Business Management
Business management is gathering people together in order to complete a similar goal. It deals with planning, organizing, staffing, and leading. For many, including myself, business management is the right career choice. However, there are many different aspects of business management. I will be discussing three articles which are about the aspects of business management.
The first article is “Firms That Never Sleep” from The Economist. This article discusses a business that takes advantage of different time zones. This idea of being able to have more shifts by exploiting the fact that we have different time zones presents many benefits as well as difficulties. The major benefit is increased productivity. Companies are able to have three different shifts in three different time zones. Taking advantage of time zones will increase productivity by a lot. Also, companies have the ability to have someone in another time zone do the same job as someone in the time zone receiving the service or good could save on labor. Companies can move their operations to where labor is cheapest. However there are some challenges to this method. One of the big problems with this method is the lack of communication between shifts. The only communication may be through telephone or emails. This causes a problem because managers and the team have a hard time knowing what to expect from the shift before them. Therefore companies need to make sure that every shift knows what is expected from there.
The second article is called “Shopping and Thinking” from the magazine The Economist. This article discusses businesses and mergers. It takes a look at if mergers are really good for the company. So the major question is, is all this buying and selling good for companies? According to some influential analysts it is. He forces managers to focus on creating value for the shareholders. The merging of different companies allows for new innovations. It brings the ability for companies to invent new products to a whole other level. The ability to invent new products is what keeps firms ahead. However, there is a huge problem with mergers. This problem is the amount of debt and time that goes in to them. So the answer to our questions, is all this buying and selling good for companies? Well it depends on the companies. If the company has the ability to invent new products and make more profits than the amount of debt they have, then of course it is good for the company. However, if the company is having trouble redeeming themselves from their debt that it probably was not good for that company.
The third article is called “From Multilocal to Multicultural” written by Adrian Wooldridge in the magazine The Economist. This article has to do with multiculturalism and how companies need to have a wider variety of people. Creating this policy of multiculturalism would improve chances of recruiting and motivating able people from all different companies. Many companies are now taking pride in the fact that their senior managers are from different countries. Americans feel that they have an advantage to this theory of multiculturalism because their country is ‘the melting pot.’ The Europeans also feel they have an advantage to multiculturalism because of their past of having many multiculturalism companies. Their citizens have also become linguists making it easier to communicate with different cultures. A benefit to this is that companies tend to have one set of rules with their global shareholders making it much easier to operate. Multiculturalism, in my opinion, is a positive change for many companies.
All of these articles discuss important aspects of business management. In businesses, managers need to focus on such things as different shifts, mergers, and multiculturalism. Most importantly they all deal with planning, staffing, organizing, and leading which is the core to business management.
Works Cited
Anonymous. The Economist. London: Jan 10, 1998. Vol. 346, Iss. 8050; pg. 16, 1 pgs
Anonymous. The Economist. London: Dec 14, 1996. Vol. 341, Iss. 7996; pg. 63, 1 pgs
Wooldridge, Adrian. The Economist. London: Jun 24, 1995. Vol. 335, Iss. 7920; pg. SS14, 2 pgs
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
500 word blog post
Gender Differences in “Social Portraits” Reflected in MySpace Profiles
This article discusses the differences in MySpace profiles between males and females. One of the major differences was the number of times a user mentioned their significant other in either their about me, their interested, or any other category on their user page. These researchers found that women mention their significant others increasingly more times than males do. 43% mentioned their significant other 0 times compared to 16% of females, and 14% of
males mentioned their significant other between 2 and 10 times compared to 37% of females
In the “Interests” section, the majority of males (67%) did not mention their significant
other at all compared to 47% of females, and 33% mentioned her between 1 and 5
times compared to 53% of females The researchers feel that women view having a significant other as an accomplishment whereas men view having a significant other as a lose of masculinity. I would have to agree with this statement. I do feel like most women are more excited to be in a relationship than men are. I think men are more worried about what their friends will think and they definitely do not want their friends to think they are “whipped.” If we take a look at the media such as television sitcoms or music, in most cases males are portrayed as insensitive or uncaring. From watching these television sitcoms or listening to this music, males tend to feel like that is how they are supposed to act in order to be manly. One of the reasons I feel men might not reveal that they are taken on their MySpace page is because if other women see that the man is taken he becomes less attractive to her. Women usually do not seek men who are in a relationship. Therefore, if a man reveals he is in a relationship, there go his chances of meeting new women.
