Sunday, August 23, 2020

Blood Diamonds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Blood Diamonds - Essay Example Jewels are generally connected with excitement, love and luxuriousness yet the disclosure that they were financing clashes in Sierra Leone, The Congo, Liberia and Angola took the ‘shine off the stone.’ â€Å"In some African nations, for example, the Democratic Republic of Congo a huge number of regular folks have over the previous years been murdered or tormented and millions have been displaced† (International Secretariat, 2006). Many came to understand that they not just financed destruction and different demonstrations of indecent barbarism by buying a precious stone but on the other hand were wearing and parading this image of human affliction. The fundamental wellspring of this horrendous disclosure to the world network was last year’s film ‘Blood Diamond’ which endeavored to make the majority aware of the outrages happening in Africa. Up to that point, this circumstance was generally disregarded by Western governments and news media. In o ne scene of the film, the character Maddy Bowen witnesses a monstrous outcast camp that contains in excess of a million uprooted, neediness stricken, edgy individuals and says â€Å"we’ll just get a brief look at it in CNN, somewhere close to Sports and Weather† (Zwick, 2006). Agitator volunteer armies bargain in the illicit precious stone exchange for some reasons. The most clear is that diamond’s worth to-weight proportion is extremely high which takes into consideration incredible measures of money to be effortlessly shipped. Jewels are mined with low-profile, simple apparatuses and in different areas, a significant number of which are remote making it everything except difficult to enough watch. Furthermore, deciding the wellspring of individual jewels is massively problematical in spite of the fact that endeavors have been made in this regard, for example, the Angolan government giving carefully designed ‘certificates of origin.’

Friday, August 21, 2020

Final paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Last - Research Paper Example Despite the fact that the law implementation authorities have attempted their best to present exacting guidelines and standards however the crime percentage in this specific city is viewed as multiple times higher in contrast with national normal according to 2005 insights. As indicated by CQ Press’s City Crime Rankings, Indianapolis was appraised 33rd as the most hazardous city. The pace of wrongdoing has expanded significantly in this city and there are around 52.2 per 100,000 coercive assaults occurring in the city. This examination would not just arrangement with the manslaughter cases that are predominant in Indianapolis yet would likewise feature other criminal cases which is occurring in the popular city. The significant point of this examination study is to layout certain strategies which would forestall such criminal examples that are abusing the general condition of Indianapolis. This examination would be led from the point of view of a criminologist serving for the Task Force which has been surrounded by the Mayor of the city in order to lessen the pace of viciousness saw by the city. Then again the exploration study will likewise uncover the potential reasons for the brutality and the pattern of viciousness in order to detail proper strategies for savagery decrease. The investigation would include a basic examination of the expanding pattern of brutality in Indianapolis. The examination point and goals structure the premise on which the whole investigation is directed. This investigation would be founded on social examination of the expanding brutality which is occurring in Indianapolis. The significant point of the examination is to break down the different types of violations happening in the city and to present approaches so as to lessen the pace of savagery. The targets of the exploration study are: The examination question for the investigation would be †â€Å"what are the potential causes behind such rising criminal cases in Indianapolis and what can be the most proper strategies so as to diminish such

Monday, July 6, 2020

Drones and Its Impact - Free Essay Example

The idea of utilizing unmanned lethal technology in warfare has been heavily debated for a number of reasons. As the newest way of fighting, drone warfare currently has little legal restrictions that dictate what a government can or cannot order their soldiers to do (Thompson). One of the most prominent debates revolves around the psychological effects drone warfare has. Drone warfare not only has a negative psychological effect on the drone pilots, it also holds a psychological impact on the everyday citizen who becomes witness to these drones (Owen). In order to determine the ethics of drone warfare, governments must also consider the psychological damages that this new technology can bring. If governments wish to incorporate drone warfare, they should also implement ways to control the psychological impacts this technology holds. Despite drone warfare being considered new technology, many researchers have already conducted studies in regards to the psychological impacts. First of all, even the support personnel of the drone pilots, who do not kill the people they see on their screens, are psychologically affected by drone warfare (Otto). In theory, this should be a relatively easy task. They would not suffer from killing someone and they are still providing valuable information for the military. However, what should happen in theory does not. Though they are not killing anyone, these support personnel are forced to watch some of the most terrible things that can be done to another human being (Otto). In a survey conducted by the Air Force, they found that almost one in five of every drone operator has been witness to a rape in this year alone (Otto). For some, they have witnessed more than 100 different cases of a person being raped or killed (Otto). These factors lead to these support personnel having a grea ter chance of being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (Thompson). In comparison to the 2.1% of non-intelligence support personnel who get PTSD, 2.5% of intelligence support personnel are clinically diagnosed with PTSD (Thompson). Despite this happening, the drone operators have no choice but to continue watching what is happening (Otto). As their job, it is their duty to keep watching as they continue to watch out for threats (Otto).   Next, drone warfare has lead to built up stress in the pilots. Despite working in the safety of a building, these pilots experience the same amount of stress that a regular soldier would. With only what they see on the screen as their guide, these pilots must determine whether they are attacking a group of terrorists or a group of innocents. After doing so, they are expected to return home unaffected by their previous actions. When the Air Force conducted the PCL-M, the militarys test and evaluation for PTSD, they found that 1.6% of RPA operators experience a form of PTSD that could be considered an existential conflict (Chappelle). Because of all the guilt that is brought forth by their actions, drone pilots are much more susceptible to getting what is considered moral injuries (Chappelle). Those who get moral injuries have feelings of guilt, shame, anxiety, loss of self-worth, existential and spiritual issues, and questionings about their morality (Chappelle). These feelings end up bringing about devastating consequences. Similar to Vietnam War veterans, drone pilots also exhibit patterns in regards to emotional distress that is associated with their killings (Prince). With a higher frequency in killings, drone pilots become more susceptible to thoughts of suicide by two times in comparison to pilots that are considered to kill a moderate amount of people (Prince).   Not only can drone warfare cause post-traumatic stress disorder, it can also lead to mental fatigue. Chappelle, a psychologist specializing in military personnel, conducted a number of studies utilizing the Fatigue Scale, Fatigue Assessment Scale, Checklist Individual Strength Concentration Subscale, the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Energy and Fatigue Subscale, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory Emotional Exhaustion Subscale in order to measure the fatigue experienced by drone operators. The tests showed that 53.6% of crew members in charge of artificial intelligence in warfare met the criteria for shift work sleep disorder (Chappelle). Shift work sleep disorder causes difficulties adjusting to a different sleep/wake schedule, which results in significant issues with falling asleep, staying asleep, and sleeping when desire (Chappelle). Not to mention, 51.5% of the tested drone operators were found to be above the cut-off of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale which me asures how sleepy a person is during the daytime (Tvarynas). This fatigue leads to a higher possibility of work burnout. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey conducted four different studies in order to measure the possibility of job burnout in drone operators (Tvarynas). Three aspects of occupational burnout are explored with the MBI-GSs: cynical behavior, emotional exhaustion, and productiveness (Tvarynas). In these three studies, the survey found that of the drone pilots, 14-33% experience emotional exhaustion, 7-17% suffer from cynicism, 0-6% are below the diagnosed cut-off for occupational productiveness (Tvarynas).   Another psychological aspect that should be considered when determined the ethics of artificial intelligence in warfare is the effects on the innocents caught in the crossfires of combat engaged by drones. In countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan, citizens are becoming increasingly familiarized with the sound of a drone flying above (Owen). Using artificial intelligence to fight wars has brought up a considerable issue: artificial intelligence is unable to differentiate between enemies and innocents (Owen). These drones hover above the villages, infringing on their right to privacy and bringing with them a source of fear and lethality (Owen). In a study led by Stanford University and New York University researchers called Living Under Drones, citizens of the region of Waziristan confessed to living in constant fear of the buzzing above their heads (Owen). When hearing the drones in the sky, some of these citizens were prone to anxiety attacks and the majority of them suff ered from insomnia (Owen). This constant fear disrupts their previous daily lives as well. Nearly all Waziristan children do not go to school and previous daily activities are avoided unless direly needed (Owen). There are a number of variables that could have affected the results observed for the psychological effects of drone warfare. First of all, the number of available studies on this topic is incredibly limited. Drone operators are not permitted to reveal any information of their occupation unless they are revealing the details to someone with adequate security clearances. Thus, most studies are only conducted after being requested by the Air Force and still then the Air Force is in charge of the researchers, often employing the same researchers consecutively. Also, all the current available research concentrates only on a single person, instead of the group as a whole. Following the whole operations team in charge of drone warfare could provide a more clear understanding of how these psychological effects develop. Last of all, one limitation could be the language barrier between different countries. Other nations may have done studies on the topic, but these studies were not made avail able to this report in the form of English-language journals. Despite the strategic advantages unmanned weaponry may bring, governments must take into consideration how this technology mentally affects not only the innocents caught in the warzone, but their own military personnel. Countries should begin to take action to create new policies that address the limits of using drones to prevent collateral casualties that lead to anxiety amongst the innocents. They should also ensure that the psychological needs of their soldiers are tended to, such as in the form increased accessibility of psychologists.   Work Cited Chappelle, W., Goodman, T., Reardon, L., Thompson, W. (2014). An analysis of posttraumatic stress symptoms in United States Air Force drone operators. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 28, 480-487. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.05.003. Chappelle, W., McDonald, K., Prince, L., Goodman, T., Ray-Sannerud, B. N., Thompson, W. (2014a). Assessment of occupational burnout in United States Air Force Predator/Reaper drone operators. Military Psychology, 26(5-6):376-385. doi: 10.1037/mil0000046. Chappelle, W. L., McDonald, K. D., Prince, L., Goodman, T., Ray-Sannerud, B. N., Thompson, W. (2014b). Symptoms of psychological distress and post-traumatic stress disorder in United States Air Force drone operators. Military Medicine, 179(8S), 63-70. doi:10.7205/MILMED-D-13-00501. Chappelle, W., McDonald, K., Thompson, B., Swearengen, J. (2012). Prevalence of high emotional distress, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in U. S. Air Force active duty remotely piloted aircraft operators (2010 USAFSAM survey results). Technical report, USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks City-Base, Texas, December 2012. Chappelle, W., Prince, L., Goodman, T., Thompson, W., Cowper, S., Ray-Sannerud, B. (2014c). Occupational health screening of the virtual warrior: Distributed common ground system intelligence operators compared with non-combatant support personnel. Technical report, USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks City-Base, Texas, February 2014. https://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecordmetadataPrefix=htmlidentifier=ADA60 Chappelle, W., Salinas, A., McDonald, K. (2011). Psychological health screening of USAF remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) operators and supporting units. Symposium on Mental Health and Well-Being Across the Military Spectrum, Bergen, Norway, 12 April 2011. https://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a582856.pdf Chappelle, W., Swearingen, J., Goodman, T., Cowper, S., Prince, L., Thompson, W. (2014). Occupational health screenings of US Air Force remotely piloted aircraft (Drone) operators. Technical report, USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks City-Base, Texas, April 2014. https://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecordmetadataPrefix=htmlidentifier=ADA60 Otto, J. L., Webber, B.J. (2013). Mental health diagnoses and counseling among pilots of remotely piloted aircraft in the United States Air Force. MSMR,20(3), 3-8. Ouma, J. A., Chappelle, W. L., Salinas, A. (2011). Facets of occupational burnout among US Air Force active duty and National Guard/Reserve MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper operators. Technical report, USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks City-Base, Texas, June 2011. https://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecordmetadataPrefix=htmlidentifier=ADA54 Owen, Taylor. Drones Dont Just Kill. Their Psychological Effects are Creating Enemies. The Globe and Mail. 8 April 2018. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/drones-dont-just-kill-their-psychological-effects-are-creating-enemies/article9707992/ Prince, L., Chappelle, W., McDonald, K., Goodman, T. (2012). Main sources of occupational stress and symptoms of burnout, clinical distress, and post-traumatic stress among Distributed Common Ground System intelligence exploitation operators (2011 USAFSAM survey results). Technical report, USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks City-Base, Texas, September 2012. https://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecordmetadataPrefix=htmlidentifier=ADA57 Prince, L., Chappelle, W.L., McDonald, K.D., Goodman, T., Cowper, S., Thompson, W. (2015). Reassessment of psychological distress and post-traumatic stress disorder in SR of military drone operators. United States Air Force distributed common ground system operators. Military Medicine,180(3S), 171-178. doi:10.7205/MILMED-D-14-00397. Thompson, W. T., Lopez, N., Hickey, P., DaLuz, C., Caldwell, J. L., Tvaryanas, A. P. (2006). Effects of shift work and sustained operations: Operator performance in remotely piloted aircraft (OP-REPAIR). Technical Report, Air Force Research Laboratory, Brooks City-Base, Texas, January 2006. https://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecordmetadataPrefix=htmlidentifier=ADA44 3145 Tvaryanas, A. P., MacPherson, G.D. (2009). Fatigue in pilots of remotely piloted aircraft before and after shift work adjustment. Aviation, Space, Environmental Medicine,80(5), 454-461. doi:10.3357/ASEM.2455.2009 Tvaryanas, A. P., Thompson, W. T. (2006). Fatigue in military aviation shift workers: Survey results for selected occupational groups. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 77(11), 1166-1170.

