What role has been played by the media in US political contests Free Essays

Abstract In US political contests, the term media can apply to a range of items that vary from newspaper articles to attack advertisements. This essay examines the role played by the free press- television news and newspapers- and traces the role that free media has come to play in the results and courses of US Presidential elections, refuting, in the process, the position that free media, and the press, acts as passive intermediaries between candidates and the voters. Introduction Protected by The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which reads ‘Congress shall make no law†¦abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press’, free media, especially the press, through dissemination of opinions, facts and analysis of events concerning Presidential candidates and their campaigns, has come to play a large role in the results and courses of presidential elections. We will write a custom essay sample on What role has been played by the media in US political contests? or any similar topic only for you Order Now Although Dalton, Beck and Huckfeldt (2008:111) have argued that ‘the media’s role as an intermediary is most evident at election time, when the media are the primary conduits for information on the campaign’, the common recognition that the press acts as part of the ‘Fourth Estate’, a term originally coined by Edmund Burke (quoted in Carlyle, 1841) to acknowledge the noticeable influence of the media upon politics, suggests that the role of the press and media far exceeds the simple passivity of intermediation that Dalton, Beck and Huckfeldt suggest is media’s primary role during an election. Role of Free Media and the Press in US Presidential Elections Even in the initial stages of an election, prior to official party nominations, the press can begin to directly influence public knowledge of the candidates through the frequency and detail in which the candidates are mentioned. Name recognition, in the early stages of a campaign, is of vital importance and is directly effected by, and dependent upon, the media. Ramsden (1996) notes that the victor of the 1984 New Hampshire primary, the relatively unknown Gary Hart, succeeded because he convinced the press, through intense and unprecedented amounts of canvassing, that he was a more viable candidate for the nomination than his opponents John Glenn and Walter Mondale. As such, the media concerned themselves more with Hart’s campaign than with the campaigns of Glenn and Mondale, both established Democrats, and simultaneously increased Hart’s name recognition and the viability of his claim. This media attention added momentum to Hart’s campaign and ultimately allowed him to challenge for, but narrowly lose, the Iowa caucus, and to win the New Hampshire primary by ten percentage points. Although Hart eventually succumbed to the financial superiority of Mondale, and to questions concerning the vagueness of his policies, his victory in the New Hampshire primary, over an already established Democrat, is testament to the power of the media and to the influential role they play even in the early stages of election campaigns. After candidates have officially received party nominations, the role of the media shifts slightly from effecting the nomination to effecting the course of the nominees’ campaigns. Although many believe that the bias of individual press and media networks can effect public opinion, Robinson (1996:101) instead argues that ‘whilst the media can play an important role in changing voters’ perceptions, information, attitudes, and even behaviour’, it is more often the case that media bias simply reinforces, rather than dislodging or replacing, preconceived notions and opinions. Further, Della Vigna and Kaplan (2007: 2) have observed that it is often the case that ‘right-wing voters are more likely to expose themselves to right-wing media, giving an impression that the right-wing media persuades them’ and as such, media-bias and the partisan opinions of the press, in terms of long term impact, has little contribution towards changing the political opi nions of the public. Instead, free press, to some extent, controls the course of the campaign and decides whether it become a horse-race or an issue based campaign. Whilst the media can turn campaigns into horse-races, reporting polling numbers and statistics, making the story less about the ideologies, policies and ideas of the candidates and more about their viability and chances of success, it can also, as Ramsden (1996) argues, act ‘as a spotlight’ for issues (66). Ramsden’s suggestion that media acts as spotlight for issues and ideology, which is itself more in keeping with the spirit of democracy than reporting election campaigns as horse races, argues that the media has the power to select, and cover, certain issues and topics that are not at the top of the campaign’s political agenda and to reposition them as central to the campaign. As Page (1996:22) notes, ‘a large body of evidence now indicates that what appears in print or on the air has a substantial impact u pon how citizens think and what they think about: e.g., what they cite as important problems’, and it is this guidance towards ‘important problems’ that allows the media to shape the campaign paths of the candidates. The public, in general, become more politically active and aware during campaign time (Riker, 1989), and, as Wood and Edwards (1999:328) note that â€Å"the public’s familiarity with political matters is closely related to the amount and duration of attention these affairs receive in the mass media†. In a sense, the press and free media are somewhat able to dictate and influence the agenda of presidential elections, and to choose which issues are central to the debates and campaigns. Ramsden (1996) cites President Jimmy Carter’s victory over the incumbent President Gerald Ford, in which Carter’s inexperience could, and perhaps should, have played a large role in deciding the outcome of the campaign but was largely ignored by the public because the media did not make it a concern, in order to demonstrate the control that free media can exercise over topics and issues during campaigns. Conclusion Therefore, whilst the media may hold a negligible amount of power to convert and transform the public’s political opinions, the real power of the media, or the free press at least, in an election, lies in its editorial, or ‘spotlight’ role. By choosing and highlighting which areas of policy, issues or character concerns receive attention, the free press are able to guide the public towards matters which could determine both their opinions and, as a result, the outcome of the election. Thus, within a political campaign, however