Researchers say that when entering into a relationship, women try to interconnect every aspect of their lives. They do not just focus on their work and their relationship and any other aspect of their lives separately. They tend to think about how ever aspect affects the other aspect, whereas, men focus more on each individual aspect. When entering into a relationship men are more focused on keeping their individuality and uniqueness. Women normally seek the comfort and security of having a significant other to protect them. Men tend to view being romantic and loving towards a woman as a feminine characteristic which is not a positive quality in a man’s eyes.
In conclusion, there are many different reasons why women tend to mention their significant others more than men do. These were just some of the reasons. I believe the way society views the roles of men and women has a lot to do with the way men and women act.
This article discusses the differences in MySpace profiles between males and females. One of the major differences was the number of times a user mentioned their significant other in either their about me, their interested, or any other category on their user page. These researchers found that women mention their significant others increasingly more times than males do. 43% mentioned their significant other 0 times compared to 16% of females, and 14% of
males mentioned their significant other between 2 and 10 times compared to 37% of females
In the “Interests” section, the majority of males (67%) did not mention their significant
other at all compared to 47% of females, and 33% mentioned her between 1 and 5
times compared to 53% of females The researchers feel that women view having a significant other as an accomplishment whereas men view having a significant other as a lose of masculinity. I would have to agree with this statement. I do feel like most women are more excited to be in a relationship than men are. I think men are more worried about what their friends will think and they definitely do not want their friends to think they are “whipped.” If we take a look at the media such as television sitcoms or music, in most cases males are portrayed as insensitive or uncaring. From watching these television sitcoms or listening to this music, males tend to feel like that is how they are supposed to act in order to be manly. One of the reasons I feel men might not reveal that they are taken on their MySpace page is because if other women see that the man is taken he becomes less attractive to her. Women usually do not seek men who are in a relationship. Therefore, if a man reveals he is in a relationship, there go his chances of meeting new women.
Researchers say that when entering into a relationship, women try to interconnect every aspect of their lives. They do not just focus on their work and their relationship and any other aspect of their lives separately. They tend to think about how ever aspect affects the other aspect, whereas, men focus more on each individual aspect. When entering into a relationship men are more focused on keeping their individuality and uniqueness. Women normally seek the comfort and security of having a significant other to protect them. Men tend to view being romantic and loving towards a woman as a feminine characteristic which is not a positive quality in a man’s eyes.
In conclusion, there are many different reasons why women tend to mention their significant others more than men do. These were just some of the reasons. I believe the way society views the roles of men and women has a lot to do with the way men and women act.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Friend-Networking Sites
Article II: MySpace and Facebook: Applying the Uses and Gratifications Theory to Exploring Friend-Networking Sites
What gratifications do you think someone receives from having a friend-networking site?:
A friend networking site is a "social content network"(Zigme). Friend networking sites have become increasingly popular in the past couple of years. About 80% of college internet users have either a MySpace page or a Facebook page (Raacke). But the question is why is everyone using these sites? What is so appealing?
One of the reasons people love these friend-networking sites so much is it allows them to keep in touch with old friends. 90% of college students with a MySpace of Facebook page say it is to keep in touch with old friends (Raacke). MySpace and Facebook both provide wonderful search engines on their sites which allow users to type in the name, email, or username of their friend and it will bring up all the users on that site that match their search. MySpace even allows users to search by location and age. Facebook, being more of a school oriented website, allows users to search for friends by searching for them by their school. With all of these great features it makes it really easy for users to find old or even current friends. These friend-networking sites have many communication options such as comments on a user’s page which are public, there are messages to a user for a private conversation, users can comment on other user’s pictures which are public and lastly most sites now have an instant messaging system which allow users to have private conversations instantly. With all these great options of keeping in touch one can see why users love these friend-networking sites so much.
Another reason people use these friend-networking sites so much is to make new friends. 56% of college students with a MySpace of Facebook page have one in order to make new friends (Raacke). These sites allow you to browse through other users in your area and give you the basic information about them to allow you to see if you are interested in adding them as a friend to your page. Once you have added them and they accept your friends request you are able to comment and talk to them as much as you like. This also gives you access to their pictures. Millions of people every day make new friends on MySpace or Facebook. Some users even take these relationships further than the internet. Some friends feel comfortable meeting up in person. In some circumstances people find someone in which they engage in a loving relationship. After talking on these friend-networking sites people develop interests in other people’s personalities and decide to meet. Once they meet sometimes they develop into relationships. For some people it is easier to make friends on the internet. People that are shy or not that outgoing may enjoy making friends on these friend-networking sites. It allows them to hide behind their computer until they feel comfortable meeting the people in person.
