Competitive Business Environment - Social Media

Question: Discuss about the Competitive Business Environment, Social Media. Answer: Introduction: In the present competitive business environment, social media has provided huge challenges for the organizations to handle. Since, it has been identified that social media plays a key role in developing effective marketing and promotional technique. Thus, popularity of the businesses heavily depends on the utilization strategy of social media. Since, every organization is focusing on the utilization of social media. Organizations have to implement an innovative decision making process so that it can able to create a positive impact on the business. Furthermore, constituency of internet-based tools has modified the way consumers communicate the process of word-of-mouth marketing. This has created huge amount of challenges for the marketers in utilizing effective decision-making procedure. Problem statement: Many studies have highlighted the fact that decision-making strategy can actually have serious impact on the business perspective of an organization. However, there is no unique way to implement effective decision-making procedure. Therefore, organizations have to focus on all the factors in order to implement the best possible decision-making procedure for the organization. Furthermore, emergence of social media is relatively a new concept. Therefore, any impact of social media must have to take in to account, as it will influence the shape of the marketing strategy. As per the article by Hutter et al. (2013), marketing strategy is a broad concept that covers consumer behavior, marketing mix, value creation, relationship marketing and organizational orientation. Thus, organizations decision-making procedure must have to cover each of the areas effectively. Otherwise, it will create challenges in the business procedure of the organizations. Research aim: The major of aim of this investigation is to highlight the impact that effective decision-making procedure on social media can have on the businesses. Research objectives: The research objectives are as follows: 1. To evaluate the kind of impact that social media can have on the business perspectives on an organization 2. To examine the extent, social media has influenced decision-making procedure of the organizations 3. To suggest decision-making strategies that can help organizations to cope up with the challenges of increasing popularity of social media Research questions: The research questions are as follows: What kind of impact social media can have on the business perspectives on an organization? What extent social media can influence decision-making procedure of the organizations? What will be the suggested decision-making strategies that can help organizations to cope up with the challenges of increasing popularity of social media? Literature review: Impact of the emergence of social media: As per the article by Aral, Dellarocas Godes (2013) social media represent a internet-based group where people can share their thoughts and believes much more effectively. The emergence of social media has drastically changed the marketing landscape in the past decade. Before the emergence of social media, organizations and customers has no direct link with each other. However, the emergence of social media has completely revolutionized the way organizations promote their products and services in the market. According to Saaty Vargas (2013) emergence of social media not only changed the procedure by which customers interacts with each other but also with the organizations. The emergence of social media has increased the importance of word-of-mouth communication strategy. Since, every customer can actually share their opinion regarding a particular product and services in front of whole world. Therefore, it can actually affect the buying decision of customers (Venkataraman Das, 201 3). Furthermore, social media tools and platforms allow users to recommend, share contents and also positive and negative experiences in a much more effective way. Gensler et al. (2013) highlighted that emergence of social media increases the importance of virtual communities. In fact, it has become an integral part of everyones present life. The massive impact of social media induced people to visit there social media account many times in a day. Furthermore, as mentioned by Halpern Gibbs (2013) customers are more likely to be participating than watching. Now, emergence of social media has given a platform to the people where they can transform themselves from being customers as viewers to customers as participants. This shift in behavior highlighted the increasing importance of social media. Thus, it has certainly influenced organizations to reconsider their decision-making strategy in order to provide customers a chance to participate in the marketing procedure. As per the article by Wang, Yu Wei (2012) the relationship between customer decision-making and social media reflects that the emergence of social media has its affect on brand attitudes, advertising attitudes and purchasing intention of the customers. Thus, social media can certainly affects the buying behavior of the customers. Development of proper brand attitude in social media can lead customers to select a particular brand for purchases. Furthermore, social media is a two-way communication process. Therefore, it also helps customers to make suggestions that can actually enhance the popularity of a particular product or services. According to Bertot, Jaeger Hansen (2012) emergence of social media has opened a completely new platform for the organizations to utilize in order to get competitive advantage in the market. In fact, many studies have mentioned that social media is not only a tool for marketing but also is an effective tool for a product or brand to connect with its p otential customers. Furthermore, social media is providing a global platform for the organizations to promote a particular or service. Thus, organizations also have to keep in mind that their promotional campaign on social media does not focus on any particular geographical area or community of the world. Emergence of social media has also help organizations to understand insight of the customers in a better way (Grajales et al., 2014). Therefore, it allows organizations to implement necessary changes in the business decision procedure in a much more effective way. Importance of effective decision-making strategy: As per the article by Rodriguez, Peterson Krishnan (2012) decision-making strategies heavily depend on needs and perspectives of the customers. Now, emergence of social media has changed the marketing procedure completely. Since, traditional marketing primarily focus on the utilization of one-way communication process. However, emergence of social media has induced organizations to implement two way marketing technique in order to remain competitive in the market. According to Fotis, Buhalis Rossides (2012) two-way communication is extremely important for the fulfillment of marketing objectives. Therefore, it also affected the decision-making procedure of the organizations. For instance, organizations like Microsoft and Coca-Cola have consciously evaluating their decisions through the feedbacks of the customers. As per the article by Tsimonis Dimitriadis (2014), impact of social media on the process of management decision making can be very extensive. Since, social media have the potential to alter opinions of the people and influence the choices. Therefore, it creates direct impact on the managers decision-making procedure. Furthermore, increase utilization of two-way communication process in the marketing techniques has forced organizations to made lot of changes in their decision-making procedure (Croteau Hoynes, 2013). Media and social phenomenon appear relevant for the impact of the expanded utilization of web-based social media on organizational decision-making procedure. Schroeder Pennington-Gray (2015) mentioned different theories such as crowd behavior theory, media richness theory, peer pressure theory, conformity theory, communications saturation theory and convergence theory. Since, these theories have mentioned that it is necessary for the organization to change its decision-making procedure so that it can able to face the challenges of the market successfully. As per the media richness theory, organizations decisions have to include message clarity, social perceptions and ability to evaluate other outside factors on the quality of decision-making procedure (Harrigan et al., 2015). This theory emphasizes on the social perceptions and perceived ability to analyze the needs