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Essay on The Corruption of the American Dream in The Great...

On April 10, 1925 F. Scott Fitzgerald published The Great Gatsby, a novel that would later become one of the best known pieces of classic literature in history. However, at the time of its publication, Gatsby was fairly unpopular ad the reviews were never consistent. As shocking as it may seem, I believe it is because Fitzgerald’s intelligence and creativity levels were way ahead of his time, which is evident when one pays close attention to the themes of the novel. Forgiveness, love, and memory of the past are just a few themes you will come across in this story. Aside from these, there is one other theme that is much more dominant and could possibly have been the cause of The Great Gatsby’s slight lack of initial†¦show more content†¦If you were, or are, one of those who feel this way you believe that if one does not own the fanciest clothes, the fastest cars, or the most extravagant house then they simply are not living the American dream. This materialistic aspect completely disregards happiness, family, and moral values. It is also the aspect that Fitzgerald seems to focus on the most with The Great Gatsby. In the novel, the main character, Jay Gatsby is most definitely living the American dream in the sense of materialism. He was never seen wearing less than the best of suits, and even seeing his shirts drove his love interest, Daisy to tears. â€Å"They’re such beautiful shirts†¦I’ve never seen such beautiful shirts† (Fitzgerald, p. 98). His mansion was described as looking like the World’s fair when he was throwing one of his thrilling parties. Although the only information Fitzgerald gives us about Gatsby’s car is that it was a Rolls Royce (pg. 35), that is enough to tell us he was not lacking in the â€Å"fastest cars† area. As for the fundamentally based ideas of the American dream, Jay Gatsby has only a few of them covered. He is certainly wealthy and prosperous. And if the fact t hat he can host a party, have the entire town attend, and repeat every weekend without ever showing his face does not scream â€Å"high social status†, I don’t know what does! The part of this fundamental aspect that Mr. Gatsby is lacking is a family and happiness.Show MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby : The Corruption Of The American Dream1771 Words   |  8 PagesThe Great Gatsby: The Corruption of the American Dream The Great Gatsby may appear as a novel containing dramatic, twisted relationships; however, the main theme has to do with the culture of the 1920s, and how it leads to the downfall of the American Dream. The 1920s were an age of change: politically and socially. The nation’s wealth nearly doubled, leading many Americans into a prosperous society, while others experienced extreme poverty (The Roaring). People began performing, women wore flapperRead MoreThe Corruption of the American Dream in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby1345 Words   |  6 PagesFitzgerald portrays the American Dream, originally a set of goals that included freedom, settlement, and an honest life with the possibility of upward social and economic mobility earned through hard work, as corrupted and debased by the egotistic materialism of the 1920s, an era which Fitzgerald characterizes chiefly by its greed and lavish hedonism, in his celebrated novel The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald, in The Great Gatsby, s eeks to discredit the supposed purity of the American Dream and belief that anyoneRead MoreThe Great Gatsby Displaying the Corruption of the American Dream742 Words   |  3 PagesThe Great Gatsby: The Corruption of the American Dream In the 1920’s many people left their countries to come to America seeking for the American dream. The American Dream meant being successful and happy. Many people started to learn that they couldn’t find that happiness without the money. In Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, the characters based their lives off of wealth and materialism, forgetting what the real idea of the American dream was. Throughout the story, Daisy, Gatsby and MyrtleRead MoreThe Great Gatsby - Corruption of the American Dream Essay1913 Words   |  8 PagesThe Great Gatsby is a novel about the corruption of the American Dream. How far would you agree with this statement? The American Dream is fundamentally the idea that anyone in America can accomplish through hard work and can achieve success and happiness. It has been expanded on through the years and now incorporates ideas of attaining freedom, wealth and power. In the 1920s when The Great Gatsby was written the Jazz Age was taking hold and the American Dream became more about material possessionsRead MoreEssay on The Great Gatsby: The Corruption of the American Dream1010 Words   |  5 Pageswhich he popularized the concept of The American Dream. In this book he stated â€Å"The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and once that phrase was written, The American Dream became what we truly know it as nowadays. It is the right of freedom, prosperity, equality and pursuit of happiness through hard work. However, The American Dream is an ironic concept seei ng as it neverRead MoreBroken Dreams and Fallen Themes: the Corruption of the American Dream in the Great Gatsby1477 Words   |  6 PagesBroken Dreams and Fallen Themes In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald employs the use of characters, themes, and symbolism to convey the idea of the American Dream and its corruption through the aspects of wealth, family, and status. In regards to wealth and success, Fitzgerald makes clear the growing corruption of the American Dream by using Gatsby himself as a symbol for the corrupted dream throughout the text. In addition, when portraying the family the characters in Great Gatsby are used to exposeRead More Corruption of the American Dream in the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald1438 Words   |  6 Pages Broken Dreams and Fallen Themes In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald employs the use of characters, themes, and symbolism to convey the idea of the American Dream and its corruption through the aspects of wealth, family, and status. In regards to wealth and success, Fitzgerald makes clear the growing corruption of the American Dream by using Gatsby himself as a symbol for the corrupted dream throughout the text. In addition, when portraying the family the characters in Great Gatsby are used to exposeRead MoreCorruption of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald855 Words   |  4 Pages In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald gives the reader a glimpse into the life of the high class during the 1920’s through the eyes of a man named Nick Carraway. Through the narrators dealings with high society, Fitzgerald demonstrates how modern values have transformed the American dreams ideas into a scheme for materialistic power and he reveals how the world of high society lacks any sense of morals or consequence. In order to support his message, Fitzgerald presents the originalRead MoreF. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby - Corruption of the American Dream1488 Words   |  6 PagesJay Gatsby is a man with a dream and will stop at nothing to attain it.   When he loses the love of his life to a wealthy, sophisticated and bigoted socialite, his mind is set.   Born a poor farm boy, he centers his life around achieving extraordinarily vast amounts of wealth and great social status.   The poor man never gets the girl; in fact, he never gets anything in Gatsbys eyes.   Gatsby is determined not only to be rich, but become the richest man who ever lived.   When he does become the richestRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1707 Words   |  7 Pagesthe main principle and guideline of life. Labeled as the American Dream, Americans are pressed to work hard and honest under the idea that they will have an equal opportunity to obtain riches and glory . But is the pursuit of wealth really as pure and honest as it may seem? Holding this same idea and question, in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, a young man by the name of Nick Carraway begins his pursuit towards the American Dream. The novel begins with Nick arriving at his new yet shabby

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Separation And Education Of Young First Nations Children

The ambition of the Canadian government in regard to First Nations People was to assimilate them into European culture and erase their culture from the country. Separation and education of young First Nations children was the major means to achieve their objective. With substantial involvement from the Christian churches, the residential school system was created and schools were built throughout the entire country. The Kamloops Indian Residential School was attended by students from the nations surrounding Kamloops including children from the Secwepemc Nation who occupied the much of the southern-interior of British Columbia. The school was ran by the Roman Catholic Church. The Secwepemc children were no exception to the abominable conditions in the residential school systems facilities and the effects of these schools can last a lifetime. The students who attended the Kamloops Indian Residential School were cut off from their communities and families; stripped of their langua ge and culture; and subjected to abuse and severe labour, hunger, and abuse. The Secwepemc People are indigenous to the south central region of British Columbia. The Secwepemc Nation is also called the Shuswap Nation, more so by non-indigenous people, which is an English version of Secwepemc. Currently, the Nation is comprised of seventeen separate bands; however, prior to a smallpox epidemic in 1862 which drastically reduced the population, there were thirty-two bands (Secwepemc Nation,Show MoreRelatedThe Civil Right Movement Of The United States1712 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout late childhood, education touches upon the subject of segregation, a separation between whites and blacks during mid-20th century America, and children across the country learn the harsh reality of our nation’s history. Modern culture produces media to recreate these events in movies such as The Help, and Driving Miss Daisy. Although much of the media related segregation with the 1950’s and 1960’s, these decades were only a climax of the protests and civil movements during the time periodRead MoreIn a study conducted by Seoul National University in 1994, 92 percent of South Koreans considered600 Words   |  3 PagesUniversity in 1994, 92 percent of South Koreans considered unification absolutely â€Å"essential.† By 2007, that opinion fell to 64 percent. Today, support for unification is barely above 50 percent, with support lowest among the young: a 2010 survey revealed that only 49 percent of young adults judged unification as necessary. Among teens, the figure dropped even lower to 20 percent. This declared openly but it is felt by all long-time dwellers of Seoul and with good reason too: the financial cost of reunificationRead More Separation Of Church And State Essay1747 Words   |  7 PagesSeparation of Church and State By the middle of the 20th Century, the United States had emerged as a world power. It accomplished this through its leadership in defeating Germany and Japan in World War II. These two countries main objective was to enslave the world and destroy political, religious, and economic freedom. In Germany or Japan, anyone who disagreed with these goals, or was different was destroyed. This was a common practice in these two fascist countries. Unfortunately, at Read MoreNations With A System Of Liberal Democracy1734 Words   |  7 PagesNations with a system of liberal democracy have a hope to achieve a structure of government that benefits all citizens equally (Callan, p. 1, 2004). However, countries that claim to be liberal representative democracies (such as the United States, New Zealand, and the Britain) have failed to be representative of all the citizens. Due to historical occurrences, traditional gender roles, and lack of activism from the elite (white men in positions of power), women have been denied their natural humanRead MoreAddiction : The Canadian Aboriginal Community1690 Words   |  7 Pagesof homelands, traditional living and the invalidation of spirituality led to the increased poverty, and alienation. Native communities continue to experience this dislocation in the separation in family life, and the destruction of supportive communities. This threat to the native family is detrimental to the children who lack the emotional attachment, therefore creating immature adults who are deprived of a sense of direction or values. Apart from emotional dislocation, the rate of physical and sexualRead MorePersonal Philosophy Statement : The President Of South Africa Essay831 Words   |  4 PagesPersonal Philosophy Statement The former president of south Africa, Nelson Mandela once said, Education is the most powerful weapon which can be used to change the world. This quote emphases the importance of education and how the generations can be changed. I firmly believe that this quote should empower the students, teachers, and the human kind to learn. Growing up, there was a lot of complications in learning for me. However, there were teachers there at all times to push me to become a betterRead MoreDo Children Learn Better? Girls And Boys Only Schools?1676 Words   |  7 Pages Do Children Learn Better in Girls/Boys Only Schools There was a girl name Maria who went to a Co-ed school for boys and girls. She was unhappy that she couldn’t concentrate in class because of all the drama and socializing between boys and girls. Then one day Maria look up the differences between Co-ed schools and Single-gender schools. Maria found that children who go to Single-Gender schools learn and get better grades than children who go to Co-ed schools. ThereRead MoreThis Case Caused Many People To See That The Separation1447 Words   |  6 PagesThis case caused many people to see that the separation did not help the children s education, it also didn t help the racism going on at the time. In the 1950’s there were schools where only the colored children went and schools where only white children were aloud many African American kids would have to walk miles and miles to get to there school, African American parents worried about their children getting to school safely. December 9, 1952 both sides had arg ued their point Brown s lawyersRead MoreSeparation Of Church And State1207 Words   |  5 Pagesregarding the relationship of church and state has become increasingly strained, the accumulation of terrorist attacks and marginalisation of minority groups is only intensifying rising tensions. Although France is a secular nation where constitutionally there is a declared separation of religion and state, Muslims as a minority group experience repression and cannot freely express or practice their religious beliefs. The present dysphoria in France has been influenced by many factors. The history, particularlyRead MorePolitical Participation in Liberal Democracy1129 Words   |  5 Pagesapathetics who are unengaged in formal politics. Gladiators are well educated,rich, upper class, closer to politics. Two factors seem to be particularly influential thats are political resources and political interest. People in high-status have education( gives Access to information), Money ( buys the luxury of time), high status and communications skills(success) Social Movements Social movements including demonstrations, sit-ins, boycotts and political strikes. Movements are more loosely organized

