Counter-Terrorism Project

Terrorists, one of the prominent words that have been recently involved to a lot of social disturbance that often associated to killings of civilians. Such organization is usually recognized as a group of people that is known to create scare to the public and threatened the government by utilizing violence. This is in pursuance of their goal that is either political or religious. Reading articles in the net, I thought that terrorism was already an evident social dilemma in both ancient and contemporary civilization (Jewett, n. d. ).Dating back to the ancient days, acts of terrors are already in existence (Jewett, n. d. ). Barbary and piracy are the most common terrorists that had threatened the lives of early civilization (Jewett, n. d. ). From a personal point of view, I consider terrorists as the most notorious criminals and law offenders in present time. With the various incidents of terror attacks whereas hundreds and thousands of lives had been claimed from series by series bomb ings, such terror activities had create negative impact in the society that caused panic and disseminates anxiety amongst the people.Citing these major events that have something to do with terrorism always make me wonder how these people could do such violent activities despite of thorough campaign against terrorism. Hence, the only thing that runs through my mind when the topic is terrorism is to think and formulate of counter-terrorism actions, which is inspired by thought of protecting the humankind and society against such detrimental activities. Upon reading just the introduction part of the terror training manual, the depiction of Al Qaeda’s commitment to their terror desire is clearly visible. It showcases that organization’s oath for what they believe in.Structured and composed in the most stimulating manner, the Islamic notion of the entire Al Qaeda Terror Group is highlighted well in aid to inculcate the attitude of a true blood terrorist for their new recru its. In addition to this, the organization's disappointment and doubtfulness against the governance of the westerners. Moreover, the introduction of Al Qaeda's terror training manual clearly stated their words of advice to their opposition (Western Government), saying that such unfaithful regimes must know the dialog of bullets, the ideals of assassination and the diplomacy of the cannon and machine-gun.In here, I can clearly say that the Al Qaeda is sending their message seriously towards the opposition and warns that such consequences must be honored than to just disregard. Hence, I could say that the first part of the training manual is the depiction of Al Qaeda's righteousness, which they claim the thought and justify the notion that they are bound in goodness to do such terroristic activities. Browsing more of the manual's pages I have discovered that Islam is not just performing rituals, however, it is a complete system with Religion and government, Koran and sword, worship an d Jihad, ethics and dealing with people.Thus, this characterizes the organization's mission in merely holistic manner, without being pessimistic or distinction between the political and spiritual. One of the major components of the manual that really attract my attention is the instructions that has something to do with falsification of significant document and comprehensive manual to handle individual mission. Certainly, Al Qaeda's terror training manual provides detailed guidelines for their aspiring members on how to forge documents, handling proper finances, and setting up urban and rural bases.This is their profound training practice for the new members in able to avoid any compromise and detection in the secrecy of their terroristic mission. Hence, I see this as an aid to upset their target nations’ sense of security, by hiding their real identity to pursue their terroristic goal. In line with this, it would be helpful if security authorities are cautious to every indiv idual's true identity to determine who are the terrorist and not.By effecting counter terrorism action that could interrupt and detect this strategy of Al Qaeda, it is safe enough to say that such detrimental plan by the organization would be prevented and well managed. In the end, the composition Al Qaeda's terror training manual utterly suggests that the government authorities mostly the western civilization to be care with the consequences might happen such as act of terrorism. Moreover, the training manuals clearly depicts the extent of capabilities of such organization.In addition to this, the manual is a written proof of the things that the Al Qaeda terrorists group could do in the society to harm the people. Personally speaking, I could say the manual was completed accordingly to achieve specific terroristic goal of the organization as every words and instructions are structured in the most stimulating manner to fire up the Islamic passion for their new members. Thus, such tr aining manual must be reviewed thoroughly to intercept any acts of terrorism.Nonetheless, the training manual of Al Qaeda terrorists group would serve as the perfect reference in the formulation of governments counter-terrorism strategy. Furthermore, my read with the training manual of Al Qaeda have took me into some recommendations for counter – terrorism strategy. A counter – terrorism strategy must focus on detection and surveillance in order to prevent any occurrence of terrorism acts that could lead to harm the people.Hence, the starting point of such strategy is to design a more efficient ways to determine and point out trumped-up passports and other significant documents that members of Al Qaeda utilizes for their international travel. Summary of the Statement The above writings are my personal reactions in the Al Qaeda's Training Manual. Those are the incorporations of all the assumptions and knowledge that I acquired upon my readings to the terror training man ual. In a sense, most of the reaction statement that I have written above is the depiction of my own findings after I have read the Al Qaeda's training manual.Starting in the introduction of the training manual, above words stated that Al Qaeda terrorists group is committed and in full service to spread their acts of terrorism in aid to their Muslim oath to Allah. Thus, the introduction appeals to the young Muslims to join them hand in hand to pursue their goal to spread the notions of Islam. In addition to this, the philosophy of the entire Al Qaeda terrorists group is also highlighted in the part of of my response statement to the training manual of the organization.Moreover, the above content tackles the capabilities of the organization to create social disturbance that aims to spread anxiety and harm people by utilizing violence. Also, this paper tells how the Muslim act and reciprocate to their opposition (West Government), and put into account the messages of the organization towards other side. In addition to this, the disappointment of the organization to the western government is as well discussed as it is one of the primary reasons as to why the Al Qaeda terrorist group are against the westerners.Nonetheless, the reactions above are representation of my own thought with regards to designing a counter – terrorism strategy to prevent any occurrence of such detrimental activities. Hence, it is determined the capabilities and significant strategies of the organization to disseminate anxiety in the society and harm the people that are against them. f References Jewett T. (n. d. ). Terrorism in Early America. Retrieved July 25, 2008, from http://www. earlyamerica. com/review/2002_winter_spring/terrorism. htmL Terrorist Training Manual. (n. d. ). Retrieved July 25, 2008, from www. fas. org/irp/world/para/aqmanual. pdf

Media Landscape in the World

Media Landscape in the World The New Modern Media October 12, 2012 The New Modern Media Watching TV while having morning coffee, listening radio on the way to work, checking Facebook before work, tweeting in the lunch break, and googling information related to work; that is the way the new modern media has changed our lives. To understand the term modern media more, Debashis Aikat(n. d. ), Associate Professor and Media Futurist, has come up with a definition, â€Å"Modern media refers to mass communication characteristic of recent times, or the contemporary communication relating to a recently developed or advanced technology(Aikat, n. . )† So that basically means that modern media is the media which is connected to new technologies. Nowadays that is so easy to access different kinds of modern media; however, this new type of media continuously excludes different groups of people. We are used to say that is so easy to access the internet. Just take your computer, tablet, or Sm artphone and you are connected. Wait! How many people are not able to do that? To have the connection, the basic thing we need is electricity. We need to charge all of the devices in order to use them.According to a newspaper Arabia 2000, in the year 2011 about 20 percent of world’s population still lived without electricity(Arabia 2000, 2011). So these people are totally excluded from the modern media. Actually, the number is even bigger. Because electricity is just the basic thing we need. But there are people who have electricity, but they cannot afford the devices to be connected to internet. Some could argue that all kind of media cost, and old media is even more expensive because, for instance, newspapers do not have that much of information but cost almost a dollar a day.There is a difference if you have to pay a dollar whenever you decide to have a newspaper or you have to spend a few hundred dollars for device, and then you have to get the internet connection, and of course pay for electricity. Not only people with a low income are excluded from access to new media. Age and religion can be the reason why people stick to old media as well. If I ask my grandma to turn off my computer, she would get scared because she would see that computer is not connected to electricity but still works.She is used to see calculator which has to be connected to electricity. There are many older people who have no ideas how to use new devices. Martin Beckford(2011), the journalist of the news website â€Å"The Telegraph† in his article writes, â€Å"A charity report found that older people have trouble getting information about public services, such as details of libraries and public transport, because so much of it is kept online(Beckfors, 2011). † This article truly shows that because of the changes in media older people are isolated from the world.People could say that when the next generation gets old, that is not going to be a problem anymore. I do not agree with that. Technology changes even faster than people get older. These are the people who do not know how to use devices, but there are also people whose believes do not allow using new technology. For example, in some places in the world we can still find groups of people called Amish people. These people do not use new technologies at all. The reason is their religion and believes. It is not expensive to reach people by using media as long as they share the same characteristics.For example, that is not hard to get some information if you speak English, Russian, or French. But if information needs to be translated in the language which is not that popular, companies are not willing to spend money for that. So let’s look at the country called Latvia: small country with a few million people, and with their own language. Recently â€Å"The National Latvian News Agency LETA† posted the article about the findings of scientists’ group called â€Å"MET A-NET† which is made by 60 research centers in 34 countries.Findings showed that Latvian language with other 20 European languages are going to disappear because of the fact that new devices are not supporting these languages(LETA, 2012). That means that if you do not know other, more popular, language you cannot chose the Smartphone you want. Or you have to learn the language, but that takes time, and modern media is not waiting, it is already here. In brief, world is changing so does media. The new media allows to reach people in a very fast way, but there are still groups of people who would not get the message.It is connecting billions of people and the same time forgetting billions of people. After my research I strongly believe that my theses statement in proved, and the new modern media is excluding people with different languages, believes, ages, and financial levels. References Aikat D. , (n. d). Traditional and Modern Media. Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems. Retr ieved from: http://www. eolss. net/Sample-Chapters/C04/E6-33-02-04. pdf Beckford M. , (2011). Elderly People Isolated by Technological Advances.The Telegraph. Retrieved from: http://www. telegraph. co. uk/health/elderhealth/8867767/Elderly-people-isolated-by-technological-advances. html# Latviesu Valodai Draud â€Å"Digitala Izmirsana† [Latvian Language Is About to Disappear], (2012). Latvian National News Agency LETA. Retrieved from: http://www. tvnet. lv/tehnologijas/zinatnes/437469-latviesu_valodai_draud_digitala_izmirsana UN: 1. 6 billion People Still Have No Access to Electricity. (2011). Arabia 2000. Available from: Newspaper Source, Ipswich, MA.