of the market. On the other hand, communication saturation theory focuses on the utilization of new and advance techniques for the communication so that it can able to cope up with the change in the perception of the customers. Furthermore, emergence of social media has created broader scope for the word-of-mouth communication. Studies have also identified that social media can also create new forms of peer pressure that are very vast as compared to face-to-face situations. However, emergence of social media has also influence organizations to consider the inputs of the peers in order to implement effective decision-making procedure (Hays, Page Buhalis, 2013). Furthermore , emergence of social media has induced organizations to utilize unique marketing techniques. For instance, attractive blogs and gripping tweets have become an integral part of decision-making procedure of the organizations. Particularly for the younger generation, utilizations of blogs and tweets have created huge amount of impact on the popularity of a particular product or service. Literature gap: From the above discussion it can be assess that emergence of social media has forced organizations to made considerable changes. However, no clear-cut solutions are provided by the studies through which organizations can implement effective decisions. Furthermore, several drawbacks also have been found on the excessive utilization of social media for gaining popularity in the market. For instance, saturation effect of social media can actually create huge amount of negative impact on the effectiveness of the decision-making procedure. Therefore, it highlighted the fact that organizations have to restructure its decision-making procedure in such a way so that it can able to minimize the possibility of organizational risks in the market. Research methodology: Research outline: As per the article by Treem Leonardi (2013), research outline helps the research study to cover all the factors related to the research study. The outline of the research study includes the factors like research philosophy, research approach, research design so that the research study can able to fulfill all the requirements of the research study. In this study, the focus will be on all the factors related to social media that can have impact on the decision-making procedure of the organizations. Thus, the research study will include positivism philosophy, deductive approach and descriptive design in order to fulfill all the requirements of the study. Research philosophy: As per the article by Chan Yazdanifard (2014), selection of research philosophy is crucial for the successful completion of the study. Generally, three types of research philosophies namely positivism, interpretivism and realism is used in the order to fulfill the requirements of the study. However, in order to evaluate the impact of social media on the decision-making procedure, the study will utilize positivism research philosophy. The study will focus on the utilization of positivism research philosophy so that it can evaluate all the factors related to social media in a much more effective way. Furthermore, utilization of positivism research philosophy allows the study to fulfill all the requirements of the study within the given timeframe. Research approach: According to Munar Jacobsen (2014), research approach is another significant part that can have huge impact on the success of a particular study. Traditionally, research approach can be separated in two parts namely inductive and deductive approach. However, in this study, the focus will be on the deductive research approach. Since, deductive research approach has the potential to identify all the factors that are affecting the decision-making procedure of an organization. Furthermore, deductive approach will induce the research study to consider different theories and concepts regarding the topic of the research study. Therefore, it helps the research study to have an in-depth analysis on several factors related to social media that influences the decision-making procedure of the organizations. Furthermore, deductive approach will help to implement effective process of research so that the study can able to fulfill all its objectives. On the other hand, the study will not focus on the utilization of inductive approach, as it will prolong the expected time that is required to fulfill all the factors of the study. Research design: As mentioned by Stieglitz Dang-Xuan (2013) research design is another important part or research methodology that has the potential to add value to the research study. Traditionally, research design can be separated in to three parts explanatory, exploratory and descriptive research design (Chen Sakamoto, 2013). In order to evaluate all the factors related to social media, the study will focus on the descriptive research design. The research study will utilize descriptive research design so that the study can able to define application and approaches. Furthermore, utilization of descriptive research design will help the research study to enhance the quality of the research study. Descriptive research design also helps the study to collect effective information regarding the research topic that eventually will create positive impact on the successful fulfillment of the research study. Furthermore, descriptive research design will also help the research study to identify future persp ectives of the factors that can have impact on the decision-making procedure of the organizations. Key variables and the process of measuring them: As per the article by Galan, Lawley Clements (2015) identification of key variables is critical for the successful completion of the research study. Since, it allows the research study to cover all the factors that can have impact on the decision-making procedure of the organizations. In order to identify the impact that emergence of social media on the organizational decision-making process, the study will also have to evaluate all the internal and external factors effectively. In this research study, social media can be regarded as independent factor. Conversely, decision-making procedure has to be regarded as the dependent factor of the study. Since, studies have established the fact that social media can have huge amount of impact on the decision-making procedure. Thus, the study will evaluate different marketing strategies that organizations utilize in social media in order to gain competitive advantage in the market. The study will able to evaluate all the marketing strategies of social media, as it will help to evaluate the independent factors of the research topic in an effective way. For instance, the study will focus on the identification of the changes that organizations have faced after the emergence of social media. This will help the research study to identify a trend that organizations follow in order to implement effective decision-making procedure. The study will also analyze organizational decision-making policies in order to identify the future-plan that organizations can utilize. The identification of future-plan actually help the research study to suggest a particular way so that it can able to fulfill the requirements of the organizations. Data collection and sampling technique: Data collection technique: As per the article by Goh, Heng Lin (2013) data collection is another significant factor that can have huge amount of impact on the successful completion of any particular study. Data collection allows the research study to collect relevant information regarding the research topic. In this research study, focus will be on the primary data collection procedure. Since, collection of primary data will allow the study to utilize practical information. The research study will also focus on the primary data collection procedure, as it will help the research study to identify different perspectives. As per the article by Yadav et al. (2013) primary data collection procedure can be utilized in two ways namely qualitative and quantitative data collection procedure. In this study, focus will be on both qualitative and quantitative data collection procedure in order to collect in-depth information about the research study. In this research study, survey technique will be utilized at the time o f quantitative data collection. The research study will consider formulation of questionnaire in order to collect quantitative information about the research study. The study will only include closed-end questions at the time of collecting quantitative data. The study will focus on the quantitative data collection procedure, as it will help the research study to identify a pattern regarding