Diversity in the United States Essay Example for Free

Diversity in the United States Essay Diversity in the United States Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Diversity is the concept of acceptance and respect upon every individual in relations to sexual category, ethnic and sexual coordination, and stage of development, bodily abilities and political beliefs. In United States there is synthesis of world’s abundant and varied religions, cultures and ethnic groups since it is a home to everybody and there is no group which can call itself the most American than the other. However, the merging of cultures here is so irreplaceable and so outstanding that citizens can be just as pleased and proud of their main cultural legacy as they are to be an American after all. The diversity in United States assemblage takes a moral look at what it means to be an American and scrutinizes the rich legacies that encompasses the entire nation. Any culture provides its specific and incomparable contribution to the current understanding in America and to the world generally. The issue of diversity in America not only provides a multitude of friendly portraits of heritage and culture, but records the fights of nationalities to incorporate into the sentimental society of America, and highlights the power and honesty of several cultural influential and socialites (Naylor, 1999, Naylor, 1997).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to the current state of immigration in United States, diversity has however reached nearly every state in America. William Ferry, a demographer has stated that â€Å"This is just a strange explosion of diversity all across the United States† and thinks that diversity and immigration are going hand in hand. Due to the high of immigration, the current statistics indicate that Education ranks increased in every state from 2000 to 2010. Generally, the part of adults with 25 years and older with at least a high school diploma or certificate raised from 80 percent to 90 percent. Those adults with at least a bachelor’s degree from any university or college raised from 40 percent to 55 percent. This change could even rise higher in the coming years as far as there are available jobs and the growth of economy still continue growing in order to hold the population. Furthermore, there are all categories of construction, food p rocessing, every kind of service jobs, the full scale, where primary agriculture is practiced (Naylor, 1997)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Immigrants have also enriched American communities by bringing characteristics of their instinctive cultures with them. However, many of the black Americans now celebrate both Christmas and other festivals drawn from African rituals. Hispanic Americans enjoy their backgrounds with street fairgrounds and other parties or events. There are many ethnic restaurants that proliferate in many American cities. For example, President John Kennedy, the grandson of Irish immigrants, commissioned up this intermingling of the old and the new when he titled America as a society of immigrants, which could hold any person irrespective of their culture, race, religion or political ideologies and everyone would began life fresh, on an equal basis. Therefore, this is the secret of United State as a nation of people with the fresh retention of old backgrounds who venture to walk around with new borderlines (Lind, 2010).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, apart from the benefits which have been brought by the immigrants in the United States, challenges have been there more so to the government on how to counter the growing population. Services in all fields need to be increased and improved that is in organizational centers, health centers and educational centers because among the immigrants there are disabled people or people with special needs and they all expect assistance from the government. The issue of ethnicity is still there among various groups of people and this has led to gender difference and reduced sexual orientation. The uniformity that is beyond our internal extents there is outward effects of life practices, plus the choices we decide in our lives also affect our chances, circumstances, and elevations and since these controls, outward extents of religion, maternal prominence, and presence may influence others to create conventions about the immigrants (Naylor 1999 ).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Therefore, diversity need to be fostered in all terms of climate of acceptance and cultural pluralism in the United States in the following ways. First, Asian, Hispanic, black, and American Indian kids require the same basic skills that we have low priorities that white children require. This is a recognizable point, but it is most forgotten idea when the subject of multiethnic education is raised. Second, they need a broad considerate of our form of government and its organizations because we live in a country in which we enjoy countless freedom, but we also live in a country in which people are extremely unconcerned. Third, we must teach our children the history of this United States and there are many sources where we can get that history. Finally, all American kids need a well understanding of the world in which we live, and this includes something of the history of other nations. They need a foundation in geography, which, if shown we ll, will also teach them why nations advanced as they did. Rivers, terrain and climate are all important to the improvement of culture and should be understood well (Naylor, 1997).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ways in which media perpetuate stereotyping and prejudice are relatively few. Erratically, there are studies within fields of journalism and mass communication that concentrate on stereotype and prejudice decline. One of the way is applying an audience-based tactic that openly teaches audiences how to be critical media consume while the other method is using message based method which enables the participants with all stereotypical news narratives that explain the existing cultural practices about various racial groups. The results of these two media-based methods on the accessibility of unfriendly and compassionate racial typecasts are considered to be having a great change. Finally every individual need to construct up prejudice like in other states such as Germany, china and Japan to improve our entrepreneurship. This may be called Ideology but we have to become one, not diverse and unlike (Lester, 2011, Lind, 2010). References Lester, P. M. (2011). Images That Injure: Pictorial Stereotypes in the Media, Third Edition. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. Lind, R. A. (2010). Race/gender/media: Considering diversity, across audiences, content, and producers. Boston: Allyn Bacon. Naylor, L. L. (1999). Problems and issues of diversity in the United States. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Bergin Garvey. Naylor, L. L. (1997). Cultural diversity in the United States. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Bergin Garvey. Source document

DeLone McLean IS success models

