Consumer Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Consumer Culture - Essay Example The Lexicon Webster dictionary defines the act of consumption as "to destroy or expend by use; to destroy as by decomposition or burning." Consumerism thus suggests a wasteful, unnecessary act that follows the use, and so spawned a culture that is based on luxury not need. The luxuries of consumer culture become more than simply goods but "appear as markers of social status or moral decay," Stearns, P. (2001) observes. What bothers social and behavioral scientists is that consumerism is animated by exactly the same objects of luxury and non-essentials. This has characterized the movement of consumer culture from its origin in the West to its worldwide spread that matched the rapid pace of globalization. Many are therefore asking: Is consumerism making the world too homogeneous From the beginning, consumerism grew in the West precisely out of the desire for luxury and vanity, not necessity. It is believed that aristocrats and noblemen in the old British empire, France and parts of Italy and Germany started it all as they sought ways to avoid the stench from markets and factories back in the18th century or earlier when public sanitation and garbage disposal systems were yet to be developed. When it was raining or the sun was ablaze, the old-world people wanted cover and comfort when they stepped outside. They then came up with the earliest specimens of consumer goods: bathroom soaps, perfumes, umbrellas, handkerchiefs. These came along with the earlier forms of consumerist leisure, notably restaurants, coffeehouses and resorts. The Americans later picked up the idea to set off what became known as the second stage of consumerism, giving birth to the department store as the new venue for consumption. As the department stores competed for the favors of the gr owing consumer market, advertising emerged as the chief apparatus of consumerism. With the advent of mass production and the free market concept in the early 20th century, consumerism really took off with the coming of new consumer goods (automobiles, bicycles, food) and consumer leisure (movies, spectator sports). Consumer culture also became an integral part of celebrations like holidays, birthdays. Stearns, P. (2001), who looks at the development of consumerism as one of the greatest changes in the human experience, puts forth the theory that the consumerist society came into being in the 18th century "through a complex web of factors, including an increase in wage earnings, a desire and opportunity to emulate the rich, and a need for goods of value to compensate for the coordinates of identity lost with the passing of a stable, rural way of life." This jibes with the modern sociological view that man is by instinct a creation that desires to be in the swim of things, to look successful and lavish. As Western culture brought consumerism along in its spread to all parts of the world, consumers everywhere behave in basically the same manner: they buy goods that they don't need for subsistence but as a means of "demonstrating modest achievement in new ways." The goods themselves come from the same mold, identical in every

Advanced Media Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Advanced Media - Case Study Example In such a fixe position, the Major League Baseball Advanced media (MLBAM) has had an influence on MLB. Some of them are as discussed below. MLBAM offers technological professionalism to MLB. It is in charge of all the television rights, online networks, website issues and club investments. Through this, it has been able to generate more than & 87 million for MLB (Elberse & Laffel, 2011). Years ago, MLB relied on revenue generated solely from ticket sale, stadium concession and clubs contribution. However, through the merchandising influence by MLBAM, it has been able to sell MLB-branded items like for instance hats, jerseys and baseballs. This merchandise was evident for instance when an MLB club; Boston Red Sox won the Baseball league in 2004. In less than a day after the win, there was a $ 4.8 million revenue generation from the club’s gear. After the return of MLBAM’s top executives from the Apple’s Headquarters, it became evident through a mobile meeting they held with Steve Jobs that they had been selected to show case a sport-related application on behalf of the iPad. This is because of its good reputation of having a convincing league website and having a genuine success record of accomplishment in the digital media history. From the reports, MLBAM is in a position to generate more than $440 million of revenue from the sale of tickets, money from paid content, adverts and involving itself in merchandise practice (Elberse & Laffel, 2011).It is true most business ventures have failed in surviving in a digital environment. Luckily, MLBAM has overcome such limitations and associated failures. With such a good record, the company came up with the At Bat app, which became the second sort after application on iPhones and IPods. With it having featured among the best selling apps on iTunes, it got so many nam es. For instance, Macworld

