Maureen Down, Tea Obreht and Stephanie Elizondo Essay

Maureen Down, Tea Obreht and Stephanie Elizondo - Essay Example The third reading by Griest is set in Moscow, Beijing and Havana. These three places are defined by diversity of practices in relation to cultural and social aspects, all of which the author presents her experiences across the all the three places. In all the readings, the visits made by the writers are characterized by local customs practices, all of which are uniquely undertaken in every city highlighted in the readings. In other words, the three readings depict a lot of local customs, an outstanding similarity in all the three readings. Saudi Arabia is slowly opening its social and economic doors to the international world. Amid this progress, there are limitations that her social context has to overcome to allow this process. The Saudi Arabian society has previously observed locked tourism doors, but Maureen Dowd presents the new phase in Saudi Arabia in relation to tourism pursuits. In so doing, the persons to whom these doors are open are limited, and only highly knowledgeable fellows are welcome in Saudi Arabia. The most significant account that cannot fail to be captured in Saudi Arabia is misogyny. Being an Islamic state, Saudi Arabia has a notable disregard for women. In other words, they are inferior to men, and thus highly submissive. The cultural and social context of Saudi Arabia is characterized by enormous and rich local customs that are unique to every single social setting observed here. The dominant local custom is the position of women in the cultural, social, economic and political aspects. There are legal provisions that restrict women from engaging in certain activities that cut across the aforementioned aspects. Practices that women engage in are highly monitored, and any deviations from the norms are highly punishable. Maureen Dowd (55) quotes, â€Å"A Saudi woman can’t even report harassment by a man without having a mahram, or male guardian, by her side.† Amid the integration of international practices in the social cont ext of Saudi Arabia, this local custom remains uniquely observed, and few women, if not none are up to violate this custom. "Twilight of the vampires" by Tea Obreht presents an account of a vampire-like society, where there seems to be a hunt of undead real people. In a nutshell, the reading is an account of unfortunate events that befall Tea Obreht in daily quests and interests in life. The Serbia and Belgrade simultaneous happenings pose a bad omen to what the author, the mother, the grandmother and the journalist are supposed to partake. Amid the devil-like interventions that Tea Obreht experiences, the spirit to press on remains vibrant. The underlying dilemma in "Twilight of the vampires" provides an opportunity to note the customs and practices undertaken in the Balkans society. The most notable local custom in this environment is the one realized from Tea Obreht (19) quote, â€Å"Whereas garlic, holy water, and crucifixes are commonly accepted apotropaic across the Balkans, scissors under the bed are also popular, as is the black-handled knife buried in the doorstep to cleave incoming evil in half.† Cities highlighted in the "Twilight of the vampires" to practice this custom as a way of dealing with incoming devils or bad luck. Stephanie Elizondo Griest’s text is rich in cultural diversity. The text presents and

