Grandmas Treats

Advertising has taken a toll towards being more interactive & hence more productive. Various strategies are being practiced to improve the business of any organization. Business to Business or com/marketing-200-chapter-7-quiz/">B2B strategy is basically electronic trade transactions between two or more businesses. It is comprised of applications intended to augment relationships within two or more organizations for example using internet to administer the logistics of demand & supply, explore for product catalogues, interacting with traders, receiving & sending statements & electronic imbursement.(E-business Definitions (B2C, B2B etc)) This practice enables the company to gain profit & save money in large deals by having a good interactive communications. The company can buy supplies for a bargain able price through negotiable contracts, hence saving money. The B2C strategy or Business to consumer marketing; it is a much novel sphere & basically associates to electronic retailing over the internet. Mostly it lets the public access the products on internet. Online shopping, games, product information all helps to increase the sale graph of the enterprise.It is quite a successful strategy, since it allows the consumer to interact with the company directly & purchase the desired product with great ease. Travel tickets, books, music & various other items are available to the consumer on the World Wide Web. Often the company imposes a sale offer therefore resulting in a greater percentage of sale & thus increased capital. A number of agencies have come up to guide companies for designing their B2B or B2C strategies promising the paramount way & achieve a greater collaboration with the supplier agencies & the customers to gain a competitive advantage through the extension of business.References Carl Lehmann, â€Å"B2B Strategies that Put the Customer Back in CRM† [May, 2005], eSeminars CNET Networks, Inc. [Accessed 9 th January 2008] <http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_zdesn/is_200505/ai_n13639015> Paul T. Kidd, â€Å"E-business Definitions (B2C, B2B etc. )† [November 2001] Cheshire Hen bury, [Accessed 9th January 2008] <http://www. cheshirehenbury. com/ebusiness/ebdefinitions. html> Paula Jones, â€Å"B2B† [21 Jul 2001] TechTarget [Accessed 9th January 2008] <http://searchcio. techtarget. com/sDefinition/0,,sid182_gci214411,00. html>