DeLone McLean IS success models DeLone McLean IS success models According to Grover(1996), there is no definition of IS success. Each group of stakeholders who assess IS success in an organization has a different definition. From a software developer’s perspective, a successful information system is completed on time and under budget, has a set of features consistent with specifications, and functions correctly. Users may find an information system successful if it improves their work satisfaction or work performance. From an organizational perspective, a successful information system contributes to the company’s profits or creates a competitive advantage. Furthermore, IS success also depends on the type of system that is evaluated (Seddon et al. 1999, p. 21). IS success had seen different definitions given by many authors. According to Bailey and Pearson (1983) IS success is defined as â€Å"Measuring and analyzing computer user satisfaction is motivated by management’s desire to improve the productivity of information systems.† Authors Goodhue and Thompson (1995, p. 213) had given definition to IS success as â€Å"†¦MIS success ultimately corresponds to what DeLone and McLean (1992) label individual impact or organizational impact. DM reviewed the literature published in 1981-1987 in seven publications to develop a taxonomy of IS success. This taxonomy was based upon Mason’s modification of the Shannon and Weaver model (C.E. Shannon Weaver 1949)ofcommunications which had identified three levels of information: the technical level (accuracy and efficiency of the system that produces it), the semantic level (its ability to transfer the intended message), and the effectiveness level (its impact on the receiver). M ason adapted this theory for IS and expanded the effectiveness level into three categories: receipt of information, influence on the recipient, and influence on the system (R.O. Mason 1978). DM identified categories for system success by mapping an aspect of IS success to each of Mason’s effectiveness levels. This analysis yielded six variables of IS success: System Quality, Information Quality, Use, User Satisfaction, Individual Impact, and Organizational Impact. System Quality was equivalent to the technical level of communication, while Information Quality was equivalent to the semantic level of communication. The other four variables mapped to Mason’s subcategories of the effectiveness level. Use related to Mason’s ‘‘receipt of information.’’ User Satisfaction and Individual Impact were associated with the ‘‘information’s influence on the recipient.’’ Organizational Impact was the ‘‘influ ence of the information on the system.’’ DM developed their initial taxonomy using established theories of communication adapted to IS. These theories suggested that the flow of information was linear; however, they suggested that for IS, these different measures of success were independent, but that there was interdependency among them. Fig. 1 shows the original model. DM suggested that researchers should use this model in a predictive manner, yet they cautioned that one must measure and/ or control each of the variables in the model to ensure a complete understanding of IS success. DM called upon others to validate their model .† In order to provide a more general and comprehensive definition of IS success that covers these different points of view, DeLone and McLean (1992) reviewed the existing definitions of IS success and their corresponding measures, classifying them into six major categories. They created a multidimensional measuring model with interdependencies between the different success categories. The original DM IS success model According to DeLone and McLean (1992), measurement of IS success is critical for understanding the value and efficacy of IS management actions and IS investments. One of the most important and popular works on IS success model is the DeLone and McLean model (DM IS success model). DeLone and McLean proposed in 1992 a taxonomy and an interactive model as the frameworks for conceptualizing IS success. Driven by the need of a process to understand IS and its impacts, they developed a multi-dimension integrated view of IS success model. DeLone and McLean (1992) comprehensively reviewed IS success measures and concluded with a model of interrelationships between six IS success variable categories: (1) system quality, (2) information quality, (3) IS use, (4) user satisfaction, (5) individual impact, and (6) organization impact (see Fig. 1). This model makes two important contributions to the understanding of IS success. First, it provides a scheme for categorizing the multitude of IS success measures which have been used in the research literature. Second, it suggests a model of temporal and causainterdependencies between the categories (McGill, Hobbs, Klobas, 2003; Seddon, 1997). Since 1992, a number of studies have undertaken empirical investigations of the multidimensional relationships among the measures of IS success. Seddon and Kiew (1994) tested part of the DeLone and McLean (1992) model using a structural equation model. They replaced â€Å"use† with â€Å"usefulness† and added a new variable called â€Å"user involvement,† and their results partially supported the DeLone and McLean (1992) model. The description and examples of measures for these six dimensions are: First, system quality denotes system performance like data accuracy, system efficiency, response time, etc. Second, information quality refers to the quality of the IS product, such as currency, relevance, reliability, and completeness. Third, use refers to the frequency an information system is used, examining items like the number of functions used, frequency of access, and amount of connect time. Fourth, user satisfaction records the satisfaction level as reported by system users, including overall satisfaction and satisfaction of interface, etc. Fifth, individual impact refers to measuring the impacts brough t about by the information system on individual users, such as changes in productivity, decision model, and decision making. Sixth, organizational impact requires the evaluation of the changes caused by the information system to the organization, such as decrease in operating cost, savings in labor costs, and growth in profits. This original model identified six interrelated dimensions of IS success. It suggested that the success can be represented by the system quality, the output information quality, consumption (use) of the output, the user’s response (user satisfaction), the effect of the IS on the behavior of the user (individual impact), and the effect of the IS on organizational performance organizational impact). This model provided a scheme for classifying the multitude of IS success measures and suggested the temporal and causal interdependencies between the six dimensions. Motivated by DeLone and McLean’s call for further development and validation of their model, many researchers have attempted to extend or respecify the original model. A number of researchers claim that the DM IS success model is incomplete. They suggest that more dimensions should be included in the model, or present alternative success. Other researchers focus on the application and validation of the model (Rai et al. 2002). Following the Seddon’s extension of Delone McLean IS success model in 1997 into partial behavioural model of IS use and IS process model for IS success, Garrity and Sanders (1998) further adapted the model taking into account the organisational and sociotechnical systems. The model was further extended by Molla and Licker (2001) to measure e-Commerce success. The New DM IS model Information systems (IS) success is one of the most researched topics in IS literature. De Loneand McLean (1992) become aware of the complex reality that surrounds the identification and definition of the IS success concept. They organize the large number of studies on IS success and present a comprehensive and integrative model. DeLone and McLean, in their study, identify six main dimensions for categorizing the different measures of IS success: system quality, information quality, use, user satisfaction, individual impact, and organizational impact. They develop an IS success model in which these categories are interrelated, shaping a process construct. Their model proposes that â€Å"system quality and information quality singularly and jointly affect both use and user satisfaction. Additionally, the amount of use can affect the degreeof user satisfaction as well as the reverse being true. Use and user satisfaction are direct antecedents of individual impact; and, lastly, this impact on individual performance should eventually have some organizational impact† (DeLone McLean, 1992) (Figure 2). DeLone and