Bed & Breakfast Pet Hotel

When people go on vacation or on a business trip, sometimes it is impractical to bring the family pet. Not long ago many would just ask a neighbor to keep an eye on the pet while the family was gone. Others would leave the pet with enough food and water to survive during the trip, although this was impractical for long trips.These options each come with advantages and disadvantages, but they fail to ensure that the family pet is not just watched, but pampered. This concept of pampering the family has sprouted a whole new industry of pet facilities.With more people seeing the pet as of a family member, the care of the pet is becoming more important. In 2006 families spent approximately $38 billion on their pets and around 63% of household own at least one pet (Koncius, 2006).This has brought about a rise in pet hotels / pet bed and breakfasts. PetsHotel, a division of PetSmart, is a leader in this rising industry. PetSmart purchased a pet hotel in 2000 in the Tucson, AZ area and has e xpanded it to over 50 stores since then. PetSmart’s goal is to eventually have over 400 PetsHotel facilities nationwide and in Canada.However, PetSmart is not the only company getting into this rapidly expanding industry. This report is evaluating PetsHotel and its place in the industry. Specifically this report will demonstrate its position in the market through a Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats analysis, or SWOT analysis.This analysis will provide a clearer picture of what PetsHotel is facing in regards to the competition, trends, and future expansion. It will demonstrate where PetsHotel has a significant advantage over its competitors and where it has shortfalls. StrengthsThe most notable strength PetsHotel is the strong brand name and familiarity of its parent company, PetSmart. According to PetSmart’s website, the company has almost one thousand stores in the United States and Canada (PetSmart, 2007).PetSmart entered the pet hotel industry in 2000 w hen it recognized â€Å"its huge potential and it fits perfectly into [its] strategy of providing the lifetime needs of pets and their parents† (PetSmart, 2008). Customer loyalty and name recognition provides assurance for those customers who may not want to take a risk with a local, known pet facility.With how important pets have become to the owner, many owners will not want to take the risk of a bad facility. Jim Krack, founder of American Boarding Kennels Association, or ABKA, stated that â€Å"Pet owners expect the same type of amenities from their pet care providers as they receive from their child day care providers† (Shim, 2007).It is assumed that most people would not just place their children in any childcare facility without first ensuring a certain level or standards and safety. The name brand of PetSmart gives PetsHotel that instant recognition. In the fiscal year 2007, PetSmart posted $4.2 billion in sales and has $209 million in cash (Yahoo! Finance, 200 8). This cash cow can aid in the design and construction of new facilities. This will allow PetsHotel to quickly expand into competitive areas and into new, untapped market areas. Other competitors will not have the cash available without going into substantial debt to expand as quickly as PetsHotel can.Economies of scale also provide PetsHotel with a significant strength. Since smaller pet facilities will be unable to purchase items in the bulk level that PetsHotel can, the per item cost will be much greater than PetsHotel.Overhead and other expenses can be spread out amongst the over 50 PetsHotels already built. In comparison, Wags Hotel only has three stores to spread its costs around. Weaknesses Although the size PetsHotel is an advantage, it also lends itself to outside threats.The perception by some is larger companies many not provide as intimate and caring service for the pets. Consequently, many will prefer smaller, local services over the big corporate service of PetsHotel . Others will not want to go to the corporate establishment in favor of the local â€Å"ma and pa† pet facilities.The reasons for this could be the perception of intimate pet care with the smaller facility or it could just be hatred toward corporate America. Another weakness is a lack of accreditation. The American Boarding Kennels Associate, or ABKA, is a non-profit organization that seeks to assure high standards in pet care.ABKA provides pet owners with a set standard of quality of different hotels and kennels through a Pet Owner’s Bill or Rights and certifying different pet hotels. Out of 93 accredited pet facilities, none of them are PetsHotel brand pet facilities.To obtain certification the facilities must be â€Å"in compliance with the standards of the ABKA Voluntary Facilities Accreditation Program and have successfully completed an on-site evaluation by ABKA† (ABKA, 2008). A lack of certification from a reputable firm such as ABKA is a strong weakness for PetsHotel.ABKA’s website does list PetsHotel as a facility that can house a pet, but it also lists their lack of accreditation. This could sway a potential pet owner customer away from PetsHotel in favor of a pet facility that is accredited. OpportunitiesThe nearly 1000 PetSmart locations provide ample opportunity for quick expansion of the PetsHotels. By utilizing the PetSmart facilities, PetsHotels can quickly set up operations and provide services already at the PetSmart stores such as grooming, training, and Bansfield pet hospital. Some of these features have already been added to PetsHotel’s Add-On features.These features include nail clipping, bath time, and access to a Banfield clinic in an emergency (PetsHotel, 2008). By utilizing PetSmart’s other services, PetsHotel could offer other services such as pet training and grooming beyond a simple bath.In 2006, PetsHotel announced that it wanted to reach a total of 435 hotels throughout the United States and Canada (PetSmart, 2008). This is an achievable goal in part because of the huge cash flow PetSmart can generate through its other business segments and because of the already established name brand in those areas. Companies such as Wags Hotels only recently added two more hotels.Those two new hotels are still within the general geographic area of central California (WagsHotel, 2008). However, PetsHotel is already in 26 states and plans three more openings in the next few months (PetsHotel, 2008).Threats PetsHotel’s website lists its hours of operations 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM Monday thru Saturday and 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sundays. PetsHotel has a check-in and check-out time of 12:00 PM (PetsHotel, 2008). The problem that PetsHotel can run into is a 24-hour service such as Wags Hotel. By offering 24-availability, Wags Hotel allows travelers who arrive late at night to pick up their pet once they arrive. PetsHotel’s model would force the traveler to pick up their pet the next day and charge them for that extra night.Smaller pet facility companies are seeing the need for emergency veterinarian services. PetsHotel uses Banfield which is partnered with PetSmart. These smaller companies are starting to team up with the local veterinarians to provide the same quality service.Although the overhead for this service is spread out amongst the larger PetSmart Corporation, PetsHotel will further have to demonstrate that its corporate services are as good, caring and intimate as the local facilities and veterinarians. An example of this is Wagg Inn Pet Hotel with the Animal Hospital of Ashwaubenon, WI.At home pet nannies are another source of threat to PetsHotel’s business. People have been turning to high-class pet hotels because of how much they care about their pets. However, many feel reservations about leaving their pet in a facility at all.The alternative is to leave the pet at home and hire a pet nanny. One concern is whether the other â€Å"gues ts† at the pet hotel are current on their vaccinations. If the pet is left at home, there is no concern at all. Also, the pet will be comfortable in its normal routine and happy places.This alleviates any concerns of trying to settle the pet back into normal routines, especially where to go to the bathroom. Conclusions and Recommendations PetsHotel is in a very good strategic position compared to its competition.Availability of cash in conjunction with the strong brand recognition of PetSmart means it can place a facility anywhere in the United States and Canada and have instant credibility as a company that will provide quality pet care. PetsHotel should continue to innovate in pet quality and care through better designs of its facilities and services.It needs to continue to emphasize its high pet care and quality of service of both PetsHotel and PetSmart. Because PetsHotel is a division of PetSmart, and damage to the brand reputation of PetSmart will instantly translate into damage to the PetsHotel reputation. If the quality of service at the PetSmart stores declines, the perception will be that quality has also decreased in its pet hotels.Where PetsHotel needs to be concerned is in its accreditation and availability. Although AKBA is just one organization, PetsHotel can ill afford to ignore any organization devoted to pet facility quality and care.For people who want to ensure their pets are well taken care of, the lack of accreditation could mean a loss in customers. If the people are happy with both the service of AKBA and the local pet hotel, PetsHotel could lose more potential customers through word of mouth. By gaining accreditation, PetsMart not only retains its corporate brand of quality, but it is substantiated through AKBA.PetsHotel must also find a way to address those who do not want to disrupt their pet’s routine. PetsHotel and other pet hotel websites do list how the pet will re-enter its routine once it goes home.However, more is needed than just a small blurb on the website. PetsHotel needs to reassure anyone who inquires about this and possible provide examples through customer satisfaction surveys and testimonials. References American Boarding Kennel Association. (2008). American Boarding Kennel Association.Retrieved on January 25, 2008 from http://www. abka. com/abka/. Koncius, Jura. (Apr. 2006). Pet Hotels Really Puttin' on the Dog. The Washington Post. Retrieved on January 25, 2008 from http://www. projo. com/pets/content/projo_20060430_petshotel.80bdaa6. html. Petsmart, Inc. (PETM). (2008). Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved on January 26, 2008 from http://finance. yahoo. com/q? s=PETM. Shim, Joan. (Sept. 2007). Pampered pooches, fat cats living large in luxury pet hotels. CNN. Retrieved on January 25, 2008 from http://www. cnn. com/2007/LIVING/worklife/09/12/travel. pets/index. html. Wagg Inn Pet Hotel. (2008). Wagg Inn Pet Hotel, LLC.Retrieved on January 25, 2008 from http://www. wagginn. com/. Wags Hotel. ( 2008). Wags Hotel. Retrieved on January 25, 2008 from http://www. waghotels. com/.