Abstract Apple Inc

Abstract Apple Inc. is one of the world’s largest technology companies dealing in computers and consumer electronic products. Founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniack Apple is now a multinational corporate empire who recently boasted a $15. 7 billion in revenue in the third quarter of 2010.This study’s objective is to carry out a strategic analysis of Apple Company using different analysis tools. The study aims to cover factors that exist in its internal and external environment and also evaluate how the company utilizes its resources to maintain competitive advantage in the market.Three different descriptive strategic tools will be used in this study includes SWOT Analysis, PESTLE Analysis and Resource Based View (RBV). The findings from these analyses are used in making conclusions on the study question.From this study it’s clear that Apples extensive brand equity, strong leadership of CEO Steve Jobs, Innovative research & development, fashionable & tre ndy image of its products and the strong branding & customer loyalty forms a great part of its strengths.However this study highlights the rushing of products into the market followed by quick product recalls and the many legal cases the company has been involved in as the major threats. Apple’s ‘iphone’ is the company’s attempt to utilize the available opportunity resulting from the increasing demand for ‘smart phones’.Apple Inc is threatened by poor quality output from its suppliers and the tight market for personal computers. The study recommends product testing be speeded up and the company to find alternatives ways to settle these legal cases to ensure Apple Inc maintains its competitive advantage in the technology market.

Mediation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Mediation - Research Paper Example In this form of mediation, the mediators drive the conflicting parties’ attention to focus on what drivers of conflict exist in their situation (Moore, 2014). This enables the parties to understand overt issues and go beyond them to the deep root causes of the conflict that they may not understand including the parties respective position in the conflict. The abstract needs that the individuals in a conflict have are the interest that should be focused on at this. As such the mediation seeks to have a bargain that will satisfy these interests. The process, substantive, relationship and principle interests as ell need to be included in order for a successful mediation. An example of integrative mediation is the case of divorce where partners share the wealth and children have access to both parents. It does not consider the betrayal, heart break that made of the parties seek divorce. Distributive approach of mediation on the other hand can be understood as competitive mediation that where the parties in conflict seeks to distribute the pie amongst them (Moore, 2014). It is often described as a zero sum exchange since the parties tend to believe that whatever it is that one side gains the other side loses. It is therefore position focused where the involved parties move from position to another to reach an agreement. Several compromises based on the shifts in positions through the mediations take place until an agreement is reached. In the distributive approach of mediation, agreements are normally reached after a compromise leading to a mid point is achieved. This are typically from the first positions or demands set out by the conflicting parties in the onset of the mediation. However this offers made are considered reasonable by the other party in the conflict and as such may not consider any bargaining parameters for negotiation (Moore, 2014). An example is in the case

International Human Rights and Social Justice Essay

International Human Rights and Social Justice - Essay Example Ernest Davies, a delegate of the UN stated It should not be forgotten ... that the war by its total disregard of the most fundamental rights was responsible for the declaration (Morsink, 2011). The war served as the precedent for these human rights when nations came together to prevent further war and destruction. Human rights thus became universal at a crucial time in history. While 48 nations accepted the Declaration during its initial phase, these rights were not mandatory on any nation. Rather they were voluntary and paved the way for acceptance in law in many other including Canada where UDHR is part of the legal framework of the country. While many have argued whether these rights are actually universal but they were declared universal because they reflected on the views of the strong Western Nations that came to dominate the world after the Second World War. Even non-western nations consider these rights to be universal since they represent the ideals that these nations strive for. The basis of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created by Eleanor Roosevelt and Winston Churchill as they represented two of the strongest Western nations- the United States and United Kingdom. The first draft for UDHR was created by John Peters Humphrey which was rewritten by Rene Cassin after minor changes was made. The Declaration was unanimously accepted by all 48 nations who were present during the vote of its acceptance. However, there were eight absenteeism in the form of Saudi Arabia, Soviet Union, Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian SSR. Poland, Czechoslovakia, South Africa, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. The structure of the declaration was inspired by Code Napoleon which consisted of a preamble and general articles. The Declaration starts with a Preamble with seven paragraphs. This preamble lays down the reasons for the introduction of the declaration; thus serving as the foundation for the general

Lying v. Misleading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Lying v. Misleading - Essay Example Philosophers have not only tried to characterize the difference between lies and misleading statements, but also have debated over the moral significance of each kind of utterance. Therefore, the two main question s are what speech act is required for lying, as opposed to being misleading; and what is the moral difference between the two acts of speech. One theory, from a linguistic point of view, according to Stokke (2), is that there are different ways of conveying information, which means, in turn, that there is a difference in the speech acts involved in both misleading and lying. When one is lying, the mode of communication is saying. This means that lying requires saying something, and being misleading is conveying information without coming right out and saying it. The example that Stokke (1) gave was a person who is looking forward to going to a party that evening after work. Another person, a co-worker, comes up and says that she doesn't want to go to the party unless person A is going. To which, person A simply says â€Å"I have to work.† But person A is actually going to be going to the party. This is misleading, because A implies that she wouldn't be going to the party by her statement. But she wasn't lying – she did have to work that day. Lying would mean that person A would come right out and say â€Å"no, I am not going to go the party tonight,† when she really is. As it was, the scenario was an example of merely misleading person B. Green (160) makes the distinction between lying and misleading by stating that lying is telling a false statement, while misleading involves stating something that is true, but is calculated to draw the inference of a lie. Stokke (348) further makes distinctions between lying and misleading, and the ethical implications of each. Someone might lie without the intent to deceive. This is because there are reasons for lying that do not have to do with deception. For instance, a person can lie on the witness stand because he fears reprisals, not that he wants to deceive everybody. This is especially true when it is clear that he did see the murder, or whatever it is that he is lying about on the witness stand. He knows that he isn't deceiving anybody, and that was never his intent. Rather, his intent was to simply secure his own safety or the safety of others who he might be protecting as well. Therefore, some philosophers have attempted to craft categories of lying where there is not an intent to deceive, such as the case above. In this definition, a lie is a lie even if there is not an attempt to deceive, as long as there is a warrant for the truth (Stokke, 349). Since one can warrant for the truth, while knowing that the statement is false, even if that person did not intend to deceive, then this would still be considered to be a lie. Therefore, there does not necessarily have to be an intent to deceive for the statement to be considered to be a lie (Stokke, 349). This would contradict the basic formula which is put in place by Stokke (348), which is that a person lies a person A makes a knowing false statement to person B, and there is also an intention to deceive person B. This somewhat complicates the ethical consequences of a lie, according to Stokke (350). this is because there is one traditional school of thought that lying is morally wrong when one intends to deceive. But, if there is not an attempt at deception, is this lie morally wrong? Stokke (350) states that it still is morally wrong, even if the person does not intend to deceive, and, in fact, deceives nobody (such as the witness to the murder, when that witness was caught on tape actually witnessing the murder. He doesn't intend to deceive

The appendices of Poster Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The appendices of Poster - Essay Example It owns several cash & carry clubs, forecourt stores, discount department stores, discount stores, hypermarkets and supermarkets. It is a publicly traded organization and its shares are listed in the London and Irish Stock markets. The company was founded by Jack Cohen, in 1919 (Tesco Plc, 2011). The current CEO of the organization is Philip Clarke and its chairman is Richard Broadbent (Tesco Plc, 2014b). The company sells goods and services of various brands but at the same time it also acquires its own range of product lines. The primary products and services of the company are books, furniture, clothing, electronics; financial, telecoms, internet services and DVD rental services; petrol and software and many other products. Since, its inception, the business of the company has significantly grown up and at present it operates in more than twelve major economies in the world. With rise in scope and scale of business, the customer base of the company has also expanded across all mar ketplaces and the gross employment generated by the concern has increased. It is estimated that Tesco generates employment opportunities for approximately 530,000 individuals around the world. The company claims that all important decisions are undertaken according to the vision statement. Tesco acquires multiple superior assets in business and its activities ensure utility maximization of its business stakeholders. It uses innovative ideas in business with which it provides high quality services and this has helped it gain loyalty of customers. The company claims that it prioritises on doing the right thing for its colleagues, customers and the communities and it has gained high brand value in the market only with such initiatives (Needle, 2010). Many economists claim that an institution affects the business outcomes of concerns and are hence susceptible for analysis. It is the set of social, legal, economic and political conventions that institutes the

International Financial Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

International Financial Management - Essay Example The basic types of exchange rate regimes are the fixed exchange rate and the floating exchange rate. In the latter case the market decides the movements of the exchange rate. Exchange rate volatility is a common denominator of a country's exposure to international risk through foreign transactions, whether international trade or investment (Madura, 2009). The higher the degree of exposure the higher the degree of risk associated with such exposure. Thus the exchange rate can be considered as an important indicator in monetary policy and it mainly depends on the monetary policy framework of a particular country. Exchange rate can be identified as a target for particular government's policy and that it can actively manage with the other components of a monetary policy such as inflation, balance of payments and so on. For instance the changes in exchange rate in a short term can impact on the real economy and the balance of payments and in the long term those effects can be adjusted with the exchange rate movements. Therefore developing countries that depend on commodity exports to a greater extent are more likely to face a greater degree of risk due to the fact that commodity prices in international markets are subject to huge fluctuations. As a result their currencies against those of advanced industrialized economies are weaker. Even the well developed countries especially UK has been faced with this reality but their ability to manipulate exchange rates in international markets is considerably higher when compared to those developing countries (Wheele, 1995). 2. Literature ReviewCurrently available literature on the subject of exchange rate regime and related price stabilization policy in a modern economy has both a theoretical approach and a broader empirical approach. Price stabilization policy refers to a government macroeconomic strategy designed and executed by the central bank to ensure stable economic growth based primarily on stable prices and lower unemployment levels. This is a contingency macroeconomic model that presupposes a smoothing out effect on erratic fluctuations in aggregate supply. Alogoskoufis (1992) shows that the broader policy level approach includes monitoring and adjusting cyclical growth process and interest rates so that aggregate demand can be managed to achieve broader macroeconomic policy goals.This

Management decisions & control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management decisions & control - Essay Example In this line, performance will mean how efficient the school is in using the provided resources, both human and material to produce results that are to be considered closely related to the expected results. The close relationship will result to high performance of the school. In such an environment, the performance will be measured by how well the students are trained to become business professionals and how well they are prepared to face the business environment outside school. Additionally, the use of the available resources and the individual performance of each of the players that makeup the schools determines its performance (Lin & Lee 2011, pp 85-96). Performance of the business school can be brought about by a combination of several factors. It is first important to note that not a single player in the business school is capable of making impressive performance alone. There should be cooperation and collaboration in performance for the overall results to be considered a success. This, therefore, implies that one of the causes of performance in business school is cooperation. According to Berkeley (2007), Cooperation must be present between the administration and the students as well among the managers and the students separately. When there is effective teamwork, each performs at his or her capacity in the institution leading to achievement of a common goal (Berkeley 2007, p 384). Similarly, all operations in the school must be geared towards a common goal that should be emphasized for all to understand. When everyone understands his or her roles and the common goal performance is enhanced. Monitoring and evaluation with a perspective ready to effect change is also necessary to cause performance enhancement. There are various other drivers to performance besides cooperation. First, the business school and all the players in it must be committed towards the achievement of the common goals. Lack of commitment leads to failure in some pillars that