the kind of impact that emergence of social media can have on the decision-making procedure of the organizations. Furthermore, the research study will also consider qualitative data collection procedure in order to have in-depth information. The study will utilize another set of questionnaire at the time of collecting qualitative data. The study will only include open-end questions in order to have different perspectives of the respondents. In addition, utilization of qualitative data collection procedure will help to improve the quality of the research study. The study will utilize face-to-face conversation technique, as it can enhance the quality of the collected data. Sampling technique: As per the article by Rishika et al. (2013), data collection can only have its desired level of impact when the collected data is analyzed effectively. Therefore, research study also has to focus on the data analysis procedure in order to fulfill all the objectives of the research study. In order to utilize effective data analysis technique, the study will focus on the implementation of sampling technique. Traditionally, two types of sampling techniques including probability and non-probability sampling technique are used in the research studies (Kimmel Kitchen, 2014). However, in this study, the focus will be on the non-probability sampling technique. The research study will focus on the non-probability sampling technique, as it will allow the study to collect information from the relevant resources. Non-probability sampling technique allows the study will select 90 executive level professionals from different organizations in order to collect quantitative information about the res earch study. Furthermore, the study selects 15 managers from different organizations at the time of qualitative data. In addition, the study will utilize several statistical techniques to analyze all the factors related to social media that can have impact on the decision-making procedure of the organizations. In this research study, statistical tools like mean, median, mode will be utilized to fulfill all the objectives of the research. Furthermore, correlation, regression and standard deviation will also be utilized in order to add value to the outcome of the research study. Ethical issues: As per the article by Garrigos-Simon, Lapiedra Alcam Barber Ribera (2012) maintenance of ethics is crucial for the successful competition of the research study. Therefore, research studies always put huge amount of focus so that the ethics of the research study remains intact. Furthermore, maintenance of ethics will allow the research to study to have an unbiased outcome. Thus, in order to analyze the emergence of social media on the decision-making procedure of the organizations, the study will focus on the following ethical aspects: Confidentiality: Maintaining the privacy of the collected data is one of the major ethical factors that the research studies will have to consider in order to fulfill all the requirements of the study. Since, primary data is collected for this particular study; it will also have to maintain the confidentiality of the research study. Therefore, the research study will have to utilize the rules and regulation of the data protection act in order to maintain the confidentiality of the research study. The study will have to protect data from any public sources that are not related to the research study. Reliability: Reliability of the collected data is another important ethical aspect that the study will have to consider at the time of conducting research. However, the research study is utilizing non-probability sampling technique in order to identify the best possible persons for the collection primary data. Still, the study will have to make sure that the respondents are providing the actual information. Otherwise, the study might fail to describe the actual picture that emergence of social media can have on the decision-making procedure of the organizations. Verified source: According to Xie Lee (2014) identification of verified source is another important factor that the research study will have to consider at the time of conducting the primary data collection procedure. Therefore, the research study will have to ensure that the selected respondents are capable of providing in-depth information regarding the topic of the study. Furthermore, the study will also have to ensure that any external factors do not affect the responses of the respondents. Lack of secondary information: Utilization of social media is comparatively a new concept that organizations are considering in order to gain competitive advantage in the market. Therefore, the availability of specific secondary information is still not at the expected level. As a result, the study will have to assume the role of different factors and its impact on the decision-making process of the organization. Integrity: The research study will also have to focus on the maintenance of integrity of the respondents. Otherwise, the respondents might not feel to share their views about the research topic. As a result, it can actually create huge amount of negative impact on the successful fulfillment of all the factors. Expected outcomes: From the above discussion, it can be expected that the research study will be able to evaluate all the dependent and independent factors that can have impact on the decision-making procedure of the organizations. Furthermore, it is also expected that the research study will be able to suggest a particular way by which organizations can utilize all the factors to implement effective decision-making for gaining competitive advantage in the market. References: Aral, S., Dellarocas, C., Godes, D. (2013). Introduction to the special issue-social media and business transformation: A framework for research.Information Systems Research,24(1), 3-13. Bertot, J. C., Jaeger, P. T., Hansen, D. (2012). The impact of polices on government social media usage: Issues, challenges, and recommendations.Government information quarterly,29(1), 30-40. Chan, J. M., Yazdanifard, R. (2014). How social media marketing can influence the profitability of an online company from a consumer point of view.Journal of Research in Marketing,2(2), 157-160. Chen, R., Sakamoto, Y. (2013, January). Perspective matters: Sharing of crisis information in social media. 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Intellectual property laws

Intellectual property laws have long been known to serve as market stabilizers. This function is especially achieved by getting rid of the low success rates for upstart companies occasioned by open systems that allow some people to use other individuals’ creations especially for intangible goods like what MoneyGram offers.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Intellectual property laws specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Intangible goods are generally viewed as an easy way for earning profits since not much investment is required in terms of physical assets as would be the case in institutions involved in production of tangible goods. Unfortunately, this intangibility has the drawback of it being easy for other people to reproduce the said intellectual creations without any limitations and in the process ‘stealing’ some of the clients from the initial innovators. In reality, the latter would be losing profits and customers that rightfully belong to them. Intellectual property rules and regulations are thus created to guide and stabilize the market eliminating counterfeits as well as to encourage innovative business ventures. This stability once established in a particular market helps reduce the risk associated with innovation. As long as rules are in place to protect the respective rights of the creator of a business idea, the more likely are his or her chances of success in the market. In the case of competition, these rules serve to ensure that the competitor does not illegally gain advantage by merely imitating the new product that has been brought into the market. The Brazilian market has been secured by the introduction of vital measures targeted at ensuring its stability. Corporation laws have over time been improved tremendously with the major aim being the promotion of cooperation among stakeholders as well as safeguarding the interests of minority shareholders . The Brazilian government has been at the forefront in the creation of suitable environments that encourage innovation of technology based institutions. Stability in such ventures however has been achieved by ensuring that the intellectual property strategies of the companies are well respected. This has been entrenched in the industrial property law that was instituted into the constitution of the country a few years ago. Developments in the legal systems of the land so the introduction of intellectual property and copyright measures particularly for software. A recent proposal is what is commonly referred to as the Innovation’s Law; a legal measure that is expected to support the transitioning business strategies from paper to the real market.