Academic Success A By Product Of Environmental Factors Education Essay

AbstractionThe research inquiry of this essay is, ‘To What Extent is Academic Success a By-product of Environmental Factors? ‘ I investigated this inquiry by researching the consequence that environmental factors have on academic success. This was so moderated by assorted other possible factors, including cognitive and biological 1s. I evaluated my findings by weighing out the significance of each factor and the value of the back uping surveies. Upon finishing the research it was found motive was a really important factor act uponing academic success, non merely because the surveies described were dependable and gave strong support, but besides because motive linked with the other factors excessively, for illustration, it showed up in equal webs and rearing. This brought me to the decision that motive was the most dominant factor impacting academic success. After motive, I evaluated that environmental factors were the following most influential factors, followed by intell igence. It was besides noted that the factors did n't lie on separate continuums and could be combined to increase academic success. Furthermore, the factors should be researched more jointly in future research to measure the research inquiry, instead than look intoing each individually.IntroductionMuch research has gone into instruction in psychological science, peculiarly the factors act uponing academic success. However, non adequate research has focused on finding which factors are the most influential. Such factors may include environmental influences ; such as equal webs, parents, instructors and socioeconomic position, cognitive influences such as motive, and biological influences such as intelligence. The chief failing of the bing research on factors impacting academic success is the focal point on merely one factor, and the deficiency of comparing to other factors. One such illustration is the experiment conducted by Kruse ( 1996 ) , where the influence of socioeconomic position ( SES ) on academic accomplishment was investigated by comparing grade norms of pupils from different income groups. Results showed an undistinguished difference between the groups, nevertheless research cited in Kruse ‘s reappraisal of literature suggested otherwise. Despite the usage of this survey to find the consequence of SES on academic accomplishment, it does non assist to find how influential SES compared to other factors. However, one strength of the bing research is the copiousness and dependability of it. As it is a popular country of research due to its pertinence to instruction, the informations and decisions made can be considered extremely dependable. The chief subject of this essay is factors impacting academic success, but more exactly, the research inquiry is ‘To What Extent is Academic Success a By-product of Environmental Factors? ‘ The footings ‘Academic Success ‘ and ‘Environmental Factors ‘ should be defined ; Academic success is the high accomplishment and public presentation in academic topics most frequently measured in footings of standardised tonss or mean classs in research, and Environmental Factors include peer webs, parents, instructors and socioeconomic position. Both footings will be defined in more item in the reappraisal of literature. Reappraisal of LiteratureAcademic SuccessThe primary intent of schools is seen as fixing pupils to go knowing, responsible, and caring citizens ( Payton et al. , 2000 ; Zins, Elias, Greenberg, & A ; Weissberg, 2000 ) . This is consistent with Combs ( 1986 ) who argued that schools are concerned with making the sorts of experiences that develop productive, healthy people. Fullan argued that the intent of instruction is to construct larning communities- communities that conveying moral intent back into instruction and reconnect instructors with their cardinal intent of doing a difference in immature people ‘s lives ( 2000 ) . Clearly, instruction is about more than merely accomplishing in tests, it is about developing emotionally and socially, and fixing for life beyond school. However, for the intent of this essay a remarkable less nuanced position of instruction: Education ‘s intent is to cultivate high-achieving pupils. Such a narrow focal point has restrictions but it w ill let the subject to be explored within the word bound. Therefore, person who achieves academic success is person who performs good in academics/education. Academic success is the high accomplishment and public presentation in academic topics. Achievement and public presentation is measured through tonss on tests, trials and Grade Point Averages ( GPAs ) . Examples include the International Baccalaureate, the A-Levels and Scholastic Aptitude Tests ( SATs ) . These accomplishment and aptitude trials step cognition and apprehension of a course of study. Students who are non intelligent are still able to accomplish extremely in these tests as there is a whole scope of factors impacting public presentation. The undermentioned subdivisions will discourse factors impacting academic success.Environmental Influencesa ) Socioeconomic positionToday many definitions of socioeconomic position ( SES ) include the thought of capital ( resources, assets ) ( Bradley & A ; Corwyn, 2002 ) . Capital includes fiscal and material resources ( income, assets ) , human or immaterial resources ( e.g. , parental instruction ) , and societal resources ( those obtained through societal webs and connexions ) ( Putnam, 2000 ) . Intuitively, SES seems to be really influential for a kid ‘s motive and academic success. Children from non-low income households have the benefit of interacting with parents of higher educational accomplishment and concern success of some degree. Kruse ( 1996 ) argued that this environment can actuate pupils to endeavor for success and are hence more motivated in this respect. The nexus between household SES and a kid ‘s academic accomplishment is good established ( Meece, 2002 ) . Child from lower socioeconomic backgrounds typically display lower academic accomplishment and are at greater hazard of school failure and dropout ( Borkowski & A ; Thorpe, 1994 ) ; but low SES does non do low accomplishment, instead it is associated with it. In a survey conducted by Kruse ( 1996 ) , to find so if pupils from low socioeconomic environments have lower academic accomplishment compared to the academic accomplishment of pupils from higher socioeconomic environments, research cited in the reappraisal of literature provinces that there is an achievement spread between low income and non-low income pupils ( Yellin & A ; Koetting, 1991 ) . Kruse used a sample of 66 6th-grade scientific discipline pupils at Travis Middle School in Texas. Students were divided into a low income group and a non-low income group. Midterm and concluding grade-averages were determined from each group. The midterm and concluding mean tonss for the non-low income pupils were 86.72 and 88.17. The average tonss for the low income pupils were 76.70 and 80.11. Kruse concluded that there was no important difference in academic accomplishment between pupils from low income environments and those from non-low income environments. However, grounds for the differ ing decisions between Kruse ‘s and the psychologists cited in the literature reappraisal may be Kruse used a little sample of 66 pupils. A larger sample would be necessary to do generalisations to a larger population. Kruse limited academic accomplishment to science norms for two tests. Academic accomplishment could be measured by including all nucleus topics. Besides, the rating clip period should be increased from one academic twelvemonth to several. Kruse and Yellin & A ; Koetting clearly had opposing decisions as to whether socioeconomic position influences academic accomplishment, supplying an unsure overall decision.B ) Peer websAn increasing sum of research has examined the function of equal webs. A equal web is a big group of equals with whom pupils associate. Students in equal webs tend to be extremely similar to each other ( Cairns, Cairns, & A ; Neckerman, 1989 ) , which enhances the likeliness of influence by patterning. Sage and Kindermann ( 1999 ) found that equa l groups tended to back up or disapprove of equals ‘ behaviors depending on whether the behaviors were consistent with group norms. Students with higher academic motive and accomplishment tended to be members of groups more motivated for faculty members and they received group blessing for positive academic behavior. Students who were in academically motivated groups were extrinsically motivated because when academic success was achieved, the group ‘s blessing acted as a wages. Students with lower motive and accomplishment were likely to be members of less motivated groups ; their blessing for positive behaviors chiefly came from instructors. These pupils were less motivated to execute good because it could take to ejection from the group. They concluded that equal webs played a important and direct function in impacting academic success. A survey back uping equal webs being an influence on academic success is that of Steinberg et Al. ( 1996 ) , who tracked pupils over 3 old ages, from 9th class to the terminal of 11th class. They determined whether pupils who entered high school tantamount academically ( classs ) , but who joined different equal webs, remained stable academically. Consequences suggested that the equal web with which a pupil associates is really of import in academic public presentation and delinquency. Children in higher academically orientated groups achieved higher classs during high school compared to those in lower academically orientated crowds. It is clear from both surveies that being in a extremely motivated and academically orientated equal web can take to greater academic success, and the reverse for a less motivated and academic equal web.degree Celsius ) ParentsThere is a great trade of grounds back uping the hypothesis that the quality of a kid ‘s early acquisition in the place environment relates positively to the development of intelligence ( Meece, 2002 ; Senechal & A ; Lefevre, 2002 ) , and parental engagement in schooling besides predicts academic accomplishment ( Englund, Luckner, Whaley, & A ; Egeland, 2004 ) . Gottfried, Fleming, and Gottfried ( 1998 ) conducted a longitudinal survey analyzing the function of cognitive stimulation in the place environment on kids ‘s academic accomplishment. Home environment was measured by household treatments, attending at cultural events, importance of reading, and household involvement in art, music and literature. This was recorded utilizing direct observation in the place every bit good as parental study. There were 107 kids take parting. Each participant ‘s development was examined across a wide array of spheres ( e.g. , cognitive, behavioral, academic ) . Home environment was assessed at age 8, and academic accomplishment at ages 9,10 and 13. Consequences found that a cognitively stimulating place environment is a important and positive forecaster of academic accomplishment. Supplying farther support, even when SES was controlled, place environment continued to positively predict subsequent academic accomplishment. The measuring of place environment through direct observation and parent studies provided ecologically valid informations. The findings were besides consistent with the organic structure of literature, farther heightening its cogency ; nevertheless it is for future research to find the generalisability of the findings for all populations. Rearing manners can besides do a difference in a kid ‘s academic motive, which leads to academic success. Achievement is enhanced when parents allow kids to hold input in determinations, province outlooks as suggestions, acknowledge kids ‘s feelings and demands, and supply kids with picks ( Dornbusch, Ritter, Liederman, Roberts, & A ; Fraleigh, 1987 ) . In contrast, rearing manners that are excessively controlling or excessively permissive can sabotage a kid ‘s motive and accomplishment. Overall, the research supports the theory that parental engagement and place environment can straight impact academic success, and indirectly through increasing motive therefore success.vitamin D ) TeachersThere have been many probes into how teaching patterns affect pupil motive. One such probe was carried out by Veldman and Brophy ( 1974 ) . The purpose of the survey was to find whether instructors influence pupil accomplishment. The participants included 275 female instructors for second- and third-grade participated. The instructor effectivity, schoolroom behavior, and personal features of the participants were measured. The pupils ‘ predicted public presentation on a post-test was based on a ) pretest, B ) student sex, degree Celsius ) twelvemonth of testing, and vitamin D ) instructor. Teacher effectivity was measured by the class norms their pupils achieved. In each comparing, one of these influences was omitted to find its part to the pupil ‘s success on the post- test. Results found that student sex made no important difference. There were systematic differences among the three old ages of proving ; nevertheless this was to be expected. The instructor variable caused a important addition in prognostic efficiency. Therefore, instructors did do a difference. Methodologically, the survey was sound as the instructor choice process eliminated new instructors and instructors who had late switched classs. Velman and Brophy ‘s ( 1974 ) survey contradicted the consequences from statements based on the Coleman Report ( Coleman, et al. , 1966 ) , which shared that schools do n't do a difference, instead the pupils do. However, they used the term schools instead than instructors. Schools are an inappropriate unit for analysis as the instructors vary in ability and dissemble the true quality of schooling. The schoolroom clime refers to the ambiance of the classroom- it ‘s societal, psychological, and emotional features ( Dunkin & A ; Biddle, 1974 ) . The schoolroom clime is of great importance as it relates to student accomplishment. Lewin, Lippitt, and White ( 1939 ) argue that different signifiers of leading affect accomplishment and behavior. They conducted a survey to back up their hypothesis ; grownup leaders supervised 10-year-old male childs as they worked on a group undertaking. The male childs were exposed to three different types of leading ; Autocratic-cold and harsh, took control and told the male childs what to make, presume full duty, and did non let the male childs to lend ; Democratic- worked with the male childs co-operatively, stimulated them about how to finish the undertaking, posed inquiries, encouraged