McLean (1992) state that their model is â€Å"an attempt to reflect the interdependent, process nature of IS success†, undertaking to describe the IS success concept and the causes for the success. According to Ballantin other researchers (1996) and Seddon (1997), DeLone and McLean’s work makes several important contributions to the understanding of IS success. First, it consolidates previous research. Second, it provides a scheme for classifying the different measures of IS success that have been proposed in the literature into six dimensions. Third, it suggests a model of temporal and causal interdependencies between the identified categories. Fourth, it makes the first moves to identify different stakeholder groups in the process. Fifth, it has been considered an appropriate base for further empirical and theoretical research. Sixth, it has met general acceptance in the IS community. In the years that followed, several researchers altered or extended the model, while others adapted it for specific applications, such as knowledge management or e-commerce (W.H. DeLone, E.R. McLean 2004) systems. Recognizing these potential improvements over their original model, DM acknowledged these modifications and revised their model accordingly (W.H. DeLone, E.R. McLean 2003). The updated model is shown in Fig. 2. DM also modified their model to address some limitations of the original model. A key addition in the updated model was the inclusion of Service Quality as an additional aspect of IS success (L.F. Pitt, R.T. Watson, C.B. Kavan 1995); it was added because the changing nature of IS required the need to assess service quality when evaluating IS success. DM also recommended assigning different weights to System Quality, Information Quality, and Service Quality depending on the context and application of the model. There has been an intense debate about whether system use is a good measure of IS success. Although some authors (P.B. Seddon 1997) have suggested that it is better to remove system use as an IS success variable, DeLone andMcLean argued that systemusewas an appropriate measure. They asserted that the source of the problem was a too simplistic definition of system use, and that researchers must consider the extent, nature, quality, and appropriateness of it. Simply measuring the amount of time a system is in use is not enough: informed and effective use is an important indication of IS success. The DeLone and McLean Information System Success model, published in 1992, supplies a general framework to measure information systems success through the analysis of six different but interdependent factors: â€Å"system quality† on a technical level, â€Å"information quality† on a semantic level and â€Å"use†, â€Å"user satisfaction†, â€Å"individual impacts† and â€Å"organization impacts† on an effectiveness level. All these factors relate each other both on a temporal and a causal model; in the temporal model we first find system quality and information quality, which characterize an information system when it is just created; in a second stage of this process come use and user satisfaction, which feed or restrain each other and that are strongly influenced by the first two factors; finally, both in a temporal and in a causal way, comes first the individual impact and then the organizational impact, which is not seen as a simple sum of individual impacts but as a complex network of consequences. The generic nature of each of these entities makes the framework suitable for a variety of different information systems and contexts. During the last decade hundreds of articles have been written to confirm or challenge the validity of DeLone and McLean conclusions; in 2003 a new article was written by the same two authors to refine the whole model by taking into account all the suggestions/critiques made to the original article. The primary purpose of the original 1992 DM IS success model was to synthesize previous researches on IS success into a more coherent body of knowledge and to provide guidance to future researchers (DeLone and McLean, 2003). The role of IS has changed and progressed during the last decade. Similarly, academic inquiry into the measurement of IS Although it may be more desirable to measure system benefits in terms of numeric costs (e.g cost savings, expanded markets, incremental additional sales, and time savings), such measures are often not possible because of intangible system impacts and intervening environmental variables that may influence the numbers (T. McGill, V. Hobbs 2003).Therefore, there has been little consensus on how net benefits should be measured objectively and thus they are usually measured by the perceptions of those who use the IS. Therefore, ‘‘perceived system benefits’’ or ‘‘perceived usefulness’’ has been adopted as an important surrogate of IS success (B.H. Wixom, H.J. Watson 2001) The right-hand side of the DeLone and McLean’s model, which assumed linear causality between system use, user satisfaction, individual impact, and organizational impact, has not been authenticated. Seddon contended that the model was too encompassing and introduced some confusion because it mixed process and causal explanation of IS success. He further argued that system use must precede impacts and benefits, but that it did not cause them. Accordingly, system use would be a behavior that reflects an expectation of system benefits from using an IS and thus would be a consequence of IS success, rather than a determinant of system net benefits. Some empirical surveys (M. Gelderman 1998) also found that the association between system use and system benefit was not statistically significant. System use is necessary but not sufficient to create system benefits. User satisfaction results from the feelings and attitudes from aggregating all the benefits that a person hopes to receive from interaction with the IS (B. Ives, M.H. Olson, J.J. Baroudi 1983). In fact, attitude cannot influence system benefits—on the contrary, perceived system benefits can influence user satisfaction. Therefore, individual impact and net benefits can cause user satisfaction (rather than vice versa). There has been an intense debate about whether system use is a good measure of IS success. Although some authors (P.B. Seddon 1997) have suggested that it is better to remove system use as an IS success variable, DeLone andMcLean argued that systemusewas an appropriate measure. They asserted that the source of the problem was a too simplistic definition of system use, and that researchers must consider the extent, nature, quality, and appropriateness of it. Simply measuring the amount of time a system is in use is not enough: informed and effective use is an important indication of IS success. Although it may be more desirable to measure system benefits in terms of numeric costs (e.g. cost savings, expanded markets, incremental additional sales, and time savings), such measures are often not possible because of intangible system impacts and intervening environmental variables that may influence the numbers (T. McGill, V. Hobbs 2003).Therefore, there has been little consensus on how net benefits should be measured objectively and thus they are usually measured by the perceptions of those who use the IS. Therefore, ‘‘perceived system benefits’’ or ‘‘perceived usefulness’’ has been adopted as an important surrogate of IS success (B.H. Wixom, H.J. Watson 2001) The right-hand side of the DeLone and McLean’s model, which assumed linear causality between system use, user satisfaction, individual impact, and organizational impact, has not been authenticated. Seddon contended that the model was too encompassing and introduced some confusion because it mixed process and causal explanation of IS success. He further argued that system use must precede impacts and benefits, but that it did not cause them. Accordingly, system use would be a behavior that reflects an expectation of system benefits from using an IS and thus would be