Biomedical engineering and IT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Biomedical engineering and IT - Assignment Example Therefore, in the year 2004, homecare opted to approach biomedical repair segment in order to manage the homecare equipment so as to eliminate such enormous costs (Nestor, par. 4). The Biomedical formed for such tasks considered accepting the offer and took over the management of homecare equipments. Thus, the article focuses on all the relevant success that was achieved by its approach in managing the home care. Though, there being a number of challenges in the hospital environmental setting such as strict regulations and standards to be complied with as well as equipment safety, biomedical complied with all without compromise. Repair and maintenance cost were reduced to a greater extent and patients would receive better home care equipments that are well fit and structured for their requirements (Nestor, par. 5). The overall management services and reputation improved since the two entities were able to work hand in hand by offering efficient services to patients without constraini ng their financial position (Nestor, 60). The article focuses on the services offered by a military trained equipment technician who worked in the same position for over twenty years (Reginald, par. 2). The main objective of home care device as evidence by KDA’s new latest device home use initiative is to make sure that patients and caregivers safety are in a position to use complex medical services in their homes. Among the many provisions stated, the initiative has measures for an enhanced postmarked surveillance through subnet work of medical devices. This is an advance vent reporting program that merges over 350 healthcare facilities all over the country (Reginald, par. 5). The technician was able to lean about the home care professionals who work in that environmental setting and different equipments available. Some of the home care has a number of

Rewriting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Rewriting - Essay Example Nevertheless, she was able to go through education system and began to be exposed to people speaking other languages later in life. Although she was able to acquire language skills, she did it at a slow pace. The most interesting observation was that her level of understanding new language was not as profound as found in children who acquire language skills at early age. Despite following similar procedures of language acquisition, she could not meet the standards acquired by young children who learn language naturally. However, other cognitive abilities were not inhibited. Despite her problem in language acquisition, she was able to develop interactive skills and could therefore understand different communication styles from other people. Whereas her language acquisition skills lagged behind, other cognitive abilities were not inhibited in any way. This example is a clear indicator that language acquisition is independent of other cognitive abilities. It is worth noting the contrast of this idea with Moskowitz’s ideology, which claims that the two are connected. He feels that linguistic specialization is part of human intelligence, which implies that none can be developed

Capital One Case Study Essay Example for Free

Capital One Case Study Essay †¢ What is a case interview? The Case Interview †¢ What specific skills does it assess? †¢ How to prepare for a case interview? †¢ An interactive example. What is a â€Å"Case Interview† anyway? The Case Interview Simulation of a business problem. Similar to what our associates encounter every day. Series of open-ended questions. They’re designed to stimulate your conceptual, quantitative, analytical and – most importantly – creative abilities. The Case Interview There are several types of cases. Each is designed to assess different skills. Classic Case The Case Interview †¢ Should an organization add capacity? †¢ How should an organization react to a new competitor? †¢ Should an organization enter/exit a new/old market? Measures †¢ Your broad functional skills †¢ Your big-picture perspective †¢ Your comfort with detail and analysis Special Case The Case Interview †¢ Why are manhole covers round? †¢ What’s the estimated weight of a Boeing 747? †¢ What will interest rates do next? Measures †¢ Your comfort with ambiguous challenges †¢ Your level of creativity The Case Interview What are we looking for? †¢ Logical skills †¢ Analytical/reasoning skills †¢ Conceptual problem-solving abilities †¢ Critical path thinking †¢ Flexibility What do we mean by†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. . The Case Interview Problem-solving ability? Can you identify the key issues of the case while accurately and methodically reaching the solution? Critical path thinking? Can you use the clues that build on each other while staying on track and focusing on what’s relevant? Flexibility? . Can you adapt your answers to a changing situation? The Case Interview What do you need to bring? Your logical business sense The Case Interview †¢ How do decreasing marginal costs affect profitability? †¢ What effect will fixed costs have on the result? Your mathematical aptitude From basic mathematics to†¦. †¢ Algebra †¢ Probability †¢ Weighted averages †¢ Unit conversion Your strategic interpretation skills The Case Interview Can you†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¢ Interpret your answer’s impact? †¢ Assess alternatives? †¢ Keep a grasp on the â€Å"big picture† as well as the minor details? Your presentation skills Can you†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¢ Clearly state your thoughts and synthesize information? †¢ Explain how your answer changes in the face of changing variables? †¢ Defend your answer? The Case Interview Be prepared! Let’s work through a case together. Background Information The Case Interview †¢ You are a manager at a company that markets various products and services and that is looking to diversify †¢ You receive some information indicating magazine publishing may be interesting †¢ You are considering developing a new magazine but are not sure how profitable it might be What are some of the issues you must consider when evaluating the magazine business? Things to consider The Case Interview †¢ Defining the target market †¢ Competition – # of competitors, fragmentation, brand name †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Build off of core competencies Barriers to entry Business cycle stage Method of measuring viability Opportunity cost Our next step is to understand the economics of the business. What are the profit drivers in the magazine publishing business? The Case Interview Main profit drivers of the publishing business include †¦ Revenue Sources †¢ Subscriptions †¢ Newsstand sales †¢ Advertising †¢ Customer lists †¢ Internet Costs †¢ Printing †¢ Distribution †¢ Content Development †¢ Marketing/promotions The Case Interview Through some initial research you have been able to determine the following †¦ †¢ You can charge  £25 for an annual subscription of 50 issues †¢ You can generate  £1 in advertising revenue per issue for each subscription †¢ Printing and distribution costs are  £1 per copy per issue †¢ Content development costs run  £1 million per year †¢ Let’s ignore newsstand sales for now †¢ Let’s ignore marketing expenses for now How much profit will you  generate a year from one incremental subscription? Let’s figure it out together†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. The Case Interview Subscription revenue per year =  £25 Advertising revenue per year =  £50  £1/issue x 50 issues Yearly production and distribution costs =  £50 Profit from one incremental subscription =  £25  £25 +  £50  £50 How many subscriptions would we need to sell in order to breakeven on this venture? The Case Interview How many subscriptions do we need to sell to break even? Profit (contribution margin) =  £25 per subscription Magazine content development =  £1 million per year Breakeven =  £1 million/ £25 = 40,000 subscriptions Given you need 40,000 subscriptions to breakeven, do you move forward? What about marketing costs? The Case Interview Your company has expertise in direct mail solicitation so you decide to use that method to market your new magazine. Each piece of mail costs  £0.50. You are able to achieve a 2% response rate. How much does it cost you to sign up a subscriber? Cost per subscriber calculation The Case Interview Cost of mailing/response rate = Cost to sign up one subscriber  £0.50/2% =  £25 per subscriber Another way to calculate cost per subscriber: Assume you mail offer to 100 people Costs =  £50 ( £0.50 x 100 people) Responders = 2 (2% of 100) Cost per responder =  £50/2 or  £25 How will this affect your breakeven calculation? New break even calculation The Case Interview Old contribution margin Marketing costs New contribution margin New contribution margin =  £25  £25 =  £0 Ouch! What can we do to make this venture better? Some possible considerations: The Case Interview †¢ Raise subscription prices †¢ Raise advertising rates †¢ Reduce production costs †¢ Increase response rate †¢ Make each response matter more – Consider renewals and multi-year subscriptions The Case Interview Renewals look like an obvious avenue to explore†¦ †¢ In the best case scenario, zero cost to acquire with no drop in revenues How might you encourage renewels? Some possible options: The Case Interview †¢ Price promotion †¢ Competitions †¢ Marketing †¢ Free gifts The Case Interview Some market testing gives you 2 possible options 1) Do nothing: †¢ 50% of existing subscribers will renew each year 2) Offer a free second year subscription †¢ 75% of existing subscribers will renew each year

