Reflection on Introduction to Business Studies

Reflection on Introduction to Business Studies A business, an enterprise, or a firm is an organization designed in an attempt to create value through recognition of business opportunity by the management of risk taking opportunity, and through communicative and management skills to mobilize human, financial and material resources necessary to bring a project to success (Garcà ­a, Domingo and Salvador 68). A business is brought into existence by an entrepreneur, where an entrepreneur is the person trying a new opportunity or starting the new project (Bygrave and Zacharakis 37). Entrepreneurship is therefore the process of establishing a business venture in which the owner aims at getting profit (Bygrave and Zacharakis 37). An entrepreneur accepts financial ricks, undertakes new financial venture by focusing on innovations and creativity, and transforms a dream or an idea into a profitable venture by operating within organizational environment (Garcà ­a, Domingo and Salvador 68). Business success does not depend entirely on capital money but also on personal attributes of the entrepreneur (Bygrave and Zacharakis 37). This implies that business success is goal oriented and can be attained through entrepreneurs self-confidence, self-reliance, creativity and innovation. The entrepreneur must be willing to take initiatives and be persistently committed to initiatives taken in order to succeed. Moreover, he/she must be driven by the desire to be independent, and less afraid of failure (Bygrave and Zacharakis 37). Entrepreneurs are quite passionate about achieving goals and more alert to the existence of new opportunities and drive to take risks; within this context, an entrepreneur can be viewed as one with a spirit of recognizing opportunities. An entrepreneur or an aspiring entrepreneur must be ready to take risks by investing resources in order to achieve meaningful results through creativity; he should be innovative enough to increase productivity and efficien cy of his business. An entrepreneur should have a vision and a mission for his business to guide his operations; including short term and long term business plans in order to prosper. Furthermore, he should develop his business growth with the basic knowledge of equilibrium of goods and services (Bygrave and Zacharakis 37). Studies have revealed that business success is a continuous growth process that is governed by a very detailed and well-established set of rules that evolve throughout business time line (Garcà ­a, Domingo and Salvador 18). The initial business growth stage is the start up stage. At this stage, the entrepreneur acquires general awareness and orientation towards small business and the self-employment (Garcà ­a, Domingo and Salvador 18). At start up stage, the entrepreneur identifies the need to acquire motivation and confidence as well as self-appraisal of managerial and personal responsibilities. In addition, start up stage requires the entrepreneur to increase his/her awareness, understanding and insight in the business that he intends to pursue (Garcà ­a, Domingo and Salvador 18). The next stage for the business development is the business creation (Greene 57). The business creation stage involves testing of a proposed business idea against the competences and the interests of a potential entrepreneur (Greene 57). A potential entrepreneur make a defined commitment to become self employed and begins to prepare a business plan of the proposed business venture; listing the resources required (Greene 57). The key factors that should be involved in this stage are building of a business personality, being self-motivated, and gaining commitment to the business, technical and personal availability for the business, business building and managerial skills and acquisition of business resources including a business plan (Greene 61). The importance of a business plan is to help the entrepreneur to focus on ideas and visibility study of the business (Greene 62). A business plan is a viable tool for managing the business; it empowers the entrepreneur with knowledge required to prepare his business for success (Greene 62). A business plan is therefore a strong communication tool that helps to define an enterprise, how the enterprise is managed and the personnel concerned in the enterprise management (Greene 62). A finished business plan provides the basis for financial background and enables the entrepreneur to look at a business in an objective manner while acting as a strong reality check for the business. In addition, the plan