How Successful Is Exposure as a Transformation of Othello free essay sample

Mal Peet I believe has successfully transformed Othello into a modern day tragedy, Exposure. He uses many similar characters, with many of the same personalities/motives. The two texts also explore many of the same themes, such as the outsider, racism and reputation. Mal Peet puts a modern spin on the tale. The two texts portray and explore the main themes through different structures and language features. Othello by William Shakespeare, written in the 17th century when the main focus of plays were their rich language. Peet uses colloquial language which grabs the modern day readers attention and sets it apart from Othello It sucks man. The narrative of Othello doesnt venture from the main plot, whereas in Exposure there are many distractions and less significant sub-plots. Mal Peet uses things such as emails and newspaper articles to tell the story. He emphasises the influence media has on the western society. This text is also narrated in third person which allows the reader to better connect with the characters and understand their thoughts and motivations. Both Texts also use dramatic irony, mainly used to reveal to the audience Iago/Diegos plans to be suspected, framed to make women false. The different language features in the texts help to set the context of the story. In both texts Othello/Otello is seen as an outsider. In Othello Desdemona comes from a rich family, and when she falls in love with Othello, the outsider, her racist father is far from happy. Although he is seen as a Valiant Moor Brabantio doesnt believe he is good enough for his daughter Our house is not a grange. After being sent from Venice the civilised sophisticated city, to the border of barbaric land of Cyprus, Othello becomes vulnerable this gives Iago an even bigger advantage. The metaphor that green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on, foreshadows the events to come from Othello putting all his trust in Iago. These ideas carry on to Exposure, where Otello moves from the northern football team to join Rialto in the south. His enormously costly move, funded mainly by Nestor Brabanta. Brabanta is quite satisfied with his decision until his daughter marries the football star. This reveals Brabanta racism, thinking Otello is not good enough for his daughter. In the new city and circumstances, Otello puts all his trust in his manager Diego, which is the beginning of his down fall. One of the sub-plots used by Mal Peet is that of Bush, Bianca and Felicia. This is highlighting the gruesome actions of the government to get rid of street kids Hed cut another one and said there was another one inside that one to. This makes the audience think about how different life is in the slums for Bush compared to the life rich celebrity Desmerelda lives. The ideas of hunger and corruption are revealed. The description Flat, slow, drops creates foreshadowing for Biancas death, which is framed on Otello. In Othello, Iago has a range of motives to tear apart Othello, he hears rumours that Othello had slept with his wife, whilst they werent true he continues with his plans creating his web of lies. Iago is also jealous of Othello and wants to feel powerful. Iago uses the idea of sexual jealousy against Othello, poisoning his mind by convincing him his wife was having an affair with Cassio She did deceive her father, marrying you. In Exposure Diego talks about how he believes Otello doesnt deserve to be a hero and that people shouldnt look up to him, he is jealous of Otello and threatened by him. Diego thinks he deserves more It reduces all of us; it reduces me. Love is one of the most prominent idea explored in both texts. Othello and Desdemona defy people and society. Desdemona even goes against her father She is abused, stoln from me, and corrupted by spells, medicines Brabantio believes Othello has used black magic to gain his daughters love. It seemed from the start that their loved was doomed. The idea of defying society and following their hearts is used to in Exposure, with the love between Otello and Desmerelda. Although they do not die like in Othello, it does end with them separated, ending as a tragedy. Reputation also becomes a large theme in both texts. Othello and Otello both slowly lose their good reputations as the narrative plays out. Othello starts out as a noble glorious and trustworthy man. Once he has moved to the barbaric land of Cyprus he too slowly becomes more and more barbaric, simply because he had believed everything that Iago had told him. Throughout the play Othello becomes more like Iago in how he acts and speaks. In Exposure Otello start out as a hero a fantastic sports star, but is cleverly manipulated by his manager. As the media gets hold of more and more stories about the star, set up by Diego, he begins to lose his good reputation. In the end being framed for looking at child pornography and the murder of Bianca, his good reputation is all but gone. which leads to the separation of the two lovers. In conclusion the texts are quite similar with the main plot, Exposure being a modern twist on the 17th century play by William Shakespeare. Exposure was a successful transformation as it changes the context if the play and includes todays struggles and problems, such as poverty, media and organised crime. This helps the modern day audience to connect to the story and characters.

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

The Effects of Globalization toward Leadership and Management Essay Example For Students

The Effects of Globalization toward Leadership and Management Essay The impact of globalisation over the last thirty years has been immense. Globalisation has provided companies with the option to operate in many different countries. A global corporation not only sells its products in a variety of diverse markets, but it may also manufacture its products and the components that make up those products in a number of different countries. How would these factors effect the management and leadership of a global corporation? Challenges for marketing and sales managementWhile it may be safe to assume that people want the same things wherever they are, the way that the marketing message is carried across must change to suit local conditions. Simply translating an advertising slogan from one language to another may not produce the desired result. We will write a custom essay on The Effects of Globalization toward Leadership and Management specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Errors can and do occur. The marketing department should include at least one person that is familiar with the language and culture of the target market. A mistake that unintentionally insults the market may not be easily forgiven. Local knowledgeDifferent markets also have different levels of sensitivity about nudity. While is is commonly accepted that sex sells, in some countries it could lead to people taking offence. It is not only the culture and language that are important when opening a new market. The company will need an understanding of market conditions as well. Will the product be competitively priced? Is there a competitor that currently dominates the market? What about brand loyalty? Local knowledge is a crucial part of marketing in different countries. Labour practicesThe production process is also quite different in different regions. Labour practices vary quite dramatically from one country to the next. Understanding the local labour market is an important consideration. What may be overlooked is the response at home when a plant is relocated to a region where labour is cheaper. Dealing with the home market is quite an important part of the process. Unions and displaced workers may produces much resistance and could even lead to consumer boycotts in extreme cases. Knowledge of the local labour market is crucial. The local labour laws, the extent of unionisation, the local work ethic and the quality of the work force are all of great importance. Global production requires knowledge and understanding of the local conditions. It also means that as a rule it is necessary to recruit management from local communities. Again, it is a question of understanding the language, culture and local labour practices. Political knowledge and sensitivityAnother aspect of globalisation requires an understanding of the political stability of the target market. Economic and political considerations are important for management to take a view on future investment and development. A global view of business coupled with a broad knowledge of varying cultural, political and economic differences around the world are required when a business decides to engage in the global economy.

Monday, March 16, 2020

Personal Experience Essaysâ€Coping with Changes in the Family

Personal Experience Essays- Coping with Changes in the Family Writing personal experience essays about coping with the changes in your family may include topics such as moving in a new house, migrating to a new country or community, moving out of the house of a family member, and introducing a new member of the family. Other topics delve on sensitive topics such as death of a family member, divorce, and other relevant issues. Developing this paper may be difficult for some students since some of the topics may be hard to be put into writing. Here are some essay tips on constructing a paper on this kind of topic:   Ã‚  Ã‚   First point to discuss on your paper is the usual reactions of society to the changes that occur in the family. Cite the negative and positive reactions and explain why changes in the family are perceived in these opposing manners in the society. Identify the perspective on changes that you and your family possess then elucidate how your family had acquired this kind of outlook towards changes in the family. Mention your personal view on changes in the family and the people or sources that had influenced your outlook on these changes. This point would serve as your anchor point in your statements on the later parts of your paper.   Ã‚  Ã‚   For this type of academic essay, the section on the account of your personal experience on changes you have experienced in your family is probably the highlight of your paper. Describe the events that ensued in the changes that had happened in your family and the ways this occurrence had affected you as an individual and your family. Specify a sociological analysis on these changes, the reactions your and your family had exhibited, and the effects of these changes to you and your family. Relatively, the family and an individual’s identity are also excellent topics tackled for sociology essays. Reading some of this type of essay can help you in providing the sociological view for this part of your paper.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Enumerate way on how to cope with changes in the family. Explain how each approach can be beneficial in dealing with changes. State which of these approaches you have applied personally and describe how this approach had aided you to manage the situation. Expound on the importance of getting immediate support from friends and family to deal with these changes as well as consulting professionals who can give you advice.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Clichà ©s about change being a part of your life are true; explain how understanding and accepting changes in your family as a permanent part of life would provide a positive outlook in life as well as prepare a person for future changes that may happen in life. Assess yourself if you have attained this attitude towards changes in your family and life changes in general.   Ã‚  Ã‚   State the possible harm that may result on an individual an on the family in not being able to cope with changes in the family. Explicate the reasons why this could cause harm. Specify if you have experienced any of these harmful consequences of not being able to cope with changes in the family. Personal experience essays on this topic can be immediately completed by observing these tips. A good essay on personal experiences involves in-depth views on these occurrences in life as well as the sincerity of the writer.

Saturday, February 29, 2020

HRD 350 ch #2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HRD 350 ch #2 - Assignment Example The Trade unions have the mandate of conducting strikes against the employers. Strike is considered to be the last option, but when negotiations reaches impasse, strike is taken to be the only bargaining instrument for the workers. The trade unions are divided into industrial and craft unions. Craft union is composed of employees that perform a specific trade like printers, carpenters, and plumbers. In US, the craft unions are represented by various national organisations. In 1930s, various AFL unions that seek a national organization of workers came up with the Committee for Industrial Organization. The CIO organised all the industrial workers working with rubber plants, steel, and automobile. The Membership in trade unions has been on the descending trend since 1950. This has led to a decline in the number of employees found in the mmmanufacturing sector. In 1995, the union membership comprised of 15% of the work force. This is compared with 34.7% that was in 1954 (Harrod,

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Funding Proposal and Community Partners Research

Funding and Community Partners - Research Proposal Example tutes 50.3% of the total children population in Philadelphia, yet 73% of the total children population in the foster care in Philadelphia is constituted of black children (DAlmeida, 2013). The major problem associated with this problem is poverty. The National Bureau of Statistics has shown that the African Americans families in the USA are disproportionally poor. According to the 1999 statistics, African Americans form 12.9% of the total USA population, but the percentage of the African American families that are poor is 23.6% (McRoy, 2005). 22.9% of the population in Philadelphia lives in poverty, with 18.4% of all families in Philadelphia living under the poverty line, and most concerning, 31.3% of population under the age of 18 years in Philadelphia living in poverty (United States Census Bureau, 2010). Thus, The Humanitarian Agency seeks to support the poor families whose children have been placed in foster care in Philadelphia, as a way of facilitating the reunification of the children with their families. Children would have a better chance of realizing their destiny if they are reunited back and grow together with their families. Most families in Philadelphia are separated from their children, mostly due to the inability of the families to provide their children with a better home environment that would foster healthy children growth (United States Census Bureau, 2010). The result is trauma both to the families and their children associated with loss and separation. The requirements for reuniting the children back with their families are high and expensive for the poor families in Philadelphia. The cost of maintaining the children in foster care is also high. There is therefore a dire need to resettle the children in foster care in Philadelphia back to their homes. Thus, The Humanitarian Agency seeks to serve this community needs through: ii) Facilitate the reunification of children and their families through supporting home renting, mortgaging,

Friday, January 31, 2020

Energy Strategy of the European Union and its Impact on Oil and Gas Assignment

Energy Strategy of the European Union and its Impact on Oil and Gas Industry - Assignment Example Several energy-related policies and ambitious measures are being planned and executed by the member states of EU in this account.To make these plans work out quickly and efficiently, additional emphasis must be laid on issues like attaining greater energy efficiency, tapping alternate sources of energy, maximising the use of renewable energy, and making use of nuclear power (Tindale, 2014). However, when an additional emphasis is laid on these above issues, it can influence the functioning of the oil and gas industries. Furthermore, in this venture, preserving the environment is also very much indispensable and so focusing on carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is also important (Tindale, 2014). So, this report will focus on the EU’s energy strategy and its impact on the oil and gas industries. Apart from the above-discussed political scenario, the need to come up with environment-friendly energy options has prompted EU to come up with energy efficiency policies from the start of the new millennium. That is, from the mid-2000s, EU has been setting targets for its member countries to improve its energy efficiency on short-term and importantly long-term basis. Long-term basis in the sense, at the end of 2006, the EU pledged to reduce its annual consumption of primary energy options of fossil fuels by 20% by 2020. On the same lines, the European Commission as a policy directive also framed the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) for the EU, which establishes a general agenda for the promotion of energy efficiency within the member states. The main objective of the EED is to aid the EU’s member states to achieve a target of saving 20% of their energy consumption by 2020. According to the European Commission, the EU is on track to achieve a 20% reduction in 2020, 30% in 203 0, and importantly the long-term target 80% reduction in 2050 (Ea Energy Analyses, 2012). According to EU’s policies, the member states are stipulated to achieve energy efficiency in the above-depicted sectors including industries, transport, household, and importantly power or energy generation sector (European Commission, 2013). In the households, people are provided with individual metering scheme along with free of cost access to real-time energy consumption data which would help them in managing their energy consumption in a far better manner.