Urbanization in Pakistan

Urbanization in Pakistan ABSTRACT The research reported in this thesis was on Urbanization and Determinants of Urbanization in Pakistan The main purpose of the research was to study the factors and determinants of urbanization causing the problem of urbanization in Pakistan. The secondary data was collected by referring to the literature available in the libraries and the internet. Primary data was collected by floating a questionnaire among the general public asking questions regarding the problem of Urbanization in Pakistan. Moreover, interviews were taken to get a better understanding of the research subject. SPSS software was applied to analyze the data collected from the questionnaire for frequencies and cross tabulations were run to interpret the data by using the principles of Statistics. The findings suggested that migration, net-reclassification and net natural increase were the major factors causing urbanization in Pakistan. Trend of Urbanization in Pakistan have been increasing over the past years due to a n increase in the migration rate, mergers of small towns into big cities and an excess of birth rates of death rates which causes population increase and an increase in the living population of the big cities. It was suggested that government should make proper plans and policies to avoid this problem of Urbanization as for a developing nation Urbanization can become a serious problem. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Overview of the Topic Urbanization is the expansion of cities by the rise in total number of population. Urbanization is caused by the social, economic demographic aspects, which include internal migration, mergers of adjoining areas in the city and by the excess of birth rates over death rates. Internal migration is caused due to the attractive opportunities city life has to offer to the rural people along with better living standards and better wages. Migration cannot be controlled as by the law every citizen of the country is free to move and live where ever he wants. Second important factor causing urbanization is net reclassification that is, mergers of adjoining towns and villages into big cities. Cities of Pakistan have expanded in terms of their size and population over the past 50 years. This merger allows small towns and villages to excel and enjoy the facilities of city life but in return it brings a negative impact on the quality of essential public services such as law and order, health, edu cation, water energy supplies etc. as they earlier had been designed according to the population living within the city boundaries. This factor leads to un-regulated expansion of urban areas which cause social, economic and administrative problems. Third major factor causing urbanization is the net natural increase, increase in birth rates over death rates. Advancement in medicine and health technology leads to an increase in the life span of an average person and reduces the infant mortality rate, which brings a rise in the population if the country. According to the 1998 census, in Pakistan level of urbanization has grown from 17.5% in 1951 to 32.5% in 1998. The trend of urbanization is increasing over the past years in Pakistan. Now in Pakistan rural population is moving towards big cities due to the decreasing dependency rate on the agricultural sector. Females from the rural areas also are moving towards the big cities to get work in the informal sector. Lack of basic necessiti es such as, food, energy, education and health in the rural areas of Pakistan force people to shift to big cities bringing an effect on the economy in a negative way. Lack of improper city boundaries also allow adjoining slums and small towns to merge in with the big cities causing Urbanization in Pakistan. Small and medium sized cities of Pakistan are growing at a higher rate and are serving as hubs of business and trade. Growth in commerce and industry and better cultivation methods also lead people to shift to urban centers. Urbanization is a serious problem which needs to be controlled especially in a developing country like Pakistan where inflation rates are high, people live below poverty line, wages are less and political instability exists. It can cause infrastructure deficit, increase urban poverty unemployment, lead to scarce resources and cause further political imbalance. 1.2 Background of the Topic Pakistan was formed as a result of religious and cultural differences present in the sub-continent. These differences led to the migration among the two nations causing an uneven distribution of people as well as resources. In the initial years after independence government faced a lot of trouble in allocating resources among the cities and villages according to the total population living. A large number of refugees settled in the big cities because they had no shelter and food to migrate in the rural areas. From 1951-1962 urbanization in the East and West Pakistan experienced the same urban growth rate. Later West Pakistan saw an increase in the urban growth rate as people migrated to the two big cities of the West Karachi and Lahore in search of better job opportunities and adjoining towns merged with the big cities in order to avail the facilities cities had to offer such as electricity, gas energy. These two were the biggest cities where all the political, economic and social ac tivities used to take place. Industrialization in the latter years attracted people from the rural centers to obtain a better lifestyle. Only a small number of refugees made their way to the rural areas where no special development had taken place. In 1981-1998 urban growth declined due to the deteriorating law and order situation. Political instability, partition of East Pakistan was the main reasons for this decline. Urbanization in Pakistan has been taking place since independence. Refugees caused urban growth in the early years, in later years search for better job opportunities and independence from landlords made people migrate to big cities. Lack of governments policies in developing the rural areas of Pakistan also lead to this shift and lack of proper family planning lead to population increase and improper city boundaries extend the size of the big cities which cause urbanization. Decrease in the agricultural sector over the years have also led to an increase in the urban growth as now people seek jobs in the industrial sector rather than the agricultural side. 1.3 Importance of the Study With Respect To the World Urbanization is an emerging economic problem as the increase in large cities is not equal to the facilities available for the citizens. Overcrowding in large cities is causing different problems which are difficult to handle by the political parties. Especially for a developing nation expansion of big cities related to the facilities available is a serious problem which needs attention. Urbanization is increasing at an alarming rate in the developing nations these days. Urban population increase in developing countries is double that experienced in the West years ago. Developing nations are less industrialized as compared to the Developed countries; therefore people from rural areas migrate to the urban cities in search for better wage rates. The extent of poverty in the rural areas of the developing nations is negative, which is another factor causing migration. Existence of primate cities in developing nations brings an increase in the population of these cities. In developing and under developed nations urban growth rate is relatively high than developed nations as rural poverty and its causes such as no stable earning patterns, drought low human capital make people to migrate to big cities in search of better quality of life. Urbanization has been increasing in the world due to the large difference in income and lifestyle between rural and urban cities.. Greater emphasis laid down on the industrial sector by the government is also a big reason why inhabitants or rural areas leave their jobs in the agricultural sector and shift to the industrial sector. Some economists believe that city growth is a symbol of development of any nation as it leads to technological and industrial advancement. But most researchers believe that urbanization is a serious problem which needs to be taken into account immediately. Urbanization needs to be controlled as it can become a serious threat to the economy of any nation especially the developing ones as, they are indulged in other problems at the same time. It can also cause a problem to the people already living in the urban areas along with the people migrating to these areas. The Government has to take steps and regulate urban-rural migration to control the problem of urbanization 1.4 Importance of Study With Respect To Pakistan Urbanization is a serious problem faced by Pakistan these days. Urbanization in the early years was caused due to the problem of refugees after independence. Industrialization later made people shift to cities in search for better jobs and wage rates. Due to the existence of new technology and better health facilities the rate of births over deaths is high in Pakistan. The poor standard of living in the rural areas make people migrate to big cities to get the basic necessities of life. Mergers of adjoining towns into big cities formally transform the rural areas into urban centers. Over the years there has been an increase in the size of Pakistans top ten big cities, areas which were considered small now have been included in the premises of the big cities. Trend of urbanization in Pakistan is going up on an increasing rate. The rural population is expected to be equal to the urban population by the year 2030. Now female labor force participation is also causing urbanization as women from the rural areas are stepping ahead to work in the cities in the informal sector. In Pakistan the main factors causing rural out migration are unequal distribution of resources, lack of basic necessities and poverty. Government over the years has not been successful in implementing positive policies to stop rural out migration by developing the rural areas. The wide gap between the income distribution patterns in the rural urban areas lead to class conflicts which results in migrations causing violent activities. Moreover the mergers of small towns and slum into big cities also give rise to such problems like income disparities and class conflicts. Rapid increase in the size of the city leads to a deterioration in the quality of essential public services, such as, law and order/police, health, education, road works, water supplies, energy supplies etc., this expansions leads to economic, social and administrative problems. The population growth is unevenly distributed in the fo ur provinces and the population of the 10 big cities is increasing over the years which need to be controlled as it is the root cause for the process of urbanization. Pakistani government should take into account some policies to control the problem of urbanization which is a hurdle in the process of development. If this problem is now controlled immediately Pakistan can face numerous challenges in the near future which will be difficult to control then. 1.5 Research Question Urbanization Determinants of Urbanization in Pakistan The scope of the study is why urbanization takes place, what are the various components which give rise to the problem of urbanization. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW Arif and Hamid (2009) examined the trends in urbanization, city growth and womens share in rural to urban migration. This study was a joint project of UNFPA and PIDE; financed by UNFPA. Growth of cities is a common practice in the developing nations, including Pakistan. The basic objective of their research was to examine the level of urbanization and urban growth of Pakistan, to analyze the role of migration in the expansion of cities and to over view the quality of life of female immigrants who have moved to big cities in search of better job opportunities for their families. This paper has used both qualitative and quantitative approaches to work on the said objectives. They have used data from previous censuses and information from existing literature. This study has further used both the 2001 Pakistan Socio-Economic Survey (PSES) and Pakistan Rural Household Survey (PRHS) done by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics to study the share of female in rural-urban migratio n. The quality of life is examined by talking a sample of 50 women and interviewing them about their decisions which led them to the migration. According to the 1998 census, level of urbanization has grown from 17.5% in 1951 to 32.5% in 1998. The nature of urbanization is different in the four provinces. More than 60% of the population of Sindh lives in Karachi, 22% of the total population of Punjab lives in Lahore and other 5 big cities of Punjab, capital of NWFP, Peshawar constitutes of 33% of urban provincial population and the share of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan is 37%. Arif and Hamid say that there are 3 major components of urban population growth, which include Net-natural increase (increase in the birth rates over death rates due to the growth and improvement in the medical sector). Second component is the rural-urban migration, which is caused due to the attraction and opportunities the big cities have to offer to the rural population, the migration in urban growth w as 20.1% in 1972-81 and 1981-98. The migration across provinces is also found in Pakistan. Third component is the Net-Reclassification (the mergers of adjoin areas into big cities). Medium and small cities of Pakistan have outgrown in terms of development over the past 50 years which have led to the increase in size by area of the big cities. Women comprise of a significant figure in the rural urban migration. Permanent migrant women move to urban centers in search for a better quality life for themselves and their children. The second type of migrant women includes those who shift to the city for a temporary time, to obtain full high quality education. Research says that permanent women migrate due to the economic crisis, lack of job opportunities and due to the domestic violence by husband and his family. The main findings of the qualitative research done by interviews of women who have shifted to the big cities reveal that low quality of life, in security in terms of their childr ens future, low mentality of their husbands and the feeling of being independent motivated them to migrate. Further the findings of this overall study reveal that due to a fall in the agricultural sector, the rural population is shifting to the big cities, leading to urban growth. Pakistans projected urban population is said to be equal to its rural population by 2030, when one out of every two person will be a resident of the big city. Farooq and Mateen (2005) conducted a study whose main objective was to study and explore the correlation about the socio-economic status and the determinants of internal migration by probit estimation technique. Their research was conducted in Faisalabad city and four tehsils of Faisalabad. Probit model was used to test the hypothesis of their study, the first one being that the poorer economic conditions of the rural areas lead to more rural out migration. This test showed that 35-50% of the respondents migrated to big cities due to low levels of income, poor economic opportunities and poor