a consequence of IS success, rather than a determinant of system net benefits. Some empirical surveys (M. Gelderman 1998) also found that the association between system use and system benefit was not statistically significant. System use is necessary but not sufficient to create system benefits. User satisfaction results from the feelings and attitudes from aggregating all the benefits that a person hopes to receive from interaction with the IS (B. Ives, M.H. Olson, J.J. Baroudi 1983). In fact, attitude cannot influence system benefits—on the contrary, perceived system benefits can influence user satisfaction. Therefore, individual impact and net benefits can cause user satisfaction (rather than vice versa). The measurement of IS success or effectiveness is critical to our understanding of the value and efficacy of IS management and investments (DeLone and McLean, 2003). They have striven to bring both awareness and structure to the â€Å"dependent variable†- IS success in IS research, and the result is the so-called updated DM IS success model (Figure 2). Their major contribution is proposing a taxonomy and an interactive model as frameworks for conceptualizing and operationalizing IS success for future researchers. In response to the progresses in IS applications, DeLone and McLean refined their original model and proposed an updated version in 2003. Service quality was added into the success model, and the individual impact and organizational impact were combined into a single variable named â€Å"net benefits† as shown in Figure 4. To catch up with the advancements of its applications, IS needs not only to provide users information products but also to meet users’. In addition, some researchers (J.J. Baroudi, M.H. Olson, B. Ives 1986) have suggested that user satisfaction causes system use rather than vice versa. Thus, the Delone and McLean’s assertion that system use causes user satisfaction seems to be merely a temporal rather than causal relationship. Many models based on that of DeLone and McLean have been presented. However, they often confuse the independent variable and dependent variables of IS success. ‘‘Technological support’’, ‘‘knowledge strategy or process’’, and ‘‘support and service’’ are three examples of suggested additions but these clearly cause success (rather than being part of it). The variables should be dependent; i.e. surrogate measures for success. DeLone and McLean suggested that the IS success model should include service quality for electronic commerce systems. DeLone McLean (2003) argue that Seddon’s (1997) reformulation of the DeLone McLean (1992) model into two partial variance models (i.e. IS success model and partial behavioural model of IS Use) unduly complicates the success model, and thus assert that System Use or Intention to Use is still an important measure of IS success. Given that Systems Use/Intention to Use is included in their updated IS success model, DeLone McLean (2003; 2004), however, did not attempt to reconcile their model with Seddon’s (1997) Perceived Usefulness measure and Davis’s (1989) Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) that explains system use behaviour. Thus, there is a need for research to combine the updated DM model with Seddon’s (1997) Perceived Usefulness construct and the IS acceptance/adoption literature to give it the richness in theoretical perspective that it presently lacks. While the updated DM model is a generic, comprehensive e-commerce systems success model, it suffer s from certain difficulties. First, the Net Benefit measure in the model is conceptually too broad to define. As DeLone McLean (2004) suggest, ‘The new net benefits construct immediately raises three issues that must be addressed: what qualifies as a benefit? for whom? and at what level of analysis’ Thus, when using the updated DM model, researchers need to clearly and carefully define the stakeholders and the context in which Net Benefits are to be measured (DeLone McLean, 2004). DeLone and McLean (2003) propose an updated IS success model (Fig. 2) and evaluate its usefulness in light of the dramatic changes in IS practice, especially the advent and explosive growth of ecommerce. They agree with Seddons premise that the combination of variance and process explanations of IS success in one model can be confusing, but argue that Seddons reformulation of the DeLone and McLean (1992) model into two partial variance models unduly complicates the success model, and defeats the intent of the original model. Based on prior studies, DeLone and McLean (2003) propose an updated model of IS success by adding a â€Å"service quality† measure as a new dimension of the IS success model, and by grouping all the â€Å"impact† measures into a single impact or benefit category called â€Å"net benefit.† DeLone McLean (2004) propose several e-commerce systems success measures identified in the management information systems (MIS) and marketing literature, t he nomological structure of the updated DM model is not fully consistent with the quality- value-satisfaction-loyalty chain in the marketing and consumer behavior. Thus, continued research is also required to reconcile the updated DM model with the marketing research literature. Although some researchers claim that service quality is merely a subset of the models systems quality, the changes in the role of IS over the last decade argue for a separate variable called the â€Å"service quality† dimension (DeLone McLean, 2003). On the other hand, while researchers have suggested several IS impact measures, such as individual, work group impacts, organizational impacts (DeLone McLean, 1992), interorganizational impacts, consumerimpacts, and societal impacts (Seddon, 1997), DeLone and McLean (2003) move in the opposite direction and group all of the impact measures into a single net benefits variable, to avoid complicating the model with more success measures. Given that system usage continues to be used as a dependent variable in a number of empirical studies, and takes on a new importance in Internet-based system success measurements, where system use is Voluntary, â€Å"system usage† and the alternative â€Å"intention to use† are still considered as Important measures of IS success in the updated DeLone and McLean model. References Seddon PB, Staples S, Patnayakuni R, Bowtell M (1999) Dimensions of information systems success. Communications of the AIS Grover V, Jeong SR, Segars AH (1996) Information systems effectiveness: the construct space and patters of application. Information Management 31(4):177-191 Goodhue DL, Thompson RL (1995) Task-technology fit and individual performance. MIS Quarterly 19(2):213 DeLone WH, McLean ER (1992) Information systems success: the quest for the dependent variable. Information Systems Research DeLone WH, McLean ER (2003) The DeLone and McLean model of information systems success: a ten-year update. Journal of Management Information Systems McGill, T., Hobbs, V., Klobas, J. (2003). User-developed applications and information systems success: A test of DeLone and McLeans model. Information resources Management Journal, R.O. Mason, Measuring information output: a communication systems approach, Information Management Seddon, P. B. Kiew, M.-Y. (1994). A partial test and development of the DeLone and McLean model of IS success. In J. I. De Gross, S. L. Huff, M. C. Munro (Eds.), Proceedings of the international conference on information systems Atlanta, GA: Association for Information Systems Rai, A., Lang, S.S. Welker, R.B. (2002) Assessing the validity of IS success models: an empirical test and theoretical analysis. Information Systems Research, Molla, A. Licker, P.S. (2001) E-commerce systems success: an attempt to extend and respecify the DeLone and McLean model of IS success. Journal of Electronic Commerce Research Taylor, S. and Todd, P. â€Å"Understanding information technology usage: a test of competing models,† Information Systems Research

How and why is masculinity in crisis?