helps the entrepreneur to cope with changes that may occur in a business over time (Greene 62). Regular review of the plan helps to evaluate past decisions and planning, effective business plan ensures that the team is committed to defined business goal. The benefits of a business plan cann ot be ignored in the world of entrepreneurship because an entrepreneur can even use a well-structured business plan to acquire a loan from a bank for the business capital (Greene 62). Furthermore, the business plan serves as a disclosure document for ones knowledge of the business (Greene 62). This knowledge is profitable to me as an aspiring entrepreneur because I will use the guidelines to plan my business and use the business plan as a viable tool for acquiring capital for my business. The next stage is called business survival stage or the business maintenance stage, at this stage the entrepreneur has mastered the product and production, markets and basic management of the enterprise. Interventions at this stage include consolidating the production process and product quality, consolidating the existing market, consolidating the management control system, upgrading technical skills to maintain standard, refine production process and upgrade marketing strategies that can help keep the market at high standards (Greene 62). The final stage of the business development is the business growth stage; this stage involves the growth of enterprise (Greene 63). At this time, the entrepreneur gains advanced experience and the business can then expand as it experiences growth, making a small business become large. I have learned that a business should have a business description, which entails what the business does; including a description of the entrepreneur, what the business offers, what are the market needs in relation to the issues the business will address and whether the business idea is viable. A business description sections include an overview of the business, description of the business products or services, an entrepreneurs position and the pricing strategy. As an aspiring entrepreneur, this information is important to me because it empowers me to position my enterprise for increasing market competition and to offer innovative products that meet the demands of my clients; thus keeping me ahead in market competition. This course has given me an understanding of the importance of a market plan in business. I have the understanding that market plan describes the market or services to be marketed to make a profit and that successful marketing depends on the understanding of the nature of the products and services, the controllable variables such as promotions, price, products that the company puts together to satisfy a given market (Bygrave and Zacharakis 74). Based on market plan, I will have enough facts to convince investors, potential partners and other interested parties that my business has enough customers in a growing market and can gain more sales despite the existing competition. Marketing is one of the most important parts of the plan, taking into consideration current market size and trends, it requires extensive research because decisions that follow from manufacturing to marketing to the amount of money needed will be based on sales estimated in the marketing plan (Bygrave and Zacharakis 74). Additionally, the market section includes information on competition and estimate sales, market size and the market trends (Bygrave and Zacharakis 74). These details will enable me; as an entrepreneur to position my enterprise for competition and also come up with disruptive innovations that will make my products unique in order to increase my customer base. Financial plan of a business is important because it identifies the amount required and how the money will be used in investment. It also shows how the capital will be raised (Bygrave and Zacharakis 74). Management and the organization plan of the business are necessary as they show how the business will be organized and managed; such that the major strategies like key management personnel and their qualifications are observed. In conclusion, this class has empowered me with great knowledge and understanding that I intent to implement as an entrepreneur to guarantee the success of my business. Success in business does not come in a silver platter but it has to be planned and appropriate steps taken to implement the plan. A business plan depicting core elements of a business such as financial plan, market plan and management plan among others; if well implemented will lead to enterprise success.