360 Degree Feedback

Abstract As today’s businesses continue to expand, workers are expected to perform well on their jobs. This is what truly happened to management who has a tendency to measure how well they are doing on their job. The job done in a certain period of time is frequently evaluated by performance appraisal. Performance appraisals lead to enhancing employee’s performance, internal communication (relationship), and quality improvements as well. Some experts argue that formal performance appraisal is somewhat useless and many of them contemplate performance appraisals can be detrimental to quality improvement and convey some negative perceptions to the management (David Law, 2007). Albeit many professionals pointed out disadvantages associated with using performance appraisal, I contemplate that its benefits outweigh drawbacks. As such, a 360-degree feedback is one of the numerous examples of performance evaluation methods. Performance appraisals can be used to measure one’s job performance with feedback from subordinates, peers, and managers in the organization, so that everyone in the particular organization knows what and where he or she needs to improve. In addition, well-scheduled 360-degree feedbacks lead to positive changes in worker’s job satisfaction and enhance the company’s effort to attain its own interest. The stable encouragement of the effects of performance appraisal has a variety of short-term and long-term consequences including improved job performance, harmonious interpersonal relationships (superiors and subordinates), and as well as advanced quality management (continuous improvement) within organizations. History The 360-degree feedback was initially used by the U. S. Armed Forces to support development of its staff in the 1940’s. Later on Clark Wilson from the University of Bridgeport (Connecticut) developed the first 360-degree feedback survey instruments for management development and it has been used and studied since 1973 (www. erformanceprograms. com). Valuable factors A 360-degree feedback offers a variety of remarkably potential benefits. According to Stephane Brutus et al. (2006), all of the following benefits have been applied to six different countries in distinct functions, such as: accounting, finance, manufacturing, and many other primary departments. â⠂¬ ¢Individuals get a broader perspective of how they are perceived by others than previously possible. It indicates that awareness of and relevance of competencies in workers’ psyche will continue to increase over time. At this point, management should be aware that they too have development needs that are crucial for the whole organization. Once this step has been applied, employees would next give more reliable feedback to managers about their performance. I believe this method could be seen as a win-win situation which is beneficial for both workers and management. †¢Encouraging more open feedback — new insights. It indicates that reinforcing the desired competencies of the business requires a clearer picture to senior management of individual’s real worth. A 360-degree feedback clarifies the employee’s critical performance aspects because open feedback gives people a more rounded view of performance than they had previously. †¢Identifying key development areas for the individual, a department and the organization as a whole. Individuals’ strengths can be used to the best advantage of the business. A rounded view of the individual’s/ team’s/ organization’s performance determines appropriately strengths and weaknesses in business environment. Therefore, the self-awareness of managers will have personally impact upon subordinates. †¢Supporting a climate of continuous improvement. Starting to improve the climate/ morale will be measured through the survey. Management should focus on agenda and discuss for development based upon the collected 360-degree feedback. Goals and objectives of 360-degree feedback Applying 360-feedback requires that both recipients and reviewers are involved in confidential feedback. The negative effect of transparent feedback can negatively affected by emotions and peer conflicts. This issue can lead to impaired job performance and adverse interpersonal relationship among the employees. Patricia Angelucci (2000) states the desired objectives of a 360-degree feedback are increasing professional accountability, motivating staff, and increasing employee morale and satisfaction (Angelucci, 2000). Importantly, she claims that 360-degree appraisal given to employees provides for constructive feedback and employee recognition by objectively measuring performance, and gives the employee the responsibility to contribute information (Patricia Angelucci, 2000). It is clear that using 360-degree feedback can necessarily improve labors’ job performance as long the evaluations are delivered honestly, openly, and objectively to the targets in every aspect of management including superiors and subordinates. Process of 360-feedback Robert Garbett et al. (2007) suggest several recommendations to optimize the usefulness of the process in preparing 360-degree feedback: 1. Thorough preparation. It is remarkably crucial to all members involved about the purpose and criteria used to identify role set members. Preparation indicates key to achieve successfulness in implementing 360-degree appraisal. 2. Suitability. Methods used in gathering information need to reflect what is convenient and appropriate to the colleagues one is working with. 3. Anonymity. Anonymity and openness were found to be useful. Open approaches offer more detailed information for the development of expertise and workforce effectiveness. Further, Garbett et al. (2007) add that the characteristic useful to ensure quality on 360-degree feedbacks is self-assessment based on critical reflection using an evidence-based framework of field expertise (Garbett, 2007). This method will prevent employees from mistakenly giving feedback to coworkers, and it should be based on observation of practice and experience in the past. The implementation of 360-degree feedback has been widely used across the globe since its benefits to the every sector of management. Metcalfe (1998) and Swain et al (2004) says, â€Å"The concept of 360-degree feedback has been extensively used, examined, and adapted in business and increasingly in healthcare as a developmental tool† (As cited in Garbett et al. , 2007, p. 343). Ten steps to conducting 360-degree feedback Chris Pearce (2007) suggests there are ten steps to help companies conduct 360-degree appraisal: ? Preparing for appraisal interviews. This step includes agreed performance objectives and reviews that have been applied at any given times. ?Planning appraisals Imperative interviews held by the management have to be relaxed and solemn will be covered on this step. ?Conducting appraisals The third step involves placing situation of the prolific substitutes thoughts, demonstrating the ability of comfort and prevention due to interruptions during the interview, and pioneering the basic regulation for appraisals and the concerns by appraisees. Reviewing achievements Next, this step explains about assessing appraisees’ accomplishment and detecting where the appraisees’ position. ?Sharing views on progress Offering responses on appraisees’ accomplishment, ensuring appraisees’ aggrement on the responses, and creating the improvement if needed are covered on this st ep. ?Considering ratings This step is concerned with contributing the appraisees’ beliefs by rating the conclusions before the last result comes up. ?Plans for improvement Expanding and accentuating the further progression of the failings must be applied in the conformity and conversation should be involved in this step. ?Dealing with development plans This step deals with sincerity and factuality that must be concerned with the appraisees’ objectives and profession ambition. ?Agreeing new objectives With regards to SMART which stands for specific, measurable, appropriate, realistic, and timed, appraisses’ goals and time spent should be involved in this step. Asking for feedback In the last step, questioning about appraisees’ responses to them, abridging the essential points of evaluation, and ending with conclusion should be applied for the last action. Discussion Every country has been fascinated with Japanese industry for decades and it became recognized as the world’s most competitive nation in the 1970s and 1980s. Nowadays, many small and big companies all over the world attempt to apply the Japanese system to their sys tem in every aspect of management. Several experts explain why Japan can compete well to attract its target market albeit the rivalry among the competing sellers is high in the country. It is simply a distinctive approach to Japanese management has brought remarkable impact in today’s practices such as total quality and continuous improvement (Porter, Takeuchi, & Sakakibara, 2000). With regards to improvement initiatives, Pryor, White, and Toombs (1998) point out that performance appraisal is one of the strategic quality management tools which use continuous improvement as a strategic weapon (http://www. 12manage. com). In addition, Bracken and Timmreck (1999) also agree that performance evaluations are essential for developing managerial behaviors in every level that provide data in its strategic efforts when they say, â€Å"As results of 360-degree feedback are used in conjunction with HR systems, such as staffing, succession planning, compensation, performance management and even, in some cases, downsizing† (As cited in Treena L. Gillespie, 2005, p. 363). In establishing 360-degree feedback, I contemplate there is another aspect affects people’s judgment relating to leaving feedbacks to coworkers. Coaching is one of the critical components of stimulating interpersonal relationship in conjunction with feedback results. Wright states, â€Å"The coaching component in management is a two way street. There needs to be open communication in order for successful coaching to take place† (Robert F. Wright, 2000). As such, I would like to emphasize that two-way interaction between subordinates and superiors is required in order to affect feedbacks and indeed, better feedbacks will generate better relationship. This component could cover poor communication problem which can lead to unpleasant feedbacks to employees within an organization. Nowadays, big companies such as British Airways, AT&T, Alberto Culver North America, and General Electric are increasingly using 360-degree feedback (Huet-Cox, Nielsen, & Sundstrom, 1999). According to Evans (2001), using 360-degree feedback can potentially provide a fuller, more realistic picture of the employee’s overall performance since every employee receives performance feedback from four sources: the supervisors, subordinates, peers and coworkers, and self-ratings (Evans, 2001). Effective appraisals usually lead to better performances from appraisees, and feedabcks should be jointly solving problems as long appraisees always focus on the future not the past. Several characteristics of 360-degree feedback at firms may have considerable advantages of implementing TQM, and â€Å"One survey showed that more than 20 percent of firms are tying 360-degree appraisal directly to their Total Quality Management efforts† (Laabs, 1994, p. 17). Applying the 360-degree feedback compliments the implementation of TQM in businesses since it has faster communication line (superiors to subordinates) and uncomplicated system that meets customer needs and expectations. Glover (1993) argues that there is a five-stage implementation framework that could be applied in enterprises: awareness, education, structural change, necessary activities, and outcomes or expected improvements (as cited in Yusof & Aspinwall, 2000, p. 281). Appropriate design of the 360-degree feedback will absolutely provide a strong basis for the path to successful TQM implementation. A systematic procedure such as ISO 9000 is the first-most effective way that can solve the quality problems in many businesses. Take for instance, the 360-degree feedback is used to measure the effectiveness of Just In Time (JIT) inventory system in plant department within company. Consequently, an integrated JIT inventory model generated through 360-degree system can minimize the sum of the ordering/ setup cost, holding cost, quality improvement, and crashing costs (Yang & Pan, 2004). Once those procedures have been established, the next step is to plan for improvement. If the need for change is highly needed, some methods suggested by Asher (1992) could encourage the renovation process of the implementation: investigating cost of quality, conducting customer perception surveys, collecting data on employees’ perceptions, and establishing system and procedure (as cited in Yusof & Aspinwall, 2000, p. 289). This type of approach in context of management will escalate the job performance as it will result in improved productivity in workers. I agree with Wright’s (2000) standpoint saying that 360-degree feedback can be seen as result-oriented concerned with focusing on the goals rather than the process (Robert F. Wright, 2000). More importantly, such a evaluation should lead the employees to work together attaining the company’s goals, as Wright (2000) says, â€Å"It is critical for a good manager to be more concerned with the results and less with the process of how those are achieved† (Robert F. Wright, 2000, p. 363). As long as the process is performed well, managers should be more concerned about the results not necessarily the technique. With regards to labors’ skills, through evaluations management should encourage its workers give feedback about what needs to change and where to change, as Loup and Koller says,† Listening and speaking from the heart about what people think, feel, and believe about the change will keep the change process moving forward† (Loup & Koller, 2005, p. 77). As we can conclude, utilizing well-scheduled 360-degree feedbacks as a performance appraisal is the management’s responsibilities for introducing, applying, and maintaining the practice punctually once it has started. Some companies consider a 360-degree feedback and other appraisals are attributable to adverse quality, and ironically the process in implementing those techniques seem to be time-consuming and convey some negative perceptions to the management. Management should contemplate that the company’s goals will not be successfully attained if employees do not notice whether or not they are performing well on their job as Senge (1990) concludes that yet the primary threats to our survival today come not from events but from slow gradual processes to which we are 90 percent blind (Peter M. Senge, 1990). In conclusion, all the suggestions by experts above regarding quality improvements mostly explain the importance of the 360-degree feedback within companies. Therefore, 360-degree assessment can assist the management on track and measure employee’s performance and leadership which could contribute to overall organization performance (Marcie Levine, 2003). Finally, if the 360-degree appraisal is not applied soon, I believe companies will experience a problem which can be looming ahead for the company itself in the years to come. References Angelucci, Patricia. 2000). Cultural diversity: health belief systems. Nursing Management Journal, 7-8. Brutus, Stephane et al. (2006). Internationalization of multi-source feedback systems: a six-country exploratory analysis of 360- degree feedback. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 1888-1906. Evans, A. (2001). From every angle. Training, 38 (9), 22. Garbett, Robert. (2007). Developing a qualitative approach t o 360-degree feedback to aid understanding and development of clinical expertise. Journal of Nursing Management, 342-347. Gillespie, Treena L. (2005). Internationalizing 360-degree feedback: are subordinate ratings comparable? Journal of Business and Psychology, 361-382. hands of people to effect change. Organizational Development Journal, 23(3), 73-81. Huet-Cox, G. D. , Nielsen T. M. , & Sundstrom, E. (1999, May). Get the most from 360-degree feedback: put it on the internet. HR Magazine, 92-103. Laabs, J. J. (1994). TQM Efforts to Rewards. Personnel Journal, 17. Law, David R. (2007). Appraising performance appraisals: a critical look at an external control management technique. International Journal of Reality Therapy, 35-47. Levine, Marcie. (2003). 3600 assessments-where do I start? Survey Connect Inc, 1-4. Loup, R. , & Koller, R. (2005). The road to commitment: Capturing the head, hearts and Pearce, Chris. (2007). Ten steps to conducting appraisals. Nursing Management Journal, 21. Porter, Michael E. , Takeuchi, Hirotaka & Sakakibara, Mariko. (2000). Can Japan compete? Cambridge: Perseus Publishing. Pryor, Mildred G. , White, J. Chris & Toombs, Leslie A. (1998). Strategic Quality Management. Thomson Learning. Senge, Peter M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art & practice of the learning organization (1st ed. . New York: Doubleday. Wright, Robert F. (2000). Strategies for avoiding the micro management trap. Journal of Management Decision, 362-364. Yang, Jin-Shan, & Pan, Jason Chao-Hsien. (2004). Just-in-time purchasing: an integrated inventory model involving deterministic variable lead time and quality improvement investment. International Journal of Production Research, 853-863. Yusof, Sha’ri M ohd & Aspinwall, Elaine. (2000). Total quality management implementation frameworks: comparison and review. Journal of Total Quality Management, 281-294. www. 12manage. com www. performanceprograms. com 360 Degree Feedback Abstract As today’s businesses continue to expand, workers are expected to perform well on their jobs. This is what truly happened to management who has a tendency to measure how well they are doing on their job. The job done in a certain period of time is frequently evaluated by performance appraisal. Performance appraisals lead to enhancing employee’s performance, internal communication (relationship), and quality improvements as well. Some experts argue that formal performance appraisal is somewhat useless and many of them contemplate performance appraisals can be detrimental to quality improvement and convey some negative perceptions to the management (David Law, 2007). Albeit many professionals pointed out disadvantages associated with using performance appraisal, I contemplate that its benefits outweigh drawbacks. As such, a 360-degree feedback is one of the numerous examples of performance evaluation methods. Performance appraisals can be used to measure one’s job performance with feedback from subordinates, peers, and managers in the organization, so that everyone in the particular organization knows what and where he or she needs to improve. In addition, well-scheduled 360-degree feedbacks lead to positive changes in worker’s job satisfaction and enhance the company’s effort to attain its own interest. The stable encouragement of the effects of performance appraisal has a variety of short-term and long-term consequences including improved job performance, harmonious interpersonal relationships (superiors and subordinates), and as well as advanced quality management (continuous improvement) within organizations. History The 360-degree feedback was initially used by the U. S. Armed Forces to support development of its staff in the 1940’s. Later on Clark Wilson from the University of Bridgeport (Connecticut) developed the first 360-degree feedback survey instruments for management development and it has been used and studied since 1973 (www. erformanceprograms. com). Valuable factors A 360-degree feedback offers a variety of remarkably potential benefits. According to Stephane Brutus et al. (2006), all of the following benefits have been applied to six different countries in distinct functions, such as: accounting, finance, manufacturing, and many other primary departments. â⠂¬ ¢Individuals get a broader perspective of how they are perceived by others than previously possible. It indicates that awareness of and relevance of competencies in workers’ psyche will continue to increase over time. At this point, management should be aware that they too have development needs that are crucial for the whole organization. Once this step has been applied, employees would next give more reliable feedback to managers about their performance. I believe this method could be seen as a win-win situation which is beneficial for both workers and management. †¢Encouraging more open feedback — new insights. It indicates that reinforcing the desired competencies of the business requires a clearer picture to senior management of individual’s real worth. A 360-degree feedback clarifies the employee’s critical performance aspects because open feedback gives people a more rounded view of performance than they had previously. †¢Identifying key development areas for the individual, a department and the organization as a whole. Individuals’ strengths can be used to the best advantage of the business. A rounded view of the individual’s/ team’s/ organization’s performance determines appropriately strengths and weaknesses in business environment. Therefore, the self-awareness of managers will have personally impact upon subordinates. †¢Supporting a climate of continuous improvement. Starting to improve the climate/ morale will be measured through the survey. Management should focus on agenda and discuss for development based upon the collected 360-degree feedback. Goals and objectives of 360-degree feedback Applying 360-feedback requires that both recipients and reviewers are involved in confidential feedback. The negative effect of transparent feedback can negatively affected by emotions and peer conflicts. This issue can lead to impaired job performance and adverse interpersonal relationship among the employees. Patricia Angelucci (2000) states the desired objectives of a 360-degree feedback are increasing professional accountability, motivating staff, and increasing employee morale and satisfaction (Angelucci, 2000). Importantly, she claims that 360-degree appraisal given to employees provides for constructive feedback and employee recognition by objectively measuring performance, and gives the employee the responsibility to contribute information (Patricia Angelucci, 2000). It is clear that using 360-degree feedback can necessarily improve labors’ job performance as long the evaluations are delivered honestly, openly, and objectively to the targets in every aspect of management including superiors and subordinates. Process of 360-feedback Robert Garbett et al. (2007) suggest several recommendations to optimize the usefulness of the process in preparing 360-degree feedback: 1. Thorough preparation. It is remarkably crucial to all members involved about the purpose and criteria used to identify role set members. Preparation indicates key to achieve successfulness in implementing 360-degree appraisal. 2. Suitability. Methods used in gathering information need to reflect what is convenient and appropriate to the colleagues one is working with. 3. Anonymity. Anonymity and openness were found to be useful. Open approaches offer more detailed information for the development of expertise and workforce effectiveness. Further, Garbett et al. (2007) add that the characteristic useful to ensure quality on 360-degree feedbacks is self-assessment based on critical reflection using an evidence-based framework of field expertise (Garbett, 2007). This method will prevent employees from mistakenly giving feedback to coworkers, and it should be based on observation of practice and experience in the past. The implementation of 360-degree feedback has been widely used across the globe since its benefits to the every sector of management. Metcalfe (1998) and Swain et al (2004) says, â€Å"The concept of 360-degree feedback has been extensively used, examined, and adapted in business and increasingly in healthcare as a developmental tool† (As cited in Garbett et al. , 2007, p. 343). Ten steps to conducting 360-degree feedback Chris Pearce (2007) suggests there are ten steps to help companies conduct 360-degree appraisal: ? Preparing for appraisal interviews. This step includes agreed performance objectives and reviews that have been applied at any given times. ?Planning appraisals Imperative interviews held by the management have to be relaxed and solemn will be covered on this step. ?Conducting appraisals The third step involves placing situation of the prolific substitutes thoughts, demonstrating the ability of comfort and prevention due to interruptions during the interview, and pioneering the basic regulation for appraisals and the concerns by appraisees. Reviewing achievements Next, this step explains about assessing appraisees’ accomplishment and detecting where the appraisees’ position. ?Sharing views on progress Offering responses on appraisees’ accomplishment, ensuring appraisees’ aggrement on the responses, and creating the improvement if needed are covered on this st ep. ?Considering ratings This step is concerned with contributing the appraisees’ beliefs by rating the conclusions before the last result comes up. ?Plans for improvement Expanding and accentuating the further progression of the failings must be applied in the conformity and conversation should be involved in this step. ?Dealing with development plans This step deals with sincerity and factuality that must be concerned with the appraisees’ objectives and profession ambition. ?Agreeing new objectives With regards to SMART which stands for specific, measurable, appropriate, realistic, and timed, appraisses’ goals and time spent should be involved in this step. Asking for feedback In the last step, questioning about appraisees’ responses to them, abridging the essential points of evaluation, and ending with conclusion should be applied for the last action. Discussion Every country has been fascinated with Japanese industry for decades and it became recognized as the world’s most competitive nation in the 1970s and 1980s. Nowadays, many small and big companies all over the world attempt to apply the Japanese system to their sys tem in every aspect of management. Several experts explain why Japan can compete well to attract its target market albeit the rivalry among the competing sellers is high in the country. It is simply a distinctive approach to Japanese management has brought remarkable impact in today’s practices such as total quality and continuous improvement (Porter, Takeuchi, & Sakakibara, 2000). With regards to improvement initiatives, Pryor, White, and Toombs (1998) point out that performance appraisal is one of the strategic quality management tools which use continuous improvement as a strategic weapon (http://www. 12manage. com). In addition, Bracken and Timmreck (1999) also agree that performance evaluations are essential for developing managerial behaviors in every level that provide data in its strategic efforts when they say, â€Å"As results of 360-degree feedback are used in conjunction with HR systems, such as staffing, succession planning, compensation, performance management and even, in some cases, downsizing† (As cited in Treena L. Gillespie, 2005, p. 363). In establishing 360-degree feedback, I contemplate there is another aspect affects people’s judgment relating to leaving feedbacks to coworkers. Coaching is one of the critical components of stimulating interpersonal relationship in conjunction with feedback results. Wright states, â€Å"The coaching component in management is a two way street. There needs to be open communication in order for successful coaching to take place† (Robert F. Wright, 2000). As such, I would like to emphasize that two-way interaction between subordinates and superiors is required in order to affect feedbacks and indeed, better feedbacks will generate better relationship. This component could cover poor communication problem which can lead to unpleasant feedbacks to employees within an organization. Nowadays, big companies such as British Airways, AT&T, Alberto Culver North America, and General Electric are increasingly using 360-degree feedback (Huet-Cox, Nielsen, & Sundstrom, 1999). According to Evans (2001), using 360-degree feedback can potentially provide a fuller, more realistic picture of the employee’s overall performance since every employee receives performance feedback from four sources: the supervisors, subordinates, peers and coworkers, and self-ratings (Evans, 2001). Effective appraisals usually lead to better performances from appraisees, and feedabcks should be jointly solving problems as long appraisees always focus on the future not the past. Several characteristics of 360-degree feedback at firms may have considerable advantages of implementing TQM, and â€Å"One survey showed that more than 20 percent of firms are tying 360-degree appraisal directly to their Total Quality Management efforts† (Laabs, 1994, p. 17). Applying the 360-degree feedback compliments the implementation of TQM in businesses since it has faster communication line (superiors to subordinates) and uncomplicated system that meets customer needs and expectations. Glover (1993) argues that there is a five-stage implementation framework that could be applied in enterprises: awareness, education, structural change, necessary activities, and outcomes or expected improvements (as cited in Yusof & Aspinwall, 2000, p. 281). Appropriate design of the 360-degree feedback will absolutely provide a strong basis for the path to successful TQM implementation. A systematic procedure such as ISO 9000 is the first-most effective way that can solve the quality problems in many businesses. Take for instance, the 360-degree feedback is used to measure the effectiveness of Just In Time (JIT) inventory system in plant department within company. Consequently, an integrated JIT inventory model generated through 360-degree system can minimize the sum of the ordering/ setup cost, holding cost, quality improvement, and crashing costs (Yang & Pan, 2004). Once those procedures have been established, the next step is to plan for improvement. If the need for change is highly needed, some methods suggested by Asher (1992) could encourage the renovation process of the implementation: investigating cost of quality, conducting customer perception surveys, collecting data on employees’ perceptions, and establishing system and procedure (as cited in Yusof & Aspinwall, 2000, p. 289). This type of approach in context of management will escalate the job performance as it will result in improved productivity in workers. I agree with Wright’s (2000) standpoint saying that 360-degree feedback can be seen as result-oriented concerned with focusing on the goals rather than the process (Robert F. Wright, 2000). More importantly, such a evaluation should lead the employees to work together attaining the company’s goals, as Wright (2000) says, â€Å"It is critical for a good manager to be more concerned with the results and less with the process of how those are achieved† (Robert F. Wright, 2000, p. 363). As long as the process is performed well, managers should be more concerned about the results not necessarily the technique. With regards to labors’ skills, through evaluations management should encourage its workers give feedback about what needs to change and where to change, as Loup and Koller says,† Listening and speaking from the heart about what people think, feel, and believe about the change will keep the change process moving forward† (Loup & Koller, 2005, p. 77). As we can conclude, utilizing well-scheduled 360-degree feedbacks as a performance appraisal is the management’s responsibilities for introducing, applying, and maintaining the practice punctually once it has started. Some companies consider a 360-degree feedback and other appraisals are attributable to adverse quality, and ironically the process in implementing those techniques seem to be time-consuming and convey some negative perceptions to the management. Management should contemplate that the company’s goals will not be successfully attained if employees do not notice whether or not they are performing well on their job as Senge (1990) concludes that yet the primary threats to our survival today come not from events but from slow gradual processes to which we are 90 percent blind (Peter M. Senge, 1990). In conclusion, all the suggestions by experts above regarding quality improvements mostly explain the importance of the 360-degree feedback within companies. Therefore, 360-degree assessment can assist the management on track and measure employee’s performance and leadership which could contribute to overall organization performance (Marcie Levine, 2003). Finally, if the 360-degree appraisal is not applied soon, I believe companies will experience a problem which can be looming ahead for the company itself in the years to come. References Angelucci, Patricia. 2000). Cultural diversity: health belief systems. Nursing Management Journal, 7-8. Brutus, Stephane et al. (2006). Internationalization of multi-source feedback systems: a six-country exploratory analysis of 360- degree feedback. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 1888-1906. Evans, A. (2001). From every angle. Training, 38 (9), 22. Garbett, Robert. (2007). Developing a qualitative approach t o 360-degree feedback to aid understanding and development of clinical expertise. Journal of Nursing Management, 342-347. Gillespie, Treena L. (2005). Internationalizing 360-degree feedback: are subordinate ratings comparable? Journal of Business and Psychology, 361-382. hands of people to effect change. Organizational Development Journal, 23(3), 73-81. Huet-Cox, G. D. , Nielsen T. M. , & Sundstrom, E. (1999, May). Get the most from 360-degree feedback: put it on the internet. HR Magazine, 92-103. Laabs, J. J. (1994). TQM Efforts to Rewards. Personnel Journal, 17. Law, David R. (2007). Appraising performance appraisals: a critical look at an external control management technique. International Journal of Reality Therapy, 35-47. Levine, Marcie. (2003). 3600 assessments-where do I start? Survey Connect Inc, 1-4. Loup, R. , & Koller, R. (2005). The road to commitment: Capturing the head, hearts and Pearce, Chris. (2007). Ten steps to conducting appraisals. Nursing Management Journal, 21. Porter, Michael E. , Takeuchi, Hirotaka & Sakakibara, Mariko. (2000). Can Japan compete? Cambridge: Perseus Publishing. Pryor, Mildred G. , White, J. Chris & Toombs, Leslie A. (1998). Strategic Quality Management. Thomson Learning. Senge, Peter M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art & practice of the learning organization (1st ed. . New York: Doubleday. Wright, Robert F. (2000). Strategies for avoiding the micro management trap. Journal of Management Decision, 362-364. Yang, Jin-Shan, & Pan, Jason Chao-Hsien. (2004). Just-in-time purchasing: an integrated inventory model involving deterministic variable lead time and quality improvement investment. International Journal of Production Research, 853-863. Yusof, Sha’ri M ohd & Aspinwall, Elaine. (2000). Total quality management implementation frameworks: comparison and review. Journal of Total Quality Management, 281-294. www. 12manage. com www. performanceprograms. com