Another popular reason was to post social events or parties. 21% of college MySpace or Facebook users have a page in order to post or read up on social events (Raacke). Making a MySpace or Facebook page for an event you are hosting is great advertisement. It allows users to receive information about the event and find out if they are interested in attending. These friend-networking sites allow users who are hosting the event to send event invitations to those friends who they would like to invite to the event. After the users who were invited to the event read their invitations they can send their RSVP back to the user who is hosting the event. In addition, other users are able to see who has decided to attend the event in order to help sway their decisions. This is a convenient alternative to sending out tons of invitations. It is also helpful for the host to keep track of how many people have RSVP.
Lastly, people use friend-networking sites in order to post and look at pictures. 57% of college MySpace or Facebook users admit they have a page in order to look at or post pictures (Raacke). Lots of users love to post pictures of themselves at special events for their friends to see and comment on. Lots of users love to browse through their friends pictures. Being able to look at your friends’ pictures gives a user a sense of what the place was really like when the picture was taken even if they could not be there.
Friend-networking sites also have a tendency to boost self-esteem. The more friends a user makes the more they will like themselves. The more flattering comments users leave on their pictures or page, the happier they will be. If they are not receiving positive comments toward other users they can simply delete that user and shy away from them (Valkenburg 8).
There are many reasons why sites like MySpace and Facebook are so popular. These are just some of the many. Who doesn’t love making and keeping in touch with friends? With millions of users already there are plenty of friends out there for you.
What gratifications do you think someone receives from having a friend-networking site?:
A friend networking site is a "social content network"(Zigme). Friend networking sites have become increasingly popular in the past couple of years. About 80% of college internet users have either a MySpace page or a Facebook page (Raacke). But the question is why is everyone using these sites? What is so appealing?
One of the reasons people love these friend-networking sites so much is it allows them to keep in touch with old friends. 90% of college students with a MySpace of Facebook page say it is to keep in touch with old friends (Raacke). MySpace and Facebook both provide wonderful search engines on their sites which allow users to type in the name, email, or username of their friend and it will bring up all the users on that site that match their search. MySpace even allows users to search by location and age. Facebook, being more of a school oriented website, allows users to search for friends by searching for them by their school. With all of these great features it makes it really easy for users to find old or even current friends. These friend-networking sites have many communication options such as comments on a user’s page which are public, there are messages to a user for a private conversation, users can comment on other user’s pictures which are public and lastly most sites now have an instant messaging system which allow users to have private conversations instantly. With all these great options of keeping in touch one can see why users love these friend-networking sites so much.
Another reason people use these friend-networking sites so much is to make new friends. 56% of college students with a MySpace of Facebook page have one in order to make new friends (Raacke). These sites allow you to browse through other users in your area and give you the basic information about them to allow you to see if you are interested in adding them as a friend to your page. Once you have added them and they accept your friends request you are able to comment and talk to them as much as you like. This also gives you access to their pictures. Millions of people every day make new friends on MySpace or Facebook. Some users even take these relationships further than the internet. Some friends feel comfortable meeting up in person. In some circumstances people find someone in which they engage in a loving relationship. After talking on these friend-networking sites people develop interests in other people’s personalities and decide to meet. Once they meet sometimes they develop into relationships. For some people it is easier to make friends on the internet. People that are shy or not that outgoing may enjoy making friends on these friend-networking sites. It allows them to hide behind their computer until they feel comfortable meeting the people in person.
Another popular reason was to post social events or parties. 21% of college MySpace or Facebook users have a page in order to post or read up on social events (Raacke). Making a MySpace or Facebook page for an event you are hosting is great advertisement. It allows users to receive information about the event and find out if they are interested in attending. These friend-networking sites allow users who are hosting the event to send event invitations to those friends who they would like to invite to the event. After the users who were invited to the event read their invitations they can send their RSVP back to the user who is hosting the event. In addition, other users are able to see who has decided to attend the event in order to help sway their decisions. This is a convenient alternative to sending out tons of invitations. It is also helpful for the host to keep track of how many people have RSVP.
Lastly, people use friend-networking sites in order to post and look at pictures. 57% of college MySpace or Facebook users admit they have a page in order to look at or post pictures (Raacke). Lots of users love to post pictures of themselves at special events for their friends to see and comment on. Lots of users love to browse through their friends pictures. Being able to look at your friends’ pictures gives a user a sense of what the place was really like when the picture was taken even if they could not be there.