Austria: The Cause of World War One Essay -- World History

The nation responsible for the onset of World War I is Austria-Hungary because of the territorial and political stances with Serbia that provoked the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. After Ferdinand's death, Austria-Hungary initiated a call for support to the Germans about the problems in the Balkans, resulting in Germany confirming their assistance by issuing a â€Å"Blank Check.† Austria later gave Serbia a list of ultimatums that consisted of extreme demands in hopes of Serbia rejecting it. Since Serbia is a country where Slavic nationalism was idealized, it refused the idea of Austria gaining the right to control the investigation of Franz Ferdinand's assassination and have authority over the state of Serbia and this did in fact compel Serbia to reject the ultimatums. Austria knew that Serbia would not accept this list of ultimatums and therefore sent it as a rational motive to declare a war. Not long after, Austria declared war on Serbia, and Germany, Aus tria's ally, declared war on Russia, an ally of Serbia. The underlying causes of World War I can be related back to the conflicts involving Austria-Hungary and the territory of Bosnia-Herzegovia. In 1878, Serbia became independent from the Ottoman nation. With this independence, Serbia anticipated that their region would include the South Slavs in Bosnia and Herzegovia. Slavic nationalists in Serbia were in hopes of seceding from the Austro- Hungarian empire. In 1879, the Congress of Berlin placed Bosnia-Herzegovia under Austrian rule, shattering the nationalist's hopes of gaining that territory. Bosnia did not want to be under rule by a multinational state like Austria and the Austrians were not fond about Serbia promoting Slavic nationalism. The Austrian gove... ...9, Appendices 1 and 2, 1914. The Great War Primary Documents Archive, Inc. 1995 Conklin, Dennis. Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (June 28, 1914). The University of Southern Mississippi. Lecture. 4 April 2012. Franz Joseph. Autograph Letter of Franz Joseph to the Kaiser, Vienna, 2 July 1914. The Great War Primary Documents Archive, Inc. 1995. 7 April 1996 Conklin, Dennis. Tactical and Technical Developments. The University of Southern Mississippi. Lecture. 4 April 2012 The Serbian Blue Book. No 37, 11 July 1914. The Great War Primary Documents Archive, Inc 1995 The Austro-Hungarian Red Book. Section 1, Nos- 1-19, Appendices 1 and 2, 1914. The Great War Primary Documents Archive, Inc. 1995 The German White Book. Germany's Reasons for War with Russia. Messrs. Liebheit and Thiesen of Berlin. The Great War Primary Document Archive, Inc. 1995

Blanco Review :: essays research papers

The book, Please Stop Laughing at Me by Jodee Blanco, is an inspirational story about the abuse she endured during her years at school. She had to deal with physical, verbal, and emotional abuse throughout her school year. Once I started this book I couldn’t put it down. I can remember back in elementary school being the new kid. The kids made fun of me because I was new, but once they gave me a chance they liked me. In junior high some kids would call me names, but that was it. Verbal abuse is all that I had to deal with on occasion. This is nothing compared to the things that Jodee endured through her years of school.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story begins with Jodee’s description of how she was victimized in a 4th grade Catholic grammar school; coming to the defense of deaf children that were being treated cruelly. She supplied the school officials with names and was labeled a â€Å"tattletale.† No one would talk to her, recess was spent in anguish, and she would find garbage and spoiled food in her book bag. As she progressed into 5th grade some of the social atmosphere began to shift in subtle but profound ways. Being accepted into a clique was all that mattered. Instead of being admired for class participation, as in earlier years she was laughed at and labeled as â€Å"teacher’s pet.† She said the rules were simple â€Å"shun or be shunned—if you weren’t willing to go along with the crowd, you would become the reject.† Sixth grade Jodee enrolled at a private academy and the first few months were without incident. Jodee reveled in having friends and tried to do everything right to stay in their good standing. The trouble started when she called her mother to leave a party early. Jodee begged her mother not tell what was going on with the twelve year olds—but they were all caught in the act. Monday morning at school she found her favorite suede shoes floating in a toilet bowl of urine with a note attached—â€Å"Bitch, this is just the beginning.† She was cruelly treated, spit at, beaten, and shunned on a daily basis. Her parents were sympathetic to her dilemma and finally forced her to see a psychiatrist. She was placed on medication that made her very sleepy. The psychiatrist said that â€Å"kids will be kids and that possibly she was looking for attention from her parents.