undemocratic it may seem, the press and free media are strong and active political agents that can change and dictate not only the agendas and issues during an election, but to some extent, the result itself. Bibliography Andersen, K. (1984) A Wild Ride to the End, Time Magazine Carlyle, T. (1841) On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and The Heroic in History. The Echo Library, 2007 Dalton R.J, Beck P.A Huckfeldt R. (1998), Partisan Cues and the Media: Information Flows inthe 1992 Presidential Election, American Political Science Review, Vol 92, Number 1, March 1998 DellaVigna, S Kaplan E. (2007) The Fox News Effect, Media Bias and Voting, Quarterly Journal of Economics. Gerges, Fawaz A. (1999) Shaping Opinion. Journal of Palestine Studies, Vol. 28, No. 2: pp. 104-106 Page, Benjamin I. (1996) The Mass Media as Political Actors. Political Science and Politics, Vol.29, No. 1 pp. 20-24 Ramsden, Graham P. (1996) â€Å"Media Coverage of Issues and Candidates: What Balance is Appropriate in a Democracy?† Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 111, No. 1. pp. 65-81 Riker, W. H. (1989). Why Negative Campaigning is Rational. (Paper presented at the annualmeeting of the American Political Science Association, Atlanta, GA) Robinson, John E. (1976) â€Å"The Press and the Voter.† Annals of the American Academy of Politicaland Social Science, Vol. 427. pp.95-103 The Constitution of the United States, Amendment I, (1791) Wood, Dan B. and Edwards, George C. (1999) â€Å"Who Influences WhomThe President, Congress, and the Media.† The American Political Science Review, Vol. 93, No. 2. pp. 327-344 How to cite What role has been played by the media in US political contests?, Essay examples What role has been played by the media in US political contests Free Essays Abstract The media has often played a significant role in political campaigns. Media coverage can contribute to the way a candidate is viewed in the eyes of the public, a fact that became even more prevalent during the 2008 U.S. We will write a custom essay sample on What role has been played by the media in US political contests? or any similar topic only for you Order Now elections with the introduction of ‘New Media.’ Introduction The following essay is an examination of the media’s role in US political contests. It will look at the rise of the celebrity politician in the 2008 general election whilst examining the importance of new media, old media and the virtues of the public appearance and perception of politicians. The essay will end wondering if media coverage in the 2012 election has begun to slide. Main Body The 2008 presidential race was particularly media saturated and the public perceptions of the candidates were often shaped by the media. As stated by Halperin Heilemann it was â€Å"as riveting and historic a spectacle as modern politics had ever produced† (2010:IX) and received â€Å"wall- to-wall media coverage† (2010:IX). The Media had a bigger role in the 2008 election than simply following events though as it gave birth to, or at least brought to maturity, the idea of the celebrity politician, as witnessed by the twin phenomenon of Barack Obama and Sarah Palin. Halperin Heilemann note that a smear campaign against Obama was thought up by McCain adman Fred Davis who said they should, with reference to Obama’s celebrity, â€Å"turn that against him. Big CelebritySo’s Britney Spears! So’s Paris Hilton!† (2010:330). The eventual ad was called ‘Celeb’ (Halperin Heilemann, 2010) and it led to the first chink in Obama’s a rmour with the media. It is interesting to note that later on when Palin was chosen as the running mate on the republican ticket there were fears in the McCain camp that the same type of campaign could be used against her (Halperin Heilemann, 2010), illustrating that this type of coverage, and the way political campaigns use the media, can be a double edged sword. New Media played a significant role in the 2008 election. Canavan states the Obama campaign was â€Å"aided by an acute awareness of mimetic branding and viral marketing† (2010:14). Schudson observes â€Å"in 2008 the â€Å"new media† played a newly prominent role† (2009:6). The use of new media in the Obama campaign was an important part of his strategy. Canavan writes that the Obama campaign produced â€Å"half a billion dollars from three million people over the Internet† (2010:15). This shows that the proliferation of new media in the 2008 general election, and the use of it by the candidate who most visibly signified change, was a huge coup, certainly at least where donors were concerned. What of traditional media thoughDo the news networks or the press still play a role in US political racesThe answer, at least pertaining to the 2008 race, is an unequivocal yes. The deeper question though is how these institutions actually affect the outcome of an election. In terms of the 2008 election it must be concluded that they played a massive part. Halperin Heilemann note that almost every political entity in their book has a scene where they complain about the way they are being represented in the press, even Obama (2010). But it would seem that much of the press wanted Obama to win as they would ignore infractions made by him that they would not consider for other candidates, as noted by Halperin Heilemann when, after being jabbed at by Obama in a debate, Hillary Clinton complained to her aides â€Å"can you imagine if I’d made a crack like that?† (2010:180). Halperin Heilemann go onto say â€Å"the press would have guillotined her on the spot† (2010 :180). Street asks the question of whether the media’s role in political races is a good or a bad thing. He writes â€Å"reliance on television as a medium of communication tends to shift the criteria by which politicians are judged and by which they operate. Television’s intimacy, its use of close-ups and one-to-one conversations, focuses attention on politicians’ ‘human’ qualities. The result is that populist empathy rather than elite leadership becomes valued† (2004:6). Street also notes however that aesthetics and the way candidates are perceived in the media can be an important part of a political contest because aesthetics and perception can provide a notion of the candidate’s character and that is an important aspect to consider when entering the voting booth (2004). Now that the political world is observed by both new and old media, it is interesting to note how the two have played their part so far in the 2012 election. As far as new media is concerned, the interest certainly seems to have waned. Journalist Susan Delacourt observes â€Å"The 2008 presidential election that brought Barack Obama to power was probably a â€Å"watershed† for social media†¦an apex that probably won’t be reached again in the