suggestions ; Permissive- hands-off attack, minimum supervising, did non supply construction, suggestions or aid. Productivity was greatest with the autocrat ic and democratic manners. However, under the autocratic leader the male childs were dying, tense and submissive. The male childs preferred the democratic leading. The ambiance was group-orientated, concerted and friendly. Although the survey was non conducted in a school ; the consequences have clear schoolroom deductions: permissive leading creates pandemonium and an unproductive environment. Authoritarian leading leads to high productiveness but besides defeat and negative group atmosphere. Democratic leading leads to productiveness and a positive ambiance. Davis has suggested that one critical variable to this survey is the grade of emotional support or heat provided by the leader ( 2003 ) . Teachers who provide strong emotional support facilitate teacher-student relationships and pupil accomplishment. This concludes that instructors do act upon academic success, and is maximized with the usage of a democratic leading manner combined with heat and support.Biological InfluencesWhile the environment clearly influences academic success, there is besides much research look intoing how byproducts of genetic sciences, such as intelligence can impact success. The undermentioned definition of intelligence comes from â€Å" Mainstream Science on Intelligence † , which was signed by 52 intelligence research workers: A really general mental capableness that, among other things, involves the ability to ground, program, work out jobs, think abstractly, comprehend complex thoughts, learn rapidly and larn from experience. It is non simply book acquisition, a narrow academic accomplishment, or test-taking smarts. Rather, it reflects a broader capableness for groking our surroundings- † catching on † , â€Å" doing sense † of things, or â€Å" calculating out † what to make. ( Gottfredson, 1997 ) Abisamra ( 2000 ) conducted a survey, which aimed to find the relationship between intelligence, both emotional and academic intelligence, and academic accomplishment. The sample consisted of 500 11th graders from public and private schools in Alabama. Emotional intelligence was measured utilizing the EQ-i trial, academic intelligence was measured utilizing an IQ trial, and academic accomplishment was measured by ciphering a mean of all the classs of each pupil. The quantitative information was analyzed and a relationship was established, being that both emotional and academic intelligence were closely relative to academic success. One major defect in this survey is the usage of an IQ trial to mensurate academic intelligence ; IQ trials pose many jobs, such as the cultural prejudices. Therefore, the consequences may be somewhat inaccurate. From Abisamra ‘s experiment, it can be argued that intelligence, which is from a biological position genetically predisposed, plays a significant function in impacting academic success.Cognitive InfluencesAsides from biological influences based on the medical theoretical account, there is research into how knowledge plays a function on academic success, in peculiar, how motive influences it. There is much argument over the absolute definition of the term motive ; nevertheless for the intent of this essay one that captures the cardinal elements of motive will be used: ‘Motivation is the procedure whereby purposive activity is instigated and sustained ‘ ( Pintrich, Schunk, Meece, 2007 p.4 ) There are two types of motive ; intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motive refers to the motive to prosecute in an action for its ain interest, without obvious external inducements. Intrinsically motivated pupils perform undertakings because they truly enjoy them ; they do n't trust on explicit or touchable wagess because take parting in the undertaking is in itself a wages. They may believe that what they are larning is important or they think that what they are making is of import. Lepper and Hodell ( 1989 ) place four chief beginnings of intrinsic motive: challenge, wonder, control, and phantasy. Activities that test the pupils ‘ accomplishments may be per se actuating ( Deci, 1975 ; Harter, 1978 ; White, 1959 ) . When ends are of intermediate trouble and success is non certain, attainment of disputing ends shows scholars that they are going more competent, which raises self-efficacy and perceived control over results. In bend, scholars are eager to put new, ambitious ends, k eeping the intrinsic motive. Intrinsic motive may besides originate from pupils who are piqued by activities that are surprising or incongruous with bing thoughts. Such incongruousnesss motivate pupils to seek information and decide the disagreement. Curious scholars who believe that the spread is come-at-able feel efficacious and motivated to pull off the spread and learn ( Berlyne, 1960 ) . Students who feel a sense of control over their acquisition and undertaking engagement besides may be per se motivated ( de Charms, 1968 ; Deci, 1980 ) . Leting pupils picks in activities and a function in set uping regulations and processs promotes perceptual experiences of control. Perceived control can excite a sense of self-efficacy for executing good ( Schunk, 1995 ) . Finally, intrinsic motive can be promoted with activities that involve scholars in phantasy and pretense through simulations and games that present them with state of affairss that are non really present ( Lepper & A ; Hodel l, 1989 ) . As shown in Figure 1, game like elements can add intending to what might otherwise be a deadening activity. ee.BMP Question for the bottom format: Player 1 drips ball from terminal to mid-court and passes ball to Player 2. Player 2 drips ball to where Player 3 is and passes it to Player 3, who shoots basket. Down what fraction of the tribunal did the participants dribble? Figure: Fractions are presented in traditional format ( top ) and game like format ( underside ) . Research shows that intrinsic motive for originative public presentation suffers when wagess are offered ( Eisenberger & A ; Armeli, 1997 ; Eisenberger, Armeli & A ; Pretz, 1998 ; Eisenberger & A ; Rhoades, 2001 ) , nevertheless Cameron and Pierce ( 1994 ) reviewed 96 experimental surveies on this subject and found that wagess did non diminish intrinsic motive. The lone negative consequence on intrinsic motive was found when wagess were given merely for working on a undertaking. The differing decisions may hold been due to the criticized conceptual and methodological evidences on Cameron and Pierce ‘s ( 1994 ) portion ( Deci et al. , 1999 ) . There are dissensions about how to utilize processs to sum up across diverse surveies and conceptual concerns such as the definition and measuring of intrinsic and extrinsic motive ( Sansone & A ; Harackiewicz, 2000 ) . Extrinsic motive refers to the motive to prosecute in an activity in order to achieve consequences such as wagess or teacher congratulations. Extrinsically motivated pupils execute undertakings merely because they believe that take parting will ensue in expressed wagess ( money or good classs ) or turning away of penalty. In footings of instruction, Condry & A ; Chamber ( 1978 ) criticize those who use wagess ( e.g. more free clip, stars ) to actuate pupils because such final payments are typically unrelated to the act of larning itself, and are likely to pull attending off from the benefits of larning. Consequently, many fear that larning will go a manner to acquire wagess, and when these wagess are no longer present, the motive to larn lessenings. It should besides be noted that intrinsic and extrinsic motive are non on one continuum, intrinsic being the highest and extrinsic the lowest. They should be thought of on separate continuums, for illustration person can be both extremely per se and extrinsically motivated on a undertaking, and it seems that this would be the most desirable combination ( Lepper, Corpus, & A ; Iyengar, 2005 ) .Motivation in EducationTherefore, it is clear that motive plays a really important function in instruction ; it can act upon what, when and how we learn ( Schunk, 1995 ) . Dennis, Phinney and Chuateco ( 2005 ) conducted a longitudinal survey aimed at look intoing the ways in which motivational features and environmental societal supported contribute to the academic results of college pupils. The survey consisted of 100 college pupils changing in cultural backgrounds, SES and motive. Data refering pupil motive was collected from the participants utilizing studies taken in the autumn and spring of their sophomore twelvemonth. The studies were piloted with freshers. GPAs and informations sing the participants SES were collected from the university records. Consequences found that motive to go to college based on personal involvement, rational wonder and the desire to achieve a successful calling were prognostic of college accommodation and committedness. Family outlook motive, nevertheless, was non significantly related to college results. There are restrictions to this survey. Most of the information was based on self study steps, which can take to inaccuracies due to participant dishonesty. The sample was comprised of cultural minorities ; hence, as is true with any survey, the findings can merely be interpreted to a certain extent. Genralisations to other cultural minority colleges or other cultural groups must be made with cautiousness. This survey suggested that although intrinsic motive is dependable forecaster of academic success, extrinsic motive is non a dependable forecaster. Another survey proposing the influence motive has on academic accomplishment is that of Busato et Al. ( 1999 ) . The purpose of the survey was to look into how rational ability, larning manner, personality and achievement motive relate to academic success. Learning manner was measured utilizing a questionnaire. The Big Five personality factors test measured personality. The â€Å" Prestatie-Motivatie-Test † measured achievement motive. A series of ability trials measured rational ability. Points are allocated to psychology pupils harmonizing to how much work they have completed, so academic success was measured by the sum of points gained at the terminal of each academic twelvemonth. In entire, 409 pupils participated and information was gathered in the first hebdomad of first-year twelvemonth through psychological trials. Harmonizing to the correlational analyses, achievement motive and rational ability were associated positively with academic success. This survey was ecologi cally valid due to its big sample size and clear measuring of variables. The two predating surveies have made it clear that while motive is a cardinal factor in accomplishing academic success, it must be noted that intrinsic motive plays a much greater function than extrinsic.EvaluationAfter holding completed the research, it has become evident that there is a assortment of influences on academic success runing from environmental factors to cognitive and biological. The environmental factors were comprised of SES, equal webs, instructors and rearing. Steinberg et Al. ( 1996 ) suggested that equal webs significantly influence academic accomplishment. Gottfried, Fleming, and Gottfried ( 1998 ) found that a stimulating place environment leads to greater success excessively. On the other manus, Kruse ( 1996 ) concluded that SES had no important affect on academic success ; nevertheless his survey offered several critical defects. Kruse cited Yellin & A ; Koetting ( 1991 ) , who found that SES did, in fact, have an consequence on academic success, go forthing this factor still questionable. Teacher influences were so investigated. Veldman and Brophy ( 1974 ) found that instructors had a strong influence on pupil success, despite research demoing otherwise. This contradictory research was discarded by Veldman and Brophy as weak because of its effort to analyze the consequence of the quality of schools instead than single instructors on academic success. Overall, environmental factors appeared to hold a great consequence on academic success. To chair the statement intelligence was explored and it was found that both emotional and academic intelligence play an of import function in doing academic success ( Abisamra, 2000 ) . Unfortunately, the survey had defects refering the method of measuring for the variables, offering perchance inaccurate consequences. However, it could be concluded that intelligence did hold an consequence on academic success. Finally, I went into deepness when researching motive as a factor. Dennis, Phinney and Chuateco ( 2005 ) suggested that although intrinsic motive is a dependable forecaster of academic success, extrinsic motive is non a dependable forecaster. This was supported by Busato et Al. ( 1999 ) , who illustrated that motive increases success. By and large, it appeared that environmental factors played the biggest function in impacting success chiefly due to the figure of classs within the subdivision. However, at a closer glimpse, it has become evident that motive intertwines with many of the discussed factors. For illustration, refering equal webs, Sage and Kindermann ( 1999 ) claimed that pupils with higher academic motive and accomplishment tended to be members of groups more motivated for faculty members. High academic motive and achievement appear hand-in-hand. Furthermore, Dornbusch, Ritter, Liederman, Roberts, & A ; Fraleigh ( 1987 ) suggested that rearing affects a kid ‘s motive, taking to academic success. It seems good established amongst psychologists that motive can take to academic success. Not merely does motive entwine amongst the other factors but it is besides a factor itself and the support for it is converting. For this ground, I think that motive is the most dominant factor act uponing academic success. It could besides be argued that SES influences academic success to a great extent, mostly due to the fact that it contains sub-topics within it, such as parenting and equal webs, all of which offer back uping grounds.DecisionIt has become clear that environmental factors influence academic success to a big extent, nevertheless it is non the most dominant factor ; motive is. The staying factors must non be discarded though, as they all provide research exemplifying them as factors impacting academic success. It is besides of import to observe that the factors can be combined and are non on separate continuums. Person can hold high intelligence but uneffective instructors and can still accomplish academically. Possible farther research could research the possibility to generalise the grounds cross culturally or would the decision be different for different civilizations.