Gambling Essay examples -- essays research papers fc

Gambling, while it lowers taxes and creates jobs, it also causes addicts to lose money and therefore creates a higher crime rate.A Quick History of Gambling.Gambling was a popular pastime in North America long before there was ever a United States. Playing cards and dice were brought over by both the British and the Dutch. By the end of the 17th century, just about every countryseat in colonial America had a lottery wheel. Cockfighting flourished thoughout the countries, especially in the South. Bear Baiting was also a popular sport, but the Puritans banned it.(Ortiz 4)Almost 100 years later gambling in the West gave gambling a second life. Early church leader struck down all forms of gambling and so in the East gambling for the most part died completely. Far from both government controls and moral interference of reform groups in the East, gambling became so popular in the West that Monte tables were often setup in the middle of the town.(Donovon 13)Organized CrimeDuring the Prohibition Era (1920-1933), illegal gambling was organized into an authoritarian regional and national system. Responsibility for the syndication of gambling is usually attributed to Arnold Rothstein, who invented the inner-city layoff. He is also known for master minding the "Black Sox" scandal in which the White Sox threw the 1919 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds to assure gambling profits.Gambling legally, once again, becomes acceptable.Since the 1970s, the United States has turned full circle in its attitude toward gambling. Three hundred years ago, the "sport", mostly in the form of lottery, was seen as a perfectly acceptable way to raise money for public purposes.(Savage 12) Over the past several years, slow economic growth, cuts in federal funding to states, and growing public needs have forced many desperate state and even local government to seek additional sources of revenue. Most states have turned to lotteries, horse and dog racing, and, most recently, a growing number of states have resorted to casino gambling as a way to raise money and keep taxes low.(James B5)Sports gamblingDuring the late 1980s, and early 1990s, several states have tried to introduce sports betting, either as part of lottery, like sports pool, or as sports bookmaking. Never the less, the leader of the nation's sports integrity, including the National Basketball Association (... ... spend money gambling," and 59 percent thought that "gambling can erode young people's work ethics." The respondents were evenly split on whether "gambling teaches children that one can get something for nothing" with 49 percent agreeing and 48 percent disagreeing.(Siebel 82)ConclusionIn conclusion gambling is alright as long as its is done in moderation. Also if you know that you have a problem with gambling you should call the gamblers hotline so that you can get the help that you need before it's to late. I would also like to say I learned a lot from this research paper. I hope whomever reads this research paper does so to. Works CitedDonovan, Hedley. The Gamblers. Alexandria: Time-Life Books, 1978.Goddu, Jenn. "Blue Chip lives up too most of its goals." Hammond Post-Tribune 24 Feb. 1999: E1+James, Rich. "All five casinos show January revenue drop." Hammond Post-Tribune 23 Feb. 1999: B5+Ortiz, Darwin. Gambling Scams. New York: Dodd, Mead + Company, 1984.Savage, Jeff. A Sure Thing?. Minnesota: Lerner Publications Company, 1997.Siebel, Mark A, Nancy Jaids, and Alison Lanes. Gambling Crime or Recreation. Texas: Information Plus, 1996.

Syllabus Psy310

Copyright  ©2012, 2010, 2006 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description The purpose of this course is to familiarize the student with the various methods of inquiry, terminologies, and theoretical systems that comprise the history of psychology. A broader view is used to introduce the modern era of psychology and its use. These include: structuralism, functionalism, Gestalt, behaviorism, psychoanalysis, and phenomenological/existential approaches.Policies Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. †¢ Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. I f you have recently changed modalities, read the policies governing your current class modality. Course Materials Goodwin, C. J. (2008). A history of modern psychology (3rd ed. ). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.All electronic materials are available on the student website. |Week One: Psychology in Historical Perspective: Early Developments | |The Mind/Body Relationships of Psychology | | |Details |Due |Points | |Objectives |Examine the roots in early philosophy that lead to modern psychology. | | | |Identify major philosophers in the western tradition that were primary contributors to the | | | | |formation of psychology as a discipline. | | | | |Explore the development of the science of psychology during the 19th century. | | | | |Examine the historical elements of the study of the physical body and brain in antiquity. | | | |Describe major developments in medicine and biological studies that contributed to the early | | | | |field of psychology. | | | | |Identify major historical steps toward the mapping of brain structures that are associated | | | | |with behavioral