How and why is masculinity in crisis? Discuss with reference to psychoanalytic theories of masculinity. It is widely argued that Western Societies are currently witnessing a crisis of masculinity. The status of masculinity is changing and this is partially due because the society is changing economically, socially and especially in relation to the position of women. These changes also affect the sphere of consumption and popular culture. I will examine at first how Freud places a great emphasis on the early relationship of the young boy. This relationship will have important consequences for development. According to Freud, this relationship is overshadowed by the oedipal conflict. Secondly I will go through Kleins theory about the relationship between the boy and the mother. Contrary to Freud, Melanie Klein emphasis the powerful maternal figure. After that I will explain how masculinity is shaped by social and cultural theories; how and why masculinity is changing. Masculine identity as it has been seen formerly within patriarchal cultures as evolved into a new male. The roots of a crisis in masculinity are analysed in social theories in terms of a conflict in gender roles. Cultural theories, which intersect with Lacans idea, are also important in how the crisis in masculinity has been studied. The rise of feminism has surely encouraged many men to question how they view women. Now that feminism has attacked the pat riarchal systems of power and control, masculinity has been left undermined and unsure. Finally I will give an overview on how masculinity is view between men. To evaluate how masculinity might be in crisis, it is first necessary to examine how psychoanalytical theories assume that boys gain their masculine identity; or in other words how they become men. Freuds ideas about masculinity developed in three steps. The first one is the idea of continuity between normal and neurotic mental life, the concepts of repression and the unconscious, and the method that allowed unconscious mental processes to be read through dreams, jokes, slips of the tongues and symptoms (Connell, 1995). Freud understood that adult sexuality and gender were not fixed by nature but were constructed through a long and conflict-ridden process. Freud places a great emphasis on the early relationships of the young boy with his parents or caregivers. It is the vicissitudes of these relationships that will have important consequences for development. In Freudian terms, this early relationship is overshadowed by the oedipal conflict. The Oedipus complex is characterized by th e desire for one parent and hatred for the other. For boys, the Oedipus complex is the rivalry with the father and terror of castration. Here Freud identified a formative moment in masculinity and pictured the dynamics of a formative relationship. Freud argued that homosexuality is not a simple gender switch and a large proportion of male inverts retain the mental quality of masculinity. The second step in Freuds analysis of masculinity is the development to gender. He goes further by saying that masculine and feminine currents coexist in everyone. In his final stage, Freud developed his account of the structure of personality, in particular the concept of the superego. The superego is formed in the aftermath of the Oedipus complex, by internalized prohibitions from the parents. Freud gradually came to see it as having a gendered character, being crucially a product of the childs relationship with the father, and more distinct in the case of boys and girls. This provided the germ of a theory of the patriarchal organization of culture, transmitted from one generation to the next through the construction of masculinity. The most important processes that occur in early life that influence the construction of the male identity is the oedipal complex. According to Greenson (1968), the idea of disidentification is divided into two processes: firstly a boy must sever the emotional ties he has with the primary caregiver, usually the mother, and secondly he needs to identify with a male role model, usually the father. The role of the father in the masculine identity is seen as crucial by psychoanalysts. Horrocks (1994) sees the role of fathering as an introduction to manhood. He also identify one of the most important functions of the father as to show the young boy that it is possible to live with the mother, to have conflict, fear and guilt. According to Horrocks, the modern damage male is seen as unfathered. The boys entry into his masculinity can only be achieved through his castration complex which sets in motion his separation from his mother and identification with his father. Freud (1925) explains the castration complex by a few stages. First, the young boy believes that everyone has a penis. Secondly, he discovers that women do not have penises and assumes that they have been mutilated. Thirdly, when he begins to masturbate, he is told that he will be castrated. Fourthly, when he finds that the breast has been removed, he believes that the penis will be next. The Oedipus complex is abolished by the fear of castration. In contrast to Freud, Melanie Klein argues that is envy of the mother rather than rivalry with the father that impedes psychic changes. The relationship between the boys and the mother has been left undeveloped by Freud. Disagreeing with Freud, about his account of oedipal feelings in relation to the father, she argues that the first signs appear in relation to the mother. In fact, according to Horrocks (1994) the young boy is surrounded by feminine presence throughout his early childhood, and it is important for him to break away and discover a world of men where he can gain his roots of male identity. The central paradox is that men want to escape from womanhood but there is also the desire to become close to a woman. For Klein, masculinity and femininity are biologically determined and reinforced during childhood in opposition to Freud who believes that bodies and minds are structured through patterns of cultural power. Klein assumes that the concept of the womb envy is an importa nt component in the male psyche. Minsky (1995) describes how the Kleinian point of view sees the development of male power as being rooted in the fear of the womb. Besides his envy of his mothers breasts, the young boy also becomes envious of her womb and the power it give to create life. According to Minsky (1995), the phallus saves men and provides a distraction from the womb envy. Kleins concept of womb-envy is important to understand male misogyny. Boys envious of their mother have to accept that they can never have breasts or a womb. Unconscious womb-envy helps to explain the opposition between nature (identified with women) and culture (identified with men). Men have to opt for culture because nature, in the sense of giving birth and feeding children from their own bodies, is simply unavailable to them (Minsky, 1996). Is the notion of a crisis in masculinity new, or it is just that each generation experiences it in different ways? The evidence has been suggesting the latter. As Mangan says Crisis isa condition of masculinity itself. Masculine gender identity is never stable; its terms are continually being re-defined and re-negotiated, the gender performance continually being re-staged. Certain themes and tropes inevitably re-appear with regularity, but each era experiences itself in different ways. (Mangan 1997:4). Cultural conceptions of masculinity and femininity vary between cultures and alter over historical time. Cultural theories, which intersect with Lacans ideas, are important in how the crisis in masculinity has been studied. According to Lacan, the phallus is the central signifier of the sexual difference. The principle of masculinity rests on the repression of feminine aspects and introduces conflict into