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Margaret Sanger’s Planned Parenthood Essay -- Exploratory Essays

Margaret Sanger’s Planned Parenthood During a time in which white supremacy was being challenged by an ever-increasing African population, a woman named Margaret Sanger â€Å"sought to purify America’s breeding stock and purge America’s bad stains† (Planned Parenthood). She set out to establish the American Birth Control League, which eventually became the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA). Sanger’s actions provoked much controversy because at the time not only was contraception illegal in the United States, but it was denounced by almost every major religious denomination (Contraception History). Margaret Sanger set out on a mission to overcome first the church and then the state in order to â€Å"stop bringing to birth children whose inheritance cannot be one of health or intelligence,† (Planned Parenthood) and to impact women’s sexual freedom. Margaret Sanger’s first order of business in her attempt to claim women’s rights to sexual freedom was to alter the church’s thoughts and ideals regarding the use of contraception. In 1916, when she began her revolutionary crusade, contraception was not only condemned by the Catholic Church, but by many sects of Christianity. After much effort, the year 1930 brought success to Margaret Sanger and her cohorts. It was at this point that the Church of England accepted the use of contraception in certain circumstances, and only between married couples (Contraception History). This victory by Sanger and her organization, Planned Parenthood, was followed by a wave of acceptance among many denominations for contraceptive use among married couples, and then among single adults. The aftermath of Sanger’s efforts influenced much of the world to changing i... ... links to other resources in English as well as Spanish. http://www.nyu.edu/projects/sanger/ipff.htm This site provides the specific history of Planned Parenthood and provides a timeline of when involvement began in different countries across the world. It also includes the names of those on the various boards and commissions within the organization, and for what each is responsible. http://www.conservativebeacon.com/essays/Other/planned_parenthood.html This site provides an interesting comparison between Margaret Sanger and Adolf Hitler, implying that each was a white supremacist in search of ensuring the continuance of white domination. http://dianedew.com/sanger.htm This site provides quotes from Margaret Sanger herself, on many various subjects such as: blacks, adultery, abortion, and her own personal goals.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

7 C’s of Effective Business Communication

7 C’s Of Effective Business Communication PRINCIPLE OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION – 7C’S To compose effective written or oral messages, you must apply certain communication principles. These principles provide guideline for choice of content and style of presentation, adapted to the purpose and receiver of your message. These principles are not only limited to a sentence level, they are also applicable to all forms of communications, from mere utterances and sentences to complete documents or presentations.To some extent the principles overlap because they are based on a common concern for the audience, whether that audience consists of listeners or readers. These principles are called â€Å"Seven C’s†, these are completeness, conciseness, consideration, concreteness, clarity, courtesy, and correctness. The Seven C’s are as follows: 1) Completeness Message Receiver- either listener or reader, desire complete information to their question. e. g. suppose you are working with multinational company who is engaging with engineering goods, like A. C.Now let say one of your major customer wants some technical information regarding â€Å"thermostat† (because he wants to convey the same to the end users). In this case you have to provide him complete information in a short span of time. If possible, provide him some extra information which he does not know, in this way you can maintain a good business relation with him, otherwise he may switch to another company. Five W’s: One way to make your message complete is to answer the five W’s. †¢? WHO†¢? WHAT†¢? WHEN†¢? WHERE†¢? WHY The five question method is useful when you write requests, announcements, or other informative messages.For instance, to order (request) merchandise, make clear WHAT you want, WHEN u need it, WHERE it is to be sent. 2) Conciseness Conciseness means â€Å"convey the message by using fewest words†. â€Å"Con ciseness is the prerequisite to effective business communication. † As you know that all businessmen have very short time. Hence a concise message saves the time and expenses for both the parties. How to achieve the conciseness? For achieving the conciseness you have to consider the following. 1. Avoid wordy expression 2. Include only relevant material 3. Avoid unnecessary repetition. Avoid Wordy ExpressionE. g. Wordy: – at this time. Instead of â€Å"at this time† you can just use only a concise word: – NOW, Always try to use â€Å"To the point Approach† in business scenario perspective. Include only relevant information †¢? Always try to provide only relevant information to the receiver of the message. Let’s say one of your customers requested †¢? For clients of the company o in reply you should provide simply list of clients at the panel of your company. o No need to provide detailed business information about client at all. â₠¬ ¢? Observe the following suggestions to â€Å"Include only relevant information. †¢? Stick to the purpose of message Delete irrelevant words Avoid long introduction, unnecessary explanation etc. Get to the important point concisely. Avoid un-necessary Repetition Sometimes repetition is necessary for focusing some special issue. But when the same thing is said without two or three reasons, the message become wordy and boring. That’s why try to avoid Un-necessary repetition. Some ways to eliminate unnecessary words Use shorter name after you have mentioned the long once. e. g. Spectrum communications Private limited use spectrum. Use pronouns or initials E. . Instead of world trade organization use WTO or You can use IT for Information Technology. (Keeping in views that receiver knows about these terms) 3. Consideration Consideration means – To consider the receiver’s Interest/Intention. It is very important in effective communication while writing a messa ge you should always keep in mind your target group consideration is very important â€Å"C† among all the seven C’s. Three specific ways to indicate consideration †¢? Focus on â€Å"you† instead of â€Å"I† or â€Å"We† †¢? Show audience benefit or interest of the receiver †¢?Emphasize positive, pleasant facts. Using â€Å"you† help you, but over use lead a negative reaction. Always write a message in such a way how audience should be benefited from it. †¢? We attitude: â€Å"I am delighted to announce that we will extend to make shopping more. † †¢? You attitude: â€Å"You will be able to shop in the evening with the extended hours. † Readers may react positively when benefit are shown to them. Always try to address his/her need and want. Always show/write to reader†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ what has been done so far as his/her query is concerned. And always avoid that his/her need and wants.Always avoid that has not been done so far. 4. Concreteness It means that message should be specific instead of general. Misunderstanding of words creates problems for both parties (sender and receiver). When you talk to your client always use facts and figures instead of generic or irrelevant information. The following guidelines should help you to achieve the Concreteness. †¢? Use specific facts and figures †¢? choose image building words e. g General He is very intelligent student of class and stood first in the class. e. g. Ali’s GPA in B. Sc Electrical Engineering 2k3-f session was 3. 5/4. 0; he stood first in his class. Always write on a very solid ground. It should definitely create good image as well. 5. Clarity Accurately is purpose of clarity In effective business communication the message should be very much clear. So that reader can understand it easily. You should always choose precise words. Always choose familiar and easy words. Construct effective sentences and paragraphs. In business communication always use precise words rather longer statements. If you have a choice between long words and shorter one, always use shorter one.You should try your level best to use familiar/easy to understand words so that your reader will quickly understand it. Familiar Next familiar words 1-after subsequent 2-home domicile 3-for example e. g. 4-pay remuneration 5-invoice statement for payments 6. Courtesy Knowing your audience allows you to use statements of courtesy; be aware of your message receiver. True courtesy involves being aware not only of the perspective of others, but also their feelings. Courtesy stems from a sincere you-attitude. It is not merely politeness with mechanical insertions of â€Å"please† and â€Å"Thank you†.Although Appling socially accepted manners is a form of courtesy. Rather, it is politeness that grows out respect and concern for others. Courteous communication generates a special tone in their writing an d speaking. How to generate a Courteous Tone? The following are suggestions for generating a courteous tone: Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful and appreciative. Use expressions that show respect for the others Choose nondiscriminatory expressions be sincerely Tactful, Thoughtful and Appreciative Though few people are intentionally abrupt or blunt, these negative traits are common cause of discourtesy.Avoid expression like those in the left hand column below; rephrase them as shown in the right-hand column. Tactless, Blunt More Tactful Stupid letter; I can’t understand I should understand it, as there is no confusing word in this Letter, could you please explain it once again? It’s your fault, you did not properly Sometimes my wording is not precise; let me try again read my latest FAX. Thoughtfulness and Appreciation Writers who send cordial, courteous messages of deserved congratulations and appreciation (to a person inside & outside) help to build goodwill. The alue o f goodwill or public esteem for the firm may be worth thousands of dollars. 7. Correctness At the core of correctness are the proper grammar, punctuation and spelling. However, message must be perfect grammatically and mechanically. The term correctness, as applied to business messages also mean three characteristics o Use the right level of language o Check the accuracy of figures, facts and words o Maintain acceptable writing mechanics. Use the right Level of Language We suggest that there are three level of language 1. Formal 2. Informal 3. Substandard. Take a quick guess:What kind of writing is associated with each level? What is the style of each? Formal and Informal Words Formal writing is often associated with scholarly writing: doctoral dissertations, scholarly, legal documents, top-level government agreements and other material where formality is demanded. Informal writing is more characteristic of business writing. Here you use words that are short, well-known and conversa tional as in this comparison list: More Formal Less Formal Participate Join Endeavor try Ascertain find out Utilize Use Interrogate question. Substandard Language Avoid substandard language.Using correct words, incorrect grammar, faulty pronunciation all suggest as inability to use good English. Some examples follow: Substandard More Acceptable Ain’t isn’t, aren’t Can’t hardly can hardly Aim to proving ai m to prove Desirous to desirous of Stoled stolen. Facts and Figures Accuracy Check Accuracy of Facts, Figures and words it is impossible to convey meaning precisely, through words, from the head of the sender to a receiver. Our goal is to be as precise as possible, which means checking and double-checking and double-checking to ensure that the figures, facts and words you use are correct. A good check of your data is to have another person read and comment on the validity of the material† †¢? Figures and facts †¢? Verify your statistical data †¢? Double-check your totals †¢? Avoid guessing at laws that have an impact on you, the sender and your †¢? Have someone else read your message if the topic involves data. †¢? Determine whether a â€Å"fact† has changed over time. Proper Use of Confusing Words! Our Language (Any) is constantly changing. In fact, even dictionaries cannot keep up with rapid change in our language.The following words often confusing in usage, an is used before consonants and consonants sounds or a long† u† sound. Use an before vowels. Accept, except accept is a verb and means to receive. Except is a verb or a preposition and relates to omitting or leaving out. Anxious, eager Anxious implies worry, eager conveys keen desire. CONCLUSION These 7 C’s help a person to compose a message in such a way that brings back the positive feedback from the receivers. That’s why it is advice able for everyone to understand and apply these 7C’s whether he is a teacher, doctor, businessman or a student. 7 C’s of Effective Business Communication 7 C’s Of Effective Business Communication PRINCIPLE OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION – 7C’S To compose effective written or oral messages, you must apply certain communication principles. These principles provide guideline for choice of content and style of presentation, adapted to the purpose and receiver of your message. These principles are not only limited to a sentence level, they are also applicable to all forms of communications, from mere utterances and sentences to complete documents or presentations.To some extent the principles overlap because they are based on a common concern for the audience, whether that audience consists of listeners or readers. These principles are called â€Å"Seven C’s†, these are completeness, conciseness, consideration, concreteness, clarity, courtesy, and correctness. The Seven C’s are as follows: 1) Completeness Message Receiver- either listener or reader, desire complete information to their question. e. g. suppose you are working with multinational company who is engaging with engineering goods, like A. C.Now let say one of your major customer wants some technical information regarding â€Å"thermostat† (because he wants to convey the same to the end users). In this case you have to provide him complete information in a short span of time. If possible, provide him some extra information which he does not know, in this way you can maintain a good business relation with him, otherwise he may switch to another company. Five W’s: One way to make your message complete is to answer the five W’s. †¢? WHO†¢? WHAT†¢? WHEN†¢? WHERE†¢? WHY The five question method is useful when you write requests, announcements, or other informative messages.For instance, to order (request) merchandise, make clear WHAT you want, WHEN u need it, WHERE it is to be sent. 2) Conciseness Conciseness means â€Å"convey the message by using fewest words†. â€Å"Con ciseness is the prerequisite to effective business communication. † As you know that all businessmen have very short time. Hence a concise message saves the time and expenses for both the parties. How to achieve the conciseness? For achieving the conciseness you have to consider the following. 1. Avoid wordy expression 2. Include only relevant material 3. Avoid unnecessary repetition. Avoid Wordy ExpressionE. g. Wordy: – at this time. Instead of â€Å"at this time† you can just use only a concise word: – NOW, Always try to use â€Å"To the point Approach† in business scenario perspective. Include only relevant information †¢? Always try to provide only relevant information to the receiver of the message. Let’s say one of your customers requested †¢? For clients of the company o in reply you should provide simply list of clients at the panel of your company. o No need to provide detailed business information about client at all. â₠¬ ¢? Observe the following suggestions to â€Å"Include only relevant information. †¢? Stick to the purpose of message Delete irrelevant words Avoid long introduction, unnecessary explanation etc. Get to the important point concisely. Avoid un-necessary Repetition Sometimes repetition is necessary for focusing some special issue. But when the same thing is said without two or three reasons, the message become wordy and boring. That’s why try to avoid Un-necessary repetition. Some ways to eliminate unnecessary words Use shorter name after you have mentioned the long once. e. g. Spectrum communications Private limited use spectrum. Use pronouns or initials E. . Instead of world trade organization use WTO or You can use IT for Information Technology. (Keeping in views that receiver knows about these terms) 3. Consideration Consideration means – To consider the receiver’s Interest/Intention. It is very important in effective communication while writing a messa ge you should always keep in mind your target group consideration is very important â€Å"C† among all the seven C’s. Three specific ways to indicate consideration †¢? Focus on â€Å"you† instead of â€Å"I† or â€Å"We† †¢? Show audience benefit or interest of the receiver †¢?Emphasize positive, pleasant facts. Using â€Å"you† help you, but over use lead a negative reaction. Always write a message in such a way how audience should be benefited from it. †¢? We attitude: â€Å"I am delighted to announce that we will extend to make shopping more. † †¢? You attitude: â€Å"You will be able to shop in the evening with the extended hours. † Readers may react positively when benefit are shown to them. Always try to address his/her need and want. Always show/write to reader†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ what has been done so far as his/her query is concerned. And always avoid that his/her need and wants.Always avoid that has not been done so far. 4. Concreteness It means that message should be specific instead of general. Misunderstanding of words creates problems for both parties (sender and receiver). When you talk to your client always use facts and figures instead of generic or irrelevant information. The following guidelines should help you to achieve the Concreteness. †¢? Use specific facts and figures †¢? choose image building words e. g General He is very intelligent student of class and stood first in the class. e. g. Ali’s GPA in B. Sc Electrical Engineering 2k3-f session was 3. 5/4. 0; he stood first in his class. Always write on a very solid ground. It should definitely create good image as well. 5. Clarity Accurately is purpose of clarity In effective business communication the message should be very much clear. So that reader can understand it easily. You should always choose precise words. Always choose familiar and easy words. Construct effective sentences and paragraphs. In business communication always use precise words rather longer statements. If you have a choice between long words and shorter one, always use shorter one.You should try your level best to use familiar/easy to understand words so that your reader will quickly understand it. Familiar Next familiar words 1-after subsequent 2-home domicile 3-for example e. g. 4-pay remuneration 5-invoice statement for payments 6. Courtesy Knowing your audience allows you to use statements of courtesy; be aware of your message receiver. True courtesy involves being aware not only of the perspective of others, but also their feelings. Courtesy stems from a sincere you-attitude. It is not merely politeness with mechanical insertions of â€Å"please† and â€Å"Thank you†.Although Appling socially accepted manners is a form of courtesy. Rather, it is politeness that grows out respect and concern for others. Courteous communication generates a special tone in their writing an d speaking. How to generate a Courteous Tone? The following are suggestions for generating a courteous tone: Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful and appreciative. Use expressions that show respect for the others Choose nondiscriminatory expressions be sincerely Tactful, Thoughtful and Appreciative Though few people are intentionally abrupt or blunt, these negative traits are common cause of discourtesy.Avoid expression like those in the left hand column below; rephrase them as shown in the right-hand column. Tactless, Blunt More Tactful Stupid letter; I can’t understand I should understand it, as there is no confusing word in this Letter, could you please explain it once again? It’s your fault, you did not properly Sometimes my wording is not precise; let me try again read my latest FAX. Thoughtfulness and Appreciation Writers who send cordial, courteous messages of deserved congratulations and appreciation (to a person inside & outside) help to build goodwill. The alue o f goodwill or public esteem for the firm may be worth thousands of dollars. 7. Correctness At the core of correctness are the proper grammar, punctuation and spelling. However, message must be perfect grammatically and mechanically. The term correctness, as applied to business messages also mean three characteristics o Use the right level of language o Check the accuracy of figures, facts and words o Maintain acceptable writing mechanics. Use the right Level of Language We suggest that there are three level of language 1. Formal 2. Informal 3. Substandard. Take a quick guess:What kind of writing is associated with each level? What is the style of each? Formal and Informal Words Formal writing is often associated with scholarly writing: doctoral dissertations, scholarly, legal documents, top-level government agreements and other material where formality is demanded. Informal writing is more characteristic of business writing. Here you use words that are short, well-known and conversa tional as in this comparison list: More Formal Less Formal Participate Join Endeavor try Ascertain find out Utilize Use Interrogate question. Substandard Language Avoid substandard language.Using correct words, incorrect grammar, faulty pronunciation all suggest as inability to use good English. Some examples follow: Substandard More Acceptable Ain’t isn’t, aren’t Can’t hardly can hardly Aim to proving ai m to prove Desirous to desirous of Stoled stolen. Facts and Figures Accuracy Check Accuracy of Facts, Figures and words it is impossible to convey meaning precisely, through words, from the head of the sender to a receiver. Our goal is to be as precise as possible, which means checking and double-checking and double-checking to ensure that the figures, facts and words you use are correct. A good check of your data is to have another person read and comment on the validity of the material† †¢? Figures and facts †¢? Verify your statistical data †¢? Double-check your totals †¢? Avoid guessing at laws that have an impact on you, the sender and your †¢? Have someone else read your message if the topic involves data. †¢? Determine whether a â€Å"fact† has changed over time. Proper Use of Confusing Words! Our Language (Any) is constantly changing. In fact, even dictionaries cannot keep up with rapid change in our language.The following words often confusing in usage, an is used before consonants and consonants sounds or a long† u† sound. Use an before vowels. Accept, except accept is a verb and means to receive. Except is a verb or a preposition and relates to omitting or leaving out. Anxious, eager Anxious implies worry, eager conveys keen desire. CONCLUSION These 7 C’s help a person to compose a message in such a way that brings back the positive feedback from the receivers. That’s why it is advice able for everyone to understand and apply these 7C’s whether he is a teacher, doctor, businessman or a student.