processes. | | | |Reading |Read Ch. of A History of Modern Psychology. |Finish by Wed. |0 | |Reading |Read Ch. 2 of A History of Modern Psychology. |Finish by |0 | | | |Fri. | | |Reading |Read Ch. 3 of A History of Modern Psychology. |Finish by |0 | | | |Sun. | | |Reading |Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. Finish by |0 | | | |Mon. | | |Participation |Participate in class discussion. |Submit 2 posts |2 | | | |on 4 of 7 days | | | |Remember to participate in the class discussions 4 out of 7 days during the week (for | | | | |clarification see Course and Instructor Policies).Please review the What I Expect materials | | | | |in the Course Materials Forum. You may also want to review the How You Will Be Evaluated | | | | |materials to see how your participation posts will be graded. Individual posts to the Main | | | | |Forum will count towards your class participation score. | | | |Discussi on Questions |Respond to weekly discussion questions. Wed. , Fri. , & |2 | | | |Sun. | | | |DQs will be posted in the Main Forum. Please review the What I Expect materials in the Course| | | | |Materials Forum. You may also want to review the How You Will Be Evaluated materials to see | | | | |how your discussion questions will be graded. | | |Individual |Check into the class. Prepare for the course by reading all of the posts in the Course |Tues. , 10/30/12|0 | |Check Into Class |Materials Forum, the Main Forum, and the Chat Forum. Download the syllabus, instructor | | | | |policies and course assignment calendar. Post a reply to the Check-in thread in the Main | | | | |Forum, under the thread Getting Organized.Please indicate that you have read the following:| | | | | | | | | |You have read the syllabus and instructor policies documents and understand what is required | | | | |in this course. | | | |You have read all the materials I posted in the Course Materials Forum, the Main F orum, and | | | | |the Chat Forum. | | | | |You understand and agree to the participation requirements. | | | |Individual |Post your personal bio to the Chat Forum. Please ensure you state what your expectations are |Wed. , 10/31/12 |0 | |Post Bio in Chat Forum |for this class.

Leadership in Virgin Group Company History

Virgin Group is a diversified grouping of more than 200 privately held companies. The largest of these are Virgin Atlantic Airways, the number two airline in the United Kingdom; Virgin Holidays, a vacation tour operator; Virgin Rail, the second largest U. K. train operator; the Virgin Retail Group, which operates numerous Virgin Megastores, a retail concept featuring videos, music CDs, and computer games; and Virgin Direct, which offers financial services. Other Virgin businesses include beverage maker Virgin Cola, a record label, book and music publishing operations, hotels, an Internet service provider, movie theaters, a radio station, cosmetics and bridal retailing concepts, and a line of clothing. Holding this disparate group of companies together is the combination of Richard Branson and the Virgin brand name. British entrepreneur Branson dropped out of boarding school at the age of 17, in 1967, to start his own magazine. That venture was an immediate success, establishing the foundation for what would become a multibillion-dollar conglomerate during the 1990s. Along the way, Branson would attain cult status in his home country–the result of his business exploits quests for adventure, and unique personal style. The Virgin brand had meantime become, according to the company, one of the top 50 brands in the world by the late 1990s; a poll of British consumers at that time showed that 96 percent had heard of Virgin. Key Questions Q1. Given the freewheeling style of Branson and his managers, do you think that the virgin enterprises can be classified as a TQ organization? Why or why not? Yes I believe that virgin enterprises can be classified as a TQ organization because virgin is very successful group, their products are of high quality they focus on improving the quality all the time as improvement is the continuous process. Virgin has expanded their business a lot. Virgin has a great team of management they are very passionate and devoting to their work. Branson s moves reflected the immense growth and complexity of Virgin Group. Brans on always focus on caring people he do not have hard and fast rules but still he possess a large number of brands under one group Virgin. Q2. How well do you think that Branson and his managers perform the strategic planning process? What are some indicators that they do or not do strategic planning? Branson and his managers are performing strategic planning very well. they are fulfilling their objectives as their objectives were y y y y y y y Expansion internationally To lead the entertainment industry Increase the profit and for the sake of good reputation Quality improvement Competitive edge Utilization of new technology Loyalty among customers Virgin group have used diversification as their business is expanding very quickly and they are entering into new diversified markets. Some indications are y Virgin Atlantic air line is the good indicator as Branson was having a competitive edge because they were offering a luxury package and at low price while the competitors were charging high price with