The Use and Impact of the Internet and Social Media Essay

The Use and Impact of the Internet and Social Media - Essay Example The introduction and growth of social media have had adverse effects on the quality of friendship made. Currently, people are in a rush to make friends without clear knowledge and understanding of what these people are, their backgrounds and what common interests you share. Others prefer interacting with their friends via smartphones and computers rather than creating friendship time where people can interact with each other and build on friendship ties. On the other hand, I disagree with some of Deresiewicz 's opinions and thoughts. Social media platform has taken dissemination of information to another level. In my opinion, people using online platforms can share what they want others to see. Most of the social media platforms have a privacy column where one can choose what other people can see about them. Apart from that, social sites such as Facebook and Twitter have helped bridge strong ties between their users. Information can be easily passed from one person to another via twe ets and Facebook updates hence as much as Deresiewicz describes them as a liability to quality friendship, it is important to look at the positives as a whole.From his view, Deresiewicz has a solid argument with candid illustrations but it is important to look at the positive attributes the online platform has created so far.In her article "The Things People Say: Rumors in an Age of Unreason", Elizabeth Kolbert describes how the use of the World Wide Web has influenced peoples way of analyzing critical issues affecting them in the society.

Resistance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Resistance - Essay Example Here, the connection between gender and violence can be established if gender relations is understood as a discourse â€Å"signifying relationships of power† (Jacobs, Jacobson and Marchbank, 2000, p.3). In both cases of violence and gender disparity, thus an exercise of power is involved. On the contrary, resistance is â€Å"a reflection of the potential for subversion and contestation† within the premises â€Å"of established order† (Jacobs, Jacobson and Marchbank, 2000, p.3). This is to suggest that resistance is more concerned with opposing the undemocratic exercise of power, which is often part of the establishment, rather than the simple or violent exercise of power. War has been the greatest exercise of power in human history. As the ethics of war has changed from protecting civilians to deliberately targeting them, the most vulnerable groups, which have lost their â€Å"personal security† are women, children and the ethnic minorities (Jacobs, Jacobs on and Marchbank, 2000, p.5). There is a continuation of this situation in non-war conditions as well in the form of domestic violence, as far as women are concerned. On the other hand, it has also been argued, â€Å"women have been central in democratizing processes† (Jacobs, Jacobson and Marchbank, 2000, p.9).

Business Management System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Business Management System - Essay Example That's why special attention must be paid to hardware vendors, because even the most qualities software occurs to be low productive when it runs on outmoded facilities. Quick and wide range telecommunications should be used to hasten data exchange between parts of the BMS, such as optical fiber, satellite communications, 3G networks for mobile user of the system, etc. Usage of the most current technologies raises quality of service and reduces modernization costs in future. System reliability and survivorship are also very important issues. There are a lot of technologies developed for ascending of IT system reliability: backup servers and channels, RAID massive, caching and compression of data, etc. (Jones, 1986) It is important to choose competent software vendor or developers company for creating the software part of BMS. On selection of software provider it is necessary to gather information, on what sort of software it is specialized in, how many completed projects it has and if the customers are satisfied with the product of the company. (Brooks, 1995) It is also impossible not to admit importance of human factor during use of information system (Maslow, 1999). BMS must have comfortable and easy-to-understand user interface, so as novices in company could quickly to know about the system. Only simultaneous taking into consideration of all these factors allows creating really usable and productive information system, which will satisfy DVLA's requirements for the licensing information system. Possible benefits from the BMS for the organization: Elimination of Costly, Inflexible Legacy Systems Improved Work Processes Increase in Access to Data for Business Decision Making Upgrade of Information Technology Infrastructure Increased Control of Work Processes by Staff Reduced Paper Documents Greater Accuracy of Information with Detailed Content Improved Cost Control Increase in Customer Response Time Improved Monitoring and Quicker Resolution of Queries Quick Response to Business Operations and Market Conditions Improved Competitive Advantage Improved Supply-Demand Link with Locations and Branches World Wide Unified Customer Database Improved International Operations Improved Information Access and Management Throughout the Organization Information Entered Once into System Provides Functionality to Interact with other Modules The critical success factors of the BMS are: Clear forming of goals Effective and creative work of management Competent recourse management Keeping project time and recourses frames Understanding of consequences of the system implementation Involving staff in implementation process Also paying more attention to communications with the stakeholders is important for implementation of the Business Management System. The success of a project can be highly influenced by the support or otherwise of key stakeholders. A more iterative process, with more effective-working relationships between stakeholders allows compromise to be based on a more objective understanding by everyone. This process requires that managers and staff have both application and