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Brazilian federal agency for fostering innovation embodies rules and regulatio ns that guide how intellectual property rights will be used in the securing of contracts. This means that the agency promotes full refunding in case a contract is breached. This is particularly important for companies like MoneyGram which enter into the market without distinct goods to use as guarantees. While presenting the idea to the relevant state authorities for approval, care will be taken to ensure that a proper valuation of the new intangible assets being introduced into the market. The risks involved while going into the venture should be minimalized to ensure that decent gains are made from the project. Since Money Gram is already in operation in the country, the idea to introduce a multiple send currency remittance will be received as supportive intangible property to the entire enterprise. The ownership of this introduction will be on a third party basis and this is where the intellectual property laws will come in- to ensure that the innovators receive their due rights especially in terms of gains made from the idea. Trademark Protection The multiple send currency remittance feature that is set to be included to the Money Gram program is an independent and autonomous feature. It can therefore stand on its own as a subsidiary under the whole company and will therefore need to have identity features unique to it that will be used to distinguish it from other services offered by the company as well as competitors. A trademark needs to be registered for this service and this will include features such as the name of the service, a special logo created to distinguish the service, colors designated to be used in the logo. All these have to be registered in compliance with rules applicable within the country. When filing a trademark in Brazil, it is worth noting that the Industrial Property Law 9279/96 gives innovators the right to withhold information on what they intend to do with the trademark; at least until the time of registration (Garland, 1979). This is very important as it will ensure that intellectual property rights are respected by eliminating the situations that could lead to an individual’s idea being used elsewhere without his/her knowledge. The Brazilian property law also generally ensures that the first person to file the logo gets full rights to use it. However, article 129(1) allows for the individual who has been using a particular logo (or one similar to it) in good faith for a period of at least six months to have first priority (Gadbaw, Richards, 1988).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Intellectual property laws specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Once a trademark application has been filed, and a legally accepted analysis conducted, the trademark (logo or symbol) is posted on the bulletin board for a period of not less than two months. This will give a chance to anybody that would be willing to challenge the application a pe riod of 60 days in which to present their contention. If such contention is filed, it is once again posted on the bulletin board and the applicant is once again given a period of 60 days in which to respond to the opposition. If the answer submitted by the applicant is not satisfactory, the application will be turned down and the applicant allowed a further 60 days in which to submit an appeal. If an appeal is not filed within the stipulated time, the application is regarded as abandoned and the decision to reject it stands. On the other hand, if no contention for the trademark after the application has been posted on the bulletin board for a period of 60 days, a notice is posted on the board to alert the applicant that he or she has a period of 60 days in which to clear the issuance fees. If these fees are not paid within the specified time, the application is declared abandoned and is not allowed to pass through. Should the fees be paid on time, the final consenting authority allo wing for registration is published. In a period not exceeding 180 days, the opposing parties are allowed to seek nullification of registration. Once a trademark has been registered, it is associated to the person who registered for a period of ten years after which he or she is required to register afresh. If the trademark is not in use for a period of more than five consecutive years, it can be cancelled and therefore anyone willing to use it can file an application (Abbott, Cottier, Gurry, 1999). Once the relevant procedures seeking approval to commence delivery of the service have been cleared, a creative panel will be sought to come up with a unique trademark for the new feature of the Money Gram services and the appropriate registration procedures followed to consolidate its legality. Point of sale software As a new service within the MoneyGram franchise, the multiple send currency remittance feature will need the installation of new software to support its operation. These ar e programs that will basically support the transfer of various kinds of currencies from the same point without necessarily requiring for the service provider to go through rigorous currency exchange computations.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Since Moneygram already uses DeltaWorks software alongside Agent connect, it will not make much business sense to purchase them again. Instead an upgrade of the existing software is recommended in the various Agent locations. Computer programming service providers and software developers will be contracted to come up with additional software that can either be used alongside DeltWorks and AgentConnect software or if necessary integrated into the two. These software should have the capability to record an in-depth inventory of all the transactions made on the system as well as being easy enough for the average user in an agent location to perform these transactions effectively. The point of sale software to be used should be installed in both sender locations and on the receiver side in order to provide for accountability. It would actually not make sense to have the sender transfer funds in one currency only for the transaction to be halted because the recipient has no capacity to h andle completion of the funds transfer. The good thing about this product is that it does not involve the selling of tangible goods or clearly visible services. This means that the software which enables the transaction is most likely the only software needed at the point of sale. Elaborate software for analyzing the performance of the product in the market and analyzing the profits made in a given time will not be required at the point of sale and most of these functions will be studied at the head office of the company. SWOT Analysis Strengths The service to be introduced into the MoneyGram franchise particularly in Brazil has the primary strength of being completely new in the country. None of the competing companies offering money transfer services in Brazil have implemented a multiple send currency remittance feature in their service. This will make Money Gram a pioneer hence providing for the chance to not only secure clientele, but to also maintain customer loyalty in case co mpetition emerges in future. Another strength of this service and probably the more reason why it is bound to receive accreditation from MoneyGram is that it seeks to complement the services already being provided by the company. This service is also bound to be very attractive to regular users of money transfer services; most of whom have to undergo strenuous currency exchange procedures before transfers are made. Sometimes a lot of money is deducted from what they original had in order to pay for the exchange service (Terry, 2005). Aside from increasing the revenue earned by MoneyGram international, this service will make the company a competitive giant in the region. Weaknesses The main weakness of this service is that it is not the kind of product that yields profits immediately. The cost of setting up the new systems may be slightly on the higher side and MoneyGram International may not be willing to let its systems be interfered with in the process of implementing the upgrades . The project is also