Is there microbial life in Mars Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Is there microbial life in Mars - Research Paper Example Most recently, scientists have come up with new and improved evidence to support their claims of life on Mars. The experiments, discoveries and propositions put forward by the scientists over the period of time regarding life on Mars are discussed further in the paper. The signs of microbial life first came into picture when the experiments of the Labeled Release (LR) apparatus turned out to be positive. This experiment tested on a sample of Martian soil by mixing it with a drop of water constituting of nutrients and radioactive carbon atoms. If the soil was positive for microbial life, the nutrients in the soil would be metabolized and radioactive gases such as methane or carbon dioxide would be produced. Control samples were also prepared by heating or isolating the samples that would kill any form of life if it existed. Control samples were also mixed with nutrient solutions; hence the control experiments provided a comparison. To the amusement and the excitement of the scientists , the LR experiment turned out positive for life. â€Å"The minute the nutrients were mixed with the soil sample, you got something like 10,000 counts of radioactive molecules- a huge spike from the 50 or 60 counts that constituted the natural background radiation on Mars† (Than). These were the earliest experiments performed by the NASA scientists in pursuit of their discovery for life on Mars. Although the LR experiments turned out positive but other space probes’ experiments were negative, making the existence of microbial life on Mars skeptical. Recently, the gas emissions on Mars have been linked to biological source. The experts believe that the chances for organisms to be a source of the gasses are quite explanatory and supportive of microbial life on Mars. The methane gas produced on the Red Planet is suspected to be produced by certain microbiological organisms. On the other hand, some scientists believe that methane can be a result of geological reasons i.e. volcanic processes. However, no active volcanoes have been discovered up till now on Mars. This evidence and explanation strengthens the probability of microbial life on Earth. Scientists have explained that methanogens, certain organisms, release methane as a waste product which dwells in the water beneath the underground ice. According to Prof Pillinger, â€Å"The most obvious source of methane is organisms. So if you find methane in an atmosphere, you can suspect there is life† (Staff Reporters). Miller and mathematician Giorgio Bianciardi, employed a cluster analysis technique on the Viking’s data. This technique groups together similar looking data. This analysis was performed to evaluate the realism of the experiments and investigate the outcome of the experiments. The technique turned out with two clusters; one with two active experiments and the other with five control experiments. The biological experiments from Earth sorted with the active experiments from Vi king exhibiting the validity of claims of microbial life on Mars. Another finding which supports the previous LR experiments is the Martian Rhythms. Circadian rhythms are internal clocks which can be found in every living thing, including microbes. On Earth the clock is set to 24 hour while on Mars it should be 24.7 hours, which is the duration of a Martian day. Miller noticed that the radioactive gas measurement sin the LR experiments exhibited a rhythmic rise during the day and decline during the night. The oscillations were in accordance with the Martian