current U.S. campaign† (2012). The current election seems to have passed by old media in many ways as well. Matthew Stieglitz wryly asks of the 2012 election â€Å"that the media bring its election coverage to something bearing a resemblance to news, and that people become informed. If the issues mentioned above are any indication, this country would be better served with a populace that spends time debating politics instead of debating the cancellation of Jersey Shore† (2012). Maybe the politics just as arenâ₠¬â„¢t as interesting to a media that can now observe the politics of reality TV stars personal lives†¦and don’t need a press pass to do it. Conclusion As you can see, historically media has played a big part in the political landscape and has helped to shape people’s views of the candidate, whether through highlighting their proposals or simply believing in the character of the person they have shown on TV. In 2008 media coverage of the election seemed to reach a critical mass, in both old and new media, but both have now begun to contract somewhat. Bibliography Heilemann, J. Halperin, M., (2010), Race of a Lifetime, 1st Edition, the Penguin Group, Great Britain Canavan, G., (2009) ‘Person of the Year: Obama, Joker, Capitalism, Schizophrenia.’ Politics and Popular Culture. [online] Available at: http://www.c-s-p.org/flyers/978-1-4438-2259-6-sample.pdf [Accessed 12th September 2012] Schudson, M., (2009)’ The New Media in the 2008 U.S. Presidential Campaign: The New York Times watches its back.’ Javnost-the public. [online] Available at: http://www.journalism.columbia.edu/system/documents/270/original/javnost-nyt2008.pdf [Accessed September 13th 2012] Street, J., (2004) ‘Celebrity Politicians: Popular Culture and Political Representation.’ The British Journal of Politics International Relations. [online] Available at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-856X.2004.00149.x/pdf [Accessed 12th September 2012] Delacourt, S. (2012) ‘Is ‘new’ media becoming old hat in the 2012 U.S. presidential campaign?’ The Star. [online] Available at: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1227281–is-new-media-becoming-old-hat-in-the-2012-u-s-presidential-campaign [Accessed 12th September 2012] Stieglitz, M., ‘Dear American Media: Step Up Your Game.’ Politics 365. [online] Available at: http://politic365.com/2012/09/07/dear-american-media-step-your-game-up/ [Accessed September 8th 2012] How to cite What role has been played by the media in US political contests?, Essay examples What role has been played by the media in US political contests Free Essays In democratic societies the media has traditionally played the role of intermediary in electoral contests, disseminating information from political campaigns and candidates to the voting public. However, some political scientists believe that, in contemporary US elections, the media act not merely as a medium through which campaign information is filtered, but as a agent which shapes the campaign agenda and influences voters perceptions of candidates. Introduction This essay discusses the various roles which the media play when reporting on elections in the United States. We will write a custom essay sample on What role has been played by the media in US political contests? or any similar topic only for you Order Now It traces the changing perceptions of the role of the journalist and media, from the theory of the fourth estate to the practise of agenda-setting within a partisan media organisation. The rise of social media within election campaigns allows candidates to become the medium, connecting with voters directly. Media Role In The Fourth Branch of Government, Cater described the role that reporters and the media play in the political system (quoted in Cook, 1998). He believed reporters were a ‘recorder of government, but also a participant’ (Cook, 1998:1). Cook himself saw the media as a political institution in its own right, without whose interaction with the other branches of government (executive, legislature, judiciary), democracy could not function. The relationship between media and government is, Cook believes, a ‘co-production’ and the reporter ‘a key participant in decision-making and policy making’ (1998:3). The political news media themselves see their role as that of the Fourth Estate, a collective watchdog which holds government and politicians to account and plays an educator role in keeping citizens informed about the key issues shaping their economy and society. At no time is the media’s role as instrumental as during an election campaign. A s Dalton, Beck and Huckfeldt (2008b: 111) point out, ‘the media’s role as an intermediary is most evident at election time, when the media are the primary conduits for information on the campaign’. In the US, the commercial media play a dual role during political contests – as well as scrutinising the behaviour and policies of candidates, it carries paid-for political advertisements. These adverts constitute a significant source of income for news media: the Campaign Media Analysis Group estimate that $2.6bn was spent on political advertising during the 2008 Presidential election. The media, especially television, therefore also plays a commercial role in US elections. The commercial nature of the candidate’s relationship with media affects the coverage given to candidate’s campaigns, with media bias or partisanship now prevalent within most major US media outlets (DellaVigna and Kaplan, 2007). Broadcasters such as CNN and PBS, along with print and digital media such as The New York Times, Newsweek and The Huffington Post are perceived to have a bias toward Democratic candidates, while news media such as FOX, The Washington Post and Time magazine give more favourable coverage to Republican candidates. Between the 1940s and 1970s, there was a widespread assumption that citizens voted along predictable, partisan lines, and therefore media reporting of campaigns had little or no impact on election outcomes (Lazarfeldt referred to by Finkel, 1993). The decline of partisanship in US politics since the 1960s (Abramson 1982, referred to in Finkel 1993) has seen this theory of minimal effects replaced with a belief that media can influence and change voter orientation (Finkel 1993). This acknowledgement of the influence of media has led to renewed focus on the role the media plays in elections. Shaw has highlighted the distinction between the media as medium and the media as agent (2001:16). In the 2008 primaries, for example, it is widely believed that the Democratic-leaning media forced John Edwards out of the nomination race, while advocating the candidatures of both Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton. In such cases, the role of the media as agent becomes