Social Media: Youth And Pakistan

Social Media: Youth And Pakistan This Literature review discusses published information that are reveling to our topic and this information obtained from the others work which has already been done by researchers and published in articles, books, journal and websites. SOCIAL MEDIA Recent trend clearly shows a shift of business users and youth from traditional communication advertising such as television, radio, newspaper and magazines are no longer appealing to them. Social media refers to web based service that allows individuals for sharing, collaborating and taking insight to each other without any geographic barriers and with the help of new media tool of internet. Elliot (2012) DIGITAL MARKETING MARKETING: The growing importance of social media websites particularly YouTube, Face book and LinkedIn and their penetration in the country cannot be ignored by corporate managers who for the most part do not have a effective social media team. A host of local as well as multinational companies operating in Pakistan now see social media as an important marketing tool to promote their brands Baloch (2012) In 2010, business professionals took social media seriously, Social media growth immensely increase by personal users and businesses adoptability. In this year Face book has 600 million users and they are heading towards one billion mark. 20 million people become fan of pages per day, 60 million status updates per day, The average time for users spend is more than 55 minutes. Over 2 billion videos are uploaded in YouTube and 46% of internet users are interact with social media on daily basic. Schrum (2011) As our chosen topic depends on exploratory research so these articles encourage us to determine how social media are effective to target youth of Karachi. Social media uniqueness is to target mass audience by individually and looking to meet new potential consumer. In social media Face book, YouTube and LinkedIn have major growth and it reaches mass audience and youth as well. SOCIAL MEDIA, YOUTH AND PAKISTAN: In the last 10 years Pakistan social media sector growth increase unexpectedly. With the population exceeding over 180 million there is 20 million users connected to internet which is 12% of its population which are much bigger then India 5% of internet users in total population. In Face book there is over 5 million Pakistani users which is 15% of Face book total users and more than half of them lies age between 18 to 24. In 2010 Flood strike in Pakistan than with the help of social media youth of Pakistan utilize social media platform by minute to minute updates in stricken area and motivate the whole population to contribute in relief efforts so there is a huge revelation and impact on social media in the youth of Pakistan. Inam (2011) Social medias impact on youth marketing: Now social media plays an important role in youth life style and companies targeting youth by social networking because it becomes culture in youth to use Face book, YouTube and LinkedIn on daily bases. Usage of Smartphone is also very common in youth to reach social networking because in universities and colleges there is a policy to limit social networking within class timing or working hours so youth now have a Smartphone to reach social websites easily by their pocket phones. In Face book and LinkedIn companies develop pages and put advertisement on it and it has options of like and comment which gives them insight of youth liking and disliking and they collaborating each others as a result of that companies create huge brand image even before its product launch. Blogging is also very effective social media tool to target youth in which companies create discussion section in order to get opinions about brands and services and platform become the source of research, marketing stra tegies and development. Misa (2011) RESEARCHERS THOUGHTS Social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn come with unbelievable techniques to communicate with family, colleges, friends and also market your product in that effective manner that the users of that sites can like your product. All the previous researches that have been done on social media as an effective medium to target the youth has come on that conclusions that social media can be a very handful tool for the companies to market their product. Murdough (2009) have positively agreed on the potential of social media but ike any other marketing tool it is difficult to gauge the kind of impact that it lays on the masses. Through many research surveys the results that came out that identifies that many young peoples age group (18-25) are the more users of networking sites (facebook, twitter, linkdin) then any other age group and due to that these social networking sites are experiencing dramatic world wide growth. Moreover, researchers have contented that the perceived benefit of use of social networking sites achieve network externalities in which positive feedback produces more and more users, thereby increasing its social platform (Powell 2009). Most of the researchers have agreed on Facebook as its statistics indicates that its members are swiftly increasing day by day because its provides a new method of communicating employing computers as a collaborative tool to accelerate group formation and escalate group scope and influence allowing users to present themselves, connect to a social network, and develop and maintain relationship with others. Facebook is being widely used all over the world as it stats tells as compare to the other social networking sites so many researches are giving positive comments about Facebook. As the social media marketing is increasing day by day as many researches have identified in their research so the companies are likely to be taking social media component for their product promotion and marketing very seriously because enhanced engagement in social media has features such as increased speed with which information can be gathered and transmitted, greater volume of information that is easily accessible, more flexibility in how and when information is accessed and much great opportunity to interact with others I a range of context using text, audio or video. However in my opinion social media have has altered the media marketing paradigm by defining the new set of relationships between young people and organizations in which marketing and organizations have become pervasive, creating new hybrid forms that blend communications, content and commerce. Common Theories: Well there are most of the things that are common in every previous research that has been done on social media marketing as an effective medium to target the youth. As social media being a very popular medium among the youth so it has an influence on the purchasing decision. In todays digital-focused marketing environment, the internet as a communication and transaction channel adds two more inputs and influencers of buying behavior to the model. The first one is online marketing mix, which basically represents the controllable online experiences provided by the corporate. The second one is the social media experiences which are by and large beyond the marketers control. In my opinion the social media has a very good impact on the purchasing decision of the users because due to various techniques that many companies are using to promote their product on social media can attract users and they like d that product and ultimately buy it. Various researches have established framework s for social issues that have been discussed by most of the researches in their respective research. Social issues like In (health, education, environment, politics, safetyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..e.t.c). Many researchers have described in their social marketing campaigns however, the model of communication for social change describes this interactive process best where by a social change in a community improves the health and welfare of all its members, driven by dialogue and collective action. Current scenario: According to the researchers Pakistan is a developing nation where digital networked technologies and new media platforms are just emerging (Yusuf 2008). Although many concluded that that availability of digital technologies and social media platforms facilitates democratic practices and participatory behavior, whether this is equally true for developing countries like Pakistan, is debatable. Most of the researches agues that the ability to use digital technologies and new media meaningfully, impacts participatory behavior and civic action, which is often overcome through the combined use of different technologies and concludes that new media platforms are increasingly effective as tools for community organizing and information dissemination. According to the different stats Pakistan has quit significant numbers of the users of social media that have an active account on different social networking site so they can be targeted through that medium. Our study is based on the topic social media as an effective medium to target the youth of Karachi as Pakistan has quit significant of users on social networking sites and especially Karachi has been amoung the largest city in Pakistan and majority of users resides in Karachi according to the study more then half of the users lie between the age group of 18-24 can be targeted through social media and most of the companies are now working on that. In many previous researches most of the researchers used Exploratory research approach because this is an develop theory we just have to identified whether it is effective or not we just have to testify that so exploratory approach can be used and in my opinion it us the correct approach that is being used. Qualitative methodology being used commonly in previous researches. This is survey research so the Questionnaire being used as an instrument to collect the data because in this type of study you have to gather the thoughts of different users who use the social media network sites so in my opinion this is the best instrument for collecting the data because on the basis of the users opinions you can improve your promoting techniques to promote your product on social media. Conclusion: Analysis of the previous researches and related articles have indicates that social media is a very important tool for networking among youngsters. As they are using these websites and their numbers are increasing day by day. In Pakistan the users are also increasing day by day and these are the good signs for the company who are working in Pakistan. These websites are helping the users to build their professional contacts and provides the users with various networking applications that make them hooked on to these social media websites. There is also an increasing trend among youngsters to buy products online through these websites so thats makes marketers to realized the importance of social media website as an essential component of integrated marketing communications. So many companies are driving different research methods to target the youth effectively on social media. Promotion on social media can actually encourage constant interaction with the customers, gaining an insight on their like and preferences and problems associated with the products. So through analysis of all the previous evidence it assures that social media marketing is an effective tool to target the youth.