Domestic domestic violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Domestic domestic violence - Essay Example The description and nature of domestic violence bears dissimilarity across countries. The laws and constitutional priorities of a region influence the characterization of domestic violence. Violence is a societal issue of distress. This means that it may be construed differently in unrelated areas. The forms of domestic violence vary by definition. It may range from emotional exploitation to physical resentment. In addition, there exists sexual cruelty or even financial misappropriation. All these forms of mistreatments are encompassed in domestic violence. The effects of domestic violence often trickle down to all household members (Stover). Its undesirable effects not only include terrorization and psychological cessation, but it also results in grievance and grave harm to general well-being. Depression and sexual dysfunction also follow in dangerous cases. In contrast, domestic violence may have some positive effects. In some societies, it is an approach of raising children in an upright manner. For instance, in some families, discipline involves corporal punishment or caning of children. It all hangs on the region, and the supposed meaning of domestic

Freud’s Theory of Psychosexual Development Essay Example for Free

Freud’s Theory of Psychosexual Development Essay Sigmund Freud, born in 1856 was an Austrian neurologist who would later go on to found the discipline of psychoanalysis. He is best known for his theories of the unconscious mind and repression and his concept of the dynamic unconscious suggesting that it is our unconscious mind that determines how we as individuals behave, Freud also believed that the unconscious mind established sexual drives as the dominant motivation of human life. He considered the unconscious mind as being the source of mental energy which determined behaviour, basing his findings on the results of his use of hypnosis where he found that he was able to produce and remove symptoms of hysteria. There have been numerous approaches in the field of psychology that have put forward the belief that behaviour is directed by an individual’s goals but the idea behind a goal-directed unconscious is an original Freudian concept. The main underlying belief of this theory is that any individuals’ behaviour is the direct result of the influences that prior experiences have had on them where these influences have an even greater effect if they are from our childhood. Freud believed that our early experiences formed the solid foundations on which we would build the structure of our life and that the adult personality is indeed formed in childhood according to the situations, treatment and feelings experienced as a child. Freud defined the human psyche as comprising of three parts, the unconscious or sub-conscious containing material that we are unable to bring into our conscious awareness and therefore unknowable. The preconscious which consists of information that is not at the present moment in our conscious awareness but is stored in our memory and can if need be easily recalled to the conscious level; and the conscious part of our mind which is where all current and new incoming content is processed. Within these parts operate the Id, the Ego and the Super Ego that work together to create complex human behaviours. The Id is the only part of our personality that is present from birth and is entirely unconscious, seeking instant gratification and fulfilling instinctive human needs. The Id is governed by the pleasure principle desiring the fulfilment of all desires, needs and wants. If these are not immediately satisfied this results in a state of anxiety or tension. The Id serves of great importance early on in life, a child will cry as a  result of their Id if they are hungry or in discomfort and ensures that their needs are met. Later on in life it is not always realistic or indeed possible to immediately satisfy such needs, it would be morally and socially unacceptable for us to just help ourselves to other peoples things in order to satisfy our own needs and wants and so later in childhood our Ego comes in to play. The Ego is responsible for dealing with reality and acts to ensure that the impulses of the Id are satisfied in a way that is acceptable to the real world and functions in the conscious, preconscious and unconscious parts of our mind. The reality principle weighs up the pros and cons of an action before deciding whether or not to act upon the impulse. Often the impulses of the Id can be satisfied but through delayed gratification with the Ego allowing the behaviour at an appropriate time and place. The Ego is a part of the Id th at has been somewhat modified and rounded by external factors in the environment in which we live. Freud originally used the word Ego to mean a sense of self but later revised it to represent a set of psychic functions such as judgement, control, intellectual functioning and memory. Finally we develop our Super Ego. The Super Ego is the part of our personality that holds our morals and ideals that we have acquired from our parents and environment and acts as a voice for right and wrong. As with the Ego it is present in the conscious, preconscious and unconscious parts of our mind. The Super Ego consists of two parts, the Ego ideal which sets out the rules and standards for good behaviour. Conformity to behaviours that are approved of by our parents and people in positions of authority give us feelings of pride and accomplishment. The second part of the Ego is the Conscience which holds information on all the things that are viewed as being bad by our parents and the society in which we live. Behaviours that are forbidden or at the very least frowned upon and fill us with feelings of guilt and remorse. The perfection principle of the Super Ego strives to suppress any unacceptable desires of the Id and to make our Ego act upon idealistic rather than realistic standards. One of Freuds better known theories and also one of the most controversial is that of psycho-sexual development. He proposed that an instinctual libido is present in all of us from birth and develops in five stages. First is the oral stage which occurs from birth up until around the age of eighteen months. The main focus here being the  gratification and pleasures the infant receives through feeding. Children in this stage place objects into their mouths in order to orally explore their environment. At this young age the child is entirely dependent on their carers and thus develops a sense of trust and comfort in relation to those carers. This stage is dominated by the Id as at this point the Ego and Superego have not yet fully developed and all actions are based on the â€Å"Pleasure Principle†. The key experience for a child in the oral stage of development is weaning, allowing the child to become less dependent on their caretakers. Freud said that too much or too little gratification may lead to an oral fixation, which Freud claimed could result in them developing a passive, immature, manipulative personality. This fixation could present in an adult as issues with eating, smoking, nail biting and aggression. The second stage of psycho-sexual development is the anal stage taking place between around 18 months to three years old. Freud believed at this stage that the primary focus of the