apparent. Stromback and Dimitrova , after conducting a comparative content analysis of election coverage in selected Swedish and US newspapers, concluded that while Swedish media focused on campaign issues, US media treated political contests as more of a ‘strategic game’ or ‘horse-race’ (2006: 132). Their contention was that the media had come to see a political race almost as a sporting event, prioritising trivia and personalities over the substance of policy and ideology. Dalton, Beck and Huckfeldt challenged this view however, when they analysed data from media coverage of the 1992 presidential election. Comparing issues covered by the media to issues the public professed to care about, they found a very tight convergence between the issues relevant to media, candidates and the general public (1998a). McCombs (1997) explains the rationale behind this finding. He believes that the media play an agenda-setting role by giving greater prominence or ‘salience’ to certain issues. Once in the public domain, these issues capture the public’s attention. In this way the public agenda and the media agenda have tended to converge toward a consensus. Comscore, a US company which monitors the digital world, confirmed in a recent report entitled The Digital Politico that digital media is now a ‘formidable platform’ for political campaigns (2012). While campaign finance teams continue to spend more on TV and Radio advertising than on digital, activities such as social media (in particular Twitter), digital advertising and paid search are playing an increasingly prominent role in US elections. The use of social media as campaign strategy has given candidates more opportunities to set their own agendas and communicate directly with the electorate. Farnsworth and Lichter contend that these ‘unmediated speeches, advertisements and internet web pages †¦ qualify as the more substantive, more useful and more accurate forms of campaign discourse’ (2007:6). Conclusion The ideal of the media as a watchdog on power is still relevant to some extent, as many media outlets do hold candidates to account through scrutiny of campaign finances or probing of a candidate’s commitment to a policy. However, the commercial nature of media and cable television in particular, means that media organisations have become increasingly partisan. Most political scientists today agree that the US media influences the campaign as a political agent, and is no longer just a medium through which the public receives news and analysis. Bibliography Cook, T.E, Governing with the News: The News Media as a Political Institution, University of Chicago Press 1998 Comscore Inc., 2012, The Digital Politico: 5 Ways Digital Media is Shaping the 2012 Presidential Elections, April 30 2012 Dalton R.J, Beck P.A, Huckfeldt R. 1998a, A Test of Media-Centered Agenda Setting: Newspaper Content and Public Interests in a Presidential Election, Political Communication Journal, Vol 15, Number 4, 1 September 1998 pp 463-481 (19) Dalton R.J, Beck P.A Huckfeldt R. 1998b, Partisan Cues and the Media: Information Flows in the 1992 Presidential Election, American Political Science Review, Vol 92, Number 1, March 1998 DellaVigna, S Kaplan E. The Fox News Effect, Media Bias and Voting, Quarterly Journal of Economics 122 (August 2007) Farnsworth, S.J Lichter S.R, The Nightly News Nightmare: Television’s Coverage of Presidential Elections, 1988-2004, 2nd ed. 2007 Rowman and Littlefield Finkel, S.E, Re-examining the Minimal Effects Model in Recent Presidential Campaigns, The Journal of Politics, Vol 55, Number 1 (Feb 1993) pp 1-21 Roderick P.H Shaw D.R 2001, Communication in US Elections, Rowman and Littlefield Stromback J Dimitrova D.V 2006, Political and Media Systems Matter, A Comparison of Election News Coverage in Sweden and the US, The International Journal of Press/Politics, Fall 2006 Vol 11, Number 4, pp 131-147 McCombs, M, 1997, Building Consensus, The News Media’s Agenda Setting Roles, Political Communication, Vol 14, Issue 4, pp 433-443 How to cite What role has been played by the media in US political contests?, Essay examples

Competitive Strategies for Political and Political Factors

Question: Discuss about theCompetitive Strategies for Political and Political Factors. Answer: Owing to the boon and bane of globalization, profits and competition in market and business structure has seen immense change in the last decade. Companies and business organizations in order to stay competitive in the market makes the use of different kind of analytical tool and strategies to chalk out business plans, decide investments and analyze expected profits. The analytical tools that the paper would focus upon are Pestle, Swot and Porters Five Forces. These tools are used by almost all the small and large-scale business organizations in order to evaluate the impact of the macro and microenvironment on the organizational structure of the company. The essay would be segmented into three parts discussing SWOT, Pestle and Porters Five Forces respectively. Pestle is the extended form of PEST. PEST howsoever refers to the political, economic, social and the legal factors that affect an organization or a business. PEST was later extended with the legal and the environmental factors that too, seemed to make a significant impact on an organizational structure (Zalengera et al., 2014). PESTLE is essentially a tool that analyses the external impacts on an organization. Pestle is used and operated by the strategic managers and planners of the company. Political factors adhere to the political changes that may influence a company. For instance the change in government bring new trade policies and revision of price of products, which marks the profit of the company. Economic factors like strong unemployment rates in a particular area affect a business. Social factors are the ever-changing trend that initiates the demand of certain services. For example, work pressure encouraged the spa industry to flourish (Lichten et al., 2015). Technological aspects refers to the fact that how advent of modern technology has made an impact on any organization like the increased production, hassle free promotion etc. Environmental factors decide the positioning of the company, that is, for example, a business related to information technology would not base its branch in remote or hilly areas. Apart from that, all organizations owe some responsibility towards the environment like the use of green technology, treating waste before dumping etc. Legal factors are related to the laws that business organizations should adhere to like the laws related to employee protection acts, sewage treatment, health and safety acts, acts related to tax payment issues etc (Aithal 2016). To understand in details when and where