Friend-networking sites also have a tendency to boost self-esteem. The more friends a user makes the more they will like themselves. The more flattering comments users leave on their pictures or page, the happier they will be. If they are not receiving positive comments toward other users they can simply delete that user and shy away from them (Valkenburg 8).
There are many reasons why sites like MySpace and Facebook are so popular. These are just some of the many. Who doesn’t love making and keeping in touch with friends? With millions of users already there are plenty of friends out there for you.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Recycling has always been really important to me. I have always found it interesting how much we can help the environment by just recycling something instead of tossing it in the trash. These days our resources are getting more and more limited so we really can not waste them. With the amount of recycling centers we have and how easy it is to recycle, society really does not have an excuse for not recycling. Some cities even have curbside pick up now so people in that community do not even have to leave their house to recycle. I do not know how much more convenient they can make it for us. If your community does not have curbside pick up there is always recycling centers in pretty much every community.
For my project I really just wanted to show a broad idea of a girl outside littering and then someone else comes along and shows her how to recycle. For my first shot I wanted to show the environment after someone has littered. I think it is important that we see how dirty our environment is if no one is cleaning and recycling. For the second shot I decided to show a young girl littering. She was drinking a can of soda and had just finished it. Therefore, she just decided to throw the can on the ground even though she had a recycling bin right next to her. The third shot shows another girl coming up and teaching her how to recycling. The other girl explains the importance of recycling to the young girl. She tells her what will happen to the environment if we do not recycle. Also she explains how easy it is to find recycling centers in her area. The fourth shot shows the young girl cleaning up the trash in her environment which means she learned the importance of recycling. She realizes she wants her environment clean and she does not want us to run out of resources. The last shot shows the young girl relaxing in her clean environment. The main idea of this story board was to teach the importance of recycling and I think I was able to convey to others that recycling is important. Even if they are not sure why recycling is important yet, I think I have sparked in interest in at least finding out why recycling is important and how it affects our environment. So just in case you did not catch the point in the story board I decided to restate it in the last slide to keep our environment clean.
For my project I really just wanted to show a broad idea of a girl outside littering and then someone else comes along and shows her how to recycle. For my first shot I wanted to show the environment after someone has littered. I think it is important that we see how dirty our environment is if no one is cleaning and recycling. For the second shot I decided to show a young girl littering. She was drinking a can of soda and had just finished it. Therefore, she just decided to throw the can on the ground even though she had a recycling bin right next to her. The third shot shows another girl coming up and teaching her how to recycling. The other girl explains the importance of recycling to the young girl. She tells her what will happen to the environment if we do not recycle. Also she explains how easy it is to find recycling centers in her area. The fourth shot shows the young girl cleaning up the trash in her environment which means she learned the importance of recycling. She realizes she wants her environment clean and she does not want us to run out of resources. The last shot shows the young girl relaxing in her clean environment. The main idea of this story board was to teach the importance of recycling and I think I was able to convey to others that recycling is important. Even if they are not sure why recycling is important yet, I think I have sparked in interest in at least finding out why recycling is important and how it affects our environment. So just in case you did not catch the point in the story board I decided to restate it in the last slide to keep our environment clean.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
visual advocacy
Recycling is an important topic to me. I feel people can make the world such a nice, cleaner place if we would all just recycle our cans or pick up our trash. For this reason I plan on making a short storyboard for my visual advocacy project. I have done many projects on recycling meaning I have researched it before. However, none have challenged me to show recycling through pictures.
I plan on going to a park for my storyboard. I wanted the surroundings to be outside where you see most people littering. I plan to show the importance of recycling and cleaning up the envirnment around us.
For my first slide I hope to show a dirty park that needs to be cleaned up. Then I will show my subject littering and adding to the piles of trash. Then my third slide will be someone educating the person littering about the importance of cleaning the earth. Then they will clean up the park. Lastly, I will show a picture of the clean park.
I plan on going to a park for my storyboard. I wanted the surroundings to be outside where you see most people littering. I plan to show the importance of recycling and cleaning up the envirnment around us.
For my first slide I hope to show a dirty park that needs to be cleaned up. Then I will show my subject littering and adding to the piles of trash. Then my third slide will be someone educating the person littering about the importance of cleaning the earth. Then they will clean up the park. Lastly, I will show a picture of the clean park.
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