libido was on controlling bladder and bowel movements. Toilet training is the key experience here which brings into conflict the Id that demands immediate gratification and the Ego that demands delayed gratification. The resulting outcome of this conflict is heavily influenced by the parenting style that a child receives during toilet training. The ideal resolution of this conflict is a gradual adjustment whereby the child adjusts to moderate parental demands, learning the values of physical cleanliness and self control. Freud suggested that if parents over-emphasized toilet training or punished accidents then the child may develop what we term as an anally retentive personality, with the potential to become obsessively concerned with neatness and order. On the other hand if the parents were too lenient then the child may develop an anally expulsive and destructive personality whereby they are self-indulgent, messy and wasteful. Faeces and money are often linked in psychodynamic literature and according to Freudian theory; attitudes to money can reveal what the individual experienced during toilet training. The third stage of psycho-sexual development is the phallic stage taking place between the ages of three and six. During this time a child begins to gain awareness of its body and also the bodies of their parents and other  children, in particular genitalia. They begin to explore their genitals and learn the physical differences between male and female. During this stage boys experience what Freud termed as the Oedipus complex whereby the child wishes to remove his father in order to gain full attention of his mother’s affections. This urge to eliminate the father is controlled by what he termed as castration anxiety and so instead the child learns to imitate the father. Girls experience what Carl Jung in 1913 termed as the Electra complex where instead she wishes to remove the mother in order to gain full possession of her father. Freud however rejected this term as being psycho-analytically inaccurate believing that the reasoning behind the Oedipus complex applied only to male children and that it was wrong to share this analogy between the two sexes. He did however believe that girls experienced what he termed as penis envy and that initially the child experiences a lot of anger towards their mother for not sharing the same appendage as their father but in time they learn to identify with their mother in order to possess their father. Freud was very much influenced by the death of his father in 1896. In the three years following the death of his father, Freud became preoccupied with self-analysis where he realised that he had repressed feelings of anger and resentment against his father. He believed that as a small boy he had been in love with his mother and was jealous of his father. Freud based his theory of early sexual development on personal theory instead of exploring further using empirical methods. The fourth stage of psycho-sexual development is the latency stage taking place from around the age of six up until puberty. During this stage the child enters into a sexually dormant period, consolidating the habits of the previous three stages. The Ego and Superego take precedence over the Id due to the childs defence mechanisms repressing its instinctual drives during the phallic stage. Now that gratification is delayed, the child is driven to derive pleasure from external activities such as friendships, education and hobbies. Any neuroses established during this fourth stage of psycho-sexual development may be due to the unresolved issues of the Oedipus complex or the Egos failure to focus on socially acceptable activities. The fifth and final stage of psycho-sexual development is the genital stage  that spans from puberty throughout the remainder of adult life. As with the phallic stage the genital stage is focussed upon genitalia but in this instance the sexuality is consensual and more often involving another adult in the form of a relationship rather than being solitary and infantile. This is due to the establishment of the Ego which shifts attention away from primary-drive gratification to secondary process thinking and to satisfy desire in a more symbolic and intellectual way through loving relationships, friendships and family. The genital stage is the time when a person is able to resolve any psycho-sexual childhood conflicts that they may have and allows psychological detachment and independence from their parents. In previous stages focus was placed solely on individual needs, now the welfare of others comes strongly into play and if all stages have been completed successfully then Freud believed that the individual should be a well-balanced and fully functioning person. Unfortunately it isnt all that simple and the Id, the Ego and the Super Ego continuously come into conflict with one another. The Ego has to work to control the demands of the Id whilst at the same time having regard for the restrictions placed upon it by the Super Ego. At times these desires and constraints cause conflict that our Ego is unable to deal with resulting in anxiety and stress. Freud identified three types of anxiety, firstly neurotic anxiety which occurs through fear that we will lose control of the Ids urges and the resulting punishment for inappropriate behaviour. Secondly reality anxiety which is a fear of external events often culminating in phobias, we are able to reduce such anxiety by avoiding the threatening object or situation. Thirdly is moral anxiety from a fear of violating our own moral principles and values that have been set down by our Super Ego. Neurosis also figured heavily in Freuds psycho-analytical theory. He proposed that neurosis occurs when the Ego is unable to deal with desires that produce feelings of guilt and a sense of wrong. Through repression these thoughts manifest themselves through symptoms that have no physical dysfunction. The mental illness acts as a replacement for the guilt ridden desires of the Id allowing the Ego to avoid the conflict between itself and the Id. Such symptoms however are worse than the conflict they set out to hide, not only stopping the individual from being accepting of their repressed desires but  also causing them to become socially incapable of enjoying a happy and healthy life. He also believed that neurosis can be triggered by a traumatic childhood event that the individual is unable to handle. Often such experiences give rise to feelings of guilt that we seek to repress through use of various displacement mechanisms. Sometimes these repressed memories make their way back into our conscious minds in a different form producing a great amount of anxiety in turn triggering psychological disorders that seek to block out the real cause. Psychoanalytical therapy has proved productive in