the opposition of masculine and feminine. Faludi (2000) described the new male as objectified and subject of a sexist consumer culture. In addition, he believes that the mans secured attachments and relationships with the workplace are no longer powerful and exclusive as they were. Now that the rise of feminism has attacked the patriarchal systems of power and control, masculinity has been left undermined and unsure. Apparently, this rise has left men confused in the way they view women. Faludi strongly believes that this crisis in masculinity can be resolved if both women and men c an work together to combat it. There are a number of contributory factors to the so-called crisis in masculinity. I will be describing some of them. Maguire (1995) point out that mens crisis concerned their social role and identity. For her, these uncertainties manifest themselves in violence, increased levels of suicide and abusive behaviour towards them or others. Men are more likely to commit suicide than women. Suicide appears to be triggered by relationship problems, unemployment, drug and alcohol abuse, low self-esteem and mental illness. Many men remain bad at acknowledging and expressing feelings which left them trapped between the old-style macho and the new-man type behaviour requiring a man to be in touch with his feelings. Social research finds that men are choosing to remain living at home rather than move out on their own (Office of National Statistics, 2000). Whitehead (2002) found out that this evidence prove that men are failing to cope with the new challenges they are facing. Society is moving from a patriarchal culture, to give way to different masculinities. The rise of feminism, changing family patterns, social concerns about jobs contributed to these changes. The advent of post modernity has resulted in redundancy, constant job role changes and unemployment for men. According to Beynon (2001) men now suffer deep depression at the loss of the breadwinner role and the status that went with it. He claims that men are falling out of family life in greater numbers and may end up lonely. More men end up isolated socially and psychologically, finding it difficult to ask for help. At least 50% of marriage in UK result in divorce and as Beynon found out men is mostly responsible for marital breakdown. Nowadays, women have demonstrated that they can bring up children without men. Clare says that the rise in the number of single mothers suggests not merely that men are inadequate as partners and fathers, but they are simply redundant. Women are asserting that they can convince rear children on their own. They dont need men to father their childrenwomen can do without them in the workplace. Even more significantly, they can do without them in their beds. (Clare 2000:100). A significant number of fathers involved in divorce leave the family home and become non-resident. The visiting father is a shadowy, displaced figure trying to avoid becoming an ex-father, who stops but does not stay, who is no longer a man of the house, but a visitor who come and goes. (Clare 2000: 150-1). Women are seen to be living more successful and fulfilling lives, without relying on their partners. So, the loss of patriarchal authority and the equality in heterosexual relationship have left men disoriented. In other way, is the notion of a crisis in masculinity new, or it is just that each generation experiences it in different ways? The evidence has been suggesting the latter. As Mangan says Crisis isa condition of masculinity itself. Masculine gender identity is never stable; its terms are continually being re-defined and re-negotiated, the gender performance continually being re-staged. Certain themes and tropes inevitably re-appear with regularity, but each era experiences itself in different ways. (Mangan 1997:4).

The Egyptian Religion :: essays research papers

The Egyptian Religion The Egyptians had a very influential religion that can be analyzed using the five elements of religion. The characteristics of the Ancient Egyptian's religion can be divided into the five elements of religion: authority, faith, rituals, moral code, and concept of the deity. First, the authority of the Egyptian religion. The main authority of the Egyptian religion was the Pharaoh, he had divine right over the people and was considered a god. Also, he could change the religion any way he wanted, for example in the 14th century BC Akhenaton, the Pharaoh outlawed all gods but Aton, who was the sun god, and this became the first monotheistic religion in history, but it was short lived, for when he died the new Pharaoh overruled the law and restored the other gods. The Egyptians Sacred literature was the â€Å"Book of the Dead† which consisted of 42 â€Å"negative confessions† , spells and prayers. Here is a excerpts from the â€Å"Book of the Dead† 1. I have not acted sinfully toward me 2. I have not oppressed the members of my family 3. I have not done wrong instead of what is right 4. I have known no worthless folk (Encarta ‘96) Their were also what we would call "Priests" who sold the people "magical" items that they said would ensure the dead people a way into heaven. Therefore, the authority of the Egyptian religion was controlled heavily by the government. Second, the Egyptians Faith was an important characteristic of their religion. First, they believed that the Pharaoh was a god, and what he spoke became law. The Egyptians worshipped almost every form of life, the worshipped trees, water, animals, and even vegetables. The Egyptians also believed that a person had 2 souls, the ba and the ka, which left the body at death and then returned later to the body. The Egyptians believed that mummification make sure the ba and the ka would find the body when they returned to the body to transport it to the underworld. The Egyptians also believed that they were the ‘ cattle of the gods', and were controlled by them. They also believed that the gods owned all the land, so they sold all their crops at the temples. Furthermore, their idea of heaven was that it was in the milky way, that stood for a fertile Nile and where good crops grew every year. Their belief in a hell was that the soul was devoured by a savage animal called the ‘Devourer of Souls' and then thrown into a pit of fire. The Egyptians believed that what was placed

Sir Thomas More Essay example -- essays research papers

Thomas More In life, belief can be a very powerful thing, powerful enough to affect major choices. Believing is having faith in an idea, person, thing or religion. In Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons, Sir Thomas More made many important choices the were affected by a belief in the religious theory that the Pope is the "Vicar of God" (the descendant of St. Peter, and our only link to Christ.) Throughout Mores entire life he chose to be loyal this belief, even thought it cost him his life in 1535. More chose to go against the King's divorce of Catherine, and marry of Anne. He chose to not sign to oath for the act of Succession, and towards the end of the play More was put to the ultimate test in faith, choose to go against his belief or be executed. Sir Thomas More chose always to be against the King divorce to Catherine of Aragon. He shows this when Cardinal Woolsey summons him to attend a matter concerning the "Kings business". In their meeting the topic of the Kings re-marriage is what the Cardinal wanted to talk to More about, When Woolsey says "...that thing out there is at least fertile, Thomas". More shows that he is against the divorce by saying "But she's not his wife". More again shows his beliefs that a dispensation was given so that Henry could marry Catherine and Thomas knows that the Pope will not give a dispensation on a dispensation. More believes that the Pope should make the decision about the divorce. And More ...