quality of life. Land holding is considered as an important economic opportunity in the rural sector of Pakistan. The aspect of the rural economic opportunity hypothesis states that land holdings is an important determinant in the rural urban migration. The negative land holdings show that migration is most possible when people have small land holdings as compared to people who own land more than 13 acres, who do not think of shifting to other big cities. Another hypothesis tested by Farooq and Mateen was that the higher the rate of poverty reduction among the migrants families in the rural sector the greater will be individual migration. The result shown against this hypothesis was that people from rural areas migrate mostly because they get attracted to the economic opportunities cities have to offer. Individual migrants who had left their rural areas leaving their families behind have improved their household income by sending remittances which in return reduces their poverty level. Probit model shows that rural out shift is directly linked with the objective of poverty reduction in the urban as well as rural communities. The findings say that unequal distribution of resources, usually land, and poverty leads to rural out migration. Dao (2002) conducted a study to explain the differences in the urbanization growth rates of the developing nations. He argues that the difference in the actual levels of income between rural urban areas is responsible for the process of migration. He chose to use the ratio of agricultural value added per worker to GDP per capita as a proxy variable for rural wages and assumed that urban wages do not vary due to the influence of politically motivated factors such as minimum wage legislation, labor unions etc. He also hypothesize that a countrys development factors, rate of population growth, poverty, agricultural density all such factors affect the urbanization growth. Empirical tests applied on 3 developing countries showed that agricultural value added per worker relative to per capita GDP is moderately significant in explaining the changes in urbanization growth rates which means that higher agricultural values given per worker does keep rural workers away from the thought of migra ting. Development factors such as long constructed roads divided by land area have a positive impact on the urbanization growth rate; increase in population also has a direct effect on the urban growth rate. Impact of population density in agricultural areas does not explain the urbanization growth rates and the effect of the extent of poverty in rural centers on urbanization growth is negative. Satterwaite (2010) studied the reasons behind the lack and incomplete data available on the urban populations for many under-developed and developing nations and how this incomplete data effects future policies and makes international comparisons difficult. The study says that every nation has its own definition of urbanization and its own ways of conducting a population census. Official definitions say that a city comprising of 20,000 or more inhabitants is an urban city. But if this definition is applied to the developing nations the worlds level of urbanization may change by several points. As a large proportion of such cities live in the rural, underdeveloped areas. Moreover the study tells us that city boundaries are not set according to the universally agreed criteria but are set by the local and national bodies and change over time. Statistics used to judge the environmental performance of the large cities are greatly influenced by the adjoining areas which affects the city bo undaries. In many nations census is done after ten years and in most nations census are not done in the past 15 years as, censuses are seen as expensive. Satterwaite says that difference in data regarding the urbanization rates of many countries makes the task of making urbanization control policies a difficult task. Kasarda and Crenshaw (1991) studied the third world urbanization and its determinants and dimensions. They say that third world countries are facing an urban explosion which is somewhat like that faced by the West a century ago, the urban growth faced by the third world nations is double the growth faced by the West. Urbanization problem acts as a barrier in the development phase of the third world countries. Developing nations face a problem of over urbanization which is the increase in the countrys population as compared to the economic activities. Developing nations also face the problem of Urban Primacy which is all political, social, economic activities take place in one big city of the nation which in return attracts people from the rural sector. The existence of improper city boundaries also makes third world countries more underdeveloped and acts as a constraint to future development. Migration in these countries takes place at an increasing rate due to the attractions the bi g cities have to offer. Moreover the increase in the birth rates over death rates due to the advancement in the medical sector has increased the population which affects the rate of Urbanization. The wage difference and job opportunities also affect the decision of rural urban migration, as the wage rates in the rural sector are much low as compared to the urban sector. The housing facilities provided in the big cities of the third world nations are much better than those in the rural areas. The housing facilities provided in the rural areas of the third world countries are far less below than the criteria stated by the UNO. Jan, Iqbal and Ifthikharuddin (2008) conducted a study in ten most populous cities of Pakistan to study the trend and growth of urbanization in these big cities and their provinces. They say that province wise distribution of the rural urban population and its projections are important to make forecasts about the future. They have used the weighted matrix approach to make population projections. Sindh province currently has the highest proportion of urban population which is expected to increase by 12% by 2030; Punjab whose current population urbanized is 31.267% is expected to be 50.07% by 2030. The projected urbanization rate of NWFP is 41.36% by 2030 with an increase of approx. 24%. The projected urban percentage of Baluchistan is 45.56% by 2030 showing a rise of 22%. The findings say that the urban population is unevenly distributed in the four provinces. The population growth of the ten big cities is increasing over the past decade which is the gem cause of the problem of urbani zation and it should be quickly handled. CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY Research Type My research type is quantitative research as a questionnaire was used to collect the data and then it was coded and was formed into a more statistical version Data Type and Research Period Research is based on primary data as a questionnaire was floated to collect data. This is because there is no prior data available on the subject matter; hence the questionnaire provided with sufficient material to conduct the research. Sources of Data A questionnaire was floated asking general questions regarding the relationship of the dependent variable with the independent ones Theoretical Framework Related Definitions Variables Urbanization A process in which an increasing proportion of an entire population lives in cities or suburbs of cities, areas of population dense enough that residents cannot grow their own food (www.pbs.org/wgbh/rxforsurvival/glossary.html) Over Urbanization Excessive growth of a countrys urban population relative to economic growth Urban Growth Refers to the rise in the increasing population living in urban areas (Jones 1991) Migration Shifting of people from small villages to big cities in search of better life style and job opportunity Urban Built-up and populated area that includes a municipality and, generally, has a population of 5000 or more (http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/urban.html) Rural Rural population includes persons living in the open country or in towns of less than 2,500 people. It is subdivided in the rural farm population which comprises all rural residents living on farms, and the rural non-farm population which includes the remaining rural population (www.mnforsustain.org/rockefeller_1972_glossary.htm) Push factors Factors responsible for shifting people from rural to urban cities Pull factors Factors responsible for attracting rural population to the urban centers Net-Reclassification Merger of adjoining areas into big cities due to lack of proper city boundaries and the development of these adjoining areas Net-Natural Increase The increase in birth rates over death rates due to better health facilities and rise in population Population, Working Population and Planned Sample My sample included the population of Lahore, with a sample size of 50 people. It included people from all spheres of life who had recently migrated to big cities and the people living in adjoining areas of Lahore. People above the age of 25 were capable of filling out my questionnaire Research Hypothesis Ho: Migration is an important factor in the process of urbanization and it has an effect on the countrys economy H1: Migration is not an important factor in the process of urbanization and it does not affect the countrys economy Ho: Lack of city boundaries lead to the annexure of adjoining small towns into big cities which in return increase the living urban population giving rise to urbanization H1: Lack of city boundaries do not lead to the annexure of adjoining small towns into big cities which in return increase the living urban population giving rise to urbanization Ho: Availability of better health facilities in urban cities brings excess of birth rates over death rates H1: Availability of better health facilities in urban cities do not bring any change in the birth and death rates Ho: High rates of poverty poor economic conditions in the rural areas lead to rural out migration H1: High rates of poverty poor economic conditions in the rural areas does not lead to rural out migration Ho: Uncheck urbanization leads to economic, social and administrative problems H1: Uncheck urbanization leads to economic, social and administrative problems Ho: Lack of government policies and plans have led to an increase in urbanization H1: Lack of government policies and plans have led to a decrease in urbanization Techniques After the questionnaire was filled and coding was done, cross tabulations were run to analyze the relationship of the independent variables with the dependent one. Data Analysis The statistical software which was used was SPSS. Cross tabulations to interpret the results gathered by the questionnaire. It provided me with frequency tables to get a better understanding of the collected data. Data interpretation Based on the current analysis the main aim was to understand which variable was the major factor causing urbanization. CHAPTER 4 RESULTS AND ANALYSIS 4.1 Results Analysis Migration Do you think migration is a serious factor in the process of urbanization? Do you think Migration has a serious effect on the economy of Pakistan in a negative way? Ho: Migration is an important factor in the process of urbanization and it has an effect on the countrys economy H1: Migration is not an important factor in the process of urbanization and it does not affect the countrys economy This cross tabulation talks about migration being an important factor in the process of urbanization and affecting a states economy in a negative way. 20 people agree to the fact that migration causes an urbanization which affects the economy of the country. 29 people agreed and said that migration is a major cause in the urbanization problem. 12 people disagree and believe that migration do not have an effect on the countrys economy in a negative way. Total 7 people stay neutral and are of the view that migration is not a key factor in the process of urbanization. Therefore, we accept our null hypothesis as a majority agrees to the fact that urbanization is caused by migration which has a negative impact on the economy. Net Reclassification Do you think lack of city boundaries is a major cause for urbanization? Do you think that there should be a limit on the size of a city? Ho: Lack of city boundaries lead to the annexure of adjoining small towns into big cities which in return increase the living urban population giving rise to urbanization H1: Lack of city boundaries do not lead to the annexure of adjoining small towns into big cities which in return increase the living urban population giving rise to urbanization This cross tabulation talks about lack of city boundaries, and their role in the process of urbanization. 16 people stayed neutral when asked if they considered mergers of small towns and villages a factor in the process of urbanization. 15 people believed that the problem of urbanization was caused due to the annexure of small villages and towns into big cites. However, 14 people disagreed and said that they did not consider this merger to be a factor in the problem of urbanization rather this merger gave the opportunity to the people living in such poor areas to excel, bringing a positive effect on the economy. 16 people agreed that a limit should be set by the government or local authorities to the city boundaries. Whereas, 11 people disagreed in setting up a city boundary. Thus, we accept our hypotheses as more people agree to the fact that mergers of adjoining towns and slums do cause urbanization and a limit should be set in the city size. Net Natural Increase Do you consider the increase in birth rates over death rates a cause for the problem of urbanization? Do you believe that an increase in the population size of Pakistan is a source of the countrys problems? Ho: Availability of better health facilities in urban cities brings excess of birth rates over death rates H1: Availability of better health facilities in urban cities do not bring any change in the birth and death rates This cross tabulation discusses whether increase in population is a source of countrys problems and this increase is due to the excess of birth rates over death rates. 22 people strongly agreed that the population increase in Pakistan is a big source of the countrys problems. 8 people disagreed on the fact that population increase had to do anything with the countrys problems. 20 people said that an excess of birth rates over death rates was a factor in the process of urbanization, as urbanization means expansion of cities, which in this situation is done by an increase in birth rates. 14 people stayed neutral and said they somehow agreed and disagreed to the fact that the excess of births over deaths is a factor of urbanization. So, we accept our null hypothesis as more people believe population to be a source of a countrys problems and think that the excess of birth rates over death rates allow the cities to expand causing the problem of urbanization. 4.2 Frequency Tables Q3) Does Poverty act as a major tool in the process of migration? 30 respondents agreed to the fact that poverty is a major factor which causes rural out migration which leads to urbanization. Q4) Better Lifestyles, health and education facilities, life security, independence attract the rural population towards the urban centers, do you agree? 20 respondents agreed and 19 strongly agreed that better standard of living in the urban centers attracts the rural population which makes them migrate. Q5) Do you think people in u