being able to help a client uncover unconscious defence mechanisms and help them find better ways of dealing with their anxiety or removing it all together. Psycho-analysis opened up a new view regarding the treatment of mental illness, suggesting that psychological distress could be reduced through talking about their problems with a therapist. The work of Freud was responsible for bringing about a greater understanding of behaviour that was unusual and differences were no longer automatically equated as unacceptable, with understanding comes greater tolerance. He radically changed the view of sexuality making it an acceptable topic of conversation and a natural part of a healthy, happy life. The approach is also credited with highlighting the importance of childhood and our unconscious mind. Despite the influential effect of his theories Freud is open to numerous criticisms. Many psychologists have adopted his ideas but there has been a great deal of modernisation on his original views. Carl Jung who was a pupil of Freuds even disagreed with certain aspects of his theories; in particular Freud’s reliance on sex as the answer to many problems. Jung went on to develop his own theories known as Analytical Psychology. Erich Fromm rejected Freuds view that the drives of the human being are solely biological, believing instead that it was down to our freedom of choice and ability to choose our own destiny. He believed any conflict arose as a result of the fear or uncertainty which that freedom entailed. Feminists are particularly critical of the work of Freud due to the sexist nature of many of his ideas. Neo-Freudian Karen Horney proposed that instead of penis envy girls in fact developed power envy and that in their inability to bear  children men develop womb and vagina envy. Scientifically the validity of Freuds theory of psycho-sexual development is brought in to question due to his perceived personal fixation on human sexuality and the phallic stage of development proved controversial for being based upon clinical observations of the Oedipus complex. Many were critical of the fact that a lot of Freuds ideas were based on case studies or clinical observations rather than empirical, scientific research. Contemporary criticism questions the universality of Freuds theory of personality and psycho-sexual development. Anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski studied the matriarchal society of the Trobriand where young boys are punished by their maternal uncles not their fathers and thus suggested that in this case power is the source of Oedipal conflict not sexual jealousy. Contemporary research has also confirmed that although personality traits corresponding to the oral, anal, phallic, latent and genital stages are observable they are not necessarily fixed stages of childhood or indeed adult personality traits that were derived from childhood. While there is no denying that Freud is of great historical significance and he developed many ground breaking theories and ideas some of which still hold relevance today although many over time have been discredited. It must then be said that Freud’s theory of psychosexual development may in some cases offer us a limited understanding of a client’s issue it would not be ethical practice to rely entirely on this theory when working with a client. Due to its lack of credibility in many areas, Freud’s theory cannot be implemented as a full explanation or means with which to begin the process of understanding and healing. Bibliography Frankland, A. and Sanders, P. 1995. Next steps in counselling. Manchester: PCCS Books. pp.70-76 Hough, M. 2006. Counselling Skills and Theory. 2nd ed. London: Hodder Arnold, pp. 59-86. Malinowski, B. 1927. Sex and repression in savage society. [e-book] London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. http://openlibrary.org/books/OL17967917M/Sex_and_repression_in_savage_society [Accessed: 1st July 2013]. Cherry, K. n.d.. Freuds Stages of Psychosexual Development. [online] Available at: http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/ss/psychosexualdev.htm [Accessed: 19 Jun 2013]. Copperwiki.org. 1950. Human Centred Psychotherapy CopperWiki. [online] Available at: http://www.copperwiki.org/index.php?title=Human_Centred_Psychotherapy [Accessed: 01 Jul 2013] En.wikipedia.org. 2013. Psychosexual development Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychosexual_development [Accessed: 01 Jul 2013]. http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0072969806/286620/fei69806_ch02

Language, Paralanguage and Non-Verbal Communication

Language, Paralanguage and Non-Verbal Communication The Importance of Language, Paralanguage and Non-Verbal Communication in Various forms of Communication – A Practical Study Toby Williamson Access to Psychology Abstract This study examines the role of non-verbal communication, language and paralanguage in conveying information. To this end, the study examines how people use these three forms of communication in the context of sharing ideas, expressing joy and happiness as well as persuasion. The study involves a field work that studied dialogues between 10 pairs of persons. The findings identify that people generally utilize a combination of the three forms of communication, namely non-verbal communication, language and paralanguage in conversations where they need to express their emotions. This includes sharing joy as well as persuasion. However, in cases where persons must express facts and ideas in a factual form, communication can be done through the use of language only and in this case, non-verbal communication and paralanguage might not be very essential in conveying meaning and ideas. Introduction Non-verbal communication (NVC) involves direct communication not exclusively relying on written or spoken words (Berry, 2010; Rimondini, 2012). Non-Verbal Communication (NVC) is a situation where the expression of the inner emotions of people are presented through the use of bodily descriptions and trends that shows the way people feel at a give point in time (Littlejohn Foss, 2010; Wood, 2009). Paralanguage on the other hand involves non-verbal voice qualities, voice modifiers and independent utterances that are produced by various parts of the body to convey various understandable messages (Poyatos, 2012; Wilson, 2011). Therefore, paralanguage involves the modification of voices as a means of presenting various forms of messages to other people. Language is the use of words in a given dialect to transmit information and present data and information to different people in order to convey meaning(Phifer, 2007). Language refers to conventional dialog and speech that is carried out to present information from one person to another in mutually intelligible dialect(Perkins, 2010). These three different