Merger or Acquisition Case Study (Report) Essay

Merger or Acquisition Case Study (Report) - Essay Example On the other hand, if the organization feels it is not performing up to the expected levels, and needs some pep up from external forces, then also they can merge with or acquire company, which is also â€Å"sailing in the same boat† and thus facing the same issues. Thus, M&A can be both a successful strategy and at the same time survival strategy, aiding the organizations in the short as well as in the long run. Immediately it can fulfill the short term targets, and in the long run, probably after five years, it can satisfy each entities long term goals. So, this paper focusing on the merger of AT&T and BellSouth will first discuss the stated aims of that deal and the extent to which these aims have been fulfilled or being fulfilled. AT&T Inc is USA’s largest fixed telephony as well as mobile telephony provider. AT&T has reached its present status, after going through a series of break-ups and mergers. The original AT&T was divided in 1983 as a result of the United Stat es vs. AT&T antitrust suit, and Southwestern Bell Corporation (SBC) came into existence as the newer version of AT&T. Then in 1995, SBC changed its name to SBC Communications Inc. Then, finally in 2005, SBC Communications Inc. became AT&T Inc. ... One of the main aims of this acquisition by AT&T is to create a ‘super-sized’ AT&T, with largest customer base. In case of mergers and acquisitions, in particular acquisitions, the aim of the acquiring company is to further expand its size, operations, reach, etc, by absorbing all the resources of the acquired company. Likewise, in the case of AT&T, it is already a major corporation, while BellSouth was a middle player. Thus, AT&T wanted to further accentuate its size, reach and importantly customer numbers, and this acquisition of BellSouth provided the needed leverage and the numbers. The other associated aim of the acquisition is to control more than half of the telephone as well as internet broadband lines in USA. This way, it also wanted or aimed to beat their competitors. Competition is part of every business, and only if the concerned organization comes up with effective and sometimes â€Å"out of the box† strategy, it can beat off the competition. Thus, th is way AT&T can beat of its competitors like Verizon, Comcast, etc. With Verizon close on its heels, AT&T wanted to accumulate a customer base, which will be ahead of Verizon and other competitors. So, its aim to garner half of the total telephone and internet lines also pushed it to acquire BellSouth. Apart from these AT&T centric aims, the acquisition was also carried out with another aim of propping up Cingular Wireless, the mobile telephony wing. Even before the acquisition, both AT&T and BellSouth only managed Cingular’s operations, but without an single administrative setup. So, both AT&T and BellSouth through the acquisition process aimed to create a more efficient Cingular Wireless. Firstly, the merger

International Market Entry and Development Research Paper

International Market Entry and Development - Research Paper Example This deficiency in groundwork is quite apparent in the decisive factors that are functional to differentiate the international markets in comparison to one another so as to decide on to enter the market of appropriate countries. The countries that are chosen for actions in the international business are mostly dependent on the factors of immediacy or personal choice in comparison to factors such as size of the market, pace of progress or convenience (Cateora & Ghauri, 2000). Choosing an appropriate country is given vital importance owing to the unfeasibility of trying to enter all the states and nations in a global context. This also involves monetary and supply limitations as well as the massive amount of probable hazard occurring from choosing a market that is poor (Alon, 2004). Market Research Process It is extremely crucial to conduct a thorough market research while entering in a new international market in order to assess the possible hazards in the foreign market. Failing in u nderstanding the problems would result in implementing correct decisions for incorrect problems. International markets are new to the marketer so, there are high possibilities of misinterpreting the problems in the new foreign market. Therefore, it can be understood that it is quite essential to carry out a research that is investigative in order to gain a proper understanding of the market situations and problems (Zainbooks, n.d.). The research procedure for business will involve a four step procedure. In the first step, the objectives of research regarding the size of the structure of the market and the concept of the product in the new market are determined. The structure of the market involves the market size and the development stage among others and the concept of the product would involve that how the product is identified in the new market. This also involves ascertaining the potential of the market for the specific product along with the approach of the customers towards th e product. The second step deals with structuring or designing a proper research plan where the objectives of the research should be decipher into particular information requirements. In the third step, the research plan is implemented and to conclude in the final step the findings and the details are evaluated as well as interpreted (Zainbooks, n.d.). Product Adaptation & Approaches to Promotional Strategies While entering a new foreign market, it becomes necessary for the product that is to be introduced to adapt itself according to the new foreign market. This essentially means to modify the product so that it mirrors the characteristics of the new market. This is important as the consumers are different in the foreign market. This would also prove advantageous as this alteration will help in accommodating it among the consumers and would also ensure prolonged penetration. There are few adaptations that become compulsory for a product while entering a new foreign market. These in clude the government regulations, cultural essentials such as whether the product is suitable for the consumers, technological considerations such as

Should Disabled Children Be Mainstreamed In Public Schools Essay

Should Disabled Children Be Mainstreamed In Public Schools - Essay Example From this study it is clear that the supporters of mainstreaming argue that all special children have an equal right to the opportunity of social inclusion. The opponents of mainstreaming do not disagree; no rational minded person can deny the rights of social inclusion of disabled children. But the question is: does mainstreaming ensure social inclusion of the disabled children? The answer is unfortunately, in the negative. In a book titled: ‘Alone in the mainstream: A deaf woman remembers public school’, Olivia shares her experiences as a deaf student in a mainstream environment.. Olivia has shared her experiences of the painful social isolation she felt while being mainstreamed in a school where she was the only deaf child and how the environment and being different from other children made her feel like a solitaire. ‘I was alone among so many people because they were not like me’. The main principle underlying mainstream is social inclusion; what’ s the point in it if the mainstreamed children despite being a part of it, remain isolated in the normal environment? This study outlines that the advocators of mainstreaming also claim that disabled children can be taught is regular public classrooms. This is also not as simple as it appears. The success of a special child in a regular environment depend upon two main factors, one: the type and extent of disability and second is the attitude of teachers. Children with physical handicaps are usually a bit more accepted by regular children and teachers as compared to those who are mentally handicapped.