PESTLE is used by any company, an example can be taken. PepsiCo used PESTLE to figure out the macro environmental factors before launching its products into unknown markets. For example, PepsiCo would use PESTLE to evaluate if the eco nomic structure of a place would make the business profitable or the legal factors adhere to the company policies. SWOT, once more is an analytical tool that is used by business heads of companies to determine the internal factors of a company that may affect the production, sales and profit count as a whole (Bohari, Hin and Fuad 2017). SWOT is the acronym for Strength, weakness, Opportunities and threat of a particular business. Assessing the strength, weakness, opportunities and threats of a company, a business can plan its objectives in favorable manner. In this context, it must be noted that whole strength and weakness are the internal factors that matter to the company, opportunities and threats are the external factors. An example can be cited to delve into further details about the same (Wu, Song and Kang 2016). For example, the strength of Wal-Mart lies in its huge customer base and in its market share. At the same time, the weakness of the company lies in the fact that Walmart products cannot be sold any longer in America. Walmart can capitalize the opportunities to increase the growth o f the company. It can expand the company in other countries to maximize the profit. The pressure of other retail sellers like Sainsburys and TESCO are the major threats to Walmart since all the retail stores deals with similar kind of product. Hence, before launching its products in an unknown market a SWOT analysis would provide Walmart with a complete idea about the internal and the external factors of the market. Porters Five Forces as the term suggests are five powers that essentially evaluates a companys strength and its course of action regarding goods and products. The five powers that is incorporated with Porters Five Forces are buyer power, supplier power, threat of substitutes, threat of new entry and competitive rivalry (Rothaermel 2015). Buyer power refers to customers, the power of the customers to buy or discard the products and services of a particular company. Supplier power can be explained as the bargaining power of the suppliers of raw materials towards a company. If the number of suppliers are less, the bargaining power of the supplier would be more and vice versa. Competitive rivalry points to the similar brands existing in the market that produces similar kind of products. Competition is generally high if the number of competitors in the market is more, or the market is saturated (Mathooko and Ogutu 2015). Threat of substitution points to the similar kind of products availa ble in the market, which may be opted by the customers discarding the products of any particular company. Customers may discard a product for another for various reasons like its availability, prices, and the way the product appeals the customers and its promotional strategy. To overcome the threat of substitution, companies makes the use of attractive pricing strategies and gives offers and discounts to bring products and services to limelight. Threat of new entrant is about the establishment of a new company in the already existing market. A new company when launches in the existing market with similar goods and services, it creates a threat for the existing companies in the market (Brooks, Heffner and Henderson 2014). The customers are further divided and threat may include the shift of customers from the existing company to the new entrants. For example, JW Marriot would use Porters Five Forces model to assess its positioning in the market before entering into an existing market . For Marriot, the bargaining power of the suppliers would be low, as there are a number of suppliers and Marriot is a gigantic organization (Porter and Heppelmann 2014). As such, suppliers would never fall short. The bargaining power of customers on the other hand would be high as in the recent past, with the considerable growth of global economy, customers are shifting to elite class hotels and there are a number of competitors for Marriot. The menace of substitutes is again high as third grade hotels claim to be international by duping, however, the difference remains n the quality of the services that are provided. The dupe and the low price, which at the same time seems to offer the same privileges like Marriot, attract customers. Competitive Rivalry is again high. Marriot faces two strata of competition both from the similar hotels like Hilton resorts and cheap dupes of international hotels. In the concluding part, it can thus be said that PESTLE, SWOT and Porters Five Forces are extremely important and indispensible criteria of strategic planning made by small or large-scale companies. These are the analytical tools that help a companys growth, decide its investment plans, focus upon its expansion and analyses the expected profit returns. Reference List Aithal, P.S., 2016. Study on ABCD analysis technique for business models, business strategies, operating concepts business systems.Browser Download This Paper. Bohari, A.M., Hin, C.W. and Fuad, N., 2017. The competitiveness of halal food industry in Malaysia: A SWOT-ICT analysis.Geografia-Malaysian Journal of Society and Space,9(1). Brooks, G., Heffner, A. and Henderson, D., 2014. A SWOT analysis of competitive knowledge from social media for a small start-up business.The Review of Business Information Systems (Online),18(1), p.23. Lichten, C.A., Castle-Clarke, S., Manville, C., Horvath, V., Robin, E., Krapels, J., Parks, S., Sim, M., van Zijverden, O. and Chataway, J., 2015. The future of anticoagulation management in atrial fibrillation in Europe: An assessment of today's challenges with recommendations for the future.Rand health quarterly,5(2). Mathooko, F.M. and Ogutu, M., 2015. Porters five competitive forces framework and other factors that influence the choice of response strategies adopted by public universities in Kenya.International Journal of Educational Management,29(3), pp.334-354. Porter, M.E. and Heppelmann, J.E., 2014. How smart, connected products are transforming competition.Harvard Business Review,92(11), pp.64-88. Rothaermel, F.T., 2015.Strategic management. McGraw-Hill Education. Wu, F., Song, D. and Kang, L.S., 2016. The Development of Commercial Bank E-Commerce Finances SWOT Analysis.DEStech Transactions on Environment, Energy and Earth Sciences, (peee). Zalengera, C., Blanchard, R.E., Eames, P.C., Juma, A.M., Chitawo, M.L. and Gondwe, K.T., 2014. Overview of the Malawi energy situation and A PESTLE analysis for sustainable development of renewable energy.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,38, pp.335-347.