based on the premise that a lot of people are now immigrating to Brazil and the assumption is that they would wish to send money to their respective countries in the particular currency formats of these countries. It is however difficult to confirm that these clients will be willing to abandon service providers with whom they have established some degree of loyalty for an off-paper service that has yet to prove itself in the market. Finally, the project is based on the assumption that the number of multiple send currency remittance requests will be sufficient enough to support the service as a self standing department of Money Gram International. Opportunities The opportunities that guide this service include the very fact that the migration of people from countries bordering Brazil into the country is on a rapid upward trend. This means that once the program has been unfolded, the new immigrants will find it the most convenient of all money transfer services a vailable. The project will capitalize on the newly introduced funding systems introduced by the Brazilian government to fund developing ventures within the country. This will help reduce the burden of funding thus giving the service more chances of picking up in the market. Unlike an exclusively start up company, this service will depend on infrastructure already installed by Money Gram international. It will also initially rely on the current MoneyGram clientele to spread the word. This therefore means that most of the resources that would have been redirected to equipment purchase would be used to perfect the development of the project-a factor that will immensely contribute to its success. Threats The major threat to any new innovation is imitation. This will unavoidably present once the service has been proven successful, and competitors begin to see MoneyGram International as a company begin to ‘snatch’ clientele from them. The rules in Brazil like in any other par t of the world are not entirely water tight. They come with loopholes that competitors can capitalize on to create a remarkably similar product but change a few aspects and patent it as a new service altogether. Luckily, since this is an entirely new innovation in the country, the company can count on customer loyalty based on the assumption that an imitation can never be totally as good as the original. As much as money transfer services are gaining ground in Brazil, so are banking systems. There is a very big possibility that in the prospective future most of the immigrants will prefer to directly transfer funds from their accounts to bank accounts in their destination countries. These threats however are not sealed and ways to circumvent them will develop as the service gets into the market. Reference List Abbott, F.M., Cottier, T., Gurry, F. (1999).The international intellectual property  system: commentary and materials. Netherlands: Kluwer Law International. Gadbaw, R.M., Richards, T.J. (1988). Intellectual property rights: global consensus,  global conflict? San Francisco: Westview Press. Garland, P.G. (1978). Doing business in and with Brazil. Brasilia: Banco Lar Brasileiro. Terry, F.D. (2005). Beyond small change: making migrant remittances count.  Washington: Inter-American Development Bank This research paper on Intellectual property laws was written and submitted by user Abrielle Anthony to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Plato and Aristotle. The Fate of the Human Soul after Death

Plato and Aristotle. The Fate of the Human Soul after Death Introduction Since the emergence of religion and the study of philosophy, the fate of the human soul after death has been an issue that has attracted much attention. Most philosophers have differed over the issue and put forward theories and explanations to validate their stands. On the other hand, religion has maintained that the soul is immortal and survives the death of the body. Two of the greatest philosophers of early time, Plato and Aristotle, held contradicting views and explanations as to the fate of the soul. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Plato and Aristotle. The Fate of the Human Soul after Death specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Plato argued that the soul is immortal and therefore survives the death of the body. In contrast, Plato argued that the soul cannot exist without the body and it therefore perishes together with the body at death. Both philosophers put forward arguments to support their stand on the matter. However, there is no definite agreement as to the issue and remains a matter of faith for religions and speculation for free thinkers. Discussion Plato based his stand on several arguments. First, he taught that good people receive rewards both in this earthly life and in the afterlife. He argued that goodness was not a means to an end but an end in itself. This was one of the basics of his teaching of the immortality of the soul. He believed that the association between the soul and the body served to deform its pure state. Despite the deformation, the soul retained a certain portion of its real nature with its expression in the longing for wisdom. This argument supports his teaching that the destruction of an object results only from its own evil. As such, the soul can only meet destruction through its own inner evils. Plato maintained that immortality is the only affliction of the soul that can only harm it even though no evidence exists to explain the effect of dea th on the soul Secondly, Plato used reincarnation to advance his stand further. At the time, the Greeks held a belief that everything that was in existence was in a recurring cycle that was eternal. As such, Plato believed that death and life were complementary and one came after the other. He gave the example of sleep. After sleep a person wakes up and after waking up, sleep follows. The same was with death and life: they were cyclic and therefore one came after the other. As such, the soul cannot die because there is life after death. Thirdly, he argued that the soul existed before the body. He supported this statement by observing that humans possess a special kind of knowledge in the ability to draw comparisons. This is evidence of a pre-existent soul. He however claims that this knowledge is lost at birth and retraced with the special help of an instructor. Aristotle used scientific approach by combining biology and metaphysics concepts to explain the idea of the immortality of the soul. Aristotle taught that the unity of the soul and the body was crucial and therefore, the soul cannot exist alone without the body. He argued that the soul’s main purpose is development and that this is only possible in association with the body. Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As such, the sole purpose of the soul is dependent on the body and if the body dies, then the soul succumbs to the death too because it cannot exist alone. Aristotle further held the belief that the soul was responsible for the existence of the body as the source of locomotion and other changes. Based on this claim, he stated that the soul could not survive death since it was the source of locomotion for the body. The view that substances possess specific body forms enhanced Aristotle’s claim. He claimed that an inward soul that these substances possessed maintained them in ex istence. He viewed the soul as a collection of reason moved by a need for significance. As such, different life forces that served different purposes made up the soul. Upon death of the body, these forces returned to their source leading to the disintegration of the soul. In addition, he believed that the body came into existence before the soul. This implies that the ability to reason developed before the ability to feel. As such, the body must have initiated the development of the soul hence its immortality. Aristotle’s arguments are more plausible compared Plato’s. Plato’s arguments are highly metaphysical and complex to comprehend. Plato’s arguments are simple, logical and easily conceivable by the mind. The inclusion of scientific and metaphysical knowledge makes his arguments all-inclusive and easy to conceive and understand. Conclusion The fate of the human soul after death has been an issue of much attention. Most philosophers have differed over the issue and put forward theories and explanations to validate their stands. On the other hand, religion has maintained that the soul is immortal and survives the death of the body. Plato and Aristotle had their contribution on the issue and it is still today a matter of either faith or speculation. Precisely, Aristotle’s arguments are more plausible than those of Plato are.