Family Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Family Sociology - Essay Example According to the NSCFC (2010), the family system in UK has undergone many solid changes during the past fifty years. According to their statistics, fifty years ago only 25 percent of people above thirty were single, however this percentage has reached to 55% in 2007. The discipline of Sociology views the family as being the basic unit of society (Bernardes, 1997). The idea of nuclear family is quite powerful; it includes the correctness of gender specific roles and also the responsibility of parents regarding the well being and upbringing of children (Muncie, 1995; cited in Bernardes, 1997). Immigration, technological development, economic pressure, homosexuality and increased broken and displaced families have created great diversity among the UK family system (Diversity in families and households, 2010). Ethnic families are more extended as compared to British families that are more nuclear. Separated and reconstituted families are also common in which children from different parents have to live with their step siblings. In secularized countries, the family is more cohabitation based than legal marriage based and homosexual co habituation is also common (Cheal, 2002). According to Bernardes (1997), it is a common perception among people that a family consists of a heterogeneous couple, with a small number of healthy kids, where the women have the primary task of care taking and may be occasional supportive income source and the men have the real bread winning task. Women having young children are usually financially dependent on men and are not a part of the paid work world at all (Allan, 1999). As soon as a baby is born, the women are forced to stay at home and care for the young one, while men are expected to earn enough to provide for the family. This snatches the privilege of being paid for work from the women despite the fact that they work at home as much as men do

History of child labor Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History of child labor - Term Paper Example At the macroeconomic level, the debate explains arguments such as the rural economy, capital and income inequality. While at the microeconomic level, the arguments include the question on necessity of child labor, wealth paradox and parent altruism. Two sections include a comparison of data from personal research and that from other researchers. Looking at the history of child labor at a microeconomic level, child labor has a negative association with the aggregate income of the state. However, microeconomic child labor depends on the total income at the household level. An article representing research done by Sonia Bhalotra explains a number of arguments based on child labor at a microeconomic level. These arguments include: The study intends to scrutinize the affiliation between household poverty and its impact on child labor. In this case, the situation forces a child to go out there and seek for employment. Furthermore, fewer wages force the child to work for longer hours. This counter s the economic theory, which states that less wages lead to less working hours. In order to capture the need for child labor, the researcher did an assessment on 2400 Pakistan households in which children worked to get money. The results of the study show that boys work when need arises for family survival. On the other hand, the girls had ambiguous results indicating that girls toiled even when the situation was not critical. The concept could be due to either favoring the boy child or associating girls’ education with low returns. From the observation, it is apparent that at times child labor is not necessary even in poor families (Bhalotra, 2000). From past studies, most studies aim at establishing the correlation between household income and child labor. However, there is a clear distinction between wealth and income (Mankiw & Taylor, 2011). A family could earn a little money, but they own a large piece of land. Results from research

English- Questions & Letter Writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

English- Questions & Letter Writing - Essay Example Pathos refers to an appeal to emotions as a means of persuasion. Finally, logos refers to an appeal to reasoning as a means of convincing another person. One real world example where these three components occur concomitantly is in Presidential speeches. At the recent Republican Convention Mitt Romney incorporated these elements in his speech to the convention. In this way, Romney uses ethos frequently by referring to his strong ethical responsibility as a life-long Mormon and God devoted individual. Additionally, he refers to having saved the Salt Lake City Olympics as a means of establishing ethical responsibility and devotion to America. Romney implemented pathos in a variety of ways. Perhaps the most prominent way pathos is implemented is by referring to notions of American Exceptionalism. Romney plays on Americans’ belief that their country is the greatest in the world and indicates that if re-elected he will be the one to restore it to this prominence. Additionally, Romn ey indicates that by voting for Barack Obama America will continue to regress into mediocrity. Another ethos element Romney implemented was the importance of having jobs to ensure that Americans are able to live full and healthy lives; in in these regards he plays on emotional fear that unless he is elected America will remain in recession and jobs will not be plentiful. The final element implemented by Mitt Romney is logos. Romney used logos in his speech in a variety of ways. Perhaps the most prominent way logos was implemented was through his reasoning that as a successful businessman he would be able to turn the American economy around. The reasoning in this notion is that he would run America like a business. Another way he implemented logos was through arguing that American must stop running up the debt and spending. The reasoning here is that it is not safe for a country in financial troubles to continue to incur debt. 3. Induction and deduction are different elements. Induct ion refers to reasoning that collects information from specific examples and uses this information to reach a conclusion. This process is also referred to as inductive reasoning. Induction is contrasted with deduction, however, in that deduction generalizes from premises. In this way induction reaches its conclusion from actual examples, whereas deduction generalizes from premises. 4. Dear Professor Takai, I read your article and found it interesting. Specifically, the article discusses the stereotype of Asians as the model minority. The article argued that since society has positioned Asians as the model minority, individuals have considered that African Americans should also have achieved a level of success. Instead, your article considers that Asians Americans have not achieved the high levels of success that they have been purported to have gained. In establishing these points you note a number of statistical information. Your first major argument is that the statistical informa tion that exists about incomes is misleading because Asian Americans live in areas where the cost of living and income levels are higher. You then argue that while many Asian Americans make higher wages, it is because they work longer hours and gain higher levels of education. Another point you make is that the notion of there being a ‘model minority’ homogenizes all Asians into one group rather than highlighting their

What should be done about Child Obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

What should be done about Child Obesity - Essay Example Use of BMI to evaluate obesity in children is more complicated as children are in the constant process of growing. Because children are changing rapidly, the link between adiposity, or â€Å"true fatness,† and the ratio of their weight to their height may be looser than that of adults. However, taking into account specific age and sex peculiarities BMI higher than 85 percent is likely to signify obesity in children (Anderson& Butcher, 2006). Other symptoms of obesity are difficulties with sleep, physical activity, unhealthy eating habits, and frequent fatigue. Caloric imbalance, when the quantity of the calories consumed is higher than the calories expended is primer cause of obesity, along with various genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors. Anderson & Butcher (2006) consider that children normally are very good at understanding their body; nevertheless, it is difficult for them to control the amount and quality of the products consumed. Among the other causes of extra pounds can be psychological defensive mechanisms, as in stressful emotional situations children are prone to eat more than usual concentrating on food with easy fats. Family behavioral eating patterns play the major role in gaining overweight as it is parents who decide which products to buy and which food to prepare. And of course, children have higher risk of turning overweight due to lack of activities (â€Å"Health Effects of Childhood Obesity†, 2010). Being overweight or obese in childhood has consequences for health in both the short term and the longer term. When the child is diagnosed with obesity it turns out that this health problem is complicated in treatment that is why prevention and early notice are crucial. Among immediate effects of extra pounds it is possible to distinguish higher risk of prediabetics, problems with bones, and psychological problems. Children with extra pounds have higher risk factors for cardiovascular

Meaning of life Essay Example for Free

Meaning of life Essay Aristotle’s account of motion can be found in the Physics. By motion, Aristotle (384-322 BCE) understands any kind of change. He defines motion as the actuality of a potentiality. Initially, Aristotle’s definition seems to involve a contradiction. However, commentators on the works of Aristotle, such as St. Thomas Aquinas, maintain that this is the only way to define motion. In order to adequately understand Aristotle’s definition of motion it is necessary to understand what he means by actuality and potentiality. Aristotle uses the words energeia and entelechiainterchangeably to describe a kind of action. A linguistic analysis shows that, by actuality, Aristotle means both energeia, which means being-at-work, and entelechia, which means being-at-an-end. These two words, although they have different meanings, function as synonyms in Aristotle’s scheme. For Aristotle, to be a thing in the world is to be at work, to belong to a particular species, to act for an end and to form material into enduring organized wholes. Actuality, for Aristotle, is therefore close in meaning to what it is to be alive, except it does not carry the implication of mortality. From the Middle Ages to modern times, commentators disagreed on the interpretation of Aristotle’s account of motion. An accurate rendering of Aristotle’s definition must include apparently inconsistent propositions: (a) that motion is rest, and (b) that a potentiality, which must be, if anything, a privation of actuality, is at the same time that actuality of which it is the lack. St. Thomas Aquinas was prepared to take these propositions seriously. St. Thomas observes that to say that something is in motion is just to say that it is both what it is already and something else that it is not yet. Accordingly, motion is the mode in which the future belongs to the present, it is the present absence of just those particular absent things which are about to be. St. Thomas thus resolves the apparent contradiction between potentiality and actuality in Aristotle’s definition of motion by arguing that in every motion actuality and potentiality are mixed or blended. St.Thomas’ interpretation of Aristotle’s definition of motion, however, is not free of difficulties. His interpretation seems to trivialize the meaning of entelechia. One implication of this interpretation is that whatever happens to be the case right now is an entelechia, as though something which is intrinsically unstable as the instantaneous position of an arrow in flight deserved to be described by the word which Aristotle everywhere else reserves for complex organized states which persist, which hold out in being against internal and external causes tending to destroy them. In the Metaphysics, however, Aristotle draws a distinction between two kinds of potentiality. On the one hand, there are latent or inactive potentialities. On the other hand, there are active or at-work potentialities. Accordingly, every motion is a complex whole, an enduring unity which organizes distinct parts. Things have being to the extent that they are or are part of determinate wholes, so that to be means to be something, and change has being because it always is or is part of some determinate potentiality, at work and manifest in the world as change.

