete against pricing, products, promotions and expansion of its stores occasionally (Duff, 2010). During post global recession 2010, Walmart profit boost 3.6 percent during second quarter from its cost cutting and strong global market growth in China, Brazil and Mexico (DInnocenzio, 2010). In additional, the reason Walmart growth is due its emphasis on foodstuffs which helps the corporate survive during recession period compare to others retailers which more emphasis on non-foodstuffs products suffer loses (Gregory, 2009). Bargaining power of buyers The buyer power is moderately high because goods especially the foodstuff in the retails can be easily substituted with other brand name since the switching cost is relatively lower. Besides that, most customers are price conscious which easily draw away by low prices since price can be easily compared and determined before purchase is done (Gregory, 2009). Bargaining power of suppliers The suppliers power is quite low because suppliers are always concern of losing its contract with giant retailers such as Walmart. Besides that, Walmart easily obtain lowest goods price from the suppliers since Walmart is the leader in retail industry (Chandran, 2003). SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis illustrates Walmart corporate strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats Strengths Competent supplier chain management practices. To ensure Walmart products price remain competitive; Walmart carry out few techniques to lower its products costs as shown below. Obtaining goods directly from the producers; to reduce intermediaries costs. Owning private transportation system; to reduce transportation costs. Practicing cross docking technique where goods obtained from producers delivered directly to customers and by this the corporate could reduce the handling, operating and storage costs. Providing the latest IT and communications systems; to ensure effectiveness of tracking sales and stocks besides that it helps the corporate to reduce unproductive stocks. (Chandran, 2003) Predatory Pricing. Walmart goals are to ensure all goods remain lower pricing. According to ICMR (2004) mentioned that Walmart goods is 20 percent lower compared to its competitors. Besides that, the corporate manage to boost its price-conscious customers loyalty based its pricing strategy Weaknesses Unable to adapt to different countries. Walmart penetration into China and Germany is a failure as the corporate incapable to recognise the macro-environmental differences in those countries. Walmart China  [4]   Walmart is facing difficulty in market protectionism and its regionalism governmental across China. Besides that, the government is also eyeing and controlling foreign retailers movement- to ensure Chinese goods are being sold in the market, and cause Walmart unable to monopolise its supply chain and business prospect leading to higher operating costs (Huffman, 2003). Walmart Germany  [5]  6 Walmart failed to comprehend with the local culture as the CEO (Rob Tiarks) ignore to learn German language and make English as official language in the management level (Knorr Arndt, 2003); Its action has offended their Germans employees which shows that the corporate are lacking of management skills and intercultural competence in foreign countries. High law suits against the company. According to Knorr Arndt (2003) remarks said that Walmart Germany has against the Germany laws and regulations by disclosing financial information, predatory pricing by selling below its cost price and failed to show shareholders its business activities. It is a serious matter where Walmart ignoring the key principles of its globalisational strategies. Opportunities Unemployment could be reduced as Walmart expanding its market. It will help to reduce unemployment rate and provides over 22,000 jobs locally and internationally (Walmart, 2009). Increase in consumer purchasing. Walmart as Everyday Low Price retailer could attract lower and middle income families for its cheaper goods price especially in developing countries in Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Africa. Threats Walmart facing bad publicity of their stagnant salary which never increases even though the corporate is earn profit. Based on UFCW statements saying that the salary paid unable to sustain a family, and besides that the organisation challenge Walmart of their worker rights, equal opportunities and corporate responsibility (UFCW Web Site, 2009) The competitors threats facing by Walmart is Kmart, Target, Home Depot, Kroger, Aeon, etc. Competitive Advantages Based ICMR (2003)  [7]  , Walmart has the most outstanding supply chain management with the use of the latest IT and communications system; e.g. barcode and RFIT to track sales and stocks inventories. Secondly, Walmart enjoy the benefits of low transportation costs as the corporate own the transportation system; to reduce costs. Thirdly, Walmart benefits from its bargaining power in buying large quantity of goods; to ensure the price remain competitiveness where the corporate can provide higher discounts to its customers. Lastly, the uses of the cross-docking system which is focus on the demand chain where goods only deliver upon customer request e.g. Walmart E-tailing (Chandran, 2003). [Words Count: 1486/1500]