The psychological effects of people with intellectual disabilities Dissertation

The psychological effects of people with intellectual disabilities experiencing loss and bereavement - Dissertation Example This girl of 19 years and very dependent on her mother was not allowed to come anywhere near her mother’s body before she was taken away. She was being continually picked upon and that left her irritated and lost. The bereavement could not be handled by this girl and the attitude of her aunt made her worse. The community as a whole did not know how to handle grief associated with bereavement. The psychological responses such as yearning, anxiety, depression, distrust of others and complicated grief were expected of the intellectually disabled. Carers and staff were not prepared to recognise or to provide effective support at the time of loss and bereavement. Their ignorance of how to handle the situation could be the main culprit. Searching through the literature, I was surprised to find that little empirical research had been done to specifically look at the normal or complicated grief response in people with learning disabilities. On a personal level the subject is of great interest to me and it is intended that this research will increase my knowledge in theory and practice as well as enhancing the importance of research to my continuing professional development. History My search took me to the university Library. Electronic search engines and databases were looked through. PSYC INFO, CINAHL, PUBMED and the COCHRANE electronic databases helped me gather some material pertaining to the subject. The keywords used were bereavement, psychological reactions, loss, complicated grief, grief and learning disabilities. The Learning Resource Centre (LRC) library, Department of Health and Rowntree Foundation website helped me to retrieve grey literature. Boolean operators were used to narrow the results. Combined randomised controlled trials of bereaved adults with learning disabilities that compared community based interventions were included in the review. Life events with its psychological problems that were emotional, psychiatric and behavioural responses t o bereavement were also included. Recognition and concept of death by people with learning disabilities and their families and carers, as well as inclusion of assessment tools of complicated grief were selected. The exploration of support and interventions were also collected. A number of recent articles had considered the implications of grief and bereavement for people with learning disabilities. This had influenced me to concentrate on the parameters of the years between 2002 and 2010. Because of limited empirical studies I have included some of the articles with case studies illustrations. With eleven journal articles, I was ready to start on my hunt for ways of managing complicated grief in intellectually disabled persons. Could I be signalling off a process which has the outcome of the improved welfare and quality of life of the intellectually disabled at heart where bereavement grief is concerned? Critique of two articles on data collection and analysis Dodd, P., Guerin, S., McEvoy, J., Buckley, S., Tyrrell, J. & Hillery, J. (2008). A study of complicated grief symptoms in people with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 52 (5), 415-425. The data were contained in the two assessment tools used for this study: Complicated Grief Questionnaire for People with Intellectual Disabilities (CGQ- ID) and Bereavement History Questionnaire (Adapted). The tools had been described

The Authenticity of Ones Identity Created by the Passport Term Paper

The Authenticity of Ones Identity Created by the Passport - Term Paper Example As Hall maintains, "perhaps instead of thinking of identity as an already accomplished fact, which the new cultural practices they represent, we should think, instead, of identity as a 'production', which is never complete, always in process, and always constituted within, not outside, representation." (Hall, p. 222). In a close analysis if Hall's view, it becomes clear that the very authority and authenticity to which the term 'cultural identity' lays claim are challenged here and it opens up a dialogue or an investigation on the topic of cultural identity and representation. A reflective analysis of Diaspora in relation to identity, particularly investigating whether an individual's passport defines who he is, makes it obvious that, with so many culturally diverse people and people born and living outside their native countries, a document stating one's name, date of birth, sex and place of birth simply cannot define the person. Â  In order to comprehend the relationship between Diaspora and identity, it is fundamental to have a critical, reflective, and unambiguous application of the term 'diaspora' as against the uncritical, unreflective application of the term to any and all contexts of global displacement and movement. When thinking through the category of diaspora and its connection to geopolitical entities such as nation-state, it becomes fundamental to consider the important role of nation formation and construction in the modern world. "Mass migration movements, the multiple waves of political refugees seeking asylum in other countries, the reconfiguration of nation-states demand that the concept of nationhood take account of the specific geopolitical circumstances that precipitate the movement of people and communities in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries." (Braziel and Mannur, 2003, p. 3). While cultural and literary critics have been increasingly concerned with how to rethink co ncepts of nationhood and national identity, it is essential that such critical analyses incorporate contemporary forms of movement, displacement, and dislocation - from travel to exile. Indeed, these questions are inextricably linked to a theorization of Diaspora. In a critical analysis of contemporary forms of movement, displacement, and dislocation from travel to exile, in relation to Diaspora and identity, the role of passport in order to define one's identity comes into question. Thus, it is fundamental to analyze whether our passports can define who we are because such critical investigations can reveal different aspects of Diaspora in relation to identity. In the context of the modern world with numerous culturally diverse people and people born and living outside their native countries, the passport which is a document stating one's name, date of birth, sex and place of birth, simply cannot define a person or his cultural identity. Â  In the modern world of globalization, one's identity is mainly determined by one's passport, which is a document stating one's name, date of birth, sex and place of birth, and the authenticity of such a document in defining one's identity in relation to Diaspora is generally questioned.

Global Financial Crisis Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global Financial Crisis - Coursework Example The intention of this study is a financial crisis as a situation where economic markets are interrupted because of controlled credit to businesses and households and the real markets of services and goods are unfavourably affected. There are immense causes or roots available for a financial crisis irrespective of any nation. Basically, the structural factors like confusion arising between the free and the continuous deregulation of markets, a remarkable rise in the role of investment markets prevailing in both banking and non-banking economic organisations, rapid use of new global monetary mechanisms, declining transparency of the free markets, increasingly spreading out high business risks, inequality in a particular businesses origination and distribution factors among others are a few of the major causes or roots of a financial crisis. Also the general factors like regular conflicts regarding the market interests among the free and capital market contributors, deviation between in dividual bank interest rates with central bank’s policy rates, extremely minimum risk-free interest rates in major economies like the US and Japan among others, growing gap between maximum capital profits and low cost of capital, spreading out unfavourable low credit difficulty across all mechanisms also constitute a few of the crucial roots of a financial crisis that are prevailing in a particular organisation or in a particular nation. (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, 2008). In the paper, the regulatory failures that especially the western industrialised countries faced and which led to the universal economic crisis in the year 2008-09, is examined along with the findings about the causes or roots of the arising financial crisis along with certain immediate tasks that should be followed in order to cope up with the financial crisis has also been discussed. Evolution of the Financial Crisis The international financial crisis was originated with the ‘sub- prime mortgage’ crisis and was eventually faced especially by the western industrialised countries during 2008-09. With the result of increase in rate of interests along with decline in home prices, there was a sharp jump in non-payment and foreclosures. In that particular period, there arose certain doubts regarding the liquidity of those assets and eventually became tough to fetch adequate price (Rangarajan, 2009). As a result of raising this crucial doubt, it gradually started to affect the prevailing institutions for their enormous investments made in their respective products. Thus, the entire financial system of the western industrialised countries was recognised to be in an acute crisis. There was a mutual distrust among the financial institutions in the western countries which led to freezing up of several markets including the inter-bank market. This crisis in a financial system had moved to affect the real sectors in various significant methodologies (Rangarajan, 20 09). Due to the evolution of financial crisis during 2008-2009 in the western industrialised countries, the emerging market risks, the bank lending flows, the foreign direct investment (FDI) flows and the export volumes among others had turned negative. The economic activities were contracted rapidly and particularly the western industrialised countries experienced large decline in their respective industrial production which weakened their credit growth (Berglof, 2010). Causes of the Financial Crisis in Western Industrialised Countries The financial crisis has been brought about by a combination of unsuitable monetary policies, extreme risk taking of certain financial organisations and