Raymond Carvers A Small Good Thing Essay -- Comparative Literature Ca

Raymond Carver's A Small Good Thing Raymond Carver's "A Small Good Thing," a short story that has to do with the lack of interaction and empathy between the baker, Ann and Howard, the finale where the baker is startled to find out about the child's death, asks for mercy and presents them warm cinnamon rolls telling them that "Eating is a small, good thing in a time like this" and they are comforted, reveals particular significance of the title in terms of the story's theme. Also, Raymond Carver's "Cathedral," a story that starts with an ignorant and rude narrator whose wife has called a blind friend to spend the night at their home and according to Carver, "A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to,"(38) has some parallels in thematic content that is revealed in both stories. In "A Small Good Thing," after Howard returns home, the baker keeps on calling him and telling him about the cake, but Howard tells him "I don't know anything about a cake, Jesus what are you talking about?" The theme here is the lack of communication between Howard and Ann. Ann never tells Howard about the cake she ordered before Scott's accident. After the call Howard pours some whiskey for himself, but before returning to the hospital he does not eat anything. The same situation happens after Ann and Howard return home from the hospital after Scott's death. This is where the title has significance in terms of the story's theme. If Ann and Howard had eaten something before they left to see Scott and be with him, their infuriation would not have aggravated till the point where they let out all their rage at the baker. This infuriation is caused by the doctors for not being able to answer their questions about why Scotty is ... ...nything. It's really something."(48-49) From this, one can tell that the narrator is studying more about human interaction and himself than what the blind man is studying about cathedrals. In "A Small Good Thing," the empathy lies around Ann and Howard's rage at the baker. In reality, the main culprits of their rage are the doctors that kept on providing them hope that their son will wake up. Their lack of communication here led them to this lack of empathy with the baker. Carver's similar use of the thematic content revealed in both stories not only tells the reader what these themes have in common in totally different situations, but exhibits the style of writing and way that this author shows the orthodox pictures concerning particular individuals with strange personalities. Works Cited: Carver, Raymond. "A Small, Good Thing." Donald Hall 262-278