approaches to communication are used by communicators to complement each other in order to provide meaningful communication(Zimmerman Uecke, 2012). This is because communication involves the presentation of various ideas and concepts in order to convey meaning. Hence, there is the need for these different approaches to be put together in order to gain the best forms of meaning. Aim The aim of this research is to examine how these different elements and aspects of communication work together to attain good and proper results in communication. In order to attain this end, the following objectives will be reviewed: 1. A critical analysis of the different approaches to communication and how they work together; 2. An identification of circumstances where one might be used solely without the use of other forms of communication; 3. An evaluation of the options and processes that might come together to define good communication Hypotheses A hypothesis is a tentative statement that is made by a researcher at the beginning of the research and it is tested for its truthfulness and falsity throughout the research(Kothari, 2009). This research hypothesizes that the best means and the best form of communication occurs when you combine the three elements of communication: NVC, paralanguage and language. The alternative hypothesis is that each of the three elements of communication is best used alone in most circumstances. Methodology In the study, there is the need to examine and review the way people use the three components of communication: Non-verbal communication Paralanguage Language In order to do this study, a practical fieldwork is employed to analyze and review how people mix these three tools of communication in sharing ideas and information. First of all, there is the need to identify how these three elements of communication work in relation to: 1. Sharing Ideas 2. Expressing Joy/Happiness 3. Suggesting a better view In order to study this, a fieldwork is conducted and a collection of data, analysis of data and drawing conclusion is conducted. Data is collected through the conducting of a dialogue amongst ten pairs of people. In each of the situations, the participants are asked to present information under one of the three themes and from there the importance and significance of the three elements of communication are identified and discussed. Secondly, the dialogues are documented in the form of classification of the various headings and the various pointers in the NVC. The details of the documentation for the collection of information for this study are presented in Appendix 1 below. The findings are to be classified according to the number of times and the respondents chose an option. These options are summed up and they are analyzed and reviewed in order to lay the foundation for critical reviews and analysis. In the analysis the frequency of occurrence or choice of each option is discussed and this adds up in order to provide an overall view of whether a given element of communication is viewed as important or not. This is all critiqued and analyzed in order to draw conclusions on whether the hypothesis is valid or not. Results The field work was conducted over a three-day period. Twenty participants were involved in the process and they were asked to have a dialogue with each other in order to test the three approaches to communication and information sharing. Each of the respondents were monitored by the facilitator to pose as s/he was communicating with another person. And in the process, they went through all the three forms of communication and exchange of information. Afterwards they were asked to identify whether they considered each of the three approaches to communication as important, quite important or very important in each case. The findings were tallied and they were put together to justify and discuss each of the three approaches. This includes the compilation of each of the responses. They are presented in the treatment of results section below. The table below shows how the different respondents presented their views on how communication can be conducted with the different tools and the different elements of communication. This is graded and presented on the scale of very important (A), quite important (B) and not important (C). Treatment of Results The different elements and different aspects of communication are presented in this study and the way this information is presented by the various respondents in the research. These respondents indicated the relative strength and the relative importance of the different approaches to language sharing and information sharing and this shows some degree of variation from the various classifications and the different methods of sharing information and ideas. Sharing Ideas In sharing ideas, it is identified that most people saw non-verbal communication to be unimportant. This showed that over three quarters showed that you could share ideas without having to resort to non-verbal communication. The vast majority of respondents indicated that ideas could be shared without the use of paralanguage and the changing of tones amongst other things. However, it was decided unanimously that the use of language is vital and important in sharing ideas and there could practically be no sharing of ideas if language was absent. Expression of Joy or Happiness Although the vast majority of respondents indicated that sharing expressing joy can be done without the use of non-verbal communication, most of the respondents indicated that laughter is a universal sign of expressing joy and language and the way you speak in such a situation is one in which your happiness reflects in your actions and the tone used by speakers. Hence, although most participants in the experiment wrote that language is the most important tool for expressing joy, happiness and emotions, most respondents conceded that the three elements, non-verbal communication and paralanguage and language all work together to convey emotions and express joy and happiness because that is the natural component and the natural attitude that people express these feelings. However, in the collection of the data, the vast majority of respondents identified that communication in expressing emotions was almost done with language. This is apparent in the fact that about 65% of the respondents stated that non-verbal communication is not important in expressing joy and happiness and 55% of the respondents identified that paralanguage was not important. However, 70% stated that language is important in expressing happiness and joy and another 15% found it to be somewhat important (say 85% of the respondents at this point). This shows that language is still important and vital in helping respondents to express their joy and Suggesting a Better View This section