Why Has Reality TV Become Popular?

Why Has Reality TV Become Popular? Reality TV is a phenomenon that has now been the norm for a number of years. What is the reason reality TV has become so popular and what are the negative effects on young audiences? Discuss the differences between reality TV in America and/or other western countries and reality TV in the Middle East. The bug word of my first research question is REALITY PROGRAMS. The trend of reality TV shows in today’s surrounding is increasing and spreading like a fire in forest. Every channel wants a reality TV show once in a year to broadcast to increase and enhance their GRP’S. Why the rates of reality TV shows are touching the skies now days? Obviously, people are getting attracted towards those reality TV shows like a magnet. These reality TV shows are acting like gravity for the channels which attracts the attention of our society’s conversations today. Not only ladies and women in their kitty’s parties are discussing that reality TV programs like before they used to discuss on typical women oriented dramas, about their heavy jewelries and embroided sarees. People from all age groups are watching the every season of reality TV programs. As the demand of these reality TV shows is increasing therefore channels are producing them annually in terms of seasons. And every season smashes the GRP of that channel as compare to previous season (Ramos, R. A., Ferguson, C. J., Frailing, K., Romero-Ramirez, M. , 2013). Now the question arises that why is the reality TV shows gaining importance and popularity so extensively? At first instance people used to hate them but once the train come on to the platform, no one resist catching that train. It means once the show has been broadcasted on TV, no one resist to watch the whole season that reality TV. The answer for the popularity of reality TV shows is that people start relating their own lives to the contestants on reality TV shows. People love to hear and watch the true stories and trues events of every single contestant. People get bored on the scripted items. They want something new, something extravagant, something very much prodigiously attractive for their leisure time. And all these ravishing spending they can earn from reality TV shows (Bhatti, M. A., Hassan, A. A. U. , 2014). Everything which reaches towards the highest sky of fame, people in its surrounding is going to perceive something from them, whether it’s in a good way or a bad way. Similarly it goes for the popularity of reality TV shows. What people do extract from them. Here we will discuss some facts about reality TV impact on our young generation (Gentile, D. A., Bushman, B. J. (2012). , 2012). Physical Attractiveness And Sex Appeal Numerous reality shows portray women idealizing beauty and slimness, giving the impression that a woman’s value is based on her physical appearance, and that popularity is resultant from beauty. Reality cum Competition shows such asAmerica’s Next Top Modeldisseminate this idyllic, as women participate and compete with every of their opponent to gain a worthwhile modeling agreement (Krahe, B., Moller, I., Kirwil, L., Huesmann, L.R., Felber, J., Berger, A., 2011). Acquisitiveness And Extreme Partying Other conjoint values propagated by reality TV include acquisitiveness, and an idealism of a hard-partying and â€Å"superstar† lifestyle without respect for values. BothRich Kids of Beverly HillsandShahs of Sunsetportary the lives of privileged fresh adults living in southern California. They take overgenerous trips, wear fashionable and expensive clothes, spend a lot of money on alcohol-fueled parties, and are seldom seen employed consistent jobs (Ramos, R. A., Ferguson, C. J., Frailing, K., Romero-Ramirez, M. , 2013). Difference between reality TV shows in Western Countries and Middle East countries is not very much unalike. Infect the reality TV show which western countries announces and if it gains popularity to its highest level then most seldom Middle East countries copied them and introduces them in their own country. And again that copied reality TV show also gains importance and popularity at its height. For Example: Western Reality TV Show: The Big Brother Eastern Reality TV show: the Bigg Boss Both of them gains extreme popularity not even in their own countries but also across the globe. REFERENCES: Gentile, D.A., Bushman, B.J. (2012). Reassessing Media Violence Effects Using a Risk and Resilience Approach to Understanding Aggression.Psychology of Popular Media Culture, Vol. 1, No. 3. Krahe, B., Moller, I., Kirwil, L., Huesmann, L.R., Felber, J., Berger, A. (2011). Desensitization to Media Violence: Links With Habitual Media Violence Exposure, Aggressive Cognitions, and Aggressive Behavior.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 100, No. 4. Ramos, R. A., Ferguson, C. J., Frailing, K., Romero-Ramirez, M. (2013). Comfortably numb or just yet another movie? Media violence exposure does not reduce viewer empathy for victims of real violence among primarily Hispanic viewers.Psychology of Popular Media Culture,2(1), 2. Bhatti, M. A., Hassan, A. A. U. (2014). Psychological effects of TV News Violence on youth: A Case Study of the Students of Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan.Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences (PJSS),34(1), 295-309. Scarborough, R. C., McCoy, C. A. (2014). Moral reactions to reality TV: Television viewers’ endogenous and exogenous loci of morality.Journal of Consumer Culture, 1469540514521078.

Various Eating Disorders :: essays research papers

Anorexia nervosa is the unrelenting pursuit of thinness. When a person has anorexia nervosa they weigh 85%, or less than, of what is estimated for their age and height. A person suffering from anorexia nervosa is petrified of becoming fat; they fear gaining weight even though they are distinctly underweight. The dangers of low weight isn’t apparent, or is denied by these people, and they’ll report feeling fat even when they’re exceptionally thin. In addition to this, anorexia nervosa also often consists of withdrawal, depression, irritability, and peculiar behaviors. These particular behaviors make include things such as compulsive routines, strange eating habits, and division of foods into "good, safe, bad, and dangerous† categories. A person suffering from anorexia nervosa will most likely deny it because they don’t realize what they’re doing to themselves. They just have embedded in their minds that they must persist to lose weight to fit the â€Å"perfect† body image. This form of the perfect body image is cultivated by various sources. Bulimia is the purge and binge-eating disorder. A person who has this disorder feels out of control while eating. This person also vomits, misuses laxatives, exercises or fasts to lose calories. Bulimia also consists of dieting when not binging, and when becomes hungry binges again. Behaviors including shoplifting, being licentious and misusing alcohol, drugs and credit cards occur. Like anorexia, bulimia can kill. Bulimics are often depressed lonely, ashamed, and empty inside. Felling worthless, it’s hard for them to talk about their feelings, which almost always include anxiety, depression, self-doubt, and anger. Bulimics act with little consideration of consequences. Body dysmorphic disorder is often called imagined ugliness. People with this disorder are always watching out for their appearance. There are at least five million people in America with this disorder. This disorder usually common amongst teenage, since in high appearance is needed to be popular and accepted. An extreme case of this would result in getting into bad eating habits, such as Anorexia. Also it can literally destroy a person’s life, since they are extremely sensitive to what other people think. But not all the cases of this disorder. Some people who have this disorder function just fine in society. The best way to treat this disorder is to face your fears and to be proud of who you are, and not care what other people think. Compulsive overeating (C.O) is characterized by uncontrollable eating habits caught in the vicious cycle of binge eating and weight gain, which affects millions of Americans.

Othello vs O the Modern Spin Essay -- essays research papers

‘O is a modern spin on Othello that attempts to address issues that are relevant for a contemporary audience. However, ultimately the literary value of Othello is lost in this appropriation† The film ‘O’ directed by Tim Blake Nelson is a recognised contemporary interpretation of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Othello, which addresses a number of issues that are relevant to a modern day audience compared to that of the past. The director of the film has changed crucial parts of the play which makes the play such a classic, which has essentially ruined the literary value of Othello. This is evident for a number of concepts including, the overt links between the play and film, the power of words and language and Iago and his motives The director of ‘O’ has made errors which causes Othello to lose its literary value. Othello is known as classic artistic play however, the director of the film has caused the play to lose this element. Of course the director has made overt links between the play and the film. The obvious links between the play and the film include the naming of the characters for example naming Othello’s character O and naming Desdemona’s character Desi. When Desi and O first have sexual intercourse they are in a hotel called ‘Willow’ which represents the song sung by Desdemona when she is about to die. The role of women in the play and the film remain the same, the submissive and obedient type. Yet, in today’s society women would be more confident and feministic in their ways. These obvious and almost childlike connections between ‘O’ and Othello does not necessarily mean that ‘O’ is effective appropriation of the play. The beauty of Othello is the power of words and language. The play uses articulate... ...n†/last line, this shows no reasons. Whats the effect? The character Iago – doesn’t fulfol the audience curisoty. The new – give motives (typical hollywood) drugs and dad – brings Iago back to audience’s ‘reality’ of the world and hence destroys any substance to character and movie. Nelson goes so far to completely interpret the character of iago incorrectly, and impress his interpretations on the audience. In the film the director has made the mistake of giving Hugo motives such as the use of steroids and his father saying ‘I love Odin like he is my own son’. This causes Hugo to rage with anger and jealousy and therefore plan his devious revenge. This is the typical Hollywood film that spoon feeds the audience so they know exactly what is going on. In the original Iago is given know reason to act like this towards Othello, the audience is left to interpret

Alexander Hamilton: Financial Plan Essay

After the Founding Fathers ratified the Constitution, they realized that they had to deal with sixty-three million dollars debt that they owed to those who took part in the American Revolution. In order to pay back this debt Alexander Hamilton created a financial program. However, some Republicans such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison thought that his plan was unconstitutional because one would need to use the necessary and proper clause which most people feared because it gave the government too much power. This, however, is not so Alexander Hamilton’s financial plan however was mostly constitutional because it allowed it to use the powers as well as responsibilities congress already had such as print its own form of currency, issue taxes, and ultimately pay off debts. Hamilton’s financial plan can be broken down to four parts the taxation, national bank, Hamilton’s reports, and the assumption plan all four were within his rights to do so. One of the four p arts of Hamilton’s economic plan was taxation. He placed a tax on Distilled Spirits, or otherwise known as whiskey, because not many people produced it and sold it. This part of his plan that was completely constitutional. Since it is one of the enumerated powers as seen in the Constitution (I, 8, 1) that Congress is allowed to collect and levy taxes to pay off a debt. Thus Hamilton’s taxation on distilled spirits was constitutional. The second part of the financial plan was the creation of the national bank. Some things the national bank did were that it established a national currency and establish credit in the country and overseas. The national bank was constitutional because it could have been done through the elastic clause, or the necessary and proper clause (I, 8, 18). This clause could have been used because it allowed Congress coin money, pay off debts made in the Revolution, and regulate commerce. Also, all three are enumerated powers. Another part of the economic program was the reports proposed by Alexander Ha milton. Hamilton presented three reports from January 1790 to December 1791. The first was a report on public credit. This proposed to replace old bonds with new ones for those who had them. And the Federal government would also â€Å"assume† the state debts. This could be done through the necessary and proper clause because this would ultimately allow the government pay off some of its debts. The second report was also a report on Public credit in this one however he wanted to place a tax on distilled spirits. This could have been done because of in the Constitution, (I, 8, 1), congress had the power to tax. He also proposed the creation of the national bank. This too could have been done through the necessary and proper clause because the national bank would help Congress to use its other powers like coin money and regulate commerce. The third and final report was the report on manufacture. In this Hamilton proposed a program where the government would aid and encourage the manufacturing enterprise and American industries. In this report Hamilton wanted to put tariffs on imported goods to protect American Industries. This also allowed them to compete with the more inexpensive European imports. This could also have been achieved through the necessary and proper clause because it would help inventors and it would count as a tax which would help with the debt. What Hamilton proposed in the reports was constitutional mainly through the necessary and proper clause. The final part of Hamilton’s financial plan is the assumption plan. The assumption plan is the plan where the government would â€Å"assume† all state debts by paying off all bonds sold at face value. This would ultimately help America gain good credit. This plan was too constitutional for it helped pay off debts which is one of the responsibilities of Congress stated in the Constitution (I, 8, 1). In turn the Elastic clause could be used to say that this plan is constitutional. All in all, all parts of Alexander Hamilton’s economic program were constitutional. The whiskey tax was constitutional through Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 of the constitution. The national bank could have been justified through the elastic clause. The reports were also constitutional through mainly the necessary and proper clause. The assumption plan was also constitutional because it supported Article I, Section 8, Clause 1. This proves the constitutionality of Hamilton’s financial program.