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Perception That Can Be Damaging On The Business World

One common flaw in perception that can be damaging in the business world is stereotyping. Stereotyping typically forms the basis for discrimination given that pre-conceived attitudes and behaviours are generated and associated with an individual or group. Albeit, an economical and effortless mechanism of the perceptual process, it categorically associates characteristics that may not be valid, and those that are influenced by selective experiences or segmented biased information presented by the media. A common, yet, overlooked area of stereotyping that frequently perpetuates into discrimination includes the attitudes and behaviours towards disabled persons in the workforce. A lot of research on workplace discrimination has focused on gender and racial discrimination. However, although many businesses are accommodating to the various needs of individuals with disabilities, research for workplace integration and employment equality for disabled persons is limited. Individual perceptio ns and biases towards disabled person is multidimensional and complex. Factors that contribute to these perceptions include overtness, risk to interacting parties and response of the disabled individual to the environment (Thomas). Disabled persons are typically underrepresented in the workforce. Many are willing and capable of working, however, employers may have pre-defined concepts of their abilities and may be unwilling to provide the accommodation’s required for disabled persons toShow MoreRelatedNike Case Analysis: Maintaining and Working on Brand Image1029 Words   |  4 PagesNike more interested in their treatment and the perception others had of the brand. In an effort to keep cost at an all time low Nike became one of the first companies to conduct a completely off site business. By doing business this way Nike was able to eliminate many of the typical business activities regular businesses deal with on a day to day basis such as maintaining workers and upkeep of a manufacturing site. Although Nike decided to do business overseas through subcontractors, these off sightRead MoreSports Games And Its Impact On The World Of Sports Essay1492 Words   |  6 Pagesin the world of sports; A fact most don’t realize. To be a fan is to have pride in and support one s favorite team, be familiar with players and coaches, and to come together with others who share the same passion for the game. As more and more people come together whether it be through game attendance, sporting NFL attire, or watching a game at a friend’s house on Sunday afternoon, the football â€Å"community† grows. As highlighted in Dixon (2014), belonging to a likeminded social group can createRead MoreManaging Diversity in the Workplace1043 Words   |  5 Pagesinfluence than rank-and-file employees, it is imperative that managers commit to diversity of the workforce. Dissimilarities among people due to differences in characteristics can erode companies. Firstly, unequal opportunities and unfair treatment to one race or sect are immoral can prove illegal. More so, however, diversity can help an organization maintain competitive advantage by utilizing a wider range of creative ideas. Nevertheless, substantial evidence points to the fact that discrimination existsRead MoreThe Principle Of The Global Business Standards Codex1504 Words   |  7 PagesResponsiveness Principle The final underlying principle of the Global Business Standards Codex is the responsiveness principle. This is the belief that employee’s have a responsibility to give requested information by the stakeholders about the business operations and respond to any suggestions the stakeholders may have to improve the company. This principle also sets the expectation that all goods and services offered will exceed the expectations of the customer. If there are any complaints aboutRead MoreThe Facebook Profile: A Right or a Violation? Essay example1027 Words   |  5 Pagesrecruiters, can provide personal information about potential employees, which would otherwise not be available. A business must follow statutes and guidelines when disclosing information to the public. Individuals on social networking sites have no such constraints. Employees can and do make comments about their employers online. Employers can and do watch what employees post online. Any individual can send or post potentially damaging information about another person and in seconds it can be accessedRead MoreHtml Assignment711 Words   |  3 Pages (-- removed HTML --) Introduction: Adapt to a new digital world The rapid spread of digital technology is enabling organizations to quickly roll-out new products and services to meet shifting customer demands. Although the digital world offers boundless possibilities for growth and value creation, it comes with its own set of challenges and risks. Wider interaction capabilities increase the number of touch points and the amount of personal data that must be secured. For hackers, the digital ageRead MoreCustomer Relationship Management : A M University Commerce1056 Words   |  5 Pagesefficient approach in maintaining and creating relationships with customers. It is an upright concept or strategy to solidify relations with customers and at the same time reducing cost and enhancing productivity and profitability in business. CRM is not only pure business but also ideate strong personal bonding within people. There are two types of CRM; traditional CRM and Electronic CRM. Traditional CRM is a selecting, maintaining and managing customers’ strategy in order to create the value in long-termRead MoreUnderstanding the Multicultural Workforce: Challenges, Issues and Differences1490 Words   |  6 PagesMulticultural workforces are becoming more prevalent in todays business environment. Businesses that make effective use of the talents of the workforce and value the differences that are present within it will certainly prosper under these cond itions. Those employers who realize that diversity relates directly to the bottom line will continue to be successful. Companies must learn to lead, not simply manage their workers. Business will need to go beyond the needs and objectives of affirmative actionRead MoreBusiness Bluffing1618 Words   |  7 Pagesis to take an in depth look at business bluffing. I want to determine why it takes place and if it is ethical or not. Various people has various perceptions about business bluffing, my plan is to investigate these different perceptions and to form my own. Definition Bluff: When you deceive someone about something and give them a false impression about it. http://www.google.co.za/search?hl=endefl=enq=define:bluffsa=Xei=xeOITPflF4jO8wS77ODgDgved=0CBQQkAE Business: Organizations that sells productsRead MoreEssay about The Effects of Hollywoods on Society847 Words   |  4 Pageshigh power in the world; that power leads to being influential. Individuals look up to celebrities as good role models, when in fact, they arent good ones at all. They arent themselves on the set of a movie or a TV show. They are playing a role that the producers have written up. Since the characters arent real, America gets the wrong impression of almost everything. Children get false ideas in their heads of what the world is really like. Teens and adults get false perceptions of how much they