was quite complicated. This is because the respondents were split in discussing whether non-verbal communication was important or not. They showed that almost 50% of the respondents said that non-verbal communication was not important. However, 35% said it is quite important and 20% said it was very important. Although over 50% state that paralanguage is not important in suggesting a better view, 70% stated that language is very important in suggesting a better or improved view. Discussions From the study, it is identified that the respondents showed that language is important and vital in almost all the scenarios and situations at hand. This is because language is the main measure or means through which communication and the exchange of information is done in most situations and contexts. In sharing ideas, it seems to be pervasive that the use of language is universal and pervasive. This is because language is vital and important in sharing such views and in getting people to understand a person’s thoughts and ideas. In this context, the use of non-verbal communication and paralanguage tools are not very important because the individual sharing the ideas is able to express everything in succinct terms and the listener can deduce the idea through language without much modification or additions. However, in expressing joy and happiness, most respondents indicated that language is vital. However, language is not the only means through which these emotions can be expressed. This is because expressing joy and happiness come with a high degree of emotions that can be expressed through bodily actions (non-verbal communication) and intonation (paralanguage) as a means of making the emotions and sentiments more felt by the listener. Hence, it is conclusive that non-verbal communication and paralanguage are important in expressing emotions and feelings in circumstances where a person needs to do so. Finally, suggesting a better view on a matter is a matter that is persuasive in nature. And it is identified that most respondents identify that language is important. However, they concede that some degree of non-verbal communication as well as paralanguage. This shows that in persuasive discussions, there is the need for some degree of communication tools to be employed other than the use of language. Conclusion The research indicates that communication involves a degree of utilization of different approaches and methods of sharing information. This means that in most forms of communication, language, non-verbal communication and paralanguage are used together in order to express views and ideas. The fieldwork does not justify the null hypothesis per se. This is because in some forms of communication, it is identified that language can be used without much reliance on non-verbal communication and paralanguage. This particularly happens in factual contexts where there is the need for people to communicate ideas. However, in other forms of communication like the expression of happiness and persuasion, the hypothesis is honored and justified because they all work well in order to provide a reasonable communication of the sentiments of the speaker to the listener. The alternative hypothesis states that each of the three elements of communication can best be utilized independently. This only stands in the case of factual communication or the sharing of ideas where language is an important and vital method of communication and can stand alone. However, the alternative hypothesis is refuted when it comes to persuasion and the expression fo joy and happiness. Bibliography Berry, D. (2010). Health Communication: Theory and Practice. London: McGrawHill. Kothari, C. R. (2009). Research Methodology. Delhi: New Age Publishing. Littlejohn, S. W., Foss, K. A. (2010). Theories of Human Communication . Mason, OH: Cengage. Perkins, P. S. (2010). The Art and Science of Communication. London: Wiley. Phifer, E. (2007). Boosting the Minds Eye: Visualizing for Social and Emotional Intelligence. New York: Universal Publishing. Poyatos, F. (2012). Textual Translation and Live Translation. New York: John Benjamins Publishing. Rimondini, M. (2012). Communication in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. London: Springer. Wilson, E. O. (2011). Sociobiology: The New Synthesis. Boston, MA: Yale University Press. Wood, J. (2009). Interpersonal Communication: Everyday Encounters. Mason, OH: Cengage. Zimmerman, C., Uecke, R. A. (2012). Asserting Yourself At Work. New York: AMACOM. Appendix 1 Dear Respondent, As part of the study on the importance of non-verbal communication, paralanguage and language in communication, this research will seek to involve you in an experiment. In this experiment, you will need a communication partner and you will have to conduct a two-way dialogue. The first should be about sharing ideas, the second should be about expressing joy or happiness and the third will involve suggesting a better view in a debate. The findings must be classified under headings A, B or C and this must be mutually agreed. The end is to examine the importance o these three elements of communication in sharing information. A – Very Important B – Quite Important C – Not Important

Lion Nathans Strategy and Position

Lion Nathans Strategy and Position SWOT ANALYSIS: SWOT analysis of Lion Nathan Brewing reflects its competitive advantage over other brewery companies. This SWOT analysis gives a picture about individual strengths of Lion Nathan, the weaknesses of the company, any opportunities presented for future, and threats from other brewing companies. All of these elements are of specific importance in assessing a companys core competencies and developing a plan for future achievements. STRENGTH: In the year 1999, Lion Nathan was considered to be one of the international brewery companies with its area of operations covering three main geographic locations around the world, namely, New Zealand, China, and Australia and now being mostly New Zealand and Australia. Being its area of operation restricted in the earlier days, this enabled Lion Nathan to attract a huge group of people and so gave the company a chance to experiment new products. Lion Nathan now has an excellent broad base portfolio and it offers a wide range of alcoholic beverages. Its massive portfolio is able to satisfy all the demands of its customers. It has captured a large proportion of market segment in Australia and New Zealand. It is mainly engaged in the production and marketing of alcoholic beverages of wine, beer, and spirits in New Zealand and Australia, although its products are sold globally. Lion Nathan takes it pride in being a part of Australias and New Zealands most favored brands like like XXXX, Speights, Tooheys, Steinlager, Hahn, Lion Red, Wither Hills, James Boags, Bacardi and St Hallett. It