Ethics and Social Responsibility in International Business

The importance of ethics in the global business environment needs to be over emphasized. Nowadays, the need for ideal ethical behavior within organizations is paramount if organizations are to avoid potential lawsuits and other uncertainties in their operations as new business trends emerge on a daily basis causing problems to organizations and end users.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Ethics and Social Responsibility in International Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Public scandals of corporate malfeasance and malpractices, which and have even claimed death of many organizations, have profoundly influenced the public perception of many multinational organizations. Cases in point are large organizations such as Enron, Arthur Andersen and WorldCom among others. The recent expansion of global business as well as decline of trade barriers has necessitated the world over to further underpin the int erest in the topics of ethical behavior and social responsibility. On top of this, human rights and environmental conservation are getting more recognition with every passing day in both academic as well as commercial circles. As multinational organizations expand globally and establish operations in foreign markets, ethical conduct of their officers and employees gain more importance since the cultural diversity that usually accompany such expansion may compromise the much shared cultural and ethical values observable in the more homogeneous organizations (Morf, Duffy, et al. 1999 ). Although understanding of other cultures and acknowledgement of differences among them will enhance the cross-cultural communication, it may not be enough to offer ideal structures of proper ethical behavior in organizations. In the academic circles, the culture-based consequentiality model is developed to explain among other things, how cultural differences influence the ethical perceptions as well as actions of individuals engaged in making decisions with ethical overtones. Multinationals need to come to terms with the legal and moral atmosphere in which they operate. And above all, they need to establish an environment that fosters ethical behavior, because in the final analysis to do otherwise eats into their profitability. In contrast to this opinion, some scholars advanced the theory of Virtuous Ethics, which is defined as a theory that focuses mainly on an individual’s moral character. According to these scholars, marketing researchers attach little importance to virtuous ethics. Furthermore, they propose that without considering virtuous ethics, an elaborate analysis of the ethical character of marketing decision makers and their strategies cannot be attained.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 Strategies such as the codes of ethics represent one mean s of achieving the ultimate goal of having ethical international responsibility of business worldwide. There are numerous ethical responsibilities faced by multinational organizations. Therefore, just as one can value an individual’s culture by his or her actions and personal activities, ethical climate can be observed on a larger scale; in this case, the organization. Here, ethical climate is the employee’s perception of the norms of an organization (Bartels et al., 1998). Organizations that have a robust ethical climate experience few serious ethical problems and are more successful in coping with such problems. Their research suggests that it is vital for managers to consider developing strong ethical climates in order to equip organizational members with the capability to deal with ethical dilemmas. They have to oversee the development and maintenance of clear and robust set of norms to promote good ethical behavior. As Laczniak, et al (2007) has pointed out an org anization’s codes of ethics and enforcement of rules goes a long way in controlling the direct behavior of social entities. Based on the above analysis, multinationals must acknowledge the need for a homogenous code of business ethics. Without such a code, the conduct of players in this field will be unpredictable. Furthermore, national governments need to know that the most effective way of safeguarding their citizens, their national interests, and that of the global environment against the vagaries of the global business depend on the development, adoption and enforcement of such a code. However, a surge of momentum has been witnessed the world over owing to increasing interest and awareness of the parties concerned. Many multinational companies such as Toyota, Siemens, General Mills and Johnson Johnson among others have written guidelines that elaborately and explicitly detail how employees are expected to treat suppliers, customers, competitors, as well as other parties. There are those that have formulated formal codes of ethics—written statements about the values and ethical standards that guide the institutions’ operationsAdvertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Ethics and Social Responsibility in International Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Some multinational companies deal with ethical issues proactively, by giving their employees training on how to handle ethical dilemmas. At Boeing, for instance, line managers are responsible for overseeing training sessions for other employees, and the company also has an ethics committee that answers directly to the board of directors. The training sessions entail discussions of various ethical dilemmas that employees might face and how best to handle them. Organizational practices as well as corporate culture also have an influence on the management of ethical behavior. If leaders in a firm conduct themselves in an ethical manner and violations of ethical standards are promptly and ideally addressed, then everyone in the organization will recognize that the firm expects them to conduct themselves in an ethical manner. If leaders appear to be above the set ethical standards or either trivialize or ignore unethical behaviors, then the wrong message is sent to the employees. References Bartels L.K. et al. (1998). The Relationship between Ethical Climate and Ethical Problems within Human Resource Management†, Journal of Business Ethics Vol. 17, 799-804. Laczniak, G. R. and Inderrieden J. (2007). The Influence of Stated Organizational Concern upon Ethical Decision Making, Journal of Business Ethics. Vol 6, 297-307. Morf, Duffy A., et al. (1999). A Survey of Ethics Officers in Large Organizations, Journal of Business Ethics. Vol 20, 265-271 This research paper on Ethics and Social Responsibility in International Business was written and submitted by user Jeramiah Q. 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.

How to Get a Copy of Your High School Diploma 2 Scenarios

How to Get a Copy of Your High School Diploma 2 Scenarios SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Do you need a copy of your high school diploma and are wondering how to get it? Perhaps you need your diploma for a job or college, but you can’t find your original copy. High school diplomas can be required for a variety of reasons, and it’s important to have a copy of yours on hand. This guide will go over each step you need to follow in order to get a copy of your high school diploma, whether you graduated recently or years ago. Why Do You Need a Copy of Your High School Diploma? Simply put, a high school diploma provides proof that you completed high school and (hopefully!) have all the knowledge and skills that go along with that accomplishment. A diploma shows which school you graduated from, when you graduated, and may also include awards or honors you received. Many places may be interested in seeing a copy of your high school diploma in order to make sure you have knowledge and skills needed to do certain jobs or continue your education. Some colleges and technical schools require you to submit a high school diploma copy before you enroll in order to make sure that you meet the school’s education requirements. Most colleges only require your high school transcript, but some may also want to see a copy of your diploma as well. Each individual college decides what to require in their application, but online schools are often more likely to require a copy of your diploma since they won't meet you in