Peculiar Institution Essay Example for Free

Peculiar Institution Essay On September 23, 1861 Mrs. E. A. Spaulding of Central Village Windham County wrote Abraham Lincoln about the Peculiar Institution or Slavery. She believed that until it â€Å"is abolished, civilization is impeded, humanity languishes and our boasted land of freedom is a practical lie. † Two prominent persons of the era, John C. Calhoun and James Henry Hammond, thought the contrary. Calhoun and Hammond were strong defenders of Slavery. In his Mudsill Speech of 1858, Hammond justified the use of slaves through the Mudsill theory. He said that in order for the upper class to be able to push the country forward, there had to be a lower class to support it. The lower class was needed to do the dirty job and the easy tasks. They were the ones with less intelligence and talent but had the energy, subservience and loyalty demanded by the job, referring to the Africans. In the North, the laborers were not paid enough. They had to work long hours and some ended up as beggars. There were many beggars in the North, but there were none in the South. The slaves in the South enjoyed lifetime employment and because they were well paid, they did not have to beg, did not go hungry, were never out of jobs and neither did they have to work more than what they can do in a day. The slaves in the South were Blacks. They were from a different and inferior race. In working for slave owners in the South, their life had greatly improved. They had simple desires, little ambitions and they wanted no more than those. Both owners and slaves had no conflicts to disturb the peace of their days. In the case of the North, their slaves were their own race. Hammond believed that such a situation can be humiliating for the slaves, though they are the majority. As this majority had voting rights, they were actually more powerful. With such power they can create the most trouble for their employers. In his Disquisition on Government, Calhoun disagreed with the Founding Father’s idea of the rights of individuals. He believed that it was not true that people were born free and equal. The condition of life of the Blacks, being the inferior, had been improved by Slavery. They had become civilized, and their moral, physical and intellectual circumstances had changed for the better. Historically, there was never a society where part of it did not depend on the efforts of the other. The living and working conditions of the South were much better than those in the North. The Southern slave owners took care of his slaves and their families and were not subjected to the constant and unsettling labor problems in the North. Calhoun’s strongest argument against the Abolitionists was that protection of domestic institutions was granted exclusively to the states. Since Slavery was a peculiar institution to the South, attempts by other states to abolish it was defiance of the Constitution. Pro Slavery advocates cited Biblical references to argue that slavery was allowed by the Lord and intended for it to continue. Exodus 21:5-6, the slave says â€Å"I love my wife, my master and my children, I will not go free. † †¦. nd that â€Å"he (slave) shall serve him (master) for life. In Ephesians 6:5, God instructs â€Å"Servants, obey your masters of this world with fear and respect, with simplicity of heart, as if obeying Christ. † In Genesis 9:26, Noah prayed to the Lord, â€Å"Blessed be Yahweh, God of Shem, let Canaan be his slave. † Titus 2:9 says â€Å"Teach slaves to be subject to their masters †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Colossians 3:22 instructs â€Å"Servants obey your masters in everything not only while they are present, to gain favor with them, but because you fear the Lord. In all these, the advocates believe that slavery did not go against the spiritual teachings. There were also economic considerations in the use of slaves to work in Southern plantations. They were the most cost-efficient, available laborers. Their owners realized big returns of investments that they were able to give their slaves decent and comfortable lives, by way of homes, clothing, medical care and assurance of a stable future. The slave and their owners had a paternalistic relationship where the latter took care of the slaves like family.