poor quality. Management was focusing on innovative plans so that they can meet customer expectations and satisfaction. y Q. 3How well do you think that Branson and his managers perform managerial and leadership tasks? How might these tasks be better balance? Richard Branson is very famous for his innovative, competitive and risky style of leadership. He adds value to his products in order to diversify his business. His leadership style is charismatic he creates the very friendly environment over work place and avoids strictness. Everybody was the part of organization and any one can participate in order to bring innovativeness rather just to follow orders. Top management encourages and motivates employees to obtain the best of their abilities and the best reward for the company. As the company benefit in other words is individual benefit. Benifits are meant for all members of organization so that everyone is motivated to do their jobs and tasks then be better balanced. The idea behind this is to promote the philosophy that the overall benefit of the company will lead to individual benefits for each person involved. Group contribution will eventually lead to rewards for executives, managers, employees, shareholders, and customers alike. Q4. What leadership theory do you think best fits the senior leadership of the virgin company? What theory best fit the Branson as leader? Why might there be a difference? Richard Branson is the born leader he is charismatic leadership style because he can influence any one very easily. Transformational leadership comes from the top managers and executives within the company. Leading is perhaps the most interesting and important function of management to the Virgin Group. The leadership dynamics start with Chairman Richard Branson. He is a very vocal and flamboyant leader. His mission is to inspire those who work below him to work to the best of their abilities for the good of the company. He often pushes his belief that by contributing to the good of the company it will increase the rewards for everybody involved. He has stated that he tries to bring the best out of people and does this for workers at the lowest levels as well as the top ranking executives. This philosophy is encouraged to all managers within the company. Management is expected to embrace this principle and pass it on to the employees that they are managing. Another aspect of Branson s leadership style is that he tends to give people a high level of freedom in their work . It is his goal to first give them direction in their work, and then let them take control of the situation there after. Freedom in their work allows them to excel without the need for micromanagement. Richard Branson s leadership style and vision for the company has made him the center of attention within many business and management discussions throughout the world.

Communication Effects on Daily Life

#4: Identify one or two direct ways in which mass media and culture impacted the 2012 national election results. Mass media had a profound impact on the 2012 presidential election. Mass media is one big community that includes a mainstream of media. Some of the biggest components of the mainstream are television, radios, and the Internet. Mass media is one of the most powerful tools used during national elections because it helps influence open-minded voters. Culture also heavily impacts the national election results because the United States is slowly becoming a multicultural society.Racial diversity is something that is so prominent in our lives and therefore it plays a key role in the political system. One direct way in which mass media impacted the election was through attitude influence. Romney and Obama were aware that attitudes could be influenced through the media and both candidates spent over 1 billion dollars during their campaigns, setting a new record. Throughout years a nd months leading up to the election, the campaigns used mass media to spread political support or disdain to thousands of potential voters. The television is one of the most important technologies that have impacted the election.It has remained ahead of other media for the past 8 years. Attitude influence can be shaped through political debates that are shown on TV. Millions of viewers watch television and tune in during the debates. The television helps reinforce previous attitudes and influence voters who are independent. The Internet is one other major key that impacted the election results. A decade ago, just one-in-fifty Americans got the news about a candidate from the Internet. Today, one-in-three Americans regularly get information about a candidate or the election online.These numbers show the candidates the importance of getting their message out to the public in order to gain more support. Culture heavily impacted the presidential election as well. The tremendous growth of minorities in the United States has lead to a greater impact of minorities during the presidential election. â€Å"A minority vote could make a difference in the presidential battleground†, (Zacarias, 2012). 