is mainly known for selling premium beers in these areas. Lion Nathans main area of focus has always remained innovation and finding out new opportunities in order to achieve growth. Its innovation has led to increasing consumption among the mass. Lion Nathans new product XXXX Summer Bright Lager is a low-carb drink which is undoubtedly the lowest-carb beer in the Queensland market. Its new innovation has helped the company to top the market in Australia and with the overwhelming response, they attracted more and more group of customers across the country and its national distribution is above their expectations which is outselling Corona its competitor. It also relaunched Italian beer and snatched away the customers of Coca-Cola Amatils Peroni brand. It was a like a kick off to the its competitors. Lion Nathan also launched a new product Steinlager Pure which is a smooth flavoured l ager which consisted all natural ingredients of New Zealand and was completely preservative free which was a highly compelling export proposition which is now New Zealands biggest selling classic lager. Even Lion Nathan is certain to become the second largest wine distributor after it took over the brands of Pernod-Ricard. It will sell 12 major brands of Pernod-Ricard. WEAKNESS: Lions operations are limited only to Australia and New Zealand and so its economy is far below expectations as compared to its competitors. OPPORTUNITIES: The Asian beer market is said to be very strong. It is predicted that China will occupy one quarter of the beer consumption worldwide. There is a reduction in import tax on foreign made alcohol in China. Consumers in China focus mainly on premium-style beers and so this is an opportunity for Lion Nathan. China is experiencing a steady growth rise. Also, the Asian beer consumption is expected to grow 5% between 2009 and 2015. THREATS: The global beer market has declined to a growth of 0.5% due to the regional differences. Also vehement competition in the beer market can take away significant proportion of Lions market share. PEST ANALYSIS: POLITICAL FACTORS: The Australian Government has figured out the alcohol abuse as one of the major problem among youngsters in the Australian society. It has therefore imposed an excise charge on beer. This charge is imposed according to the alcohol content in the beer. Also, customs duty applies to all imported products. This duty is also levied according to alcohol content. For beer with alcohol content less than 1.15% the charge is 5%. Industry sources have now made an assumption that the governments strict charges on beer is likely to cause the price of beer to go high as there is 10% GST levied on the service component. The same thing was repeated in New Zealand. The excise charges on beer were revised in New Zealand due to which the price of beer went up. Lion Nathan experienced a price rise of 4% due to this revised taxation policy. ECONOMIC FACTORS: According to the Australian Drug Foundation, the alcohol manufacturers will no longer be able to advertise or sponsor sport within the next 10 years. Also, the alcohol industry has continued to act in bad faith by avoiding its own rules in areas such advertising to children through sports sponsorship, promoting responsible drinking, etc. This is likely to harm the economic background of the company. Advertising wine and spirits on social networking sites will be restricted. SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS: Beer consumes in Australia tend to follow a myth that low-carb beer helps in weight management. About 74% of the Australian population seems to believe this which builds up a strong social background of Lion Nathan. The 2011 Rugby Match in New Zealand provides a huge flock of tourist before and during the match with cheers to Lion Nathan TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS: Lion Nathan has been always a follower of technology and innovation. It believes in meeting its consumers demands. It has found the new QR code technology which helps its consumers in selecting the right wine for the right occasion. Each QR code is linked with a specific wine, and each scan will pull up a mobile-friendly site replete with information on each wine. Scanners can watch videos about the wine in question, get video tours of wineries, discover food pairings, read up on harvest and tasting notes and check out reviews. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS: the companys demand for beer is affected by the climatic conditions. The cool winter led to a decreased demand for beer while the summer boosted the consumption of beer. LEGAL FACTORS: In the year 2009, Lion Nathan did file any legal action for anti-competitive behavior or anti-trust or trade practices. Lion Nathan has had never experienced any sort of non-compliance with health and safety measures and regulations. The company has always complied with the laws. CORE RESOURCES AND ITS COMPETENCIES: Competitive advantage is the strength of Lion Nathan. The beer brand broad portfolio is the core resource of the company. This portfolio gives the company a chance to outweigh other brewery companies. Also, it is Lion Nathans most valuable asset which reflects its performance. Lion Nathan has always remained committed to its brand. It spends most of its revenue by investing in the brand equity of its already existing core brand. It always tries to divert its customers to focus on its core brands as a national focus and encourages them to buy premium products. In Australia, Lion Nathan holds around 75% of group assets and 80% of operating profits. Lion Nathans beer market share is experiencing stability of more than 44% including its most recently acquired Boags brands. In New Zealand, Lion Nathan is countrys leading brewer and now considered the second largest wine distributor with its market share of more than 50%. The strategic focus of manageme nt is to maximimise the performance of Lion Nathans existing core business which involves increasing the returns from Australias and New Zealands beer business and also maximizing the value in fine wine business. Lion Nathan also aims at grabbing opportunities in spirits and ready to drink spirits markets and international wine export markets. Lion Nathan is considered to be a policy leader in areas related to alcohol taxation, liquor licensing, and responsible consumption. It regularly contributes and participates in government and community discussion on all alcohol related issues. Lion Nathan is also an active participant in tax and investment issues that impact the broader trans-Tasman business community. COMPANIES CURRENT STRATEGY AND ITS IMPLICATIONS: Lion Nathan entered the soft drink, restaurant and sales promotion businesses but sold all this because it aimed to concentrate on promoting its beer business. Today, Lion