Web 2.0 Advantages and Disadvantages

Web 2.0 Advantages and Disadvantages Abstract: Web 2.0 can be described as different types of web applications which allow people to publish knowledge that they have created and also allow to share with other people as well as facilitating interoperability from any web application. This technology allows people to create, share, collaborate communicate. Web 2.0 does not require any technical skills to participate, This feature allows users to participate and use applications widely. For the last few years web 2.0 technologies are showing their clear impact on our world. Mainly these sites occupy lead role in terms of user density and also click density. The density of web 2.0 users is also getting increased day by day. So the means of communication between people and organizations changed from general print ads, television, radio, static websites etc to Web 2.0 applications. As we can target specific type of category, web 2.0 is the best way to communicate with people. So we can collaborate the whole process of communication like meetings, promotions, class rooms, support etc with web 2.0 applications. So organizations are trying to leverage on new web 2.0 technologies like Facebook, Secondlife, Youtube etc to improve their standards and also to get things done in fast manner. I have done research on how organizations leverage on new technologies to collaborate in every aspect of growth. I mainly focused on advertisement point of view as well as marketing point of view. I analyzed many web applications like Wikipedia, Slideshare, Youtube, Secondlife, facebook. Introduction: Background:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are several organizations which are mainly operated by the people and for the people. Universities stand first in that position when compared to other fields like industries, factories etc. Here the world has been changing dramatically in such a way that people are seeking support from electronic world for their needs like to build new relationship, to gain knowledge and so on. Now internet has become the basic need for all people and it grabbed a reasonable amount of time from people. So universities now a days are planning to shift themselves partially or fully towards electronic world and collect attention of people to them selves for knowledge sharing. We are now in the age of using Web 2.0 technology where any one can communicate their opinions to any one. They really help us in communicating things to world in just fraction of seconds.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Digital natives in the above diagram means people with digital knowledge background. People who possess knowledge about digital applications like mobiles, internet, digital communication etc. Information is being shared between people who are aware of internet. This is already in the use from the start of internet and internet is used by people who know internet only. Internet Economics means economy that moves on internet through different applications. Internet economics is not very new for us and now a days businesses are completely dependant on internet and most of the large scale trading are been done using internet in digital format only, which can carry some benefits. This scenario helps in good in the faster growth of business. Read / Write Web means the common platform where we can read the information and at the same time we can write our own information. In general internet scenario we can either read or write like viewing a website or uploading a website. In classrooms also we can either find learning things while supervisor demonstrates. We can not demonstrate while we learn in such a way that we can add amendments immediately. But using this Read/write technology we can add amendments as per our thinking. Combination of digital natives, Internet economics and Read/Write web will lead to Web 2.0 technology. The best example for this is Ebay where we can sell our products (internet economics) by adding them into catalog and people can review them instantly(read/write web) and the site will be used by people who know internet in their computer or smart phones(digital natives) Web 2.0 can easily generate huge knowledgebase within fraction of seconds. That Knowledgebase is the combination of people, technology and process. Huge knowledgebase is being produced using the Read / Write web technology, with Internet Economics process by millions of people who are hands together. The huge database thus created will be helpful for millions of people again. Web 2.0 is a relationship between Many People -to-Many People. In this pattern it is quite common that content will get changed very frequently and also many visitors follow frequently updated content only. In that situation no one wants to look at websites which are updated by admin once for a week. People requirement for huge knowledgebase demanded for the development of web 2.0 applications and as usage of those applications have increased, people started searching for business within those applications. An example for that is Wikipedia. Wikipedia will be getting updated very frequently by millions of volunteers and also is getting updated. This is how we are using read / write technology to collaborate. 