Technological Progress Has Made Us Lazy

Technological progress has made us lazy. Technological progress is a continuous process, which plays a very important role in our daily lives. However, some people believe that this progress has made us lazy, saying we rely on machines too much. For me, the progress, while not making us lazy, makes human beings more active both physically and mentally. First of all, machines or high technology don’t help people do less work but help them complete tasks more quickly.With washing machines, vacuum cleaners, other housework machines, people can quickly complete trivial tasks and move on doing other important tasks such as going out with their friends, family, doing exercise, doing their jobs. For instance, parents have more time with their kids after finishing household chores, or have more time for themselves after a hardworking day. Second, machines as well as other technological achievements like the Internet have helped human do and complete tasks more effectively, and enjoyab ly. For example, doing exercise becomes much easier and enjoyable, while it becomes more effective.Instead of running on the roads in order to keep our shapes, running machines and other body building machines which are both convenient and safe can help us consume larger amount of calories, and fat. Finally, we not only physically work harder but also mentally develop along with the technological progress. Communicating means such as the Internet, television and radio daily provide us with large amount of information. Our brains work harder to process the information unless we want to be outdated. We mentally improve the ability to analyze, research, and innovate to understand and get useful information among various sources.In conclusion, unlike making us lazy, the technological progress helps us effectively work harder, and develop ourselves both physically and mentally. Is technology making us lazy? Results so far: Yes| | 56%| 1032 votes| Total: 1842 votes| No| | 44%| 810 votes| | Yes by Russell Waldron Created on: March 21, 2010 Baby boomers will easily recall watching movies and cartoons which portrayed how easy life would be in the future. Remember the Jetsons? A myriad of people scoffed at what they called â€Å"the vivid imaginations of those intrigued with technology. † Yet screenplay writers were eerily close to perfection.Did they not show life as being extremely simplistic? Where one barely had to lift a finger to cook a meal, wash clothes, talk to friends and loved ones far away and so much more. We are right in that very time frame, and this is all thanks to technology. We no longer need to do back breaking work around the house. The washing is done automatically, meals can be cooked in the microwave at the press of a button, mobile phones allow us to send instant messages, the internet lets us see family and friends in other countries, and while this all takes place the obesity crisis escalates. Why?Because technology has made a majority of the world’s population so lazy. Just the other day a friend’s son bemoaned the fact that he no longer had credit on his cell phone. He was upset because he could not contact his girlfriend who was on holidays oversees until his next pay packet arrived. Raising the eyebrows the boy’s father said â€Å"Well write her a letter! † The young lad’s jaw dropped, he gasped in shock and said â€Å"Are you kidding dad? Writing letters went out with straw hats! † His father later confided to the author that the boy’s spelling was atrocious due to having become used to text message jargon.Games can be played via the internet and this distances people from the great outdoors, fresh air, green grass, sunshine and the realities of life. It also distances people from ‘real exercise. ’ Unfortunately computer games can sometimes give a person a false impression of real life. At times they become so fixated on computer games that they la ck the skills needed to differentiate between fantasy and reality. This then leads to some thinking that they can get through life a little like they get through the games they play. Where video games have people dying, being bought back to life, being indestructible and so forth, real life differs.Therefore one needs to be out in the real world, not hiding behind technology for the rest of their lives. Technology has made a myriad of people couch potatoes, everything is done at the push of a button and most people like the fact that it is. The internet is used for study and taking a leisurely stroll to the local library is almost obsolete now. Why walk to the library when all the information you could ever want is at your fingertips? Search engines on the internet make study and learning so easy. But if one misinterprets the information, they have nothing to gain.Washing machines and clothes dryers make housework so much easier. Dishwashers do as well, but what happened to an hones t days work? No longer is there a need to sweep the floors when we have all purpose vacuum cleaners. And we don’t need to rush to the bank before closing time anymore. With internet banking you can pay all your bills on line or even do your grocery shopping. We don’t even need to walk to the post office anymore, we can send news to others via the fax machine. From automatic toilet cleaners to self defrosting fridges and freezers, there is very little manual work involved in a host of chores these days.Gosh one doesn’t even need to get out in the sun to looked bronze and well tanned these days. Simply head on over to your local solarium for a spray on tan. Going camping? Well lucky you, head on over to your nearest camping store and you can purchase a fifty second pop-up tent or a self-inflating mattress. Ah such strenuous work camping is huh? Need a new dress, shoes, sports coat? Buy them online and save your feet. Let the fingers do the walking. Might as well t hrow in a pair of label brand sports shoes as well, you want to look the part even though you know they won’t be used.Admit it, you break out in a sweat just watching re-runs of Saturday Night Fever. Honestly, few people even walk to the store these days to get their photos developed. Simply plug in your digital camera and print your own photos straight from your own computer. Paint your house with a spray gun, gather up all the leaves with a leaf blower, let your kids consistently use a pocket calculator and they’ll never excel at maths. Trim your hedge with a hedge trimmer. Hop on your ride-on mower and do the lawn then head back indoors to sit underneath the air-conditioner before you take a shower. Need to go to the toilet before you do?Ah well install a bidet, press a button and all will be cleaned automatically. Has technology made us lazy? You bet your automatic dog-walker it has! No by Patrick Darski Created on: October 18, 2009 Is technology making us lazy? It 's a common question asked frequently by all types of people, from doctors, to government agents, and of course, concerned parents. This question is in a way, totally subjective, and depends heavily on one's definition of â€Å"lazy†, which for me, when used to describe a person, simply means that the person rather do something easy, but relaxing, than something possibly difficult, but rewarding.Technology can help us in both. For example, a lazy person can stream videos of stand-up comedians all day long on YouTube, while a productive person can research a topic interesting to him/her. That being said, I think that most people are not â€Å"lazy†, especially most of the time. We all have periods of time that we become lazy, which is perfectly normal and healthy, but most of us realize that being productive is ultimately more rewarding than just lounging around. Ultimately, it does depend on the person, because no matter how you look at it, technology opens a door whic h leads to a forked path.One with various commodities that are â€Å"just for fun†, and the other which is nothing but productive. Every time we boot up a computer, turn on our cell-phones, take out our mp3 players, turn on the television, or plug in practically any other appliance, we choose the road which we want to go down. Technology itself, is perfectly neutral, it has no preference as to what we do with it, this holds true no matter if we are speaking of the scientific definition of Technology, or the more mainstream definition. Making the point that technology is totally neutral in it's judgment, or rather, lack thereof, is extremely important to this stance.This is because if we look at it, it becomes obvious that technology opens up the door to many more useful tasks, than it does to useless ones. It can also make us more willing to do tasks that we might otherwise want to ignore. For example, thanks to technology, it is a simple matter of a few keystrokes to send a message across the world. Just 50 years ago, this was a task that required thought, time, and patience. Oftentimes, for practicality's sake, one just wouldn't bother to send said message, technology makes sending that same message a breeze.Try to imagine the world without any tools, and that would ultimately be a world without technology. Now certainly, that wouldn't be a very comfortable place to live, and we couldn't afford to be lazy simply because our survival would depend on it. All the technology that we have today doesn't make us lazy at all, it just gives us more choices. Sure technology takes away the effort you would have to put into things otherwise, but that doesn't mean it makes us lazy, it just makes it easier to complete an otherwise strenuous, boring, repetitive task.Imagine mowing a lawn with scissors versus mowing the lawn with any sort of lawn-mower. In conclusion, technology doesn't make humans lazy, it makes things easier to do, serving it's original purpose. Ho w we use the technology is totally up to us, and so it simply isn't fair to blame technology for people becoming lazy, that is almost always a personal choice. I believe that blaming technology for laziness is akin to blaming a pen for miss-spelled words. Ultimately, it's the people who decide how to utilize technology, technology does not decide for people how they should use it.Yes by Freyda Tartak Created on: October 10, 2009   Ã‚  Last Updated: July 01, 2010 Congratulations! You have a cell phone, a laptop, and your fridge even tells you how much water it has filled your cup with. Technology has made it possible to be everywhere without actually being anywhere. So now we are faced with a universal trend toward mediocrity. With so much information and access to choice people are becoming satisfied with just getting by rather than striving for excellence. There is more value placed on the quantity of things that we can do, rather than quality of our output.It is a sad state of e vents and is the reason why bridges fall down and planes fall out of the sky. It is the reason why carbon offset credits are considered an effective way to save the planet. Certainly, there are many perks and positives to having such an unprecedented array of tools that are so readily available for relatively little expense. They are used to save lives, bring clean water to places that have none, allow people to have a voice where they are being suppressed and denied basic human rights. Technology is clearly a great thing. It has the capacity to automate redundant tasks and provide endless hours of entertainment.It negates the need to leave the home, the room, the chair we sit in. Back in the summer of 2003 the entire Eastern sea board went without electricity. People panicked! They had no idea how to exist without something that powered so many of the things now considered essential. Some, did the truly unusual: They gathered everything that could go bad in their fridge and that of their neighbors, went outside, fired up the barbecue, hibachi, and the crank radio and had a picnic. When the power came back on, they rushed back inside and went back to surfing the net and watching TV.Nobody is saying that we are now lazy because we do not have to go out to the well for fresh water each day, or stand in line at the market early each morning because there is no such thing as a refrigerator. We can warm up food in seconds using microwaves and stand in the middle of a forest and call for help on a PDA. We can call the police from half a world away because somebody we don't even know is crying out for help in a chat room. Sure, there are benefits. But, let's be realistic. Most people do not simply use technology for essential needs.They have turned it into life sustaining tools and avoid tasks and chores by flicking a switch or pressing a button. Society has become helpless when unplugged. We used to have to get up and go to the library to research projects for schoo l. Now, libraries are depleted of truly useful volumes. Even librarians point to the web as the place to go instead of aisle EE 647 – 749. Anybody who has ever tried to find information online should be able to attest to how easy it is to get distracted and find far more and far less than what was aimed at. While we are on the topic, the quality of information put out there is not the same.Much of it is unreliable and unverified. Anybody can publish anything and we are all too busy multitasking to dig deep enough to get true insight. No by Team Vico Created on: July 06, 2010 I think an individual’s use of Technology will dictate how active or lazy they become. I believe that technology saves heaps of hours and it’s how active you want to be in that newly free time is not imposed and only a personal decision. I have the following list of examples of beneficial and time saving technology used in the workplace, the home and as a part of social networking.I hope by these few examples that I can emphasise that the use of technology is a personal one, how much or how little is 1. Integrate your sporting activities with technology. Go to www. sportypal. com and download this application directly to your phone. This great little application allows you to track your sporting achievements via GPS and is great to work on your goals. 2. Save a significant amount of time and effort in organizing sport events such as weekly football. Your team are notified either via email or text messaging of the upcoming games and team information. Really handy as well when canceling events. Visit: www. eamer. net/ 3. Social Networking utilities such as Facebook take the hassle out of organizing social events and reunions. Sending out a general group invite, for example, saves time and money in trying to locate and contact people by phone, snail mail or email. 