2012 was a big year in elections because minorities could play a vital role in the outcome of the election. Obama and Romney both tried to get support from the minorities. Read also: â€Å"Advice About Communication†Obama constantly stated that he would reform immigration laws and this helped him gain more minority votes, which could have played a role in him beating Romney. Culture, and specifically minorities and immigration issues are going to become more and more popular in the upcoming elections. #3: Describe the effects of new technology on interpersonal communication, their accessibility, and their implications on global communication. New technologies are slowly taking over the world and a lot of face-to-face interactions happen through mediated technologies.Mediated communication is making it easier for people to communicate with each other, in a variety of contexts. Whether that is Skyping from school, conference calls at work or social networking with friends. One effect of the new technology is selectivity of the mass communication audience. New technology has made mass media become more selective. For example, newspaper-publishing c ompanies can now sort through hundreds of articles to publish or delete any column with a press of a button. This gives the gatekeeper a great responsibility because they have the ability to influence the flow of information to a receiver.The other big effect that technology has on interpersonal communication is enhancing communication. Technological innovations such as teleconferencing and telecommuting make it easier for people to communicate with others at separate locations. It is something that businesses of all kinds are adopting around the country. The effects of the new technology have given people the opportunity to extend relationships across local and national boundaries. â€Å"Currently, it’s estimated that there are 1. 1 billion people online throughout the world† (Internet Usage Statistics, 2007).This is an example of how much we rely on technology. New technology is in everything and everywhere we go. Through computers, cell phones, machines, satellites and e-mails; new technology have become more accessible to people in society. Just because technology has become more relied upon and accessible, does not mean it is necessarily good for society. One global implication is that it has made people more introverted. New technologies have become more convenient and therefore cause less human contact. People do not have to go outside of their home to get access to what’s currently going on around the world.The new technology also enables people to isolate themselves from the world and spend more time on media than perhaps other people. Not everyone has access to the new technologies and this creates a digital divide. On a more positive note, new technologies contribute to implement political or social change across. There will continue to be long-term global communication but it’s important that we don’t let technology overshadow human issues. #5: Think of a group you belong to. Describe your roles in relationship to the functioning of the group and any of the common difficulties that your group encounters in solving problems.The group I am going to pick for this decision is the executive committee. I am one of the 8 members in my fraternities executive committee. The executive committee consists of members that best represent the fraternity and meet when a decision or punishment needs to be made. The whole chapter votes the 8 members of the committee in and trust that decisions will be made to further the chapter’s excellence. Each person in the committee is equal in status. Some do not have power or authority over others. Last year I was the head of security for our house.With that being said, one on my primary roles is to give insight on issues that the guys might not know how to appropriately handle. I typically give suggestions and information to the committee that might not cross their mind right away. Opinion seeking, opinion giving and coordinating are things I keep in mind to he lp better the function of the group. I am going to talk about a situation that happened a few weeks ago. One of our brothers got drunk and decided to throw beer bottles in the street and curse our security. I happened to be on security tonight and talked to security so they did not have to come search our house.This brother put our house at risk and so there was an executive meeting called that next day. The overall consensus was to fine the brother 250. 00 for his actions. I gave insight and offered suggestions on how we could more effectively get through to the brother. The committee ended up listening to me and the brother is no longer allowed to drink in our house this semester. Since alcohol is essentially what caused him to act out in such a poor manner. The executive committee sometimes struggles when it comes to problem solving. Often the group is split and we have to call someone else in to count and therefore make the decision.One of the biggest problems that the group has when it comes to problem solving is railroading. Unfortunately there is always a guy or two, no matter what the issue is, that tries to force their will on the group. Another common problem that is often faced deals with constructive criticism. Some of the group members often attack each other if they feel offended instead of successfully challenging ideas. #6: What difficulties might arise with intercultural communication? Have