The cold war Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The cold war - Essay Example Truman’s policy, also called the â€Å"containment doctrine,† was intended to suppress and control the spread of Communism worldwide. The containment promptly became the executive U.S. policy towards the USSR (â€Å"The Cold War†). In 1949, Soviet Union had effectively launched its first atomic bomb, thus ending Americas monopoly of atomic weaponry. This event started the Cold War. The US then realized that the country was faced with threats of nuclear warfare.  The government immediately commenced the investigation of the probability of the US atomic secrets leaked to the Russians by American Communists. High-status court proceedings concluded the conviction and execution of  the Rosenbergs in 1953 (â€Å"The Second Red Scare:  Fear and Loathing in High Places, 1947-1954†). Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, under the Espionage Act, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit espionage for the Soviet Union from 1944 to 1950. The Rosenbergs had been fundamentally involved in a Communist undercover agent circle that leaked US national defense secrets, particularly blueprints of high-explosive lens patterns and the US atomic bomb Trinity design, to the Soviet Union (Parrish). Truman’s war on communism ignited an anti-communist panic that led to espionage trials, an aggressive communist manhunt, and escalated aggression as the American government questioned, deported and investigated citizens suspected of being communists (â€Å"The Second Red Scare:  Fear and Loathing in High Places, 1947-1954†). Truman’s proposal that the country exercise military force to contain the global communist conspiracy started a chain of armed conflicts and deadly arms race between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. (â€Å"Cold War†). The anti-communist hysteria precipitated the U.S. involvement in the Korean War (Sandler). The Second Red Scare occurred after the

Ellasaurus Product Essay Example for Free

Ellasaurus Product Essay Ellen will use some copyrighted illustrations from her books on the Website. She will also include themes from the story lines of her books in some of the games that will be available (free) on the site to registered visitors. What are at least two intellectual property issues that might arise in the operation of the website? The first intellectual issue in the operation of the website will be in relation to the copyrighted illustration and contents which will be used on the website. Ellen will need to ensure that such use of copyrighted content does not violate intellectual property laws and due permission and authorization is taken from the owners of such copyrighted content, ie, the publisher of the books. Secondly, the games used on the website should be proprietary and if such games are taken from another website, permission from the owner of such content should be taken in advance. Ellen cannot display any proprietary or copyrighted content from another website or from any other source. Permission should be taken in advance and legal formalities should be completed before using any such material. What are some of the potential ethical issues that Ellen faces because of the ages of her intended audience? The primary ethical issue, due to the age of the target audience, is that the content of the website should be carefully developed so as to ensure that it is fully appropriate for the children and kids visiting the website. The owner of the websites should be ethically conscious in creating content that does not impart any wrong message to small kids and should enhance their knowledge and does not result in any harm. For example, the site should not display pornographic content. What are some of the laws with which the site must comply with when it registers site visitors under the age of 13? What are some recommendations regarding how Ellen can best comply with those laws? One of the laws is that the site does not knowingly collect or solicit Personally Identifiable Information from or about children under 13 except as permitted by law. Another one is that Company will not disclose information collected from children under the age of thirteen (13) (or from adults for that matter) to third parties unless indicated otherwise or in special cases where Company has reason to believe that disclosure is necessary to identify, contact or bring legal action against someone who may be causing injury to or interference (whether intentionally or unintentionally) with Companys rights or property or anyone else who may be harmed by such actions or if required by law Ellen can best comply with such laws by hiring the services of a lawyer or legal professional who has significant expertise with cyber laws.