An Ethical Issue in Human Behavioral Pharmacology

An ethical issue in human behavioral pharmacology is the methodological one. The control group is a control condition that scientist use to see whether the drug they are investigating is really causing an effect on a person or persons through the control group. The placebo control is when psycho-pharmacology is essential to determining the pharmacological drugs effect that arose from long ago, when placebo effects were being discovered. A lot of how a drug affects a person is really in their belief of how the drug they are taking will influence their over all. I believe if you tell yourself, I will get a high from this medication, the mind accepts this and you have programmed yourself to believe, I will and the person does. I also believe if we tell ourselves, â€Å"This isn't going to really help me, it will not. † There are the experiments of participants that are told they may or may not get the actual drug some do and some don’t. The double-blind method according to their beliefs and expectancies can certainly affect the results of the study. The person who administers the drug will have expectancies about the drug, the person receiving the drug will have their belief about the drug, the drug with its actual effect is still under drug research. the professionals are still so skeptical about so many drugs and their affects on people. So placebo controls are definitely needed to interact with groups of people and see whether or not the drug really is needed for a person, if it is really working for their situation of illness at hand. I think there has been so much medication given to people when really, they didn't even really need it at all. Once the drugs is into their system and they get hooked, that person's life is destroyed and sometimes I think it was so uncalled for. Placebo Controls is really needed so much more in our drug administration. It seems every time you look at a physician, it's a super list of med. We definitely need more placebo controls. I encourage this all the way. If not a proven fact a person really needs drugs, then not to dispense any at all, our world would be in such a better shape.

Pepsico Swot Analysis Essay

When making any investment decision, it is important for a potential investor to gain insight into the company. An evaluation of the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats will help the investor determine if the venture is worth going into (Nickels, McHugh & McHugh, 2010). It also provides details about the internal status of the business and the future growth to expect in the future. SWOT Analysis Conducting a SWOT analysis of PepsiCo will help the company determine where change is possible. If the company is at a turning point, an inventory of its strengths and weaknesses can reveal possibilities. The identified strengths can be built on and used to their full potential and makes can be made to reduce the weaknesses. Potential problems that need to be addressed or at least recognized are identified. It will help PepsiCo discover what it does well, could improve, whether they are making the most of the opportunities around them, and whether there are any changes in the market that may require changes in the business (Nickels et al., 2010). Strengths PepsiCo has a diverse product portfolio that includes foods, snacks, and beverages with annual revenue of over $66 billion. The PepsiCo brands such as Pepsi, Gatorade, Tropicana, Mountain Dew, Lay’s, Aquafina, Sierra Mist, Fritos, and Quaker stand for quality and are well recognized household names. These brands generate over $1 billion each in annual global sales revenue which gives PepsiCo an advantage over its competition that have limited product line (â€Å"Brands,† 2012). Lower sales in one product line because of unforeseeable circumstances can be offset with promoting sales from another product line. PepsiCo’s geographical footprint is another strength of the organization. It currently operates in more than 200 countries worldwide which provides PepsiCo with diverse income sources. In 2011, only 50% of the company’s revenue came from the United States but this did not impact PepsiCo’s overall revenue growth because of the company’s increasing revenue from other parts of the world like Asia, Russia, Europe, and Latin America (â€Å"The Power of PepsiCo,† 2012). Weaknesses With the diverse portfolio of PepsiCo, not all products produced by this  company bear it name and its holdings are still seen by the public as separate entities, not as parts of PepsiCo. Its branding is not obvious and not easily recognized and this is hurting the image of the company. One of its most popular brands, Gatorade, recently changed its name to multiple sub-brands such as â€Å"G Prime 01,† and â€Å"G Series Pro 03 Recover† (Edwards, 2011). PepsiCo is gradually losing its credibility because of its lack of stability in management. The company has a high turnover rate and in the last four years, 26 senior marketing managers have resigned and those that are still with PepsiCo have been moved from one brand to another or from one division to another (Edwards, 2012). The revenue of PepsiCo is over dependent on sales to Wal-Mart. In 2011, approximately 18% of PepsiCo’s North American net revenue was from sales to Wal-Mart (including Sam’s Club). As a result PepsiCo is highly influenced with the business strategies of Wal-Mart (â€Å"The Power of PepsiCo,† 2011). Opportunities PepsiCo is investing its resources by expanding its operation in emerging foreign markets like China and Russia and developing continents like Africa. With the company’s recent purchase of Wimm-Bill-Dann, a Russian food and beverage company with huge market shares in dairy and juice products, PepsiCo will expand greatly its presence in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and is expected to increase its annual sales revenue by $5 billion (â€Å"Pepsi Absorbs Wimm,† 2011). PepsiCo recently signed a partnership agreement with Theo Muller, a German dairy company to sell its dairy products in the US starting with yogurt. PepsiCo will also invest in research to create new dairy products for the US market. This is a great opportunity for PepsiCo to increase its future revenue because it is predicted that annual revenue of $9 billion will be generated by 2016 with nearly 100 million American households expected to buy yogurt products (Steinberg, 2012). Threats PepsiCo faces a strong competition from The Coca-Cola Company, its primary competitor in the carbonated beverage category. These two companies have  had a long history of rivalry since the 1800s with Coca-Cola has a leader for most of the period. PepsiCo recently lost its five-year partnership deal with Dunkin’ Brands to Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola products will now be offered in 7,000 Dunkin’ brands outlets instead of