you experienced any? Intercultural communication is something that has become so pervasive within the last few decades.This is due to advances in technologies and mass migration that has made long distance communication more reachable. One thing that is certain is that intercultural communication has become more available to the world. With that being said, there are several difficulties that might arise with the instant popularity of intercultural communication. The first difficulty that might arise is the use of language. Language differences go much deep er than simple translations. The Spair-Whorf hypothesis states that, â€Å"languages differ more than strict word-for-word translations often indicate because people who speak the languages have different needs. In high school my neighbor had an exchange student from Spain. I know the basics of the language as asked him for a vaso which I thought meant glass. It does mean glass but he made me aware that it could also mean substance. Even when we can manage to translate from one language to another with literal accuracy, the failure to understand idioms can create difficulties. Nonverbal messages are different throughout cultures and therefore can lead to difficulties and misunderstanding between people. The exchange student from Spain invited me over to his house one time.He asked me if I wanted something to drink and I nodded. He looked at me funny and did not move until I said yes please. I later found out that in Spain, nodding does not have the same meaning. Norms, roles, belie fs and values are also difficulties that might occur in intercultural communication. People in different cultures expect different behaviors from on another. â€Å"Each norm takes different forms in different countries (Christians and Traber, 1997). When it comes to greeting, in the United States people often shake hands or hug. In France it is common to kiss on the cheek.If a guy kissed a girl on the cheek here, he might leave with a black eye. Norms also can lead to misunderstandings. In our society, it is taught at an early age to speak up and make eye contact. However, in some countries, speaking up is considered disrespectful. Difficulties in intercultural communication might arise when it comes to beliefs and values. It happens often that someone from a country, who is speaking to people of a different country, might offend them. If people do not understand or accept the values of another country, difficulties and tensions will rise.Ethnocentrism and stereotypes are two probl ems that not accepting values of a country can lead to. Improving these perceptions will help reduce the amount of difficulties that are tied with intercultural communication. #7: Using your media/new technology journal, describe how mediated communication and communication technology affects your daily life. Apply concepts from the theories and textbook to explain your reliance (or lack thereof) on media. My laptop, cell phone and television are technologies that I use the most in life. I use these forms of technology everyday, in a variety of contexts.Whether that’s typing up a paper in my room, watching a football with friends, or Skyping with a friend in Paris. The types of technology and media listed in my journal have impacted communication in my life because I do not have as many face to face interactions and tend to be less extraverted. Whenever I use my laptop, I often get on the Internet. That’s because life has become so smooth with the Internet being easy t o access. Some of my main uses with it are connecting with friends, connect to social networks and browse different newsgroups to keep up on current information.According to USC’s Center for the Digital Future, 77. 6% of Americans are daily Interne users. That’s more than three quarters of the population and shows how important the Internet is in people’s daily lives. I will be the first to admit that I’d be lost without my cell phone. It is considered an essential in my daily life. Cell phones can be used in a variety of ways. Making phone calls, sending text messages, emailing, browsing the Internet and even shopping. With that being said, the main thing I use my cell phone for is convenience.Using my cell phone is not always a good thing though because it is sometimes a distraction and can be dangerous because sometimes I read texts while driving. The television is also a technology that I use to keep up with information. In my life, it serves as an ey e around the world. It helps educate myself through social, political and economic issues, which lead me to use selective attention. I often turn to the television for entertainment with friends because it helps bring us together and keep the dynamics of our group intact.Recent research finds that among college students the five most often used sources of news were, â€Å"hometown newspapers, comedy news, cable news, Internet news, and broadcast news† (Didi and LaRose, 2006). This shows how strong the relationship between personal and mediated communication can be in our daily lives. I use the media to choose communication that often confirms to my own beliefs. Selective exposure is something that I often do because seeking out something that is similar to my values or attitudes is something I would probably enjoy.