Perceptions of Anime in the West

Perceptions of Anime in the West CHAPTER 1 Definition Different words or terms used in this dissertation might not be clear for those who are not familiar with the anime community so I will briefly explain some of the essential terms which will be in the text. 1.1.1 Anime Anime pronounced ah-ne-may is an abbreviation of the word animation. It is used to refer all animation, but it turns out that outside of Japan it has been used to refer to all animation made in Japan (Napier, 2001). Over the years Japanese animation has developed a variety of genre and caters to consumers of all ages. These animations are not simply cartoons aimed to entertain children but also have more serious themes consisting of war, death or controversy (G.Hu, 2010). Anime when viewed shows very strong and clear indications of its Japanese roots (Napier, 2001). 1.1.2 Manga Manga pronounced mahn-ga with a hard g basically means comics in Japanese. Manga can be recognized by the stylized artwork budding from old Japanese art. Regular manga chapters would be in the same physical form of a comic book and because manga is written in Japanese, the comic books are read from right to left opposite to that of western comic books (Brenner, 2007). 1.1.3 Otaku Okada Toshio calls Otakus people with a [highly] evolved sense of sight'(LaMarre, 2009). Otakus are mentioned by Azuma (2001) in her book (originally in Japanese, later translated by Jonathan E. Abel) describing them as individuals who in majority are male in gender, and generally between the age of 18 to 40. Otakus consume, produce and collect Japanese manga and anime obsessively. Their hobby extends to fan merchandise of the anime or manga they watch. Otakus had increased in such a vast number over the years that Azuma (2001) in her book mentions that this has become a culture in Japan and this is not only limited to Japan but a strongly influenced popular culture around the globe. 1.1.4 Cosplay As anime took the world by storm Cosplay followed (Poulos, 2006). Poulos (2006) explained in his book that Cosplay is short for costume and play a hobby practiced by those who are fans of anime. The main meaning of cosplaying is to dress up as a character either from an anime or a manga they like and join a group of people with the same interests and pose for taking pictures also. Cosplaying is closely associated with the Japanese community who base their Cosplay on anime and manga. 1.1.5 Mecha Mecha is short for mechanical and in the context of Japanese popular culture, Mecha is one of the many genres in anime and manga (e.g. Gundam). Anything from an electric shaver to a huge mechanical robot with a pilot inside or even if its externally controlled, is mecha. (Poitras, 2001, p. 35) 1.1.6 Fansubs Generally speaking if a fan makes subtitles for a foreign film or programs it is referred to as a fansub. While looking at the term in a narrower definition it limits the practice to fan subtitling of anime (Leonard, 2005). They would often be subtitled by fans who watch the series and then uploaded to the internet thus making it available for everyone and an anime having no translated subtitles and is in its original form would be identified as raws. 1.1.7 Forum Forums are interactive discussion areas in real time on the internet. The word forums is used in its plural form because areas of it are divided into several topics. The reason its often compared to a bulletin board is that you can post content on forums like using thumbtacks on billboards. This process on forums is called posting (Summey, Dawson, 2006). Forums are in this case used by fans that are members of this specific internet site and share their opinions, talk about popular animes or the ones that was released in the past. They have daily updates and provide links to the latest and popular manga or anime. Members can create a profile with personal information and thus have a more personal interaction with users with the same interests, comment on their topics or create new topics (Schodt, 2007). Anime and manga Before proceeding forward it is also important to establish the connection between anime and manga. They both have a rich and distinct, visual story telling. Both world of anime and manga inspire one another and often create titles related to one another (Brenner, 2007). The connection of anime and manga is much closer to that then that between American comic books and animated cartoons. Almost all animes including T.V series that are aired on different channels or those available on dvds, Original Video Animations (OVA) and theatrical features are mostly based on the manga that is published (Patten, 2004). 1.1.9 ShÃ…?nen/ShÃ…?jo ShÃ…?nen and ShÃ…?jo both are terms used for anime and manga for either the male gender or the female. ShÃ…?nen can be used for those animes or mangas targeted towards teenage boys. For example most ShÃ…?nen mangas made by Osamu Tezuka were dark and in some places he drew scenes of cannibalism. On the other hand ShÃ…?jo the term used for those anime or manga targeted towards younger girls would usually contain feminine traits in them. There are also terms implied on older men and women. Seinen is used for men while Josei is used for women (Power, 2009). 1.3 Background of Anime One of the first Japanese animations or anime was known to have been screened in 1917. All the animes made during this period of time were made with same animation techniques that were used by the rest of the world. Stories were mostly fairytales of both western and Japanese origin mainly because artists were restricted from producing animes with any hint of propaganda and other sensitive issues (Poitras, 2001, p. 16). According to Hu (2010), Japanese animation or anime significantly evolved during the end of World War II. Drazen (2003) states in his book that animation genres soon after were controversial, depicting stories that would show hardships that people came across during the war. One example is an anime by Isao Takahata called Grave of the fireflies, a story based on two children who starved to death near the end of the war. The war made an impact on the initial genre and depicted war in the animations, and some of the changes were so drastic, to the extent that they would either be about fictional battles in Japan or a battle with connection to earth; sometimes maybe in a whole other universe but humans being one of the species in the stories (Drazen, 2003). After the 1940s even most of the domestic films were animated films based on mangas. In the 1950s anime started to evolve by adaptation which started with Toei Animation. Toei animation is a famous animation studio owned by Toei Co. Ltd and its headquarters established in Tokyo, Japan. They did not stick to the genre of military and battle for long, it was then in the 1960s when anime started to generate a vast popularity and various new genre were also introduced. A number of famous titles came to surface which catered to a large variety of age groups. Some famous titles during that time mentioned by Patten (2004, p. 76) are Lupin III, Speed racer and Yamato which are run on some channels even now (these titles are mentioned because they became well known in America simultaneously). Another anime mentioned by Drazen (2003) which made its historic debut was The Mighty Atom better known as Astroboy. This anime character was considered the Mickey Mouse of Japan, his name was atom but it was locally pronounced atomu. Though the 1970s were not very productive, they did make some good animes in the genre of Mecha. Amongst them one was Gatchaman (later changed to G-force when it was aired in America). Another anime premiered during this period was Gundam which again came under the genre of mecha this manga was new as it contained a lot newer elements, some of which included climatic robot battles or robots combing to form another machine (Poitras, 2001, p. 20). During the 1980s, was the time when anime bloomed into the world, which was known as the Golden Age of Anime. Famous Animes came to surface, which are considered to be some of the best animes of all time. There are a number of famous animes that could be mentioned but some of the more famous ones are Robotech. Patten (2004, p. 76) mentions in his book that the creators of Robotech Carl Macek and Jerry Beck of Harmony gold USA and Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd of Japan played a huge role in not only making a successful anime but also helped in the development of an even larger American audience. Famous animes such as Akira also played a key role in elevating anime in the world, with higher standards of storytelling and animation. This anime as Napier (2001) writes, had identity, structure, apocalypse a very good combination and these key ingredients enabled it to become number one at the box office in Japan. In fact the anime also beat the sci-fi hit Star Wars: Return of the Jedi duri ng the time. Later on in 1995, the anime Ghost in the shell was released and was called the true cyberpunk film. This anime was given full dedication as plans were to air on the big screen after completion. Released by the same studio as Akira, this helped maintain the companys reputation as well. In 1997 when Pokemon was released, it spread to the western states. Pokemon dominated the TV channels during the earlier years of the 21st century. Pokemon changed its name many time over the years and also gained japans second largest domestic box office for an animated film after the release of the new title Pokemon The Movie: Mew Vs. Mew-two. In the later years many other famous titles emerged such as Full metal Alchemist which became a fan favorite during its time. As well as other animated films, Princess Mononoke being one of them, is an adaptation of an old Japanese folk tale turned into an anime. Princess Mononoke made a huge impact in both Japan and America. This also motivated actress Minnie D river and actor Gillian Anderson to voice for characters in the English dubbing. Over the past years, anime has progressed radically, showing a very bright future for Japanese animation in the new century ahead as it creates a haven everywhere for its fans (Boyd Nishimura, 2004). 1.4 Impact of Japanese Animation Japanese animation has left a huge impact on those who have been exposed to it. Many agree with the fact that anime has affected them in a way which motivated them to change themselves. Some changes may include people taking up Japanese as a second language, take a liking to the Japanese cuisine, exploring a different culture and also meeting different people. Napier (2001) in her book looks at Japanese animation and how it has affected the west, America in particular. With the exposure of Japanese animation into America, there have been huge numbers of groups that have emerged. Japanese animations as mentioned before have a vast genre, which enables it to cater to a larger audience. Although Japanese Animations may have left some positive impacts on fans in America, some think otherwise. Jenkins (1992) mentions in his book about media fans and quotes: Fan is derived of the word Fanatic, which has its roots in the Latin word fanaticus. The word fanaticus as Jenkins (1992) wrote in his book was referring to the meaning off or belonging to the temple, a temple servant, a devotee. This lead to many negative implication of the word fan. The main message which Jenkins wanted to put through was contradicting Napier (2001) point of view. People were getting too absorbed. They say fans often become anti-social and absorbed. He also concluded that it sometimes may not be the case as some media fans that he refers to in his book as Textual poachers are fans who look at distinct dimensions and are often helpful in giving intellectual feed back to producers. There have also been many speculations whether Japanese animations have stolen ideas from America or not, some assumptions were made by viewing the themes of Japanese animations (Napier 2001). There may be some minor similarities or influence of Hollywood in Japanese anime, but if one views any Japanese animation it can easily be concluded that this not true. Japanese animations are very distinct and have strong Japanese elements such as, mannerism of characters, the narrative structure and social values. Making it irrelevant to think anime or Japanese animations may be a stolen form (Napier, 2001). CHAPTER 2 2.1 Anime in America During the 1940s anime was more focused towards younger audience, but thats what artists claimed, some of these were censored and often restricted because of propaganda. An example was like the anime Momotaro no Umiwashi released in 1943. Endearing animals were engaged in battle with fleets of battle ships with Americans, reason for this being restricted in some places was because this was a sensitive issue after the Pearl Harbor incident. The biggest indication that this was a propagandistic work was because this was funded by the Ministry of Navy. Such animations obviously did not help gain viewers; on the other hand, progress was made with the animation techniques. (Poitras, 2001). In the 1950s, anime managed to recover and prosper due to the fact that is was able to obtain capital and resources easily. It was then in the 1960s when anime as we know these days started to be released to the audience. One of the most famous manga artists Osumu Tezuka founded the studio Mishi Productions. They released their first animated title Aru Machikadono no Mongatari (Translated: The story of a Street Corner). ). Due to the advancement and the increase of television viewers the potential market of anime increased. It was in 1963 when Mishi Productions began airing its first TV anime Tetsuwan Atom and soon after it was broadcasted by NBC in America. It was redubbed and its title was changed to a more localized name which later on turned world famous AstroBoy (Poitras, 2001). Osamu Tezukas famous series Astro boy was released to the American audience around the same time as its introduction to its Japanese viewers (Clements McCarthy, 2006). Ladd Deneroff (2009) mentioned in their book, the term Anime Tsunami which fits what happened during these years of animes rise in America. Along with some other titles such as voltron and speed Racer. Anime started to emerge on an even larger scale during the period when Robotech was aired which was around the 1980s (Patten, 2004). Some may even say it was a stepping stone for anime in the Western market. It started off around the year of 1985 when it was aired as a TV series by Harmony Gold and ending up to be a huge success, they released more episodes with a total of 65 episodes (Clements McCarth, 2006). During this time anime was well on its way to being a huge part of the marketing decisions being made by the U.S, reason being the serious number of growth of fans. Some video store chains were known to supply r edubbed versions of anime because of the increasing number of viewers (Poitras, 2001). Demographics: Anime has catered to a diverse range of age groups. From 1963 to 1968 famous animes such as Astro boy and Speed Racer were genre of anime clearly targeted towards a younger audience, that was alongside the famous American made cartoon Transformers. The development of anime as an industry and as a fandom has been extraordinary, but it hasnt been smooth sailing. San Diegos Comic Con which was first held in 1970 starting off with just 300 people and in 2004 the number of people recorded were between 75,000 to 87,000. This goes to show the ever increasing fandom for anime (Brown, 2008). Susan J. Napier (2001) writes in her book that amongst the places in America that gave a surprise was an anime club in the University of Texas which had about 300 members. Not all the members were students, majority of the members were from outside the university and only 39.7 percent of those members were students. Austin, Texas was known for its high-tech industry and also for the majority of the locals who were engaged in computer programming. Thus the majority of the fans were engaged in anime very naturally because of their jobs. New York was not to far off, the Big Apple was known to have a large number of respondents as well. The platform anime is viewed on has changed drastically through the years by both technological and economical influences. Amongst the mediums it was television that started things off in the earlier years around the 1960s. In the later years as technology progressed and the arrival of home video players and Video Cassette Recorders (VCR) enabled producers to reach a whole new audience. Before these advancements the only mediums anime could be viewed on were theaters. It was then in the 1990s when the use of Satellite/cable was becoming more common. This was not only a way to reach a bigger audience but also cost effective for the studios which aired the shows, as only one copy of the show was required for it to be aired (Clements and McCarthy, 2006). During these years as the growth of anime had been phenomenal, so had the growth of fans. Conventions were taking place all over America, universities being the main locations for the events. More and more fans lead to more channels on television dedicated to anime. Adult Swim being one of those channels which aired some famous animes like, Schinchiro Watanabes Cowboy Bebop or Masashi Ikedas Inuyasha (Clements and McCarthy, 2006). The most effective source of anime which had a major role in the growth in anime fandom was The Internet. The internet allowed fans to have access to anime at their convenience, only a click away (Napier, 2001). Websites such as animetake ( http://www.animetake.com ) are typical websites which have almost everything an anime fan needs, from free anime fan subbed episodes to forums where they can converse with other anime fans. There were some problems which came to surface which concerned legal issues. An example is of subgroups, Brown (2001) mentioned in his book about anime being translated by anime fans for anime fans. This started off mainly because some genres that were favored by a minority and not subbed because they were not popular, mainly ShÃ…?jo (Genre aimed at teenage girls). Later on as many others started to fansub famous animes, the produces took this on as an advantage to see how the anime will fair in the American market. As this became a hot topic and discussions of the ethics of making fansubs were brought into question there were still those who may have wanted to profit from this, but there was a majority in groups of fansubbers who made clear their principle of not profiting from these copyright violation and making it available for fans at the same cost (Brown, 2001). There were often assumptions about fans being too absorbed into anime. Brown(2001) writes about people who make fansubs for other anime fans and also mentioning a couple who owned Tomodachi Anime Group based in America which is now obsolete, losting an estimate of 10,000 $ pursuing their passion. Does this make them fans or Fanatics? Jenkins (1992) who writes in his book about fans and questioning whether they are fans or fanatics? As some of these individuals practically lock themselves up in their basement and get out of sync with reality or become socially maladjusted. 2.2 Globalization and culture A survey conducted by Held and McGrew (2000: 3) declared that: no singe universally accepted definition of globalization exists. Kearney (1995) says it is social relations that form a connection with other areas across the world which cause changes in local areas because of the events taking place elsewhere and vice versa. Steger (2010) writes that globalization has been traced back in history but was only until recently the public realize the process of globalization. Throughout the years many definitions have been brought forward. One of them by Giddens (1990) defined globalization as As the intensification of the world-wide social relation, which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa (1990, p. 64) There are Scholars who believe consequences from globalization are complex forms of interaction and interdependency (Rantanen, 2005). Rantanen (2005) wrote in his book saying Thompson (1995) focused more on media and culture and also had similar views as Giddens (1990). Thompson (1995) mentioned Globalizationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦refers to the growing interconnections of different parts of the world, a process which gives rise to complex forms of interaction and interdependencies (1995, p. 149). Waters (1995) and Robertson (1992) were amongst those who would stress that globalization was experienced through the consciousness, which in other words meant people would experience globalization through their own awareness instead of social relations. Waters (1995) states that globalization is a social process in which the constraints of geography on social and cultural arrangements recede and in which people become increasingly aware that they are receding (1995, p. 3). Rantanen (2005) writes in his book that globalization according to theorists is not possible without Media and communication. Along with the progression of globalization the lives of many in Asia and North America have enhanced. Despite the assumptions by media theorists and scholars, universally there is no concrete explanation to define globalization. To conclude the term globalization, this term does not have any solid foundation, because it could mean otherwise depending on the environment. On the other had there are those who are skeptics like Hirst and Thompson (1999) who in their book write about how the possibilities of controlling international economy is hopeless. 2.2.1 Hetrogenization/Homogenization Many Scholars conclude that globalization may result either to heterogenization or homogenization. Mooney and Evans (2007) write in their book about homogenization, saying it basically means things becoming one. There are many environments that could be effected such as political, cultural practices, languages, consumer products, ideologies, media, and all forms of entertainment. There are many mediums and sources which made this possible, internet being one of the most effective. Many scholars who defined globalization would sometimes imply homogenization. Amongst those scholars one was Albrow (1990). In his work he came to the conclusion that the whole population of the world is incorporated as one massive society. Globalization Refers to all those processes by which the people of the world are incorporated into a single world society, global society (Albrow, 1990, p 45). Although Albrow (1990) defined globalization as being homogenized, but there are theorists who contested his vi ews. Lull (2000, p 233) differs that globalization would lead to heterogenization. He believes that no matter what medium it may be, even if its modern technology, with its efficiency to reach a mass audience, it in no way has influenced the population into becoming a single community and it never will (Rantanen, 2005). Rantanen (2005) mentions in his book, people amongst those who criticize heterogenization often object to the strength that is being given to the general public; disregarding the global medias economic power. Neglecting that the large media firms location is in the U.S. and lastly ignoring the fact that there is discrepancy in portions of the audiences access to the media. 2.3 Cultural Imperialism: Anheier and Isar (2007) argue that cultural imperialism is spread through powerful, influential countries that have a strong culture. Anheier and Isar (2007) refer to these areas as core of the world culture systems and then those countries that are poor and are less developed eventually end up absorbing from those that are core of the world culture system. Cultural imperialism is categorized as being homogeneous in the theory brought forward by the writers about cultural imperialism assumes this process as homogeneous. Reason being the mass audience who are exposed to these cultures accept and absorb the other culture of other countries which are mentioned in the book as the core of the world cultural system almost instinctively (Anheier and Isar, 2007). In support, Fejes (1981) assessment in which he, after evaluation of a specific area turned to the issue of media imperialism and its effects on cultures, saying it causes change to the third world countries cultures. From what Feje s (1981) mentioned, we can gather that the media worldwide which are owned by the dominant countries control what the audiences watch. All Shows, News, Advertisements aired by those media groups who dominate, drastically alters most cultural ideals of the third world countries by the output which is hugely generic to the dominant, may it be superiority economically (Tomlinson, 2001) or, as Anheier and Isar(2007) mentioned , those who are core of the Cultural system. Hesmondhalgh and Toynbee (2008) write in their book about the WTO (World Trade Organization) Treaty and taking out one of the 28 agreements from 1994 which was TRIPS (Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement). Some of the countries that were members had to eventually change laws or practices as it was necessary to follow the rules or principles of the organization. The agreement of TRIPS state these steps as necessary for artists in countries who wish to protect their work or their creativity from misuse. In compliance with TRIPS, some countries may have to make major changes in some of their countries polices. Hesmondhalgh and Toynbee (2008) state these developments can be taken as imperialism in the form of culture. However, Sparks (2007) debates aside from the fact that cultural imperialism is used for academic purposes but when it comes to politics, there are problems that arise. Pendakaur (1990, p 167) wrote about a group of workers and some small capitalists who had the aim to gain the national control of the Canadian cinema. On the other hand there were the eminent capitalists who were the current owners of the national theatre chains. They wanted to maintain their current standings and keep in control of their current position (Sparks, 2007). What Pendakaur explains what Sparks mentions in his book about those who are dominant. Though these dominant entities might want to gain control, the majority would desire to maintain the current environment as it is (Sparks, 2007). Then there is also the term reverse flow which Barker (1997) mentions in his book. Among the examples were about reggae music, ethnic food and clothing the acceptance of other cultures in the western countries and making a n impact on their culture (Barker, 1997). Chapter 3: Case Study To evaluate how anime or Japanese animations were perceived by the west specifically America we look at the Anime Robotech which in 1984 was called Macross. the Robotech phenomenon is a curious hybrid of Japanese animation and American ambition'(Clements and McCarthy, 2006). Released in 1985 by the studio Harmony Gold USA and Tatsunoko Production an animated film studio based in Tokyo, Japan. This anime was adapted from three separate Mecha Japanese animes namely Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeada, reasons being that inorder to be broadcasted they had to have a minimum of 65 episode , thus Harmony Gold formed a co-licensing agreement with these three animes. The brainchild behind the story of Robotech was the writer Carl Macek. Macek edited almost all of the content and changed the dialogue to get the anime tailored to the story of Robotech. The names of some of the characters in Robotech were also altered to appeal to the American and international audience, including the name of the protagonist who in America he was named Rick Hunter while in Japan he was called Hikaru Ichijo. The Basic storyline of the anime Robotech is based in the year 1999. A giant Alien Battle Cruiser crashes on earth which enables the entire human race to unite and work together in case a scenario where the aliens come to retrieve their ship should arise. Ten Years later, reconstruction of the battle spaceship now named the SDF-1 was still underway when the aliens named the Zentraedi invade earth to retrieve their ship. In an attempt to save earth, the SDF-1 fires the Spacefold Drive an untested weapon which transports them into deep space, there the prolonged battle against the Zentraedi takes place. Rick Hunter is the main character of the anime who has a complex relationship with two main female characters, the ships officer Lisa Hayes and a singer Lynn Minmay. Events lead to many tragedies and loss of many main characters (Clements and McCarthy, 2006). 15 years later Rick Hunter along with the SDF-3 carry on their voyage in space but the story changes with the Robotech masters saga as they set off in search of the world of Robotech masters. The Robotech masters on the other hand are well on their way towards earth, were they attack in search of their protoculture factory. The main character of the story is Dana Sterling who is the offspring of the first interspecies marriage. She along with her comrades try to save earth, but eventually a man on the opposing side having unclear motives destroys his own culture to save them (Clements and McCarthy, 2006). The story continues after this second Robotech war and before the third season. Aliens known as the Invid conquer earth but the inhabitants are too worn out from the battles to fight back. A generation later the main character named Scott Bernard with his reinforcements tries to liberate earth. All seems lost when eventually they manage to come into contact with Admiral Rick Hunter and with his space fleet, giving earth a ray of hope (Clements and McCarthy, 2006). Looking at Robotech and its penetration into America, Robotech as mention by Clements and McCarthy (2006) is an American and Japanese hybrid. Macross was brought to the U.S in 1984 then later on released as Robotech in 1985, the name was also changed to Robotech in the same year. Robotech was made from three purely Japanese animes namely Macros, Southern Cross, and Mospeada. These animes were co-licensed by Harmony Gold and then were completely re-edited. The stories and dialogues were completely changed by Carl Macek. There were subtle name change for some characters but there were also some dramatic changes to some of the other names, for example Miss Hayase was changed to Lisa Hayes and the name of the protagonist was also changed from Hikaru Ichijo to Rick Hunter, mainly to appeal to the American and international markets. All these changes made by Harmony Gold show clear signs of cultural imperialism. They took pure Japanese anime, completely changed the story by an American wri ter. There were often arguments about how anime after penetrating America started to spread the Japanese culture and colonize America. One of the reasons is, anime having strong Japanese cultural content. But looking at Robotech, how Harmony Gold took Japanese anime and made it their own, we can clearly see, that is not the case here (Lau, 2003). Another example can be of the famous Anime Mach Go Go Go, originally released in Japan and aired on American TV in 1967 as Speed Racer. It was considerably changed as the writer Peter Fernandez was given the job of toning down the Japanese version to an American version. They started off by changing the name to Speed Racer. They made a point to remove any type of violence or deaths of villains by making revolving stars around their heads to make it more humorous. They changed the names for the characters as well, changing the name of the protagonist Go Mifune to Speed (Clements and McCarthy, 2006). Ther