Transformational Leadership in Nursing

Transformational Leadership in Nursing Ashley Freeman Introduction Transformational leadership theory is the process whereby the leaders attends to the needs and motives of their followers so that the interaction advance each to higher levels of morality and motivation (Yoder-Wise, P., 2014, pg. 10). In its most optimal form, it produces positive and valuable change within the followers with the purpose of developing the followers into leaders. When a leader embodies transformational leadership, they enhance the morale, motivation and performance of followers with various techniques. These techniques include helping the followers to connect their sense of self and identity to the mission and the collective identity of the organization; inspire followers by being their role model; challenge followers to go above and beyond what is expected of them, and understand their strengths and weakness, so the leader can assign tasks to its followers that can optimize their performance. Background In 1978 leadership expert, James McGregor Burns developed the first concept of the transforming leadership theory. He created this theory to address the aspects of an organization in which leaders focus on the beliefs, success, needs and values of their employees. According to Burns (1978), the transforming approach creates significant change in the life of people and organizations. It redesigns perceptions and values, and changes expectations and aspirations of employees. In 1985 Bernard M. Bass extended the work of Burns by explaining transforming leadership, but using the term transformational instead, that the followers of such leaders feel, trust, appreciation, constancy and respect for the leader because of the attributes of the transformational leader willingness to work harder than anticipated. Transformational Leadership in Nursing Transformational leaders have the following characteristics: model of integrity and fairness, effective communication skills, provides support and recognition, sets clear goals, visionary, encourage others and has high expectations (Yoder-Wise, P., 2015). My current nurse manager, Cathy, is a transformational leader. She allows the Patient Care Coordinators (PCCs) or charge nurses and sometimes the staff to participant in the decision making. As one of the PCCs, Cathy lets me make decisions about staffing and I am responsible for scheduling the staff. She provides constructive criticism, offers information, makes suggestions, and ask questions (Blais Hayes 2011, p. 167). Cathy lets me know when I am doing a good job and gives me recommendations on how I can make improvements. She gives us complements and rewards for working an extra day, orienting new staff or mentoring student nurses. Cathy is open and encourage openness, so that real issues are confronted (Blais Hayes 2011, p. 16 8). She respects each individual and values and uses each staff members contribution (Blais Hayes 2011, p. 168). She encourages everyone to be a team player because when everyone is working together, there is a higher job satisfaction, less nurse turnover, better patient satisfaction and outcomes. She comes to work with a smile on her face, says good morning and how are you doing to everyone. She builds relationships with the staff and gets to know everyone on a personal level. She is straightforward and gives you her honest opinion. Cathy is a good leader and remodel. Since I am a member of the leadership team as a PCC of a critical care unit, we must be able to contain cost while ensuring staffing productivity and competency, along with improving patient outcomes. One major area of cost containment where I work is staffing productivity. My hospital uses a predictive model to determine the number of full-time staff each department can have based on the number of patient that were seen that month from the previous year. I work in an eight beds intensive care unit and our staffing grid is the following: eight or seven patients four nurses and one patient care tech. (PCT); six patients three nurses and a PCT, five patients three nurses and a PCT, unless we are tight on man-hours then we can only have two nurses and no PCT, however if there is a patient(s) that needs behavioral observation (sitter), then we can have that extra person; four patients two nurses, unless patient(s) need a sitter, then we can have an extra person; three patients two nurses and no PCT; two patients two nurses and no PCT and one patient one nurse and no PCT. When we have an odd number of patients, we tend to go over in man-hours, so we must follow our staffing grid to ensure that we dont have to answer to administration. As a nurse manager, you educate, encourage and support staff through the changes to come within health care. Its the nurse manager role to ensure that all staff is maintaining the current acceptable level of care. Along with maintaining adequate staff for patient safety, while controlling the budget. One of my responsibilities is to help motivate the staff to buy into different policies and procedures changes. We recently had our blood culture collection policy changed and I had to educate all the staff about the new changes. One of my biggest attributes is that I am a visionary leader because I can envision the potential reality, think outside of the box and I have innovative ideas. I can come up with new ideas and new ways of looking at situations. I am a big thinker and I dream even bigger. The critical care unit that I work in has eight beds, so relatively small, and it is on the third floor. We will be expanding, which means more beds, however, I requested through my manager for the unit to move down to the first floor because it makes more sense for us to be down there, close to the ER, OR and radiology, but I was told that was not going to happen. That was just one of the many ideas that I had. As health care continues to transform, hospitals should work to improve current practices for the future. Whether you are a leader, a follower, or a manager, being able to visualize in your mind what the ideal future is becomes a critical strategy (Yoder-Wise 569). The Wise Forecast Model would be useful because it allows us to be proactive in preparing for the future instead of being passive and reacting to the changes as they happen. There are three steps: 1. Learn widely, 2. Think wildly and 3. Act wisely. Learn widely means to extend your knowledge beyond your own clinical role and area. Think wildly means to think outside of the box, dream big, and know that we are only limited by our imagination. Act wisely is bringing thoughts and/or ideas back down to reality and doing what is possible with the resources that is available (pg. 570). Conclusion Transformational leaders provide their followers with an inspiring mission and vision to give them an identity, rather than just working for self-gain. The followers are motivated and transformed through their leaders charisma, encouragement and individual consideration. These leaders encourage their followers to think of new and unique ways to challenge the status quo and to adjust the environment to support them being successful. References Blais, K. K., Hayes, J. S. (2011).Professional nursing practice: Concepts and perspectives (6th ed.) [Vital Source Bookshelf]. Retrieved from https://online.vitalsource.com Burns, J.M. (1978) Leadership, New York: Harper and Row. Yoder-Wise, P. (2015). Leading and Managing in Nursing. (6th ed.). United States: Elsevier Health Sciences.