Monday, December 30, 2019

The Industrial Revolution Of Europe - 1792 Words

When taking a look at workplace ethics in the modern world, one tends to its set up for granted. In a society which grants employees workmen’s compensation, unemployment pay, and child labor regulations, it is hard to imagine a world in which these things did not exist. A society in which the rights of workers were ignored and brushed off as unimportant is hard to grasp, but this type of society was in fact a reality during the first Industrial Revolution of Europe. Through development of new perspectives on politics and businesses, the importance of applications of ethics in both of these things became the topic of conversations on reform all across Europe. The exacting treatment and exploitation of workers throughout the Industrial†¦show more content†¦The past ideals of who would be the breadwinner of the family was tossed away; everyone- men, women, and children had to pitch in. Although exploitation occurred across all genders and age groups during the Industrial Revolution, women and children were most commonly taken advantage of by their employers. They would work twelve to sixteen hours every day, which cut into the time children would have been using for schooling, socializing, and living a healthy life style. Children who worked in factories had no chance of getting any type of education, which wiped away any potential for bettering society in the future. A perfect example of this is Elizabeth Bentley, a twenty-three year old woman interviewed by the Parliamentary Commission. She had been working in a flax-mill since she was six years old. Elizabeth described to them the cruel working conditions she endured as a child being exploited by avaricious business owners. She worked for eleven hours every day, and was left with forty minutes to eat lunch. Her work left her physically handicapped, and once she could not do the work anymore, she was let go and l eft to live in the poorhouse until she died a few years after her testimony was taken. When reading through her entire statement, there is no doubt that Elizabeth was a smart, intellectual person. If she was given the proper education, she could have given many important and beneficialShow MoreRelatedThe Industrial Revolution in Europe1715 Words   |  7 Pages The Industrial Revolution in Europe changed Europe to this day. This began in the United Kingdom in the 1700s and expanded to Western Europe in the 1800s. During the Industrial Revolution, this provided new technology, a surplus of food, trading and different ways of producing goods for countries. The women and children in Europe had to work hard and work in the mills. They did this to give enough money for their family to live on. Politics also changed during the Industrial Revolution. Thus, theRead MoreThe Industrial Revolution in Europe1217 Words   |  5 Pageswas rising immensely. Concepts like partnerships and selling shares were introduced during this time period. The process of the Industrial Revolution was rapid in Western Europe however, by the 1900 all of Europe was involved. Over all, the effects of the revolution changed the way materials are transported, how products are made, on a global basis.The Industrial Revolution was a critical turning point in European history because the changes made are integral in the modern age. The inventions madeRead MoreThe Industrial Revolution Of Europe1553 Words   |  7 Pagesthe changes that brought about the Industrial Revolution were (1) the invention of machines to do the work of hand tools; (2) the use of steam, and later of other kinds of power, in place of the muscles of human beings and of animals; and (3) the adoption of the factory system† (Industrial Revolution). The Industrial Revolution was a big event that happened in Europe. Those three main changes impacted everything in a huge way. The Industrial Revolution in Europe was a positive occurrence that changedRead MoreIndustrial Revolutions During Europe During The Industrial Revolution1298 Words   |  6 PagesIndustrial Revolution in Europe Before the industrial revolution, Europe was mostly dominated by farmers but as the industrial revolution progressed this changed dramatically. Industrial revolution had a significant impact in the process by making new demands that shaped the way of life through increased competition and technological innovation. Generally, it was a historical period that sparked in a stroke a number numerous changes in the economic, social and political dimensions. It is consideredRead MoreAdvantages to the Industrial Revolution in Early Modern Europe1540 Words   |  7 PagesPrior to industrialization, the population of Europe saw a dramatic growth – from 110,000,000 to 190,000,000. What triggered this growth? Likely the end of feudalism. The end of feudal contracts gave people a little more say in their day-to-day working activities, resulting in more time spent at home, which ultimately resulted in childbearing. This would leave citizens scrambling both to provide needs for the populatio n as a whole, and to improve the individuals overall quality of life. This resultedRead MoreThe Impact of the Industrial Revolution on Europe Essay examples963 Words   |  4 PagesThe Industrial Revolution hit Europe and along with it came a great deal of change. Not only did this industrial revolution affect standards of living in cities, it also affected greatly the nature and quality of labor. The Industrial Revolution had an impact of the greatest magnitude on Europe and has shaped the work style and nature of labor that Europeans know today. Although it may seem like a revolution of this sort would have great benefits for those who lived through it, evidence seems toRead MoreChanges Europe Experienced During The Industrial Revolution1620 Words   |  7 PagesChanges Europe experienced during the Industrial Revolution o The Industrial Revolution of the late eighteenth and middle nineteenth was progressive on the grounds that it modified, revolutionized the productive capacity of England, Europe and United States. In any case, the upheaval was something more than just new machines, smoke-burping processing plants, expanded efficiency and an expanded way of life. It was an upheaval which changed English, European, and American culture down to its extremelyRead MoreEffects Of Child Labor During The Industrial Revolution Versus Modern Europe1713 Words   |  7 PagesEffects of Child Labor in the Industrial Revolution versus Modern Europe By: Lariah Thiel â€Æ' Child labor has been a very big problem since the Industrial Revolution. As the world began to industrialize, the demand for labor increased greatly. During the Industrial Revolution child labor became a very important aspect of everyday life because the demand for laborers had grown so much. Families were not only dependent on adults for money, but they were also dependent of their children. Some childrenRead MoreThe Consequences of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain (the Standard of Living Debate) and the Free Trade Era in Europe.1542 Words   |  7 PagesLecture 11: The Consequences of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain (The Standard of Living Debate) and the Free Trade Era in Europe. I. The Consequences of the Industrial Revolution: The Standard of Living Debate. What happened to living standards during the Industrial Revolution? From today’s perspective, over 200 years later, most people would say that industrialization has raised living standards dramatically from those that prevailed in the 1700s. In fact, there is general agreementRead MoreJohn Beckett s The Glorious Revolution971 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Beckett mentions that â€Å"the Glorious Revolution† has been considered a historical event related to the political issues. The main target of this historical event was to create a commercial freedom in Europe. After this revolution was done, trade relations in Europe went up, and the Bill of Rights was also created in 1689. Today, the Bill of Rights is shown and knowns that it was the first building stone for â€Å"the British constitution† because it limited the monarchic power. During the eighteenth

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Being Preoccupied With Their Own Needs - 989 Words

Practitioners being preoccupied with their own needs Meanwhile, therapists, special education needs assistant, special educational needs teacher and support assistant being preoccupied with their own worries would affect the quality of care. For instance, if they were all worried about their family life and not as concentrated on how they could help the children. This can cause many children being neglected. The education of the children would be disturbed and they will not be able to teach the children properly, which would take the children longer to learn and no help would be provided on what they would need to do at home to achieve. However, a deputy head teacher of a (primary) and (secondary) special needs school might be preoccupied with their own needs and might not be able to talk to a child who has been on report for 2 weeks, due to silly behaviour because they have family problems. This can affect the way a child would respond in the future because the child may perceive that the deputy head teacher is not concerned about the child misbehaving and in another occasion, this would take the child longer to behave or they must not behave. Therefore, if they are concerned and they talk about it to the parents of the child and along with the child, this issue could stop. This would stop with no neglect, rejection and punishment. However, this can cause low quality of care, as the child will continue to be naughty at school. Furthermore, a school receptionists beingShow MoreRelatedThe Beauty Myth And Its Effect On Women s Sense Of Self Worth And Self Esteem901 Words   |  4 Pagesworkplace. Wolf discusses how women are still being held back by having to work two shifts (one being paid for by employer and another for the unpaid work done at home) compared with the single shift worked by men – still made strides; and how the introduction of a third shift, the beauty shift, serves the purpose of keeping women down by keeping them tired and preoccupied. Too tired and preoccupied to be successful at work, and too tired and preoccupied to become concerned or even interested in unionsRead MoreThe Common Romantic Relationship Relationships1243 Words   |  5 Pagesrelationships than insecure adults. The first insecure attachment style is the anxious-preoccupied, which goes with the anxious-ambivalent attachment style in children. The anxious adult seeks high levels of intimacy, approval, and responsive ness from their partner. The adult craves intimacy so much they become overly dependent on their partners to get it. They tend not to value themselves which could be a reason that they need so much attention from their partner, and blame themselves for their partner’sRead MoreThe Relationship Between Adult Attachment Classification and Symptoms of Depression1652 Words   |  7 Pagesattachment style. One hundred undergraduate students will complete two online questionnaires each, with one on adult attachment and one on depression. Data on age and gender will also be collected. It is hypothesized that participants with a preoccupied or fearful style (negative view of self) will have higher levels of depression symptoms as compared to participants with a Secure or Dismissing style (positive view of self). John Bowlby once proclaimed that attachment relationshipsRead MoreAttachment Style : A Psychological Factor1604 Words   |  7 Pagesrelationships. This person has a healthy self-esteem, confident with whom they are and are confident in their relationships. Insecure attachment is the opposite and separates into 3 groups anxious, preoccupied and dismissing. Anxious attachment is when the person is afraid of close relationships, preoccupied attachment is when the person has a negative opinion of themselves but a positive view of their partner, and dismissing attachment is when the person has a high opinion of oneself but has a negativeRead MoreA Relationship With Low Self Esteem971 Words   |  4 PagesThe secure, anxious-preoccupied, dismissive-avoidant and fearful-avoidant attachment styles share both commonalities and differences. Desiring a romantic relationship is common in the secure, anxious-preoccupied, and sometimes in the fearful-avoidant attachment styles, this could mean that all the styles in the end lead toward a romantic relationship. Just because you are in one style does not mean that you cannot grow and slowly move to other attachment styles, all it takes is just that one momentRead MoreJack s Survival Strategies And Patterns Of Adaptation Essay1695 Words   |  7 PagesStrategies and Patterns of Adaptation As a child, Jack’s life was extremely structured and contained. Ma was Jack’s source for everything, including his survival. When Ma took a â€Å"gone day,† Jack coped with her lack of response by withdrawing into his own world, reading, drawing, watching TV, and sleeping. As Jack grew, his inner resources of creativity and imagination increased and helped him to cope with his isolation and anxiety. When Jack finally experienced the vast world of people and spaces, MaRead MoreFood As Thought : Resisting The Moralization Of Eating Essay745 Words   |  3 PagesGreen State University summarizes Journalist Michael Pollan’s theory about Americans’s unhealthy population preoccupied with the idea of eating healthy. Mary Maxfield focuses on Pollan’s comparison between how French people eat so unhealthily, famously indulging in cheese, cream, and wine yet remain on average healthier than Americans verses Americans’ notably unhealthy population preoccupied with the idea of eating healthy. The â€Å"they say† argument in this essay is why can the French get away withRead MoreAttachment Theory Of The Human Condition1725 Words   |  7 Pagesbetween child and caregiver and these bond help contribute to a developing person’s sense of self and the world around them. These feeling of connection carry over from parent, to child, to later life from the person to their partner and then their own children. Attachment theory grew out of the understanding that young children in their early fragile stages of development require protection and security to increase their chance of survival, protection is present in the form of the parents from whomRead MoreThe Measure Of Attachment Style Essay1275 Words   |  6 Pagesthe development of the personality. Researchers suggest that attachment has direct influence on personality. Psychologist John Bowlby was the first attachment theorist, describing attachment as a lasting psychological connectedness between human beings.Bowlby believed that the earliest bonds formed by children with their caregivers have a tremendous impact that continues throughout life. He suggested attachment also serves to keep the infant close to the mother, thus improving the child s chancesRead MoreDiagnosis and Treatment Planning in Counseling1146 Words   |  5 Pagesadulthood as indicated by four of following: -aviods occupational activities that involve significant interpersonal contact -is unwilling to get involved with people unless certain of being liked. -shows restraint within intimate relationships due to gear of being shamed or ridiculed. -is preoccupied with being criticized or rejected in social situations. -is inhibited in new interpersonal situations because of feelings of inadequacy -views self as socially inept, personally unappealing or inferior