The Truth about Schizophrenia :: Biology Essays Research Papers

The Truth about Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that affects one in every one hundred people worldwide (2). It is defined as a psychotic disorder usually characterized by withdrawal from reality, illogical patterns of thinking, delusions, and hallucinations, and accompanied by various degrees of emotional, behavioral, and intellectual disturbances. There are numerous myths associated with schizophrenia, concerning what it is about, its causes, and the actions of those suffering from it. However, it is time to put these ideas to rest. There tend to be huge misconceptions concerning the causes of schizophrenia and the actions of those suffering from this disease. It should be known that this disease is not a form of demonic possession, nor is it caused by evil spirits or witchcraft. Although in Greek, schizophrenia translates as "split mind," it has been established that those diagnosed with the disease do not have split personalities (3). It is also a myth that people with schizophrenia are more likely to be violent. In general, people suffering from schizophrenia, as well as any other mental illness, are no more dangerous than healthy individuals (1). Though schizophrenics show a slightly elevated rate of crimes of violence, these are usually the ones who are not receiving proper treatment. Schizophrenia usually strikes people in their prime. Generally, men are affected between the ages of sixteen and twenty, whereas women are affected between the ages of twenty and thirty (1). Not only is schizophrenia an inherited disease, but is also considered to be genetically complex. Scientists say that an environmental "trigger" must be present as well to bring on the disease. Possible triggers include complications during the mother's pregnancy or delivery, in addition to prenatal exposure to virus, specifically in the fifth month in which most brain development occurs (1). It is believed that complications during pregnancy or delivery increase the threat of the disease, most likely due to damage of the developing brain. There are other factors at hand when determining the causes of a disease such as schizophrenia. In terms of biochemistry, sufferers of the disease appear to have what is referred to as a neurochemical imbalance. However, current medications for schizophrenia now target three different neurotransmitter systems; these being dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine (2). Another cause of schizophrenia is the type of blood flow to the brain. Schizophrenics tend to have difficulty "coordinating" activity between various areas of the brain.