Hawthornes Personality Revealed in His Novel, The House of the Seven Gables :: House Seven Gables Essays

Hawthorne's Personality Revealed in His Novel, The House of the Seven Gables "At the moment of execution--with the halter about his neck, and while Colonel Pyncheon sat on horseback, grimly gazing at the scene--Maul had addressed him from the scaffold, and uttered a profecy, of which history, as well as fireside tradition, has preserved the very words.--'God,' said the dying man, pointing his finger with a ghastly look at the undismayed countenance of his enemy, 'God will give you blood to drink'"(12)! The House of the Seven Gables portrays many emotions throughout the novel. Writers express themselves through their literature using many different traits. They write about what they know, and who better to portray than the writer himself. The House of the Seven Gables is a perfect example of a writer portraying himself and his emotions. Nathaniel Hawthorne gives his readers an insight to his personality through the characters in this classic novel with the use of characterization, similes, and many other writing traits. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts which is known as, "America's capital of hauntings, diabolical occurrences, and Puritan hellfire" (Reader's Digest). The characters of his stories are usually lonely and reclusive, and this novel is no exception. Hawthorne himself stated that, "Seven Gables was 'more characteristic of the author, and a more natural book for me to write.'" (Reader's Digest). One of the most important characters is this novel is that of Hepzibah Pyncheon. Hepzibah is an old woman with a pessimistic outlook on life. She is a very unattractive lady who scowls all that look upon her. Her pleasantness is lacking, and her loneliness is getting the best of her. Miss Hepzibah Pyncheon also believes that she is what is perceived about her which makes matters worse. She is the first character introduced into the novel, besides that of background characters. Hepzibah is introduced as waking up at about sunrise, but as Hawthorne writes, he would not consider her to be waking, but getting up from a night of poor sleep. Hepzibah's longing for someone to want to be with her can be expressed as she is described, "she had never had a lover--poor thing, how could she?--nor ever knew, by her own experience, what love technically means" (31). Expressing traits similar to how Hawthorne is perceived, he writes mainly through Hepzibah. While most writers were pessimistic in the nineteenth century, Hawthorne is no exception.

Why We Drop Out of College :: essays research papers

As high school students, most of us were taught the dream of going to college from the importance that it has. The real life examples from our friends teach us the importance of going to college. If you drop out of college you may lose yourself, your family, and your friends. One of my friends dropped out of college because he had a bad friendship. So, they convinced him not to go to the school, but when he grew up he realized that the college was the most important thing in his life. Even though we know that â€Å"college is the best thing†, why we drop out of college? That fact is that we drop out from the college for many reasons. We sometimes drop out of the college because of bad friendship. For example, my brother’s friend was just 19 years old and he dropped out of college only because he wanted to fit into a group that was bigger than him. As a result of this, he wanted to be seen as â€Å"cool,† but that wasn’t all. Due to this, he used drugs that dropped him out of the college totally. These students don’t want to seem irresponsible, so they make up an excuse, such as the bad friendship. Another reason we drop out of college is that we want to be independent. A lot of news has been saying that students are sensitive during the adolescence. Because of adolescence, they may think that school is â€Å"nothing†, it is just a waste of time. Also, facts have been saying that more and more students are being independent related to the school. A good reason that they are independent is that they want to have their own money. However, when we don’t know how to say no and face whatever problems may cause, we often use to drop out of college to avoid difficulties. However, dropping out of college is not always negative, in fact, familiar problems can yield positive results. In terms of financial support we know that college costs money, so a lot of students cannot afford it. For example, there are families were the parents are divorced, and one parent has to burden all the family expenses. Often, it happens that one of the parents die, and the children have to grow up with many difficulties.