1.2 : Background and brief history of Web 2.0 in Universities : Web 2.0 in universities: Even though web 2.0 revolution has started few years back, web 2.0 implementation is not 100% done for 100% of universities. Universities are trying different technologies to leverage their businesses. Universities need to walk more steps ahead defeating the odds like un-implementation. Issues in Web 2.0 implementation in Universities: Rejection of change (like using new technology for teaching) is playing key role in the process of slow implementation of web 2.0 technology. Students, Lecturers have their fear of using new technology because of un-implementation only. Another factor for slow adoption of Web 2.0 system is no motivational force, which actually occurs when no body implements well and lack of exact correct information about things. People are much aware of Web 1.0 technology only and they are fear using Web 2.0, this is also a factor for non-implementation of Web 2.0 technology. People are confident in using old type of teaching and learning assuming that it is the correct process and web 2.0 will not suit for teaching and learning. That created impression that Web 2.0 is not suitable for teaching. Copyrighted problems are another problem of using web 2.0 technology. We can not digitalize things because of copyrighted issues. As web 2.0 stands for openness and networks, there is no security for copyrights. Universities are facing problem using web 2.0 in that aspect. Fear of culture aversion to innovation: Large institutions can not implement web 2.0 as a whole for the entire organization because of several factors like bureaucracy, governance, procedures for decision-making. So it needs a lot of creativity and high motivation for the implementation of web 2.0 application for institutional cause. Barriers to the use of Web 2.0 technology: Fear of facing criticism: Managers in the top level who are decision makers are fear about facing criticism about the procedure of web 2.0 technology. The main cause for that is they cant experiment with people changing traditional model of teaching and learning. Fear of Security: As we all know it Web 2.0 is meant for openness and any one can create profiles with any name(which are available) and they can scrap anything that they want. So as fresher for Web 2.0 technology, managers cant risk keeping security aspect away from mind. Suppose if any university starts using web 2.0 in any social community like secondlife Security is main aspect there where we can signup with any lecturer username (if he/she have not taken yet) and may guide students wrongly. These type of instances will fear managers not to implement things. Elements for a strategy of web 2.0 adoption in universities: The adoption of a web 2.0 approach to learning in universities is a complex process confronting important technological, managerial and human barriers. For these reasons the design of a set of objectives and a strategy accepted and promoted by the managers, especially those in charge of knowledge management, is absolutely needed. This first step requires in many cases radical cultural changes for people used to work and make decisions in a different scenario. Learning from Experiences: Since we are in the stage of experimenting with Web 2.0. We can not expect tremendous results from this but we can find a path to move through this system very fast. Following leads in inner organizations: When we find inner organizations, some people will be more interested in using new technology and some will not. So people who have interest in Web 2.0 learn faster than others and they can show the path to make others learn about new technology. This will allow system to implement new technology. Learning from industry: when we consider similar institutions, only few institutions will take initiation and they will adopt new technologies which will help them in gaining fast experiences than others. So organizations which did not perform any experiments on web 2.0 can learn things from already implemented organizations which is a quicker way for learning things with out failure. Open access and use of contents : The core advantage of Web 2.0 is openness and heavy availability of content to anyone. This allows creativity for the users and easy for finding things available with tagging. The information should be search engine friendly and this content should be easy to catch in search engines also. Design of institution as platform for knowledge sharing: This is main aspect in Web 2.0 technology. Institutions should allow users to post knowledge related information from both internal and external users of the organization platform. This allows users to show creativity and helps in finding new solutions for problems. This will also lower cost for innovation. The external development of web 2.0 tools would reduce considerably the costs of IT infrastructure and software. This will also help in fastening knowledge sharing. References: Freire, Juan (2008). Universities and Web 2.0: Institutional challenges. eLearning Papers N º 8. ISSN: 1887-1542 The adoption of a web 2.0 approach to learning in universities is a complex process confronting important technological, managerial and human barriers, and an adaptive strategy is needed that could be designed from previous experiences of educational, research and business organizations. This strategy could include the following lines: Learning from previous and on-going experiences, before developing a priori technology and protocols inside the institutions. Both lead users inside the organization and other organizations adopting web 2.0 tools and paradigms should be especially useful. Opening the access and use of contents. Web 2.0 is especially useful and creative when knowledge is digitized, modular and allowed to be used and distributed in a flexible way. Designing organizations as open platforms for knowledge creation and sharing, both among members of the internal community and with the participation of external users. References: Freire, Juan (2008). Universities