Saturday, December 14, 2019

The Dark Side of Customer Analytics Free Essays

string(77) " mining the information and re\? ning IFA’s pricing and marketing efforts\." HBR CASE STUDY AND COMMENTARY How can these companies leverage the customer data responsibly? The Dark Side of Customer Analytics Four commentators offer expert advice. by Thomas H. Davenport and Jeanne G. We will write a custom essay sample on The Dark Side of Customer Analytics or any similar topic only for you Order Now Harris Reprint R0705A An insurance company finds some intriguing patterns in the loyalty card data it bought from a grocery chain—the correlation between condom sales and HIV-related claims, for instance. How can both companies leverage the data responsibly? HBR CASE STUDY The Dark Side of Customer Analytics COPYRIGHT  © 2007 HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. by Thomas H. Davenport and Jeanne G. Harris Laura Brickman was glad she was almost done grocery shopping. The lines at the local ShopSense supermarket were especially long for a Tuesday evening. Her cart was nearly over? owing in preparation for several days away from her family, and she still had packing to do at home. Just a few more items to go: â€Å"A dozen eggs, a half gallon of orange juice, and—a box of Dip Dunk cereal? † Her sixyear-old daughter, Maryellen, had obviously used the step stool to get at the list on the counter and had scrawled her high-fructose emand at the bottom of the paper in brightorange marker. Laura made a mental note to speak with Miss Maryellen about what sugary cereals do to kids’ teeth (and to their parents’ wallets). Taking care not to crack any of the eggs, she squeezed the remaining items into the cart. She wheeled past the ShopSense Summer Fun displays. â€Å"Do we need more sunscreen? † La ura wondered for a moment, before deciding to go without. She got to the checkout area and waited. As regional manager for West Coast operations of IFA, one of the largest sellers of life and health insurance in the United States, Laura ormally might not have paid much attention to Shop-Sense’s checkout procedures—except maybe to monitor how accurately her purchases were being rung up. But now that her company’s fate was intertwined with that of the Dallas-based national grocery chain, she had less motivation to peruse the magazine racks and more incentive to evaluate the scanning and tallying going on ahead of her. Some 14 months earlier, IFA and ShopSense had joined forces in an intriguing venture. Laura for years had been interested in the idea of looking beyond the traditional sources of customer data that insurers ypically used to set their premiums and develop their products. She’d read every article, book, and Web site she HBR’s cases, which are ? ctional, present common managerial dilemmas and offer concrete solutions from experts. harvard business review †¢ may 2007 page 1 H BR C A SE S T UDY †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ †¢T he Dark Side of Customer Analytics Thomas H. Davenport (tdavenport@ babson. edu) is the President’s Distinguished Professor of Information Technology and Management at Babson College, in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and the director of research for Babson Executive Education. Jeanne G. Harris (jeanne. g. arris@accenture. com) is an executive research fellow and a director of research at the Accenture Institute for High-Performance Business. She is based in Chicago. Davenport and Harris are the coauthors of Competing on Analytics (Harvard Business School Press, 2007). page 2 could ? nd on customer analytics, seeking to learn more about how organizations in other industries were wringing every last drop of value from their products and processes. Casinos, credit card companies, even staid old insur ance ? rms were joining airlines, hotels, and other service-oriented businesses in gathering nd analyzing speci? c details about their customers. And, according to recent studies, more and more of those organizations were sharing their data with business partners. Laura had read a pro? le of ShopSense in a business publication and learned that it was one of only a handful of retailers to conduct its analytics in-house. As a result, the grocery chain possessed sophisticated data-analysis methods and a particularly deep trove of information about its customers. In the article, analytics chief Steve Worthington described how the organization employed a pattern-based approach to issuing coupons. The marketing department understood, for instance, that after three months of purchasing nothing but WayLess bars and shakes, a shopper wasn’t susceptible to discounts on a rival brand of diet aids. Instead, she’d probably respond to an offer of a free doughnut or pastry with the purchase of a coffee. The company had even been experimenting in a few markets with what it called Good-Sense messages—bits of useful health information printed on the backs of receipts, based partly on customers’ current and previous buying patterns. Nutritional analyses of some customers’ most recent purchases were eing printed on receipts in a few of the test markets as well. Shortly after reading that article, Laura had invited Steve to her of? ce in San Francisco. The two met several times, and, after some fevered discussions with her bosses in Ohio, Laura made the ShopSense executive an offer. The insurer wanted to buy a small sample of the grocer’s customer lo yalty card data to determine its quality and reliability; IFA wanted to and out if the ShopSense information would be meaningful when stacked up against its own claims information. With top management’s blessing, Steve and his team had agreed to provide IFA with ten ears’ worth of loyalty card data for customers in southern Michigan, where ShopSense had a high share of wallet—that is, the supermarkets weren’t located within ? ve miles of a â€Å"club† store or other major rival. Several months after receiving the tapes, analysts at IFA ended up ?nding some fairly strong correlations between purchases of unhealthy products (highsodium, high-cholesterol foods) and medical claims. In response, Laura and her actuarial and sales teams conceived an offering called Smart Choice, a low-premium insurance plan aimed at IFA customers who didn’t indulge. Laura was ? ing the next day to IFA’s headquarters in Cincinnati to meet with members of the senior team. She would be seeking their approval to buy more of the ShopSense data; she wanted to continue mining the information and re? ning IFA’s pricing and marketing efforts. You read "The Dark Side of Customer Analytics" in category "Essay examples" Laura understood it might be a tough sell. After all, her industry wasn’t exactly known for embracing radical change—even with proof in hand that change could work. The make-or-break issue, she thought, would be the reliability and richness of the data. â€Å"Your CEO needs to hear only one thing,† Steve had told her several days earlier, while they were comparing notes. Exclusive rights to our data will give you information that your competitors won’t be able to match. No one else has the historical data we have or as many customers nationwide. † He was right, of course. Laura also knew that if IFA decided not to buy the grocer’s data, some other insurer would. â€Å"Paper or plasti c? † a young boy was asking. Laura had ? nally made it to front of the line. â€Å"Oh, paper, please,† she replied. The cashier scanned in the groceries and waited while Laura swiped her card and signed the touch screen. Once the register printer had stopped chattering, the cashier curled the long strip of aper into a thick wad and handed it to Laura. â€Å"Have a nice night,† she said mechanically. Before wheeling her cart out of the store into the slightly cool evening, Laura brie? y checked the total on the receipt and the information on the back: coupons for sunblock and a reminder about the importance of UVA and UVB protection. Tell It to Your Analyst â€Å"No data set is perfect, but based on what we’ve seen already, the ShopSense info could be a pretty rich source of insight for us,† Archie Stetter told the handful of executives seated around a table in one of IFA’s recently renovated conference rooms. Laura nodded in agreement, silently cheering on the insurance harvard business review †¢ may 2007 T he Dark Side of Customer Analytics †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ †¢H BR C A SE S T UDY company’s uberanalyst. Archie had been invaluable in guiding the pilot project. Laura had ? own in two days ahead of the meeting and had sat down with the chatty statistics expert and some members of his team, going over results and gauging their support for continuing the relationship with ShopSense. â€Å"Trans fats and heart disease—no surprise there, I guess,† Archie said, using a laser pointer to direct the managers’ attention to a PowerPoint slide projected on the wall. How about this, though: Households that purchase both bananas and cashews at least quarterly seem to show only a negligible risk of developing Parkinson’s and MS. † Archie had at ? rst been skeptical about the quality of the grocery chain’s data, but ShopSense’s well of informati on was deeper than he’d imagined. Frankly, he’d been having a blast slicing and dicing. Enjoying his moment in the spotlight, Archie went on a bit longer than he’d intended, talking about typical patterns in the purchase of certain over-the-counter medications, potential leading indicators for diabetes, and other statistical curiosities. Laura noted that as Archie’s presentation wore on, CEO Jason Walter was jotting down notes. O. Z. Cooper, IFA’s general counsel, began to clear his throat over the speakerphone. Laura was about to rein in her stats guy when Rusty Ware, IFA’s chief actuary, addressed the group. â€Å"You know, this deal isn’t really as much of a stretch as you might think. † He pointed out that the company had for years been buying from information brokers lists of customers who purchased speci? c drugs and products. And IFA was among the best in the industry at evaluating external sources of data (credit histories, demographic studies, analyses f socioeconomic status, and so on) to predict depression, back pain, and other expensive chronic conditions. Prospective IFA customers were required to disclose existing medical conditions and information about their personal habits—drinking, smoking, and other high-risk activities—the actuary reminded the group . The CEO, meanwhile, felt that Rusty was overlooking an important point. â€Å"But if we’re ?nding patterns where our rivals aren’t even looking, if we’re coming up with proprietary health indicators—well, that would be a huge hurdle for everyone else to get over,† Jason noted. arvard business review †¢ may 2007 Laura was keeping an eye on the clock; there were several themes she still wanted to hammer on. Before she could follow up on Jason’s comments, though, Geneva Hendrickson, IFA’s senior vice president for ethics and corporate responsibility, posed a blue-sky question to the group: â€Å"Take the fruit-and-nut stat Archie cited. Wouldn’t we have to share that kind of information? As a bene? t to society? † Several managers at the table began talking over one another in an attempt to respond. â€Å"Correlations, no matter how interesting, aren’t conclusive evidence of causality,† someone said. Ev en if a correlation doesn’t hold up in the medical community, that doesn’t mean it’s not useful to us,† someone else suggested. Laura saw her opening; she wanted to get back to Jason’s point about competitive advantage. â€Å"Look at Progressive Insurance,† she began. It was able to steal a march on its rivals simply by recognizing that not all motorcycle owners are created equal. Some ride hard (young bikers), and some hardly ride (older, middle-class, midlife crisis riders). â€Å"By putting these guys into different risk pools, Progressive has gotten the rates right,† she said. â€Å"It wins all the business with the safe set by offering low remiums, and it doesn’t lose its shirt on the more dangerous set. † Then O. Z. Cooper broke in over the speakerphone. Maybe the company should formally position Smart Choice and other products and marketing programs developed using the Shop-Sense data as opt in, he wondered. A lot of people signed up when Progressive gave discounts to customers who agreed to put devices in their cars that would monitor their driving habits. â€Å"Of course, those customers realized later they might pay a higher premium when the company found out they routinely exceeded the speed limit—but that’s not a legal problem,† O. Z. noted. None of the states that IFA did business in had laws prohibiting the sort of data exchange ShopSense and the insurer were proposing. It would be a different story, however, if the company wanted to do more business overseas. At that point, Archie begged to show the group one more slide: sales of prophylactics versus HIV-related claims. The executives continued taking notes. Laura glanced again at the clock. No one seemed to care that they were going a little over. â€Å"Exclusive rights to our data will give you information that your competitors won’t be able to match. No one else has the historical data we have. † page 3 H BR C A SE S T UDY †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ †¢T he Dark Side of Customer Analytics Data Decorum â€Å"Customers find out, they stop using their cards, and we stop getting the information that drives this whole train. † page 4 Rain was in the forecast that afternoon for Dallas, so Steve Worthington decided to drive rather than ride his bike the nine and a half miles from his home to ShopSense’s corporate of? ces in the Hightower Complex. Of course, the gridlock made him a few minutes late for the early morning meeting with ShopSense’s executive team. Lucky for him, others had been held up by the traf? c as well. The group gradually came together in a lightly cluttered room off the main hallway on the 18th ? oor. One corner of the space was being used to store prototypes of regional instore displays featuring several members of the Houston Astros’ pitching staff. â€Å"I don’t know whether to grab a cup of coffee or a bat,† Steve joked to the other s, gesturing at the life-size cardboard cutouts and settling into his seat. Steve was hoping to persuade CEO Donna Greer and other members of the senior team to approve the terms of the data sale to IFA. He was pretty con? dent he had majority support; he had already spoken individually with many of the top executives. In those one-onone conversations, only Alan Atkins, the grocery chain’s chief operations of? cer, had raised any signi? cant issues, and Steve had dealt patiently with each of them. Or so he thought. At the start of the meeting, Alan admitted he still had some concerns about selling data to IFA at all. Mainly, he was worried that all the hard work the organization had done building up its loyalty program, honing its analytical chops, and maintaining deep customer relationships could be undone in one fell swoop. â€Å"Customers ? nd out, they stop using their cards, and we stop getting the information that rives this whole train,† he said. Steve reminded Alan that IFA had no interest in revealing its relationship with the grocer to customers. There was always the chance an employee would let something slip, but even if that happened, Steve doubted anyone would be shocked. â€Å"I haven’t heard of anybody canceling based on any of our other card-driven marketing p rograms,† he said. â€Å"That’s because what we’re doing isn’t visible to our customers—or at least it wasn’t until your recent comments in the press,† Alan grumbled. There had been some tension within the group about Steve’s contribution to everal widely disseminated articles about ShopSense’s embrace of customer analytics. â€Å"Point taken,† Steve replied, although he knew that Alan was aware of how much positive attention those articles had garnered for the company. Many of its card-driven marketing programs had since been deemed cuttingedge by others in and outside the industry. Steve had hoped to move on to the ? nancial bene? ts of the arrangement, but Denise Baldwin, ShopSense’s head of human resources, still seemed concerned about how IFA would use the data. Speci? cally, she wondered, would it identify individual consumers as employees of particular companies? She reminded the group that some big insurers had gotten into serious trouble because of their pro? ling practices. IFA had been looking at this relationship only in the context of individual insurance customers, Steve explained, not of group plans. â€Å"Besides, it’s not like we’d be directly drawing the risk pools,† he said. Then Steve began distributing copies of the spreadsheets outlining the ? ve-year returns ShopSense could realize from the deal. â€Å"‘Directly’ being the operative word here,† Denise noted wryly, as she took her copy and passed the rest around. Parsing the Information It was 6:50 pm, and Jason Walters had canceled his session with his personal trainer— again—to stay late at the of? ce. Sammy will understand, the CEO told himself as he sank deeper into the love seat in his of? ce, a yellow legal pad on his lap and a pen and cup of espresso balanced on the arm of the couch. It was several days after the review of the ShopSense pilot, and Jason was still weighing the risks and bene? ts of taking this business relationship to the next stage. He hated to admit how giddy he was— almost as gleeful as Archie Stetter had been— about the number of meaningful correlations the analysts had turned up. Imagine what that guy could do with an even larger data set,† O. Z. Cooper had commented to Jason after the meeting. Exclusive access to ShopSense’s data would give IFA a leg up on competitors, Jason knew. It could also provide the insurer with proprietary insights into the food-related drivers of disease. The deal was cer tainly legal. And even in the court of public opinion, people understood that insurers had to perform risk analyses. It wasn’t the same as when that harvard business review †¢ may 2007 T he Dark Side of Customer Analytics †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ †¢H BR C A SE S T UDY online bookseller got into trouble for charging ustomers differently based on their shopping histories. But Jason also saw dark clouds on the horizon: What if IFA took the pilot to the next level and found out something that maybe it was better off not knowing? As he watched the minute hand sweep on his wall clock, Jason wondered what risks he might be taking without even realizing it. †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Donna Greer gently swirled the wine in her glass and clinked the stemware against her husband’s. The two were attending a wine tasting hosted by a friend. The focus was on varieties from Chile and other Latin American countries, and Donna and Peter had yet to ? nd a sample they didn’t like. But despite the lively patter of the event and the plentiful food. Donna couldn’t keep her mind off the IFA deal. â€Å"The big question is, Should we be charging more? † she mused to her