4 Senses Animals Have That Humans Dont

4 Senses Animals Have That Humans Don't Radar guns, magnetic compasses, and infrared detectors are all man-made inventions that enable humans to stretch beyond the five natural senses of sight, taste, smell, feel, and hearing. But  these gadgets are far from original. Evolution equipped some animals with these extra senses millions of years before humans evolved. Echolocation Toothed whales (a family of marine mammals that includes dolphins), bats, and some ground- and tree-dwelling shrews use echolocation to navigate their surroundings. These animals emit  high-frequency sound pulses, either very high-pitched to human ears or completely inaudible, and then detect the echoes produced by those sounds. Special ear and brain adaptations enable these animals to build three-dimensional pictures of their surroundings. Bats, for example, have enlarged ear flaps that gather and direct sound toward their thin, super-sensitive eardrums. Infrared and Ultraviolet Vision Rattlesnakes and other pit vipers use their eyes to see during the day, like most other vertebrate animals. But at night, these reptiles employ infrared sensory organs to detect and hunt warm-blooded prey that would otherwise be completely invisible. These infrared eyes are cup-like structures that form crude images as infrared radiation hits a heat-sensitive retina. Some animals, including eagles, hedgehogs, and shrimp, can also see into the lower reaches of the ultraviolet spectrum. Human beings are unable to see either infrared or ultraviolet light with the naked eye. Electric Sense The omnipresent electric fields produced by some animals function like senses. Electric eels and some species of rays have modified muscle cells that produce electric charges strong enough to shock  and sometimes kill their prey. Other fish (including many sharks) use weaker electric fields to help them navigate murky waters, home in on prey or monitor their surroundings. For instance, bony fish (and some frogs) possess lateral lines on either side of their bodies, a row of sensory pores in the skin that detect electrical currents in the water. Magnetic Sense The flow of molten material in the earths core and the flow of ions in the earths atmosphere generate a magnetic field that surrounds the planet. Just as compasses point humans toward magnetic north, animals possessing a magnetic sense can orient themselves in specific directions and navigate long distances. Behavioral studies have revealed that animals as diverse as honey bees, sharks, sea turtles, rays, homing pigeons, migratory birds, tuna, and salmon all have magnetic senses. Unfortunately, the details about how these animals actually sense the earths magnetic field are not yet known. One clue may be small deposits of magnetite in these animals nervous systems. These magnet-like crystals align themselves with the earths magnetic fields and may act like microscopic compass needles.   Edited by Bob Strauss

Child Labor in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Child Labor in America - Essay Example Traditionally, slavery has been considered as a means for promoting the interests of specific groups of the society. In the long past, slavery was considered as part of most countries’ social and economic life. The development of international law has led many people to believe that slavery would be significantly limited, a target that, even today, seems quite difficult to be achieved. In accordance with a report of 2000, the people suffered from slavery globally are estimated to 27 million (New York Times 2000).Moreover, it has been proved that the terms of slavery have been changed. People with significant economic or social power are no more, at least not exclusively, responsible for the development of slave. People of average income are likely to force other people to slavery. At the same time, slavery is no more an issue of race; rather people of all races are forced to slavery, in various forms, a fact that proves the severe gaps of national and international laws in reg ard to the specific issue. Particular emphasis should be given on child labor, which is highly developed worldwide. In USA, about 45,000 women and children are forced to non-decent jobs annually, as reported by the Central Intelligence AgencyIt seems that the promotion of slavery worldwide has supported the increase of child labor under terms which can be characterized as quite unfair and cruel, taking into consideration the fact that children who are forced to work do not have, usually, access to education, as other children worldwide. The modern forms of slavery are analyzed in the article of Lehoczky (2000); the above researcher notes that, today, slavery is more expanded and more difficult to be controlled than in the past. At the next level, Lehoczky (2000) refers to the view of Bales who noted that today slaves exist not only in countries of the Third World, but also ‘in London and Paris’ (Lehoczky 2000). In such environment, child labor has been significantly exp anded. An example of the extension of the particular phenomenon is the following one, as described by Bales, the views of whose on slavery have been incorporated in the article of Lehoczky: a North African girl was taken, as a child, by a France family, who ensured that they were going to pay for her studies, under the terms that the girl would work for them (Bales, in Lehoczky 2000). The result was that the girl was forced to work, being also abused, at such level that when she grew up her level of consciousness was that of a child (Bales, in Lehoczky 2000). The above example shows the potential effects, and the cruelty, of child labor even in developed countries, where, normally, no such phenomena would be expected to exist. Kevin Bales, ‘a professor of sociology at Roehampton University in London’ (Vision Media 2007), has been trying, for many years, to combat slavery. In accordance with Bales, slavery has been traditionally based on economics, meaning that people ar e likely to force others to slavery in order ‘to make a profit’ (Vision Media 2007). At the next level, Bales notes that the control of slavery is often quite difficult, being covered under processes which seem to be legal; an indicative example is the provision by Japan of about ‘100,000 entertainer – visas annually’ (Vision Media 2007). As a result, thousands of young girls have entered Japan, being promised that they were going to work; in practice, these girls end up in slavery (Vision Media 2007). Specifically, regarding the child labor, Bales notes that the problem has become major not just in developing countries, but also in developed countries, even in USA where significant efforts have been made for controlling the particular phenomenon. In fact, it seems that in USA children work in the production line of well known brands, such as GAP and NIKE (Bales 1999, p.236). The expansion of child labor can be made clear

Discuss the development of garvey's UNIA.what were the factors that Essay

Discuss the development of garvey's UNIA.what were the factors that made Garvey develop his organisationwhat role did geography - Essay Example He immersed himself into books in his quest for more knowledge to complement what he had gained from elementary school. Marcus Garvey’s quest for knowledge saw him travel widely in the Caribbean, Latin America and eventually he landed in London England. His education gave him an advantage over other people of African descent for he was able to secure employment in places where he visited. His position at different newspaper publishing companies gave him an insight into the prevailing conditions and circumstances under which people of African descent were experiencing. It is through his interaction with the outside world that Marcus Garvey became interested in advocating for minority human rights especially for those of African descent. The aim of this paper is to answer questions aimed at illuminating the role that Marcus Garvey played in the development of Pan-Africanism. Marcus Garvey’s exploits in the diaspora saw him attend the Birkbeck College in London where he st udied law and philosophy. His wide travels availed Marcus Garvey the opportunity to interact with a wide range of people from different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. This experience gave him the chance to know and understand different people’s opinions and perceptions of the African race in relation to their lives. He