and Web 2.0: Institutional challenges. eLearning Papers N º 8. ISSN: 1887-1542 Paul Anderson (Feb 2007) : JISC Technology and Standards Watch John Seely Brown and Richard P. Adler : Minds of Fire open education, the long tail, web 2.0 Web 2.0 Uses in universities: Research Questions: What is the significance of web 2.0 in universities? How universities are getting benefited from Web 2.0 technologies? How many universities are using web 2.0 to collaborate their classrooms? What are those? How many universities are using Facebook to communicate with students? How can use twitter to collaborate notice board? Can we use Youtube for video demonstrations? How universities are using Secondlife to conduct virtual classrooms? Is virtual classroom really beneficial for the student to learn? How blogs are helpful for universities? What is the use of Slideshare in the process of learning? Can we use web 2.0 applications in mobiles or PDAs? How can we leverage advertising programs to web 2.0? Summary: Chapter 1 presents the basic introduction and background of Web 2.0 technologies in which I explained briefly about Web 2.0. Research questions are also phrases in this chapter. This chapter will give better idea of web 2.0 technologies. Chapter 2 demonstrates about literature review in which the concept of Web 2.0 is explained clearly. I presented brief introduction about Facebook, Blogger, Youtube and other web 2.0 applications. Organizational uses of Computer mediated environments is an sub chapter included in the chaper 2 Chapter 3 gives an idea of different research methodologies where I presented different methods to do a research study. I also included survey with a Web 2.0 user and I resolved solution for my research study. Chapter 4 demonstrates findings like how web 2.0 is getting used by organizations. I concluded my research with chapter 5 with my opinions about Web 2.0 in Organizations. Literature Review: World before Web 2.0 : Before 2003, the world looked to be to be semi connected. We used to check static sites and emails on the internet. Even though we had emails and websites, the world looked to be semi connected. Assuming if we had started a business and update in our website, it used to get days to reach people about update as there was no proper network between people and the only connectivity between them is emails. In that situation, suppose if we want updated content, then it may take 1-2 weeks to get indexed by search engines and used to appear after a week time in search engines. There was no question of possibility to collaborate their businesses in those days. That was the problem of huge organizations and we can estimate small and middle level organizations about that. In that situation people used to depend on website administrators only for the site updates. In that the system is manual in such a way that, whole system used to depend on single or multiple persons for updating. No one knows when site will get updated and they need to check back for intimations. WEB 2.0 : Introduction : Web 2.0 is a set of economic, social, and technology trends that collectively form the basis for the next generation of the Internet—a more mature, distinctive medium characterized by user participation, openness, and network effects. (OReilly Radar) Web 2.0 has been described as an attitude not a technology by Davis (2005). We can call Web 2.0 as social revolution or social networking in which people will form a network of own interests and get intimations about them within seconds. In this way of social networking, any information could get pass with out delay. According to OReilly, Paul Graham and Dion HinchCliffe, who are WEB 2.0 creators. Web 2.0 is here and it is big; Architecture of Participation, the Network Effect (social network), and Harnessing the collective intelligence are fundamentally new and different from web 1.0; Web 2.0 is more about a paradigm shift in how people use the web, less about new technology. Web 2.0 is not based on a technology shift, but rather a usage Paradigm shift There are also people who argue Web 2.0 is functionally similar to Web 1.0 and there is have no difference. But we should agree the fact that people accepted Web 2.0 very well and are using in their daily routine. Fundamental Difference between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 is before 2003 we used to operate internet for websites and emails. The websites were been modified by the owners itself and people will not get any intimations for the modifications performed on that website. People must run an application in their client system to access anything. (like ms outlook for emails). That made things complex and people got bored of their non-participation. Revolution of social networking sites totally changed the way that people think. We need not install software in client system to access applications. Those applications will get installed in the server itself and can be accessible in any system using browser. Web 2.0 has changed entire world of communication and people started blogging and other networking , People who got waxed with non participation started social networking in their own way. Web 2.0 technologies like Youtube, myspace, facebook, flicker, blogs, RSS, Second life have came into limelight, People started creating their indentity in several web 2.0 websites and started growing their network with the help of communities. Web 2.0 has enlarged in such a way that major companies like google, Microsoft, yahoo started buying Web 2.0 sites like youtube, myspace for millions. Core advantage in collaborating businesses using Web 2.0 is a single line of publishing will blast information to