Sustainable Business Management- Team Project

Gardens by the bay cradles the aim of creating a ‘City in a garden’. This government funded initiative aims to spread the essence of Singapore being a tropical garden city in Asia. It bears the vision of providing the people who reside here with a pleasant and healthy environment work and live in. They aim to do this by spreading the greenery through several species of flora conserved in the garden. The project has a core principle of conserving environmental sustainability.The garden is home to many species of flora and has a lot of greenery inside which is aimed to improve the environmental sustainability in the city. The tropical and natural feel of the garden also aims to adhere to eco- friendly initiatives taken by the government, which also pushes the project towards environmental sustainability. The garden also aims to create more green spaces despite the rapid rate of urbanisation Singapore faces as a country. The project also hopes to attract those people who us ually do not faun the idea of visiting gardens in tropical countries. â€Å"The gardens aim to be the world’s best with 2,000 species of plants on display.† (http://singapore.waterdialogue.com)3. How do these aims connect with the objective of sustainability?Gardens by the bay adheres do the objectives of sustainability. This is achieved through the use of the conservatories built in order to give the essence of a ‘city in a garden’. These climate controlled glass- houses inherit low energy use and a number of renewable sources. The structure of the garden which is built in a way to give a tropic environmental essence allows maximum use of natural solar energy, also reducing the need for manually harnessed energy. The aim of increasing the greenery and the number of flora also adheres to environmental sustainability.The idea of increasing the flora has lead the national park association to grow more than 3 million trees which provide timber chippings in or der to generate electricity for the coolants and to drive the CHP system. This adds to being more sustainable in the use of electricity and heat. Creating more green spaces and eco- friendly activities carried out such as recycling also contribute to the core objectives of sustainability. The aim of spreading  greenery and natural habitation also influences the people living in the country to be more eco- friendly and environmentally sustainable.â€Å"Sustainability has been a key design driver for Singapore’s ambitious Gardens by the Bay project. The garden at Marina South will be home to some of the site’s most spectacular structures including two cooled conservatories.†

Cypop 5 Task 6

Task 6 Maintaining a good relationship needs a lot of information for it to work, it is essential for the parents to be involved as they are the MOST important person in the child’s life. Without communication and information a small problem can quickly turn into a large problem which will be more difficult to solve. The parents are the ones that know their child the best and also hold the key to all their little ways. We as childminders help the children to develop to their best potential, by involving the parents we can all work together on the same page to give the child the consistency they need to develop.Good communication is a vital part of the relationship between parents, children and childminders; this will make sure that the child and parents know how they are getting on and what has been happening whilst the child is in your setting. This can be maintained by regular meetings to discuss the child’s progress and also any problems that may be occurring. These discussions may reveal changes in the child’s home/social life so will have to be handled sensitively.When the parents have decided to use my service I will give them a copy of my contract and ask them to take it away to read and to sign it. In the first meeting the parents will be given all the information needed to make a decision whether or not to send their child to me. This information could include availability and costing, I will also give a tour of my facilities and an explanation of the activities that I will provide. Routines are important in a child’s life, where possible I will endeavour to work with them. Every child’s needs are different, from nap times to special diets etc.From the first session with the child/parents I will work with them both to find out their needs and have them planned into the days activities. An agreement will be made between myself and the parents to provide what the child needs to develop and anything that the child is or is not allowed, e. g. sweets, TV, toys etc. Where possible the children will be involved in decision making, for example what activities they would like to do, what to eat for lunch etc providing these decisions are practicable and fall within the agreed guidelines.It is important to let the children take part in the day to day running of the setting wherever it is safe to do so, this will give them a sense of responsibility and achievement. Routines change and differ from child to child; a child of 12 months would have a different routine to a child of 5 years. As a child grows I will make sure that the routine is changed to suit the needs of the child. For example they may need a shorter nap time or if they are an older child then make sure their homework is done. Dinner times etc may need to be changed to reflect the changing routines.As a child grows the need for things like nappy changing, 1:1 feeding and nap time decrease and the time for playing and interacting increases. Onc e the child reaches school they may need to have increased relaxation time so that they can adjust to a school routine, and more quiet time so that any homework can be completed. The way in which I will welcome a new child to my setting would be to introduce myself and the others in My household to the child and maybe â€Å"buddy† them up with another child-if possible of a similar age to themselves.The new child will then have someone they can turn to for any help if they do not want to come to me. I will make sure that any special comforters are identified before hand and brought with the child on the first day so that there is something familiar they can be comfortable with. From the outset the child will be involved in some of the decision making, and I will be there if they have any problems or if they just need a cuddle. I could help them settle in by knowing any information that might help, i. . any siblings, pets, favourite family members/toys etc. I could use this in formation to help them in the transition from home to childminder; this may be the first time they have been away from their parents. All the children in my care will be treated equally and with respect, but I will also take into account different cultural differences. The children in my care will be encouraged to learn about other people’s cultures, history and backgrounds, this could include food, religious festivals, music etc.