Aspects of Connected Speech - part 2 . research Thesis

Aspects of Connected Speech - part 2 . research - Thesis Example w?l] (ii) ‘No. I don’t think I will.’ Daniel: [w?l l l?s?n dn liv ?m ma? b?laf] (iii) ‘Well! Listen. Don’t leave on my behalf.’ [a? k? ?tz? ?ba?t? a?m ju? ?n? a? p s pas b?ha?nd ?s dn? ju das] (iv) ‘I think its about time you and I put this past behind us - don’t you Darc?’ [ lis? ste? f r? ?bde? drk w mi? j? ?m br h?] (v) ‘At least stay for a birthday drink with me and Bridg huh.’ Mark: [ba? brt] (vi) ‘Bye bridget’ Bridget: [mak] (vii) ‘Mark’ [wa? r ? ju h] (viii) ‘Why are you here?’ Daniel: [br a? s t?l? u wa j? a?m h] (ix) ‘Bridg I just told you why I’m here.’ [wa? w?z ma? wk? dasi h] (x) ‘Why was Mark wanker Darcy here?’ [ bl?di h?l we ? m?n?t hiz b?k] (xi) ‘Oh! Bloody hell! Wait a minute. He’s back.’ Mark: [?lra kliv r ? a?tsa?d] (xii) ‘Alright Cleaver, outside.’ Daniel: [a?m s?ri] (xiii) ‘Iâ€⠄¢m sorry?’ Mark: [a?tsa?d] (xiv) ‘Outside!’ Daniel: [d a? br ma? ?jul?m p?st?lz ? ma? s?d] (xv) ‘Should I bring my dualing pistols or my sword?’ [?lra h?l] (xvi) ‘Alright. ... The adjustment of the final nasal /n/ in ‘on’ to the bilabial articulation of /m/ in ‘my’ [?m ma?] in line (iii) is an instance of phonemic assimilation; the phoneme /n/ becomes the phoneme /m/ and thus shares the same attributes or features as the bilabial articulation of /m/. In this case, there is a single articulation of /m/ but it is lengthened in accordance with the final /m/ of the modified ‘on’ and the following initial /m/ of ‘my’. If the sound was not lengthened it would be heard as [?m a?], which is not considered natural to a native speaker of English. In line (v) we find another such assimilation with the words ‘and Bridg’, in which case the /d/ of ‘and’ is first dropped and the alveolar nasal /n/ assimilates with the following bilabial stop /b/; thus we find [?m br] instead of [?n br]. Similarly, phonemic assimilation is apparent in line (xv), which shows the final phoneme velar nasal /?/ in à ¢â‚¬Ëœdueling’ changing to the bilabial articulation of the initial bilabial /p/ in ‘pistols’ [?jul?m p?st?lz]; the nasal /?/ therefore shares the same attributes as the bilabial articulation of /p/. In line (ix) [t?l? u] we find further evidence of assimilation; this time however, it is likely the final alveolar /d/ of ‘told’ has assimilated in anticipation of the word initial palatal approximant /j/ of ‘you’ but because ‘you’ is unstressed the phonemes /d/ and /j/ have combined (coalesced) to arrive at [t?l? u]. This would be unlikely to happen if the word ‘you’ was stressed, wherein we would probably hear [t?l? ju]. In line (xv) we find further evidence of coalescent assimilation but this time within a word rather than across

Conflict Negotiation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Conflict Negotiation - Case Study Example Knowing what each other party wanted was key to knowing the best way forward to attaining what was best for the city of Tamarack. Our first reward was that we as the City Council of Tamarack do not have to incur high costs of maintaining our roads or reducing the environmental pollution that has already taken place. The cost sharing agreement reached at the end of the negotiations ensures that the mining company takes upon itself the responsibility of ensuring that the damaged roads are repaired and that at the end of the day there is little, if any environmental pollution. We were also able to keep the company in the city, hence, retaining the revenue that we get from its operations. We were able to provide a serene environment for the tourists who visit the city. This was made possible by the fact that Twin Lakes Mining Company ensured that all roads are in good condition. Reducing air pollution in the city is also a way of attracting tourists. The fact that the already exhausted mining sites will be shutdown means that our surroundings will be beautiful enough to warrant tourist attraction (Role Information for City Tamarack). Most importantly, the relationship between the government and the mining company was improved as both parties gained from the negotiations. The most rewarding thing about the negotiations is the fact that we will be able to keep our city in a good condition. Firstly, we shall from today henceforth have cleaner air in the city. The mining company has accepted the responsibility of ensuring that its operations do not pollute the air as much as before. This is beneficial to us; not only in the present life, but also in future. Clean air means that future generations in Tamarack City will live a healthy life and they will not have to worry about respiratory diseases that are related to unclean air. Both parties have also taken up the responsibility of maintaining the roads. Of course, this means better infrastructure,

Mergers Don't Always Lead to Culture Clashes Essay

Mergers Don't Always Lead to Culture Clashes - Essay Example The culture in MBNA shows a more laid-back, business-like and highlights a secretive organization. Employees at MBNA are accustomed to lavish lifestyles and the company offers high salaries and generous benefits. Among the perks available include private golf courses, corporate jets and yachts. Bank of America, however, operates on financial efficiency and values low cost approaches. Moreover, Bank of America expanded because of thrift and has managed to focus on size and smarts rather than speed. Bank of America is expected to encounter challenges as the bank attempts to integrate a culture that is totally opposite from the ideals being promoted by the company. The high salaries and benefits received by MBNA employees is one major issue. Although the salaries received by Bank of America employees are relatively competitive, the bank’s management has to decide what approach needs to be done to reconcile the gap. Lowering the salaries of MBNA staff will cause widespread demoralization. Maintaining the high salaries will also affect current Bank of America employees. This is a dilemma that needs to be taken into consideration before addressing the salary issue. Another aspect that requires focus is the perks received by MBNA employees. Bank of America will certainly reduce most of the privileges and to integrate the bank’s vision when it comes to spending.... Bank of America recognizes the culture of MBNA and how it has developed the organization. MBNA has been successful and Bank of America intends to ensure that the success will be sustained. Respect also drives Bank of American to be more sensitive and do consultations as to what needs to be changed and retained. The integration of MBNA in Bank of American required rigorous planning. Bank of America managers view MBNA managers as arrogant while the latter sees the former as bureaucratic. But these observations are part of the growing pains that Bank of American attempts to hurdle. Bank of America decided to adopt some of the practices in MBNA. The management also created new policies to satisfy both Bank of America and MBNA employees. The executive uniforms in MBNA underwent a hybrid phase change to suit the needs of both parties. Since most Bank of America processes are flexible, modifications are implemented seamlessly. The goal is to prevent clashes and satisfy the different culture s. Despite the adjustments, Bank of America remained firm on cutting costs and the high MBNA salaries were significantly reduced. Although some employees decided to leave, majority of the employees remained. Bank of American sold all but one of the corporate jets and donated the golf course to the State of Delaware. The bank maintains that there are other ways to compensate for the removed perks. The most important part is to ensure that Bank of America’s financial principles are followed but employees still enjoy the best rewards for their hard work. 3. Do you think culture is important to the success of a merger/acquisition? Why or why not? Most observers highlight financial impact, synergies and pipeline

Costco retail store-santa clarita Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Costco retail store-santa clarita - Essay Example The company’s typical warehouses measure and average 143,000 squire feet and the outlets operate approximately seven days a week. The core outlets comprise about 3300-3800 dynamic stock. The company’s reported total revenue for year ending August 2012 were $ 99 billion while the income was $ 2.8 billion. The company’s assets many fold surpass their liabilities indicating a stable company (Costco wholesale 1). Costco store layout, visual merchandising, customer service Store Layout There is a constant movement of items and sometimes confuse the price tags and disorient regular customers. This may mislead customers and they may be embarrassed when they are making payments at the teller. The store is fairly clean and the items are generally well organized and tidy. Similar items are located in close proximity hence this makes things easier for the customer. The stores have a specious layout for ample air circulation. There are fire equipments located strategically f or ease of access. The high number of shoppers especially children accompanied by their children make the place especially the alleys very crowded. The concept of having food courts, gas stations, chemists, optical section, salon among others is well designed and located strategically within the outlets. Staff attendees are strategically located within the lane to help assist customers in need. The image below represents a spacious food court and a raised ceiling for ample air circulation.... Their return and exchange policies are great and the staff are helpful. On one occasion, I experienced poor packaging for items purchased since some of them were in poor shape when I received them. I once experienced discrimination and have seen these happen to others in different occasions. The checking out process is supposed to be same for all but some in these occasions some undergo thorough check while a few are allowed with minimal checks. The waiting experience is sometime terrible with customers having to wait for up to 30 minutes after having paid just to be checked out. Despite commendable job by a majority of the staff, a few are still rude and unfriendly to customers. Once I enquired about location of some items from one staff member only to be told to keep looking. My brother once narrated how the management favored a staff in a disputed case and the same supervisor who intervened at the floor in favor of the staff was the same who was assigned to resolve the case. Costc o feedback mechanism is excellent because the outlets allows patrons to air suggestions and reviews through the suggestion boxes, online platforms and user generated networks. The outlet has many affiliate links online where one can leave comments for further actions. Some of the shopping carts have trash inside any occasionally used by children for play. Although most staff show genuine willingness to help shoppers, some probably the new employees often are either not confident or lack the knowledge on what to do. Some of them definitely need more training and motivation. The store offers sampling from time-to-time enabling shoppers to test and experience varieties and consequently make better purchase