Nathans strategy is to concentrate on the alcohol business, aiming to become a comprehensive alcohol beverage company. Geographically, it concentrates on Australia and New Zealand. Although LN started out in the soft drinks with the Pepsi brand, it sold off that segment in 1998 because it did not contribute to profits to a degree that can be reflected in the EBITDA margin. The company also tried restaurant business, seeking synergy effect with beer-similar to Anheuser-Busch, which bought a bread company. However, Lion Nathan withdrew from this business as well when it did not contribute sufficient profit to the company. These examples suggest that diversification for Lion Nathan has always been undertaken to generate short-term profitability to make shareholders happ y; in the end, however, the company always return to its original beer business which generates the highest earnings. Recently, Lion Nathan made one interesting decision concerning the companys international operation. In spite of the recent craze in the business world to penetrate and prosper in the Chinese market, Lion Nathan actually exited from that market in 2005. Since exiting the Chinese market, Lion Nathan concentrated its resources on the Oceanic market. Growth Strategy: Lion Nathan strongly believes in sustainable long-term growth strategy in order to achieve top-line growth and bottom-line results. Its operational skills are the core competences that it has which can provide the foundation for a growth strategy. Lion Nathan has strong competencies in distribution, innovation, premium brands It successfully manages the growth strategy with its growth skills, especially its skill of new product development. One-Stop Shop Strategy: Lion Nathan offers a variety of services to its customers. Its main idea is to provide convenient and efficient service and also to create the opportunity for the company to sell more products to clients and customers Social Media Strategy: Lion Nathan has also adopted Media strategy to promote its long-neck bottles of Toohey Extra Dry (TED). These TED bottles were tucked in boring non-descript brown bags. Lion Nathan launched a program named TED696 and created designer bags with the help of street artists and designers. These design opportunities were given to public who took over the ownership of the new brand with their innovative designs. Even MTV was involved in it to celebrate the winning design. The media strategy of Lion Nathan worked so well that the sales of longneck TED bottles reached 500,000 sales just in the first 8 weeks of competition. Complete Brand Strategy: Lion Nathans success is mainly dependents on its wide range of brands. Its people help in generating huge amounts of profit and boast a portfolio of Australians and New Zealanders favourite brands. Lion Nathan invests mainly in brands and upgrade their breweries. Lion Nathan has invested 8 to 10% of their revenue income in innovation which goes hand-in-hand with their brand strategy. Culture Strategy: Lion Nathans culture strategy focuses its main attention on creating a sense of purpose, vision and values, developing a leadership capability to model the desired behaviors, and reinforcing those behaviors through appropriate processes and systems. Lion Nas values-based model consists of 10 core behaviors, which are hardwired into all HR processes, including remuneration, performance, and talent management. Lion Nathan believes in promoting a healthy drinking culture. Lion Nathan as a whole works in order to change the unhealthy drinking behaviour and has supported campaigns to prevent alcohol misuse and minimise the potential harm associated with it. Its investment strategy has the aim of facilitating wellbeing of people and identify the major areas of alcohol abuse. RECOMMENDATIONS: Strengthen the companys brand name among mass marketers through intense price competition: Recently, mass merchandisers like the chain big supermarkets such as Coles and Woolworth, have emerged following integration of the retail industry. Each state in Australia has its own popular brands, and there are strong regional preferences. Lion Nathan that are popular in each area, such as Tooheys in New South Wales and XXXX for Queensland, but in each case their popularity in other states is not as high. It is important to extend recognition of these brands nationally because a national brand will stimulate sales to the big national chain retailers. Strengthen the premium beer category: LN does not have a strong presence in the premium beer category, despite the companys high market value. It is important to promote premium brands such as Hahn Premium and James Squire, and internationally known Becks. Lion Nathan began brewing Kirin Ichiban, brewed only by the first wort in the brewhouse process at the Malt Shovel Brewery in May 2003 in response to surging growth in the premium category. This is one brand to be nurtured in the Australian premium beer category. Extend to other alcohol beverages: Price controls on beer, including price increases by the two-company monopoly, seem to be wavering. Recent diversification in market indicate a shift from beer to either wine for older people or RTD for the younger generation. In particular, the price difference between premium beers and RTDs is getting closer. Also, the population increase, largely due to Asian immigrants who typically do not drink much alcohol compared with Australians, has not increased beer consumption. To cope with this situation, LN must seek additional business in other kinds of alcoholic beverages, as a substitute for the beer business. Slightly more than 8% of Lion Nathans revenue in 2006 was derived from the wine business since the company entered that segment in 2000. A new threat to the duopoly: SAB Miller, one of the biggest players in the world, is planning to enter the Australian beer market in cooperation with Coca-Cola affiliate, Coca-Cola Amatil. When this occurs, it will take advantage of Coca-Colas huge channel, which is reportedly 3 times larger than that of beer. This means it is highly likely that SAB Miller will gain market parity in a short period of time. It is necessary for both Fosters and Lion Nathan to establish strategies that will build high entry barriers immediately. Lion Nathans future strategies are translated to the bundle of competencies. Lion Nathan should build sustainability in the beer business first, and then become a comprehensive alcohol beverage company by extending into the wine and RTD segments so that diverse customer preferences are met. This strategy is supported by 3 factors. (1) an expectation that major floating shareholders want Lion Nathan to hold its beer business as a cash; (2) Australias duopolistic beer market share, although it is becoming less stable; (3) the simple distribution system.