person and want to make sure you are qualified to enroll in their school. Certain jobs may also require you to submit a copy of your high school diploma when you apply to make sure you completed the education you said you did and have certain skills or knowledge needed for the job. Also, sometimes you may simply want your high school diploma for your own personal use, or because your mom wants to hang it on the wall. How to Get a Copy of Your High School Diploma Most high school graduates receive a copy of their high school diploma shortly after graduation; however, for whatever reason, you may not have gotten a copy, or you may have misplaced it. Below are two scenarios; follow the guidelines for the one that best describes your situation in order to learn how to request and receive a copy of your high school diploma. Scenario 1: You Know Your High School’s Contact Information If you have contact information for your high school (this includes an e-mail address, phone number, or physical address), then you're in luck because it should not be too difficult for you to get a copy of your diploma. First, contact your school, tell them that you are trying to get a copy of your high school diploma, and ask them how you can do that. If you aren’t sure which person you should speak to, contact the school’s main office, and they should be able to direct you from there. Once you contact your school, the process for getting a copy of your diploma is usually pretty straightforward. You may have to prove your identity by sending a copy of your ID or telling them information such as your date of birth or social security number. You may also have to pay a small fee (typically a few dollars) for a copy of your diploma to be sent to you. If you know your school's contact information, getting a copy of your diploma could be just a phone call away. Scenario 2: You Can’t Contact Your School or Your School Closed Down Your school likely has multiple methods of contact, including a school website, e-mail address, phone number, and physical address. However, sometimes you simply can’t get in contact with your school and have to try another method of getting your diploma. This may also be the case if your high school has closed down. Typically, the best thing to do in this case is to contact your former school district or the education department for the state where your high school is or was located. If you attended a public high school, contact the district office for the district your school used to belong to. Search "school district [your school’s district number] [state you live in]" to find your district’s contact information. This should bring up a phone number and e-mail address for the district. You can also search for your school district at the National Center for Education Statistics website. From there, you can contact the district and tell them you are trying to get a copy of your high school diploma. The district will still have student records for each high school that belonged to it, and they should be able to get you a copy of your diploma. If you can’t find your school’s district, the district no longer exists, or you went to a private high school, contact your state’s Department of Education. The Department of Education will have records for current and past high schools, and they should be able to put you in contact with someone who can help you get your diploma. Be ready to give them your name, the name of your high school, the town your school is or was located in, and the year you graduated. If you attended a private high school, you can also search for its records and contact information on the National Center for Education Statistics page for private schools. After you enter some information about your school, such as its name and location, the site should be able to retrieve contact information you can use. They may provide ways of contacting your school directly or give contact information for a place that stores student records. The majority of college applicants are high school seniors, and most of the college application advice out there is aimed at them. But what do you do if you don't fall into this narrow category? Our eBook on how to prepare for and apply to college as a nontraditional student will walk you through everything you need to know, from the coursework you should have under your belt to how to get letters of recommendation when you're not a high school senior. Does the Diploma Need to Be Sealed? Occasionally, a school or employer will request that you send them a sealed copy of your diploma. What this means is that the diploma will be placed inside a sealed envelope that is usually stamped or otherwise marked with your school’s stamp or seal. If you need to send a sealed copy, don’t open the envelope you get the diploma in before you send it! If you do, the diploma will no longer be considered sealed and may not fulfill the school's or employer’s requirements. The diploma itself will look exactly the same whether it’s sealed or unsealed. Sealing the diploma is a way for the recipient to know that it is genuine and wasn’t tampered with. Places that require a sealed diploma are usually trying to be extra sure that the diplomas applicants are sending them are legitimate. If you are required to send a sealed diploma, be sure to mention this when you order your copy. This is usually not a problem for your school to do, although they may be a small additional fee for sealing the diploma. If you need to get a sealed copy of your diploma, it may be a good idea to request a regular copy of your diploma as well so that you have a copy you can keep for yourself. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. What If You Can't Get Your Diploma? What if you’ve tried all the above steps but still can’t get a copy of your diploma? The most likely reason you can’t get your diploma is because you were unable to contact your high school. Before proceeding with this section, make sure you have tried all methods of contact: searching for your school online, asking former classmates if they know how to contact the school, or even stopping by the school itself if you’re nearby and it is still open. If you absolutely cannot get a copy of your diploma and need one to apply to a job or school, you should talk directly to a person involved in the hiring or admissions process to figure out what your options are. One possibility is to substitute your high school transcript for your diploma. If you have a copy of your transcript or are able to get one, it may be able to serve as a replacement for your diploma. This is especially true if it’s the final version of your transcript, created after you graduated because it will list every high school class you took and will often contain a note that you graduated. The process of getting your high school transcript is similar to the process of getting a copy of your diploma, and we’ve created a step-by-step guide for you to follow to get your transcript. Some schools, particularly if you graduated a while ago, may not give duplicate copies of your diploma and will instead send you a copy of your final high school transcript. In general, this should be fine, but you may want to verify with the school or employer you are sending it to in order to make sure that works for them. If you can’t get a copy of either your diploma or high school transcript, there are a couple of possible solutions. You could ask one of your former teachers to write a letter stating when you graduated, you could submit relevant coursework you completed, or you could submit standardized test scores in place of a diploma. Some places are very strict with their requirements while others are more flexible, so some of these options may not always work. Ask about the school or employer's policies before you try one of these substitutions. In any case, what you should definitely not do is try to make or buy a fake high school diploma. Not only is this illegal, but you will almost certainly be fired or expelled if it’s discovered that you fabricated documents. The best thing to do if you can't get a copy of your diploma is to explain the situation to the person requesting your diploma and ask what advice they have. Summary A high school diploma is proof that you graduated from high school, and you may need to provide a copy of it in order to apply to certain jobs or schools. The easiest way to get your diploma is to contact your former high school and ask them what the process for this is. They should be able to direct you to the next steps. If you can’t contact the school itself, try contacting the school district or Department of Education for your state. They will likely be able to give you contact information or have the records themselves. If you have tried to get a copy of your high school diploma without success, talk to a person at the workplace or school you are applying to and see if they have any suggestions, such as substituting your transcript or relevant coursework for your diploma. What's Next? Want to know more about high school transcripts? Our guide explains what transcripts are, what information they include, and why they can be one of the most important parts of your college or job applications! Wondering where to go to college? We have a step-by-step guide that will help you choose the best college for you. Not sure how to apply to college? We've broken down each step of the college application process for you to make sure you create your strongest application and maximize your chances of being accepted. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Research Proposal and Marking Schedule Coursework

Research Proposal and Marking Schedule - Coursework Example After identifying the target market, appropriate methodologies should be used to incorporate them in the research. However, since the market is wide and consists of very many people, it might not be an easy task to involve the whole population in the research. Because of this, there will be a need to use a sampling technique which is appropriate for the type of research and the target population to be used as the subject of the study. The most appropriate sampling technique to use is simple random. Under this design, each and every member of the target population will be granted equal chances of participating in the research. Meaning, they will be randomly selected to participate in the research. If this is properly done, it will be possible for the research to generate a set of accurate and error free data which can be generalized as a representative of the entire population. Besides, it will help in reducing the costs of conducting a research because it might be so challenging to subject the whole population to the studies. For the researchers to gather the necessary required information about the market, it is incumbent upon them to use the most appropriate tools during their research. Based on this fact, the research will incorporate the use of the following tools in the collection of data: After taking the population sample, they will be engaged in interviews. During this time, the researcher will meet the subjects and ask them questions which they will be expected to answer. However, for this to be effectively done, appropriate questions should be designed so as to enable them to give the information which can be used to by the researcher to know about their attitudes, tastes and preferences towards tea and coffee (Amor, 2009). At the same time, the questions should be properly designed to be much flexible. Meaning, there should be both open and closed ended questions. However, the respondents should

Smoking and how to quit it Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Smoking and how to quit it - Essay Example Part of quitting smoking successfully is to make the right preparations so you don’t have a relapse. The first action to quitting smoking is to set a quit date. This date should be long enough to give yourself time to mentally prepare yourself about quitting smoking, but should also be within a short period of time so you don’t keep procrastinating. The next thing you can do is change the environment that you live in. This is a big part of quitting smoking because our surroundings can remind us about when we used to smoke. Another thing to do is to remember previous times when you tried to quit and thing about what worked well and what did not (â€Å"5 Easy Steps to Quitting†). The final thing you can do in preparing to quit smoking can be not feel tempted to take another puff ever again, because this will bring back memories. The next step to quitting smoking is to find friends and family who will encourage you in your decision to quit. Studies have shown that y ou have a higher chance of success if you receive help (â€Å"5 Easy Steps to Quitting†).

Social Theories of Education

Social Theories of Education This thinking paper will examine Brookfields critique of the above article, examining what is critical about critical theory and in turn critical theorys analysis to the repositioning of that Ideology. Establishing that Ideology is a key concept in Critical Theory, Brookfields further interpretations extended to the thoughts of leaders in the field to identify and oppose the Ideological forces and social processes that oppresses them. Recognising the art of manipulation the dominant ideology can use, at the same time identifying contradictions that produce possibilities for resistance and emancipation, to break free from unequal structures in order to create a more inclusive democracy. Brookfield believes Marxs Capitalist and Bureaucratic Rationalities acted as a catalyst to revolutionise social change Marx underpinned the intent of critical theory to act as a catalyst for revolutionary social change.  (Brookfield, 2001) and how dominant relationships that existed played a role in the reproduction or fostering by the ruling class, of the social structures and education of people to believe and act in certain ways, thus fundamentally conditioning of the human consciousnesss. People did not know why they were doing it but they did it anyway! Brookfield continued to interpret the writings of Horkheimer identifying his rudiments of critical theory, focussing to abolish the exchange economy of capitalism that dominates social processes, in order to set some people free from oppression and reframe itself to formalised or subjective reasoning, of what he considers to be Traditional Theory.   Horkheimer suggest that as soon as a particular thought or a way of doing something has been suggested by the powers that be, we forget thinking for ourselves and lose our capacity to reason. Eagletons view that Ideologies are not false but are conditions that continue to gain acceptance because individuals recognise them as being true, from their experiences. Thus engaging with their needs and requirements that they already possess. If we believe we must not grumble, shrug our shoulders and get on with it, then the majority principle of the system is safe. Eagleton quotes: The study of Ideology is among other things an inquiry into the ways in whichpeople maycometoinvestintheirownunhappiness(Brookfield, 2001) Brookfield acknowledged a deeper understanding of Ideology with the use of empirical writings in Althussers essay Ideology and Ideology State Apparatuses in which two types of socialisation agencies evolved Repressive State Apparatuses (such as Police, Military, Prison Guards and Teachers) and Ideological State Apparatuses (such as Family, Church, Educational Systems, Media and Politics.) which exist mainly in civil societies but being controlled by the Repressive State Apparatuses. With this in mind, one does not operate without the other exercising Hegemony. For example, the Educational System. In contrast to Marx, Althusser suggests People did know why they were doing it but they did it anyway! Lastly, through Brookfield interpretations Gramscis concept of Hegemony was explored. He identified how adult learners, on entry into and currently in education, are active participants of prior knowledge, beliefs, experiences and values. Thus possessing their own Ideologies and willing in their own oppression. Adult Educators persuade to challenge dominant Ideologies that are exercised through the art of manipulation, the all persuasive nature of negotiation, powerful yet adaptable but still remaining in place. Hegemony emphasises the way people learn to embrace willingly beliefs and practices. These practices that work against their own best interests and the interests of others who have power over us. It also allows for the possibility of opposing elements emerging, of counter hegemony. We do this as adult learners when we negotiate extensions for assessments.