The advantages and disadvantages Essay Example for Free

The advantages and disadvantages Essay The difference it will make is that it will not have colour and will only be in black writing. It is good for beginners to practice typing. You can not put in pictures or borders. It takes very little memory. It is not a good application for professionals. Microsoft Access Open Office Base It is the same but the steps of doing things are totally different. It is very fast and reliable. It is rare so if you need help then you are less likely to get help. If I used it then I can do my work faster because it is very easy to use. It is similar to Microsoft Access so it is easy to use. It has much less features than Microsoft Access. It is easy and straight forward. It takes up a lot of memory. Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 Mozilla Firefox It works almost the same but it is faster. Mozilla Firefox is faster than Microsoft Internet Explorer 7. It takes quite a bit of time to download from internet. The difference it will make if I used it is that I will be safer on the web. It is good because it has security which stops viruses and hackers. You have to pay for it because it does not come free. You can get information, play games and email really fast. It is a bit advanced so it may be hard to use for some users. Paint Adobe Photoshop It works almost the same as paint. You are able to change the colour of the picture. The images take up a lot of hard disk memory. The difference it will make is that I will be able to draw more accurate images than paint. It has more options and tools than paint. It does not come with the computer; you will have to buy it. You can also make changes in photos etc. It is a bit hard to use, so experienced people can use it. Microsoft Word Microsoft Access Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 Paint Input An input device is that hardware which allows you to put data into the computer. The main input devices I have used are keyboard, mouse and scanner. Device Speed Errors that can be made Way to correct errors Keyboard The keyboard does not have a set amount of speed it all depends how fast the typist is typing. The speed is calculated in Words Per Minute (WPM). The errors which can be made are that you can type in a word by mistake or do spelling mistakes. If you have typed a word wrong then you have to press back space or if it is a spelling mistake then put the spell check on which underlines the mistake in red. It then gives you a list of words to correct to. Mouse The speed of the mouse actually depends on how fast you move the mouse. You may click on icon which you did not want to press. You have to press back or if t has opened an application then exit it. Scanner The speed of the scanner depends on how powerful the scanner is. The more powerful the faster. Latest models will have more power. You might want to see what goes on in scanner and will lift the lid up. You have to wait till the scanning finishes then you have to repeat it all over again. Keyboard The way I detected my errors is that I checked my work twice. The way I corrected my errors is that I clicked the underlined words and chose a suitable word from the list. Spelling mistakes are underlined in red like this and grammatical mistakes are underlined in green like this. If there was none suitable then I would re-type the correct word. Thereafter I gave it to friend for proof reading. Mouse The way I detected the errors is that when I went on an unwanted page. The way I corrected it is that I simply went back. To prevent such errors; I done my work slowly. If I was on the internet and I made a mistake then I would click the button called BACK which is on the top left corner. Scanner After the image was been scanned, I checked if there were any mistakes in the digital image. If there were any then I restarted the scanning. The way I prevented these errors was that before scanning I made sure that the page was the right way round and having no creases on the paper. Effects of Inaccurate Data Inaccurate data will affect the system by mainly consuming time and causing problems for customers. Data Effect Way it can be prevented Name spelt incorrectly If the name is spelt incorrectly then when the tickets reach the person and the name does not match the name on the passport then the person can not go abroad. The way it can be prevented is that tell the customer to repeat it twice. Also tell the customer to say it in phonetics. And lastly, confirm before putting the phone down. Address not correct, such as postcode If the address or the postcode is not correct then letters may not reach the person and go elsewhere. The way it can be prevented is that tell the customer to repeat it twice. Also confirm before putting the phone down. For the postcode I shall also keep an input mask which is LL0\ 0LL. Recommendations not checked correctly If the recommendation is not checked correctly then customers may not get the offers which they have the right to get. The way it can be prevented is that make sure that the recommendation is there and recheck it at a later stage. Gender not entered correctly If the gender is not entered correctly then a staff could put a customer to shame if it is said wrong over the phone. The way it can be prevented is that tell the customer to repeat it twice. Also confirm before putting the phone down. Also I will make sure that nothing other than male or female is entered into the gender. I will do this by entering a validation rule and validation text. This means that every time something is typed wrong in that field than it will not be valid and then a message will come up say what to do. Date of birth not entered in correct format If the date of birth of birth is not entered in the correct format then part of the database could go wrong and it would also cause problems to the customers if it is in the wrong format on tickets and letters. The way it can be prevented is that keep a strict format that all the staff could stick to. Also recheck if it is entered according to the format. And if talking to the customer over the phone then ask which format it is. For example; DD/MM/YY or MM/DD/YY or YY/DD/MM. I have also thought of having a set format for the date of birth. To maintain this I shall have an input mask which is 00/00/0000;0;; Subscriptions not entered in correct format If the subscription is not entered in the correct format then the subscription could go on and on for ever if the expiry date is not entered correctly. The way it can be prevented is that recheck if the date is there and it is entered correctly with the correct format. For this also I will have a set format and to maintain this I will an input mask which is 00/00/0000; 0;; I think that the overall best method of checking the accuracy of the data is that it is rechecked and confirmed. Also I would prefer having an input mask where possible in places like date of birth and post code. Validation It is very important that you have correct and accurate data or else this could lead to many major problems. Validation is a very good way to ensure that you have the correct data. Validation is when the computer itself automatically checks the work and makes sure that the data entered is reasonable but it does not check the accuracy. The main aim of validation is that it makes sure that the data entered is reasonable, allowable and sensible. For example; if you typed in the date of birth of a secondary school student then it is likely to be between 1988 and 1995. If 1955 was entered then it would definitely be wrong and the computer will not accept. This is making sure that the data is reasonable. If Sams date of birth is 1992 and 1989 was typed then it will be still accepted but the data is not true. This is not checking the accuracy of the data. The following are a few methods of validation: 1. Presence check This checks that data has been entered into a field. An example of this method is; * In most databases a key field can not be left empty. 2. Check digit The last one or two digits in a code are used to check if all the other digits are correct. An example of this method is; Â  In shops and super markets, barcode readers use check digits. 3. Type check This checks that of a certain type is entered into a field. An example of this method is; In a clothes shop, dress sizes may range from 8 to 18. For this type of data, a number data type would be suitable. If the data type is set as number then only numbers could be entered and a person will be prevented form typing in letters and words. If size ten or eleven was entered, then it would be rejected and 10 or 11 would need to be entered. 4. Format check This checks if data is in the correct format. An example of this method is; Â  A National Insurance number is in the form LL 99 99 99 L. In which L is any letter and9 is any number. 5. Spell check This looks up words in a dictionary. An example of this method is; Â  When word processing. 6. Length check This checks that the data entered is not too long or too short. An example of this method is; A password which needs to be six characters long. 7. Range check This checks that a value fall within the specified range. An example of this method is; Number of hours worked must be no more than 50 hours and more than 0 hours. 8. Look up table This looks up acceptable values in a table. An example of this method is; Â  There are only seven possible days in a week. Verification Verification is to check if the data meets the required standards. For example; if a password is created, then you have to verify by typing it a second time to see if they both match. If the passwords did not match each other then the computer does not allow him to go through because the required standard is that the passwords must match each other and must be typed in correctly. The following are a few methods of verification: 1. Re-typing the data Re-typing the data could get rid of a lot of mistakes. This method is only ideal for small amounts of data such as passwords. However, also in small amounts of data there is also a problem which is that the mistake could be repeated in the second piece of data and this does not pick up the mistake. The reason why it is not ideal for large amounts of data is for three main reasons. They are as follows; You would end up with two copies of the data Mistakes which are repeated will not get picked up. Â  It would be time consuming to re-type large amounts of data. 2. Checking the data on the screen with the original paper document This method saves having to re-type the data. It can help where in data has been transposed or entered incorrectly. However, it is not easy and can get tough trying to move your eyes back and forth paper copy and monitor. 3. Printing out a copy of the data and then comparing it with the original copy. This is probably the easiest method because you bath copies side by side and you can check for mistakes. However, this method can also become time consuming if large amounts of data have to be checked. Also if you go too quick the mistakes could be left. Output Output device allow you to view information after it has been processed. Device Type The way it works Advantages Disadvantages Best place to use it Printer Laser In laser printers powdered ink is fused on to paper by heat and pressure. They use toners instead of cartridges. They produce a very high quality of output. Laser printers are very expensive to buy. The best place to us it is in a library or any study area because they are very quiet and fast. Laser printers are very quiet and do not disturb. Toners are used instead of cartridges this means that there may be extra costs. Hundreds of pages could be printed within an hour. They are very huge so if there are any breakdowns then repairs could be very costly. Inkjet Inkjet printers work by heating ink as it flows through small nozzles. It then creates a dot on the paper and keeps happening until a picture forms. Ink is stored in cartridges. It is quite fast but not faster than Laser printers. The quality of colour printing is very low. The best place to use it is in your house because it is cheap and it is worth the price. Print outs are very neat compared to other print outs. Print out may come out wet and this may smudge. Nozzles are much cheaper than toners. Inkjet printers are very noisy. Dot-matrix Dot-matrix printers work by using a set of steel pins which strike an inked ribbon onto paper producing a sequence of dots. Dot-matrix printers are cheap to buy. They are very noisy and disturbing. The best place to use it would be something like a factory because they make a lot of noise and in a factory printers are used very less. It is very cheap to operate. They are very slow and take ages. They are not very hard to use. You can not make colour copies. Monitor TFT Thousands of tiny dots called pixels are displayed which then create an image. TFT monitors are very slim and take up less space. TFT monitors are very slim and can easily get knocked over. The best place to use a TFT monitor would be in an office or an ICT room because It would be less stuffy and more nice and comfortable to use. They create very less heat in the room. They can produce dull and low quality images if the monitor is not good. TFT monitors are not made of glass so the screen will not break. The screen can be damaged if it is poked many times. CRT Thousands of tiny dots called pixels are displayed which then create an image. CRT monitors are big and hard to get knocked over. They create a lot of heat and it can get very stuffy in the room. The best place to use a CRT monitor would be in a nursery where there are lots of small children and the chances of getting damaged are very high as the children will be running about. CRT monitors They are very cheap. They take up too much space and they are less stylish. They are hard to be stolen because they are massive. CRT monitors can make a lot of noise. After looking at all the different types of input devices, my work has been affected greatly. I have also tried my best to use the best out of all the output devices in my task. Conclusion Most of the components and other things I used for my tasks were very suitable. For example, a CRT monitor can not be used in an office and a TFT would be the best.