husband. ShopSense was already selling its scanner data to syndicators, and, as her CFO had reminded her, the company currently made more money from selling information than from selling meat. Going forward, all ShopSense would have to do was send IFA some tapes each month and collect a million dollars annually harvard business review †¢ may 2007 of pure pro? t. Still, the deal wasn’t without risks: By selling the information to IFA, it ight end up diluting or destroying valuable and hard-won customer relationships. Donna could see the headline now: â€Å"Big Brother in Aisle Four. † All the more reason to make it worth our while, she thought to herself. Peter urged Donna to drop the issue for a bit, as he scribbled his comments about the wine they’d just samp led on a rating sheet. â€Å"But I’ll go on record as being against the whole thing,† he said. â€Å"Some poor soul puts potato chips in the cart instead of celery, and look what happens. † â€Å"But what about the poor soul who buys the celery and still has to pay a fortune for medical overage,† Donna argued, â€Å"because the premiums are set based on the people who can’t eat just one? † â€Å"Isn’t that the whole point of insurance? † Peter teased. The CEO shot her husband a playfully peeved look—and reminded herself to send an e-mail to Steve when they got home. What if IFA took the pilot to the next level and found out something that maybe it was better off not knowing? How can these companies leverage the customer data responsibly? †¢ Four commentators offer expert advice. See Case Commentary page 5 T he Dark Side of Customer Analytics †¢ H BR C A SE S T UDY C ase Commentary by George L. Jones How can these companies leverage the customer data responsibly? The message coming from both IFA and ShopSense is that any marketing opportunity is valid—as long as they can get away with it. page 6 Sure, a customer database has value, and a company can maximize that value in any number of ways—growing the database, mining it, monetizing it. Marketers can be tempted, despite pledges about privacy, to use collected information in ways that seem attractive but may ultimately damage relationships with customers. The arrangement proposed in this case study seems shortsighted to me. Neither company seems to particularly care about its customers. Instead, the message coming from the senior teams at both IFA and ShopSense is that any marketing opportunity is valid—as long as they can get away with it legally and customers don’t ? gure out what they’re doing. In my company, this pilot would never have gotten off the ground. The culture at Borders is such that the managers involved would have just assumed we wouldn’t do something like that. Like most successful retail companies, our organization is customer focused; we’re always trying to see a store or an offer or a transaction through the customer’s eyes. It was the same way at both Saks and Target when I was with those companies. At Borders, we’ve built up a signi? cant database through our Borders Rewards program, which in the past year and a half has grown to 17 million members. The data we’re getting are hugely important as a basis for serving customers more effectively (based on their purchase patterns) and as a source of competitive advantage. For instance, we know that if somebody buys a travel guide to France, that person might also be interested in reading Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence. But we assure our customers up front that their information will be handled with the utmost respect. We carefully control the content and frequency of even our own ommunications with Rewards members. We don’t want any offers we present to have negative connotations—for instance, we avoid bombarding people with e-mails about a product they may have absolutely no interest in. I honestly don’t think these companies have hit upon a responsible formula for mining and sharing cust omer data. If ShopSense retained control of its data to some degree—that is, if the grocer and IFA marketed the Smart Choice program jointly, and if any offers came from ShopSense (the partner the customer has built up trust with) rather than the insurance company (a stranger, so to speak)—the relationship could work. Instead of ceding complete control to IFA, ShopSense could be somewhat selective and send offers to all, some, or none of its loyalty card members, depending on how relevant the grocer believed the insurance offer would be to a particular set of customers. A big hole in these data, though, is that people buy food for others besides themselves. I rarely eat at home, but I still buy tons of groceries—some healthy, some not so healthy— for my kids and their friends. If you looked at a breakdown of purchases for my household, you’d say â€Å"Wow, they’re consuming a lot. † But the truth is, I hardly ever eat a bite. That may e an extreme example, but it suggests that IFA’s correlations may be ? awed. Both CEOs are subjecting their organizations to a possible public relations backlash, and not just from the ShopSense customers whose data have been dealt away to IFA. Every ShopSense customer who hears about the deal, loyalty card member or not, is going to lose trust in the company. IFA’s customers might also think twice about their relationship with the insurer. And what about the employees in each company who may be uncomfortable with what the companies are trying to pull off? The corporate cultures suffer. What the companies are proposing here is ery dangerous—especially in the world of retail, where loyalty is so hard to win. Customers’ information needs to be protected. George L. Jones is the president and chief executive officer of Borders Group, a global retailer of books, music, and movies based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. harvard business review †¢ may 2007 T he Dark Side of Customer Analytics †¢ H BR C A SE S T UDY C ase Commentary by Katherine N. Lemon How can these companies leverage the customer data responsibly? Customer analytics are effective precisely because firms do not violate customer trust. harvard business review †¢ may 2007 As the case study illustrates, companies will o on be able to create fairly exhaustive, highly accurate pro? les of customers without having had any direct interaction with them. They’ll be able to get to know you intimately without your knowledge. From the consumer’s perspective, this trend raises several big concerns. In this ? ctional account, for instance, a shopper’s grocery purchases may directly in? uence the availability or price of her life or health insurance products—and not necessarily in a good way. Although the customer, at least tacitly, consented to the collection, use, and transfer of her purchase data, the real issue here is the nintended and uncontemplated use of the information (from the customer’s point of view). Most customers would probably be quite surprised to learn that their personal information could be used by companies in a wholly unrelated industry and in other ways that aren’t readily foreseeable. If consumers lose trust in ? rms that collect, analyze, and utilize their information, they will opt out of loyalty and other data-driven marketing programs, and we may see more regulations and limitations on data collection. Customer analytics are effective precisely because ? rms do not violate customer trust. People believe that retail and other organizations will use their data wisely to enhance their experiences, not to harm them. Angry customers will certainly speak with their wallets if that trust is violated. Decisions that might be made on the basis of the shared data represent another hazard for consumers—and for organizations. Take the insurance company’s use of the grocer’s loyalty card data. This is limited information at best and inaccurate at worst. The ShopSense data re? ect food bought but not necessarily consumed, and individuals buy food at many stores, not just one. IFA might end up drawing rroneous conclusions—and exacting unfair rate increases. The insurer’s general counsel should investigate this deal. Another concern for consumers is what I call â€Å"battered customer syndrome. † Market analytics allow companies to identify their best and worst customers and, consequently, to pay special attention to those deemed to be the mo st valuable. Looked at another way, analytics enable ? rms to understand how poorly they can treat individual or groups of customers before those people stop doing business with them. Unless you are in the top echelon of customers— those with the highest lifetime value, say—you ay pay higher prices, get fewer special offers, or receive less service than other consumers. Despite the fact that alienating 75% to 90% of customers may not be the best idea in the long run, many retailers have adopted this â€Å"top tier† approach to managing customer relationships. And many customers seem to be willing to live with it—perhaps with the unrealistic hope that they may reach the upper echelon and reap the ensuing bene? ts. Little research has been done on the negative consequences of using marketing approaches that discriminate against customer segments. Inevitably, however, customers will ecome savvier about analytics. They may become less tolerant and take their business (and information) elsewhere. If access to and use of customer data are to remain viable, organizations must come up with ways to address customers’ concerns about privacy. What, then, should IFA and ShopSense do? First and foremost, they need to let customers opt in to their data-sharing arrangement. This would address the â€Å"unintended use of data† problem; customers would understand exactly what was being done with their information. Even better, both ? rms would be engaging in trust-building—versus trust-eroding—activities with customers. The esult: improvement in the bottom line and in the customer experience. Katherine N. Lemon (kay. lemon@bc. edu) is an associate professor of marketing at Boston College’s Carroll School of Management. Her expertise is in the areas of customer equity, customer management, and customer-based marketing strategy. page 7 T he Dark Side of Customer Analytics †¢ H BR C A SE S T UDY C ase Commentary by David Norton How can these companies leverage the customer data responsibly? Would customers feel comfortable with the data-sharing arrangement if they knew about it? page 8 Transparency is a critical component of any loyalty card program. The value proposition must be clear; customers must know what they’ll get for allowing their purchase behavior to be monitored. So the question for the CEOs of ShopSense and IFA is, Would customers feel comfortable with the data-sharing arrangement if they knew about it? ShopSense’s loyalty card data are at the center of this venture, but the grocer’s goal here is not to increase customer loyalty. The value of its relationship with IFA is solely ? nancial. The company should explore whether there are some customer data it should exclude from the transfer—information that could be perceived as exceedingly sensitive, such as pharmacy and lcohol purchases. It should also consider doing market research and risk modeling to evaluate customers’ potential reaction to the data sharing and the possible downstream effect of the deal. The risk of consumer backlash is lower for IFA than for ShopSense, given the information the insurance company already purchase s. IFA could even put a positive spin on the creation of new insurance products based on the ShopSense data. For instance, so-called healthy purchases might earn customers a discount on their standard insurance policies. The challenge for the insurer, however, is that there is no proven correlation between the urchase of certain foods and fewer health problems. IFA should continue experimenting with the data to determine their richness and predictive value. Some companies have more leeway than others to sell or trade customer lists. At Harrah’s, we have less than most because our customers may not want others to know about their gaming and leisure activities. We don’t sell information, and we don’t buy a lot of external data. Occasionally, we’ll buy demographic data to ? ne-tune our marketing messages (to some customers, an offer of tickets to a live performance might be more interesting than a dining discount, for example). But we think the internal transactional data are much more important. We do rely on analytics and models to help us understand existing customers and to encourage them to stick with us. About ten years ago, we created our Total Rewards program. Guests at our hotels and casinos register for a loyalty card by sharing the information on their driver’s license, such as their name, address, and date of birth. Each time they visit one of our 39 properties and use their card, they earn credits that can be used for food and merchandise. They also earn Tier Credits that give them higher status in the program and ake them eligible for differentiated service. With every visit, we get a read on our customers’ preferences—the types of games they play, the hotels and amenities they favor, and so on. Those details are stored in a central database. The company sets rules for what can be done with the information. For instance, managers at any one of our properties can execute th eir own marketing lists and programs, but they can target only customers who have visited their properties. If they want to dip into the overall customer base, they have to go through the central relationship-marketing group. Some of the information captured in ur online joint promotions is accessible to both Harrah’s and its business partners, but the promotions are clearly positioned as opt in. We tell customers the value proposition up front: Let us track your play at our properties, and we can help you enjoy the experience better with richer rewards and improved service. They understand exactly what we’re capturing, the rewards they’ll get, and what the company will do with the information. It’s a win-win for the company and for the customer. Companies engaging in customer analytics and related marketing initiatives need to keep â€Å"win-win† in mind when collecting and andling customer data. It’s not just about what the information can do for you; it’s about what you can do for the customer with the information. David Norton (dnorton@harrahs. com) is the senior vice president of relationship marketing at Harrah’s Entertainment, based in Las Vegas. harvard business review †¢ may 2007 T he Dark Side of Customer Analytics †¢ H BR C A SE S T UDY C ase Commentary by Michael B. McCallister How can these companies leverage the customer data responsibly? When the tougher, grayarea decisions need to be made, each person has to have the company’s core principles and values in ind. harvard business review †¢ may 2007 Companies that can capitalize on the information they get from their customers hold an advantage over rivals. But as the ? rms in the case study are realizing, there are also plenty of risks involved with using these data. Instead of pulling back the reins, organizations should be nudging customer analytics forward, keeping in mind one critical point: Any collection, analysis , and sharing of data must be conducted in a protected, permission-based environment. Humana provides health bene? t plans and related health services to more than 11 million embers nationwide. We use proprietary datamining and analytical capabilities to help guide consumers through the health maze. Like IFA, we ask our customers to share their personal and medical histories with us (the risky behaviors as well as the good habits) so we can acquaint them with programs and preventive services geared to their health status. Customer data come to us in many different ways. For instance, we offer complimentary health assessments in which plan members can take an interactive online survey designed to measure how well they’re taking care of themselves. We then suggest ways they can reduce their health risks or treat their existing conditions more effectively. We closely monitor our claims information and use it to reach out to people. In our Personal Nurse program, for example, we’ll have a registered nurse follow up with a member who has ? led, say, a diabetes-related claim. Through phone conversations and e-mails, the RN can help the plan member institute changes to improve his or her quality of life. All our programs require members to opt in if the data are going to be used in any way that would single a person out. Regardless of your industry, you have to start with that. One of the biggest problems in U. S. health care today is obesity. So would it be useful for our company to look at grocery-purchasing patterns, as the insurance company in the case study does? It might be. I could see the upside of using a grocer’s loyalty card data to develop a wellness-based incentive program for insurance customers. (We would try to ? nd a way to build positives into it, however, so customers would look at the interchange and say â€Å"That’s in my best interest; thank you. †) But Humana certainly wouldn’t enter into any kind of datatransfer arrangement without ensuring that our customers’ personal information and the ntegrity of our relationship with them would be properly protected. In health care, especially, this has to be the chief concern—above and beyond any patterns that might be revealed and the sort of competitive edge they might provide. We use a range of industry standard security measures, including encryptio n and ? rewalls, to protect our members’ privacy and medical information. Ethical behavior starts with the CEO, but it clearly can’t be managed by just one person. It’s important that everyone be reminded often about the principles and values that guide the organization. When business opportunities come along, they’ll be screened according to those standards—and the decisions will land right side up every time. I can’t tell people how to run their meetings or who should be at the table when the tougher, grayarea decisions need to be made, but whoever is there has to have those core principles and values in mind. The CEOs in the case study need to take the â€Å"front page† test: If the headline on the front page of the newspaper were reporting abuse of customer data (yours included), how would you react? If you wouldn’t want your personal data used in a certain way, chances are your customers wouldn’t, either. Michael B. McCallister (mmccallister@humana. com) is the president and CEO of Humana, a health benefits company based in Louisville, Kentucky. Reprint R0705A Case only R0705X Commentary only R0705Z To order, call 800-988-0886 or 617-783-7500 or go to www. hbrreprints. org page 9 To Order For Harvard Business Review reprints and subscriptions, call 800-988-0886 or 617-783-7500. Go to www. hbrreprints. org For customized and quantity orders of Harvard Business Review article reprints, call 617-783-7626, or e-mail customizations@hbsp. harvard. edu www. hbrreprints. org U. S. and Canada 800-988-0886 617-783-7500 617-783-7555 fax How to cite The Dark Side of Customer Analytics, Essay examples