was able to realize that there was wide spread discrimination against individuals of African descent even in the minority races. During his stay in London, he worked for a newspaper called the African Times and Orient Review that was published by Duse Mohamed Ali who is claimed to have had significant influence on Marcus Garvey. His desire to address the oppressed and diminished position of people of African descent in society saw him sometimes address public gatherings in London. Marcus’ talks are said to have been greatly influenced by Booker T. Washington, Henry McNeal and Martin Delany who advocated for minority groups’ equal represe ntation in society. It is highly probable that Duse Mohammed’s Islamic principles played a critical role in influencing Marcus to form the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). UNIA was first established in his home country Jamaica in 1914 under the motto ‘One God, One Aim, One Destiny’. The factors that led to the formation of UNIA by Marcus Garvey were based on the ultimate goal of securing economic, social and political freedom for all people of African descent in the world outside and inside Africa. Marcus saw the need for a united forum through which individuals from minority groups could use to advocate for their rights and freedoms. In 1921, Marcus Garvey was able to garner support from most of the small African associations in a National conference. This strengthened his UNIA organization, which saw its membership swell to between 60 and 70 thousand members. This consolidation enabled him to gain a wider appeal and audience through representatio n by the different groups that UNIA had assimilated, and in turn furthering its agenda. His relocation to the United States of America furthered UNIA’s ambition because the realities of African-American oppression and discrimination were more pronounced than in Europe. This was particularly in London where he had a first hand experience of treatment and perception of people of African descent received from the whites. Marcus’ experiences in US prompted him to advance his organization’

Eriksonian Perspective Essay Example for Free

Eriksonian Perspective Essay Greene (1991) described Eriksonian perspective on human development from the idea of epigenesis, in which each developmental stage depends upon the resolution and completion of the previous one. This idea proposed that anything that growth has a concrete map, from which it is understood that each stage has its time of passing. The Greene’s description advocates that human development is biopsychosocial and it is present throughout the human life. It is driven by a biologically set plan with the social identity being conditioned by a social factor. Erikson argued that the human ego strives to improvement that is toward mastery of its environment. Thus personal effectiveness being promoted by the social organization becomes the driven mechanism behind the progression of each stage. Erikson derived eight developmental stages with each the pitcome of the resolution serving as the first step toward the next progressively superior stage (Greene, 1991). Although each and different culture resolves the unique requirements for the development differently, such progression is said to be universal in all cultures and human organizations. Thus we can observe a common denominator that according to Erikson (Greene, 1991) is a biological program toward improvement. Baltes, Lindenberger Staudinge (1999) supported Greene’s view but attempted to view the stages of development from the practical perspective. They saw the personality’s progression through the life stages as adaptive mechanism formed and guided with the needs and pressures of the environment. In other words, they inclined more to the point of view in which the environment rather than biology was the major player in the human development. Based on this assumption, the authors suggested to view at lifespan psychology from the individual’s standpoint suggesting that two different people would develop differently even under exactly the same environmental stimuli. Ontogenesis or the study of individual development (Baltes et al. , 1999) appears to be more practical and functional. It considers the individual’s concern of â€Å"acquisition, maintenance, transformation, and attrition† (Baltes et al. , 1999) adaptive processes throughout the lifespan. However, such â€Å"Westernized notion† is not eagerly shared by some researchers (Coughlan Welsh-Breetzke, 2002). They, in particular, suggested that Eriksonian perspective is male-dominated and was presented in the Westernized context thus making individualized and masculianized human development as the blanket for the theory. According to them, such propagation of â€Å"individuality, competition, self-interest, comparative judgment, and value imperialism† devalues other life systems and steps away from the diversified views of human development. As Erikson argued (Greene, 1991) the child’s personality is first affected by the mother and then transformed through the developmental stages within and by small groups, large groups, organizations, governments, religions, and the mankind at large. The child in infancy was thought to obey inner laws of development; the inner drives that lead the child toward realization of the full potential through interaction with the environment. Such interaction with the environment causes inner restructuring of personality traits, which, through integration and synthesis, leads toward the full and complete realization of that particular stage. From Greene’s work (1991) we learn that stage 1 which is called â€Å"Basic Trust Versus basic Mistrust† lasts through two years of age and involves the establishment of trust by the infant toward the members of the family. The most illustrative of such can be little Michelle, the character from the Full House. Her interactions constantly bring the development of new personality that can be characterized by newly developed psychosocial strength (i. e. higher degree of confidence in her communications). The second stage, â€Å"Autonomy Versus Shame† is characterized with developing of self-control and not loosing the â€Å"face† in the process. Such emphasis on self-esteem is important because the children of this age easily become shamed and can develop psychosocial issues of holding on and letting go (Christiansen Palkovitz,1998). The successful resolution of this stage manifests in the child’s ability to become more independent, with some gender differences. For example (Christiansen Palkovitz, 1998) argued that male infants on his stage of development are more individualistic than their female counterparts. Coming back to Full House characters, we indeed, see that the little Michelle (once she became a little older) tends to gravitate toward her sisters and continuously seeking their approval. The child on the stage three, Initiative Versus Guilt, develops the sense of purpose, especially noticeable during the playtime. The sense of purpose drives the child toward the active exploration of the environment and according to Erikson (Greene, 1991) brings her to the discovery of the lack of a penis. Contrary to the Freud, Erikson believed that such and inevitable (in some societies) discovery of â€Å"inequity† is driven more so socially than biologically (Greene, 1991). The successful resolution of this stage is uninhibited involvement in play with other playmates. The children on the stage four, Industry Versus Inferiority, start school. This is a major transition in their lives and involved changing of perspective from the small family-based group to the larger social groups. According to Eriksonian perspective, the main drive for children on this stage is to become industrial which involves developing skills and competence through meaningful performances. The crisis on this stage may occur when the child’s self-efficacy is undermined. Learning collaborative skills and experiences can be critical at this stage of development. Stacy in Full House was often intimidated by collaborative involvement trying to achieve the performance of tasks independently. Her father and uncles often taught her that learning how to collaborate and contribute would make things easier and more effective. Almost each episode suggested how Stacy (and her sisters) put a lot of effort toward performing any task. The child experiencing successes at creating and producing some value together with his