Impact of Technology on Graphic Design

Impact of Technology on Graphic Design In our society technology is the dominant industry. In this essay I plan to look at how technology has impacted not only western society but in particularly graphic design since the digital revolution. We in the field of graphic design are particularly affected by technology although the digital age has increased possibilities for designers; it has also had a number of possible negative effects. I plan to look at both sides of the argument in detail and give examples of how they contrast with one another and yet in the right hands can be used together to create visually engaging pieces. In western society, we are in the middle of a technological revolution. As the world has become increasingly digital, there has been a change in the way people communicate, the way that they purchase items and the way that they socialize. This digital revolution has also contributed ti changes in graphic design over the last decade. Before the amalgamation of programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Quark Express and Autodesk Maya, we would never be able to see digital pieces of the complexity that we can currently see today. Not only has technology altered the way that work is created, it has also completely changed the way that we present our work. Today most designers have at least one form of online presence; be it a Facebook fan page, a twitter feed, a blog where they share their thoughts or even just a portfolio site where their work is showcased, many designers use the internet as their main source of publicity. It is due to the ability to show things, such as moving animation work or interactive multimedia pieces and the fact that designers can share a higher percentage of their work without limitations of size or quality makes using digital technology so appealing. With a traditional paper portfolio, it is rarely possible to accommodate all our workà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.with a laptop we can take everything (Shaughnessy 2010) The use of portfolio sites has gained a great deal of attention in the world of graphic design. Although on one hand they are responsible for many artists gaining helpful critiques and exposure to a new audience, there is also a huge problem of plagiarism in the online community. One example of how websites like DeviantArt.com are abused is the case of Lara Jade. A photographer who published a selection of her work online, for others to enjoy. This was all very well until a viewer of her work messaged her to tell her that one of her self-portraits, taken at the age of fourteen was being used on the cover of a pornographic DVD.  [1]  actual refeerence It took three years of legal action for the distributers of the DVD to stop using her image as the cover, even after they were made aware of the copyright and the age of the cover star. Sites such as DeviantArt.COM are facing a backlash from their loyal supporters who have got to a stage where the amount of plagiarism has taken away the joy of uploading work. Many designers are simply not willing to let their work be stolen in exchange for a brief exposure to a website with 37% of their members being between 18-24. With so many members, DA is destined not only to be a target of plagiarists, but also a home for them. (Bailey 2007) Technology is also used predominately in the designing and creation of work in the graphic design field. Since the digital revolution, we have seen a massive change in the way that, for example, motion graphics is created. Programs such as Adobe After Effects have increased productivity in the motion industry as it allows designers to create animations in an extremely short amount of time compared to when they were traditionally analogue created. An example of this are the classic Disney animations such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King, all of which were created using traditional stocks cell animation,  [2]  with each frame having to be individually drawn. [Need to Expand] Looking further afield than at motion graphics specifically, we also see how other digital programs have increased workflow for many designers. Whereas before the digital revolution, many hours were spent with pencils arranging compositions, design mocks can now be creat ed in a very short amount of time by sketching straight onto a computer using a tablet input alongside an image program like Adobe Photoshop. By drawing straight onto the computer, cutting out the paper stage, we also see how sketches can be sent directly to our clients through e-mail or FTP  [3]  this allows our clients to see work in progress and for any changes to be made instantaneously. Look at eco benefits -you dont waste paper! The success of the Internet has also changed the way that designers find inspiration for their work. Where before the digital age designers scanned through history books for inspiration they now can type the theme that they are searching for straight into Google and instantly be given a wide selection of results. This has also led to an increase in the aforementioned plagiarism cases as search engines allow ideas to be easily seen by many, increasing the opportunity for them to be stolen with no concept of ownership. Another aspect of graphic design, which has changed with the increase in technology, is the way designers publicize pieces. Where before success relied heavily on word-of-mouth for designs to become popular and to be seen by people, nowadays there is the use of websites such as DeviantArt.COM, Linkdin.COM or Behance.NET instead. Websites like these have allowed artists on the other side of the world to view our work, which in turn has led to more commissions. QUESTOINAIRE EVIDENCE these websites have also incorporated people not usually associated with a particular field to become integrated within design. EXPLAIN we are seeing, even outside of design, an increase in sharing sites such as Flickr and stumbleupon. These websites load pages whose contents are rated by the viewers, who are given this information randomly. If your page is rated highly enough you will get more views from people interested in the same genres is that you are. Even in todays digital age the process of creating design usually still starts with pencil. QUESTIONNAIRE as proof these pencil sketches are primarily used to create compositions usually to be reworked each time to experiment with new ideas. From there the pencil sketches are usually scanned into the computer then moved to Photoshop to clean up lines. Using brush tools, the image is occasionally coloured from the Pantone selection then it is transferred to the printer where finishes can be applied to the piece. We have seen many designers who have incorporated both traditional and digital mediums into their work. The first designer to truly utilise a computer in terms of layout was April Greiman. Eskilson (2007) stated that Greiman was one of the first graphic designers make use of the powerful tools in a computer. He notes that Greiman did not view the computer as simply a functional tool but as something that had led her to experiment in a way that opened up new avenues of design. Expand As she started to gain popularity we started to see the origins of the techniques that we still used today. In her work she uses techniques in a way that creates chaos on our screens. The images look slightly intentionally like they purposely contain mistakes as a way of creating a sense of energy that was not seen in the other work of that time. Anaylse a piece of work, unpack moe layering of information enabled by the computer Today we are seeing an uprising against the over digitalized style work. We are seeing a rise in the popularity of traditional print-based media as designers are striving for the type of imperfection that was commonplace before the digital revolution. This can be seen today in many sources. Just one look at designs from todays creative area gives you the opportunity to see an abundance of textures and overlays used to create the implied use of traditional media. The problem of doing this is that creative directors can then why would a designer not just create traditionally? Instead of overlaying texture that leaves the viewer to believe that the image was screen printed why not just screen-print the image in the first place? EVIDENCE Dont let your perceptions of the what seems to be a tradition in the design community (or any other community for that matter) dictate how you go about your work (Ward 2010) In graphic design today people do not want to see lifeless art that looks digitalised. No longer does Western society want to see photorealism in design. QUOTE the creative industry is actively looking for a personal touch in each bit of design that is viewed which can be seenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Products are also seen gaining popularity in the design world, this is due to the unique hand rendered quality that gives the ability to touch the product that is paid for, rather than just being sent a digital imitation of the original file. With work in the digital age, there is no essence of work. It is lost with the lack of physical hard copy of each piece. In other words, the unique value of the authentic work of art has its basis in ritual, the location of its original use value. This ritualistic basis, however remote, is still recognizable as secularized ritual even in the most profane forms of the cult of beauty. (Benjamin 2008) With work created in a digital environment there is no such thing as an original. We can never be in ownership of an original copy of the digital piece of work, as it does not technically exist, but is simply a digital file. Replicas can be made extremely cheaply with digitally created work, all it takes is a printer connected to a computer to create a copy of any print that you create. The fact that work can be made quickly and cheaply makes art open to the masses. It leads to a less hieracial and more democratic art ownership. An example of this is Andy Warhol and his work with the portraits of Marilyn Monroe. He used a famous image of Monroe, by Gene Korman for the film Niagara, as the basis for a series of silkscreened images. Although Warhol did create his own work, he used the language of repetition to show how art can be mass produced. Although his work is produced on a huge scale, the work he creates is very rare and expensive. EXPAND- can print on many materials One of the most important developments of the digital age is communication. As designers we receive most of our work through electronic means be that e-mail, portfolio websites or just through forums. The use of e-mail has completely changed the way that designers communicate. WHY? Before the popularity of e-mail grew, designers were completely at the mercey of their clients. If clients telephoned, with regards to work, a company and no one answered the phone they would probably lose the commission. This contrasts today where a client can just send an e-mail to the company and it will be read, maybe not instantaneously but it means that the company had not missed work. With emails, we have the options for things like Out of office auto replies, which makes the client aware that it may not be responded to straight away but has been noted. One contrast about e-mails is that in this age they are not considered as a personal way of communication. We have lost the interaction with the cli ent as it is hard sometimes to portray your point or opinion through text. This could lead to confusion due to a piece of work not being to the specifications that the client could not express through typing. In Western society, many artists have utilised both traditional and digital mediums. These ideas show people how both mediums can come together in harmony to create an exciting pieces. One such artist is look at positives and negatives When we look at the digital revolution and consider how it has affected technology, we must look at the impact change has had on the digital side of graphic design. One area that shall be focused on, that is actively changed, is the area of motion graphics and animation. We have seen the art of the title sequence change over time. From its humble beginnings as a way of simply crediting the people who have been involved in the project, all the way through Saul Basss reinvention of titles being a way to introduce the story, to Kyle Cooper today creating visually stunning pieces that both incorporate and link to the main story. One title sequence that specifically stands out is that of the HBO TV series The Pacific. This title sequence takes us through charcoal drawings of the main characters, which in turn visually transform into live-action sequences of the character. This represents the change that the characters face throughout the series but also from a visual point, shows how trad itional and digital mediums can come together to create exciting visual experiments. Typography has also been reinvented with the use of motion graphics, we are now seeing static images of text being thrown across a screen in TV adverts and information broadcasts. The example of The Pacific is used so that the viewer can be taken through a journey from the chalk drawings to the live-action sequence. This may subliminally give the audience a connection between the past and present. The design of a title sequence such as The Pacific couldnt use digitalized work due to the context of the piece. The