4. Instant messenger programs are another great business time saver when used correctly. Again, saving us tim e and cost in phoning people up if you just have a quick query to ask or something to verify. There is an argument that gaming and over use of the internet, to name but two adverse aspects of the misuse of technology, is what technology is doing to us.I disagree and suggest that moderation is the key here. Overuse of almost anything will have an adverse affect or result. Self-regulation and self-responsibility need to be employed to achieve a balance. Technology can integrate into our lives without being out of balance. We still are in the age of rapidly changing and growing technology. The speed of development and growth is parallel with the speedy pace of life. I think that technology is serving to improve quality of life, supporting day-to-day tasks. Were it not for developments in technology, we would find that we have less time in an age dictated by time and achievement.I give technology a thumbs up and applaud that which serves efficiency and growth in our living and lives. Ye s by Nathan Ciraulo Created on: December 05, 2009 To dig from the roots of technology would be a long journey through years of experimentation which has brought us to a day and age of convenience. There are limitless items available for virtually any part of life, be it productivity, entertainment, maintenance, etc. We have objects that wake us up at exactly the time we expect. Insulated boxes preserve food for an appropriate time to be consumed. Mechanical frames on wheels transport us in inutes at high speed safely to destinations miles away. The world is connected via endless miles of fiber and copper lines that compile the most sophisticated conglomerate of communication known to mankind. Waves at varying wavelengths are transmitted and received into tiny handheld devices with little delay from anywhere in the world to anywhere in the world. Despite all these improvements to our way of life, it begs a long look at the question, Are we better for it? Have vast improvements in eff iciency cost us endurance and the ability to perform a good day's work?If every vital act we needed to survive was accomplished by a thoughtless piece of equipment, would we ourselves even bother to think? The tendency to become less productive puts us in a position to do less with our own two hands, even forget how. Worse, the attitude and willingness to let it happen despite the clear end of the road arriving in a dismal crater of inactivity deserves the attention of all. But the warnings are being overlooked. Technology has its uses and there are legitimate reasons to use it. There are endless examples of tools used for the medical field, the construction field, information technology field, etc.But to rely solely on it and continue to place more emphasis on its importance than ourselves points to a rift of lazy thoughtlessness. To embrace a microwave dinner mentality is a slippery slope that ends in loss of personal quality. With the option of microwave noodles in cup versus Fet tuccine Alfredo, which sounds more desirable? Both will feed and sustain you, but one is more worth the work and time. We have a greater call to remain strong and capable; able to stand on the knowledge and courage passed on to us. We have a duty to strike a balance that keeps us efficient but does not make us forget discipline.Without such, we have only chaos. Those who have the gift to invent, I applaud your efforts. Yet I implore your brilliance to help teach us to use the improvements to get us back on our feet. No by Neima Izadi Created on: July 16, 2010 To say that technology is making us lazy is true to a certain extent, but overall it is a poor blame game. It is not in good form to attribute the proliferation of laziness to technology, something that has brought us so much prosperity, and continues to do so. Technology has led advances in medicine,industry, and science. I should not blame a spell checker for a ecline in my spelling abilities. The spell checker should only se rve as a device that increases efficiency, I should not neglect proper spelling practices and studies just because I have a spell checker. Any presence of laziness, or harm brought on with the use of technology, should not be attributed to the technology itself, but the misuse of it. It is important to look at the way we utilize the technologies we have. For example, we should moderate our use of cars, such as walking to a neighbor's house instead of driving, this way we can stay active, minimizing laziness.With regard to a popular item of technology, computers, it is best to think of them as devices that allow the dissemination of knowledge, and as motivators of learning and discovery. Yes, we will get lazy if we spend hours on the computer in front of facebook, email, or games, but computers and the internet are so grand and complex that they have many opportunities for productive work and learning. We must moderate our activities as a way of keeping our laziness in check. It is b ackward for us to say that we should be lax in our development of certain technologies because we fear that they will cause our society to become lazy.To blame technology on making society lazy, will stifle innovation, creativity, and technological advancement, to put it simply, it is merely an excuse for our laziness that we ourselves cause, due to our over reliance on the things that are comfortable for us. Laziness is more a result of our character and habits. Those that firmly espouse that technology makes us lazy are grossly underestimating the value of technology, and the impact it has had by improving our quality of life by increasing communication abilities, our medicine, our businesses, and industries. The way we use technology is responsible for the degree of our laziness.A computer is not a laziness machine, it is a device that allows communication and various other activities. A car is a machine that can get you from one destination to another. A spell checker makes docu ment editing more efficient. This is technology. Yes by Erich Heinlein Created on: October 20, 2009   Ã‚  Last Updated: February 20, 2010 Technology can make you lazy. It all depends on the person. But generally, yes technology has made us lazy. For example, what most typical Americans do when they get home from a long day at work is come home and then sit in front of the TV for a good portion of the evening.In a matter of fact an age-old study states the average American watches TV for over two hours a day. Others do more productive things it depends on the person. Most American males sit through sometimes multiple college football games. Let's think about that. Your average college football game takes about two and a half to three hours on any given afternoon. So, assuming the games go there average length that means most American males consume themselves with football six hours on Saturday and at least six on Sunday.. But there is also another aspect to this as well. Not only h as it made us lazy it has contributed to making us unfit.One could also credit technology for the obesity level in this country. Most kids who are overweight are overweight because not only do they not eat healthy they spend a tremendous amount of time in front of the TV or playing video games. Video games have been around long enough that even most people in their late 20's-early 30's (I'll admit it I'm one of them) play video games on a far too frequent basis. Although the affects of video gaming may change in the near future once the Nintendo Wii starts to become more affordable and hit more homes, technology still has it's dark side.For those of you who may not be familiar with the Nintendo Wii, it is an interactive video gaming console. Most of the games actually require you to physically do the motions as opposing to just sitting there hitting tons of buttons like you would do with Playstation and XBox. The next negative effect technology has had on society is the porn industr y. It is very easy to access pornographic web sites through the Internet and it is not very hard to get through the parental controls part of the sites most of the time at most sites.Obviously there are ways around preventing your children from getting into those types of sites but that is another article for another day. One could very well spend hours on both the Internet and it is also possible with most cable and satellite TV providers to order pornographic materials via pay per view. Doing it through Pay Per Views or even through a video store can also become a very time consuming and expensive hobby for most people. This effect is probably the worst. Let's all face it. We are sexual beings. We have to accept that fact and there is nothing anybody can do about it.Although it is the least frequent, the next way the porn industry has invaded the technological world is phone sex. Anybody who is a sex-phene or constantly thinks about sex is prone to any of these types of technology . The fortunate reality is there are ways of preventing all of them. So what good comes of technology if all this bad stuff is happening with technology one might ask? It all essentially comes down to convenience. Let's break down the three major types of technology and explain why they are beneficial. It all essentially comes down to convenience.The three major types almost everybody has are Phone, Internet and TV. Let's start with phone service: Phone service: There are numerous types of phone services out there. The most basic reason people need phones are so they can communicate with somebody instead of having to talk with them face to face because that is more time efficient for most people. It also saves a tremendous amount of car gas. Most cell phone companies offer many other features with their phones nowadays such as GPS, having your own calendar, having your own clock and numerous other applications as well.Internet: Internet service allows you to check e-mail which is a big time and money saver. The reason is that people can get e-mail instantly and they save money on stamps and envelopes. It is also possible to do extensive research on the Internet without having to go to a library. If you want an updated copy of your bank statement or you need it to dispute a charge and it is going to be a while before your next bank statement comes out at most banks you can just hop online and print out a copy of your bank statement. While this is a good convenience it is another way that society has become lazy.Instead of coming a check register most people use their bank statements online exclusively. TV: With television, one purpose everybody uses it for is to become informed of what is going on in the world (although in the transforming news business people are also turning to the Internet for this as well). Television is also influential for sports fans. Let's face it everybody has their favorite shows and has preferences when it comes to TV providers. But that is another article for another day. Essentially, all technology is the same. It all comes down to how you use it.Yes it has made us lazy. No by Bob Lloyd Created on: January 04, 2010 Technology is often associated with labour saving and in the past, there were devices designed to specifically save on physical effort. But in most areas, those technologies are already very mature. We already use washing machines, lawnmowers, hedge-trimmers, microwave ovens, and a host of other devices to do things quicker and to save effort. But laziness is something different to saving labour. Saving labour so as not to expend effort is very different from using that available effort to achieve something different.In order to make use of our effort we have to be motivated and information technology has massively expanded our options, opening entire new worlds. Whereas just twenty years ago we would have needed to go to a library to look up information, we have it in seconds through a browser. We can manage our bank account, order goods, communicate with others, share photos, music, and videos so easily now, that we need not spend much time doing it. So the technology has enabled us to do the same things as we used to do as well as new things, but much quicker and more conveniently.Which of course, gives us more time to use on things that interest us. And the technology also provides us with a huge choice. Any subject, any hobby, any interest, is so well supported that we can get involved and involved without a great deal of preparation or effort. So we are encouraged to explore, to find out, to get involved, to communicate, about anything that interests us. There has been a huge democratisation of access to information meaning that even individuals who may be personally shy or reluctant to state their views, get the opportunity to be heard.It is now easier than ever to become well-informed about any issue, any subject, and the age of the Google expert has arrived. Forums a nd chat rooms, social networks, virtual worlds, all enable people to communicate with others in a relatively safe environment, free from the challenges that physical proximity can pose. But there are other consequences as well. If we don't need to make the effort to relate to others emotionally in person, in the real physical world, does our ability to do so decline? Does less use imply less capability?If that really is the case, then our interactive technology-driven other world impoverishes the quality of our human interaction. But here too, the consequences are ambiguous. In a virtual world, or even a forum, a person hidden behind an avatar can experiment with their own reactions, exploring the reactions of others, and in doing so become more aware of the emotions of other people. They can become more skilled at relating to people, more appreciative of the range of views, more understanding of emotional responses.The success of these media demonstrates that far from becoming soci ally lazier, many people are becoming much more communicative, expressing their opinions and views more freely, and engaging in discussion and debate. But it remains true that this is different from the interactions with real physical people and there are those who lack the confidence to get involved even virtually. If the participants are exporting their egos online through avatars and that the responses they get there are more pleasant and less stressful than real life, is there not a tendency to place more focus on this artificial ego than their presence in the real world?But isn't even that begging the question because whatever and wherever they experience their interactions, it is still them getting the experience? If these people were lazy, we would expect them to do the minimum, to expend the least effort. But in fact, the massive stimulus provided by these open technologies has led many people to experience interactions on a scale that was previously impossible, enriching th eir emotional lives as well as helping them develop a better understanding of themselves.Certainly there is an addictive element, and unless there is some balance between real and virtual interactions, the benefits of the one may not reach the other. But if anything, we are now more highly motivated and involved that previously. Physically, as we spend more time online sat at a computer, we are less active but that is not through laziness, but through focussing our activities on those that are more interesting and satisfying. A balance is necessary of course, but the indications are that far from being lazy, we are becoming more motivated and open to new experiences.