PepsiCo products. In January 2012, Dunkin’ Brands announced the plan to double their outlet stores to 14,000 over the next 20 years. This is a huge revenue loss for PepsiCo (Fisher, 2012). Also in 2010, Diet Coke overtook Pepsi to become the second largest soda brand in the Unites States behind Coke, moving Pepsi to third (Theodore, 2012). There has been a steady decline in carbonated drink sales for the past seven years in the US with total sales dropping one percent in 2011. Americans are now turning to healthier food and drinks like bottled waters to avoid the high sugar contents in soda (â€Å"Soda Sales Fall,† 2012). Even with the diverse portfolio of PepsiCo, this decline in sales of carbonated soda drinks will have a negative impact on its total revenue. United States federal, State, and local laws and other regulatory authority in foreign countries could have a negative impact on the sales and profitability of PepsiCo. PepsiCo’s marketing, manufacturing, and distribution of its products can be affected as a result of what the government dictates. Also Governmental agencies that exist where PepsiCo operates can impose new labeling, accounting standards, product requirement, marketing practices, and taxation requirement. In California, PepsiCo is required to post a warning label on any product sold that contains a substance that the state has found to cause cancer or birth defect. If this type of law is enacted in other states or foreign countries, it would affect the sales of PepsiCo products (â€Å"The Power of PepsiCo,† 2011). Investor Analysis As a result of the SWOT analysis, investing in PepsiCo would yield a positive return on investment. The analysis shows a strong company with increase in earnings for the past five years. PepsiCo’s increasing presence in developing countries is most relevant in the decision to invest. With nearly 72% of the world’s processed food consumption in 2050 predicted to be  happening in developing countries because of increase in population, this will give PepsiCo a competitive edge. Internal and External Stakeholders The success or failure of PepsiCo is determined by how the wants and needs of its internal and external stakeholders are met. The internal stakeholders of PepsiCo are associates, shareholders, and board of directors. The external stakeholders of PepsiCo are consumers, local and foreign communities, retail and food service customers, partners, suppliers, and competitors. PepsiCo meets the needs of its associates by providing a supportive and empowering workplace. The company helps its employees to succeed by helping them develop the skills needed to increase the growth of the company (â€Å"Talent Sustainability,† 2012). The need of the shareholders of PepsiCo is met by striving to deliver top of the line financial performance and providing a high return on their investment (â€Å"Performance,† 2012). In 2011, the dividends paid to PepsiCo’s shareholders was six percent higher than 2010 ((â€Å"The Power of PepsiCo,† 2011). PepsiCo provides its consumers with a diverse list of products that delivers affordability and great taste. The company has recently begun offering consumers a wide range of healthy foods and beverages. Current products are constantly been improved and new products created to meet the changing needs of consumers (â€Å"Stakeholders Engagement,† 2012). Local jobs are created in the developing countries that PepsiCo operates in. PepsiCo provides support for education through PepsiCo Foundation grants. The company is working to protect the water resources they have used in India and working with nonprofit organizations to promote sustainable agricultural practices (â€Å"Stakeholders Engagement’† 2012). Products are delivered directly to retail and food service customers such as grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, and vending machines. PepsiCo  also assist these stakeholders with marketing services that contributes to the customers’ growth and profit (â€Å"Stakeholders Engagement,† 2012). Conclusion A company’s strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats must be analyzed to determine the potential of the return on investment. Even with its weaknesses, PepsiCo is a strong company with earnings growth over the past five years, and has enough cash on hand to maintain its operation. With the new initiatives that PepsiCo is working on, such as expanding its market into developing countries and providing healthier options to its consumers, the company will be able to meet the needs of its stakeholders. References Brands. (2012) Retrieved from http://www.pepsico.com/Brands.html Diet Mountain Dew, Brisk and Starbucks Ready-T0-Drink Beverages Grow to the Billion-Dollar Brands for PepsiCo. (2012, January 26) Retrieved from http://seekingalpha.com/news-article/2139612-diet-mountain-dew-brisk-and-starbucks-ready-to-drink-beverages-grow-to-be-billion-dollar-brands-for-pepsico Edwards, J. (2011, June 22). Pepsi Just Can’t Stop Pulling the Tab After Shaking Up Management. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-42749107/pepsi-just-cant-stop-pulling-the-tab-after-shaking-up-management/ Edwards, J. (2012, May 10). How Pepsi Management Shuffles Led To Sales Collapse. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/how-pepsis-management-shuffles-led-to-sales-collapse-2012-5?op=1 Fisher, B. (2012, June 12). Pepsi loses Dunkin, Eyes Emerging Markets. Retrieved from http://beta.fool.com/bobbyfisher/2012/06/12/pepsi-loses-dunkin-eyes-emerging-markets/5599/?logvisit=y&source=eptcnnlnk0000001 Nickels, W. G., McHugh, J. M., & McHugh, S. M. (2010). Understanding Business (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Pepsi Absorbs Wimm-Bill-Dann. (2011) Retrieved from http://rt.com/business/news/pepsi-absorbs-wimm-bill-dann-333/ Performance. (2012) Retrieved from http://www.pepsico.com/Purpose/Performance-with-Purpose.html Stakeholder Engagement. (2012) Retrieved from http://www.pepsico.com/Purpose/Overview/Stakeholder-Engagement.html Steinberg, J. (2012, July 11). PepsiCo Expanding Its American Portfolio With Dairy Products. Retrieved from http://seekingalpha.com/article/714491-pepsico-expanding-its-american-portfolio-with-dairy-products Talent Sustainability. (2012) Retrieved from http://www.pepsico.com/Purpose/Talent-Sustainability.html The Power of PepsiCo – 2011 Annual Report. (2011) Retrieved from http://www.pepsico.com/annual11/downloads/pep_ar11_2011_annual_report.pdf Theodore, S. (2012, August 13). Diet Coke Enters A New Decade: The Carbonated Soft Drink Brand Has Come A Long Way. Retrieved from http://www.mintel.com/blog/diet-coke-enters-new-decade-carbonated-soft-drink-brand-has-come-long-way Tomlinson, S. (2012, March 3). Soda Sales Fall Faster As Americans Turn To Healthier Options. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2118291/Soda-sales-fall-faster-Americans-turn-healthier-options.html