or her peers (or parents) is critical toward the stage resolution (Greene, 1991). From the age of 12 through 22, the adolescent experiences Identity Versus Identity Confusion. This is the stage when adolescent develops into the young adult and is seeking personal and unique identity. The stability of self-representation is crucial and is manifested in the desire to develop autonomy from parents, individuality of opinions, acceptance of his or her sexual preferences, and commitment to the career choices. The struggling with the issue of selfness often causes to name such stage as the most difficult. During the stage, the influence of peer groups become most consuming and focuses of interaction. The ability to sustain loyalties is the desired outcome of the resolution for this stage. Either polarity we can see in characters of the movies like Girl Interrupted, Mean Girls, Even Stevens, and others. It is an uninterrupted parade of searched identities and strive for the independence in opinions and attitudes. When the young adult enters stage six (22 through 34) he or she enters Intimacy versus isolation. The focus of his or her life becomes developing of the meaningful relationships and seeking the intimacy experiences. This is the stage when most adults develop meaningful relationships to start a family. Becoming a loner and shutting down others is a crisis to compare to a resolution of this stage. Many film features exhibit important characteristics of selfless love, on one side, and ruined families on another as picturesque illustration of this stage’s characteristics. One of the features that come to mind is Click, in which the main character is taught a lesson that commitment to family is more important than personal comfort. Even the legendary Casanova in the feature with the same name shows that final offering of commitment to start a family was an only choice. When a person advances in years and through the stages of development on to the stage 7, Generativity Versus Stagnation, he or se is concerned with teaching and guiding the next generation. The proficiency of this stage is usually takes in an ability of taking care of others (Christiansen Palkovitz,1998). The crisis may result when the person feels stagnated without being able to share personal expertise to others, especially the younger generation. This is tremendously visible in Full House as the father of the girls is trying his best to teach and guide his children. He is visibly content and happy when his instructions and guidance are accepted. The final stage, starting at about 60 deals with Integrity Versus Despair. This is when the person is concerned of personal usefulness to others during his or her lifetime. As Greene wrote in his book, â€Å"Integrity is achieved by individuals who have few regrets, who have lived productive lives, and who cope as well with their failures as they do with their successes. † There is an appreciation of the life as the whole and a content of the life well lived. People with full resolution of this stage are not afraid of death, thus develop what we call wisdom. The feature Bicentennial Man shows that quite vividly. The android becoming a human develops wisdom through the personal choice of growing old and dying in the course of the old age, although as android he could live forever. In conclusion, it is worth noticing that despite the fact that the study examines the idea of epigenesis, one can find that the transition from one developmental stage to another is not always exactly predetermined by age. For example, fro Erikson’s argument, each stage has a certain age limit. However, we are aware that not everyone fits exactly in to such age limitation and depending upon the unique characteristics of personality, micro-culture (i. e. family), group culture (i. e. school), and macro-culture (i. e. government) the age boundaries for each stage might be different. The idea that everything that growth has a concrete map from which it is understood that each stage has a certain time of passing has been observed empirically on many living species. However, we cannot claim that each species has exactly the same time passing for each stage of growth. There will be some differentiation. In such, experimental results that examine the life cycle of one species will weaken the above-discussed theory due to the fact that it is very difficult if not impossible to determine the exact age boundaries between the developmental stages from one representative of the species to another. My personal opinion lies in parallel with this conclusion. Observing my own developing in contrast with Eriksonian perspective, I find that stage four, for example, and in my case, extended before age six and way after age 12. My stage five began at age 14 rather than according to Erikson’s perspective, age 12. Many a time, the stage six begin after the age of 24 (not 22) and continues through early 40s (at least with my acquaintances). Thus, the exact map of stage development is not so exact, after all, and depends upon numerous factors I already have mentioned. Penuel (1995) in his article put the focus on identity formation. According to him, although this research primarily was based on Eriksonian perspective, there is a clear notion that each and single individual develops his or her identity not necessarily in agreement with concrete time schedule of Erikson’s stages of development. Penuel made a point that despite the fact that Vygotsky offered theoretical foundation of identity formation, the specific guidelines behind sociocultural influence on identity were not set. Penuel urged not to replace Vigotsky’s view on the identity development by Erikson’s theory but to integrate both. Thus, the main study point in Penvue’s article would be strong but not mechanistic influence of sociocultural processes on the identity formation. The discussion presented in this work strengthen my ideas that the development of an identity is more affected by external factors, like micro-culture, group-culture, and macro-culture and is not always follows the strict age-set boundaries. Observing my own and my friends’ identity formation support this notion. Stevenson-Hinde (1994) looked at human development from the different perspective. It is more systemic as in the behaviors are interconnected within the specific system, and in thus if one component is affected others are affected as well. Such perspective deviates even more from he straightforward Erikson’s theory. It is not anymore the stage development but the systemic organization of behaviors, according to Stevenson-Hinde. This study weakens the theory and my idea about the identity formation. Although and without argument some behaviors are interrelated, this fact is not necessarily the cause of identity formulation. The effect comes from the external environment thus the sociocultural characteristics affect the identity development more than the resulting set of behaviors. This conclusion s supported by self-observation. Examining my own interrelated behaviors I clearly see that those are the effect not the cause of the environmental influences. Thus environmental influences affect my behaviors that in turn help in identity formation. Horst (1995) argued with the general notion that the Erikson’s perspective did not consider accurate depiction of development through the lenses of gender. According to her claim, contrary would be more accurate. Careful study of Erikson’s stages of development does consider the gender identity in which gender is relational to components of identity formation. The point of her article is thus, to consider that the gender has an influence on identity formation. This study strengthens my views on the theory in its notion of the gender influence. Certainly, male and female would not develop equally and would not manifest the same identity formation. The differential depends upon their own perspective of self as either male or female. Even more so, how their external environment views them on the gender scale: from less feminine to more feminine and from less muscular to more muscular. Thus, their identity is formed not only from the point of view of being a human but also being a male and female and its specific location on the gender scale. My personal observations support this viewpoint. External attitudes, first from my immediate family and then from my friends) confirmed and helped me develop my identity IQ and specifically my gender identity IQ.