area of 3D graphics is another part of graphic design that has been reinvented by the emersion of digital technologies. From the very beginning of that change creativity and design was infused with the power of technology. (Hession 2010) Before the digital revolution 3D models were sculpted by hand and in films we had the use of puppets in place of what is today created by computer aided design. In films such as the original Star Wars, all the aliens and creatures were hand held puppets. These puppets were then held by different animators in the position the director wanted. Today it can be seen how the models have changed. Now it is common to see, in different companies across the film world, several designers in front of their computers using software such as 3DS Max or Maya to create the type of artefacts that would have never have been possible if created by hand. QUOTE although some hand created designs are exceptional pieces, by utilizing 3D software designers are able to m anipulate the character in ways never before possible. Models bigger than ever before-> Pixar work In other areas like computer game art, we see the necessity of 3D modelling software. To create interactive worlds and destructible environments designers rely on computer technology. WHY? Objects created with digital programs are a lot easier to create and control. Finding a location in real life where you can control the elements and lighting to create an atmosphere would be an impossible task. In computer games, designers need to create a whole world for the player to interact with By using 3-D software that designers can repeat visual items to save time and space on the disc. EXAMPLE The video game market is one of our societys highest grossing industries. Video games, once thought to be a fad, have worked their way into the fabric of international culture. At present, Sony has shipped more than 80 million PlayStations worldwide and Nintendo have sold more than 110 million game boys. When you look at the humble beginnings of the video game, from its Japanese playing cards roots to todays multi-million dollar industry we see how the digital revolution has changed the way millions of people interact with their computers. This is another example of the way the digital age has inadvertently changed the thinking of humanity forever. No longer are we restrained by our 9-to-5 jobs, when we can take on a second life in virtual reality. If a person has had a bad day at the office they can now load up the PlayStation3 and use it to take their anger out on people around the world by playing a first person shooter game. The area of illustration is one that although touched by the digital revolution, hasnt been changed completely by it. Quote it is still viewed as a traditional medium by artists due to the fact that most images are still hand rendered using inks and pencils. We do see digital illustrations but these make up a much smaller percentage of illustration when compared to the traditional illustration styles. One example is in the area of concept art. Here drawings are created loose and freely, by hand, as it easier for other artists to develop their own ideas onto a hand drawn image than it is to draw, scan and then email digital files. They can be jotted down on paper and simply handed over to another designer. It is after many changes and redrafts that concept art is then placed onto a computer and developed digitally from there. We see this technique with animated film from picture houses such as DreamWorks and Pixar and to an extent Disney animations. Images are drawn during brainstormi ng and if they are approved they are developed further by hand until they are passed onto the 3D development team. By using this process designers can make little changes to animations quickly and easier than it would be to render a whole scene using 3-D software. Even in this digital age there are many specialised traditional mediums in the forefront of design. In the area of print, such as mono-printing or silkscreen printing, there is currently an uprising in popularity in both traditional and hand rendered designs. By using techniques such as collaging we are seeing designers using a hands-on style of working. By working by hand, it allows designers to create one-off pieces or to create many individual unique pieces that add value when being resold. Example. The physical ownership is one of the main factors in purchasing of art. Mediums such as sculpture or paint still cannot be accurately replicated in the digital world, even with the recent advancements; there is no way for designers to be hands on with the medium they are using to create their piece. Interactivity is one of, if not the main benefactor of the digital revolution. We are now able to create pieces where people interact with the things they see on screen. This has opened up a whole range of ways that designers can involve the viewer in the piece. For example on a website now people can be made to click on the specific area that they want to see, if you want to see football results you could click on the football on a webpage and be taken straight to that specific site. Not only are people looking at work online, now they are actively involved in the piece. Saffer (2006) states that the reason for interactive design is to enable connections between people, that interactivity has made easier communications between themselves and the world. By looking at the sales figures of software like Adobe Flash we can see how popular interactivity has become. There are many websites and tutorials dedicated to flash-based gaming, as well as applications and advertisements and with their popularity we can see exactly how interactivity has become a pivotal part of graphic design. We are also seeing interactivity being spread to our mobile phones with the Android Marketplace, the Apple App store as well as brand specific mobile applications shops. It has been another source of revenue for interactive designers. Most interaction designers work on software, websites, and other technology like mobile devices. But interaction designers can also design services which have little to no technology in them. By services, I mean processes and ways of doing activities. (Saffer 2006)Talk about change Today, designers still look at illustration as a traditional aspect of design. It hasnt changed much over the last few years and more specifically since the digital revolution as much as other mediums of design have. We still see designers using traditional mediums such as paints and pencils to create their work where in the digital age it is all mouse and keyboard. There are good points to both traditional and digital illustrationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ In the area of illustration, in one instance being comic art we are still seeing traditional illustrators and colourist being hired to produce their work on an international scale. One such artist is Sean Phillips, an illustrator and colourist who has worked for Marvel as well as his own independent books, which have been sold worldwide. Phillips still uses traditional mediums, such as watercolour paints, in his work this being unusual for a colourist. This gives him a unique selling point as many comic book colourists strictly stick to digital mediums due to a wide range of colours availability. Also ease of reproduction previously mentioned As a viewer of todays digitalised graphic design medium a question could be asked. Could design go back to a traditional media? Would todays illustrators be able to make a name for themselves without the digital media? Could designers who solely use e-mail as a source of communication be able to survive? Instead of using Adobe illustrator pen tool, would designers be able to manually trace objects before putting them on the final piece? Would designers be able to survive without the undo command? answer these questions One aspect of the digital age that is usually overlooked is the opportunity for designers to work anywhere in the world. No longer are designers stuck behind their desks working. With the growing popularity of laptops, and to a smaller extent notebooks, we are seeing designers being able to work anywhere in the world and still communicate with their home office. There are a number of freelance designers working on beaches or in the park without losing any commissions. This greater level of opportunity for designers to work in their own space has meant that no longer do companies need to hire in-house designers. This in turn has had a good effect on the industry as it means less money is being paid out to temporary workers who work in house at the company (quote) One question that must be asked with the arrival of the digital age in relation to graphic design is, has the Internet made a universal style of graphic design through the world? Whilst looking at digitally created work on the Internet, it is extremely hard to see the national style of the designer. When we look, for example, at architecture there is a difference between buildings made in Spain against those made in the UK. We see the different building materials available to the region at the time of construction play an important part in the building process. That is how we define individual buildings in one town from another; and in succession creates regional differences. This is not seen in graphic design as throughout the world everyone has the same tools. If a graphic designer in Argentina wants to create a piece using Adobe Illustrator they will have access to the same tools that a designer would have here. This means that although the actual idea may be involved in the desig ners culture its tools may not necessarily be so. Maybe as designers we have to look past the tools that are used. Builders create their style not only in the materials they use but the designs that building adhere to. A builder uses bricks but can create many different outcomes. Do designers use the constraights of software to cover the lack of originality in their ideas?Quote this is also due to postmodernism We are seeing a universal style throughout many areas of design not just limited to illustration. As Adobe has become the worldwide industry standard in design software, everyone is using the same programs to create their work, a question must be asked Are we restricted to the software limitations whilst creating? Have we lost individual artistic flair, as designers are unable to replicate the styles they use in digital software? Although we are starting to see traditional brush tools being produced in software such as Corel Painter since CS5 Photoshop, they are nowhere close to being able to create the same textures and brushstrokes that we can when using real brushes. In graphic design we see styles come and go like fashion. Every few years we see a cycle of designers coming from art school re-inventing certain styles. Recently design has left the photorealistic style of images replaced with a retro style bringing aspects from the 1980s with designers utilizing neon colours and strong polygon shapes. Todays illustrators wear their respective styles like an overcoat, and unless major changes in fashion occur overnight, they tend to keep that coat for many seasons, while adding accessories that keep you up-to-date. (Wiedemann 2010) We often see video game style art in this cycle. where the smoothed elements of the piece replicate a perfect world. It is in instances like this that digital arts is often seen as similar to traditional art where styles gain and lose popularity over time. These stylesin art are also a theoretical approach to understanding culture of a particular time. Individual styles can become movements, with each one developing and advanceing our understanding, not just visually but also the context of a piece. In western society use technology in everything we do. Listening to music at a train station on the way to work, checking the news on your phone in case anything interesting has happened. If we do not know something, we Google straightaway Wikipedia has replaced the encyclopaedia due to its instant results, which can be updated by the user. As technology advances we replace the old things with improvements. MySpace is not used due to the popularity of Facebook. Images are not held in photo books like they used to be but will be uploaded to Facebook profiles. The same with music now we download instead of buying physical items these are then stored on a hard-drive but what happens if a computer is broken down or stolen. We lose our paths, our memories and personal identities all are on the hardware that we have on our desks at home. Have we given our computers our personalities? Have they become more than just a storage solution? do we depend on technology to match? Kids cant even spe nd a day without their mobile phones.tv show evidence psychologists are saying that Next Generation has addiction to technology quote surely it doesnt help stress levels in our society to be able to be spoken to at any point in time. When do we get a chance to turn our brains off? With companies requesting their workers to use blackberrys it means that we have no time to ourselves as we are in contact with work 24 seven. It is not that we leave work at 6 PM anymore; it follows us on the way to our homes. Your boss will not hesitate to call you because you are on holiday. If you are sick you are still expected to work from just because you sneeze does not mean you cannot type on a spreadsheet!