thousands of people which lead to quic k updating and ultimately reaches goal of targeting people for sales as well as support. Limitations with Web 1.0 Technology: Web 1.0 was meant for the purpose of viewing HTML documents and file sharing (FTP). That was not pretty good for some important functionality like Interactivity: This is very important for web applications especially for dynamic web applications. We may need auto refresh content grabbed from database which will help people in getting updated content within seconds. As this type of interactivity is very important for applications and Web 1.0 got failed in this feature which supports click and page refresh only. One Way communication : Web 1.0 supports only single way communication as phone call system in such a way that client has to pull data from server if he wants and server wont push any data automatically with out client interaction. That might be good methodology and it did not suited us in viewing automated content. This type of communication has inspired for the development of AJAX, which is one of Web 2.0 technologies. Using AJAX we can initiate two way communication which actually works as client pull as well as server push. Lack of Data Reliability: Actually in business applications we need to send and get data safely from server to client and vice versa. There should not occur lose of packets which sends data from source to destination. So using web 1.0 technology there are some limitations which could not guarantee safe journey of packets from source to destination. Mobile browsing non supportability: Applications developed using Web 1.0 could not be loaded in mobile browsers (which is called WAP browsing). This is another limitation for Web 1.0 technology. Even though we need to go more ahead than Web 2.0 to utilize WAP services effectively, we have achieved a bit in case of Web 2.0 technology. (Using Web 2.0 technology also we could not achieve things like video upload etc, but we can view websites) Lack of support for Rich user experience : Web 1.0 will not support rich user experience and we need toi refresh every time to check the content. Say if we want to signup for email account, it used to take 5 minutes at least (as we did used to check username will server every time). Now if we want to signup it will not take more than a minute. Benefits of Web 2.0 Technology: Web 2.0 technologies is widely used in peer to peer networks, social networks, web blogs, forums etc. More benefits of Web 2.0 technologies are Acceleration: It accelerates the performance of web applications and could transfer data very fast from server to client system and the data will be very much reliable. Good User Interaction: Web 2.0 supports great user interaction in such a way that user could navigate through options very easily. Simple and great way of publicizing things: This could be achieved using Web 2.0 technology with the help of social networks, blogs, forums, Second life. Cheap way of advertising things: Generally if we want to advertise things on electronic media, it may cost several dollars, but when we use Web 2.0 technologies like web blogs, social networks we can reach thousands of people with just a dollar cost. Several solutions for single problem: We can find several solutions for single problem posted, which got posted in networking sites, web blogs etc. I tried learning ASP.NET few months back in that situation I got struck about initiation into programming. Then I used facebook, orkut communities for solution where I got at least 30 responses in 24 hours time from people who are anonymous to me. Easy way to collaborate business: Using Web 2.0 technology we can collaborate businesses which leads to finding new solutions. People can find solutions for the real life problems using virtual ways. Leveraging Business: We can leverage our business using these of web 2.0 tools like facebook, orkut, Second life. Main thing that leverages business will be instant messaging like RSS feeds. One of my friends got benefited in stock market because of RSS news where he gets every second updated news about listed companies in NASDAQ. Easy Online Presence: This is the revolution which is been showing impact in the development of web 2.0 technology. We are enjoying benefits of Web 2.0 technology in such a way that we can purchase things online using web hops such as ebay showcase etc. Is Web 2.0 an end for web development? : Absolutely NO Web 2.0 is not an end for Web development techniques. We do have many other things to be implemented on portable devices such as mobiles. They can be implemented in advanced technology of Web 2.0 only and we are assuming that to be Web 3.0 technology, let us wait until we got things more sophisticated. Mean while we can research for more Web 2.0 applications while will help businesses to collaborate them. Computer Mediated Environment (CMEs): What is CME: Different environment that are set about by computers is called computer mediated environments. In other words, if two computers are connected each other through a means of computer then it can be called as Computer Mediated Environment. General internet applications like emails, chats, social networks are examples for CMEs. Suppose a person in India is in contact with a person in United Kingdom through computers, then it can be called as Computer Mediated Environment. Here the media is computer so we are calling as computer mediated environment. Basic internet communication environment using applications like emails, chats can also be categorized into Computer Mediated Environment. Reference : Communications of the Association for Information Systems (Volume 15, 2005) 82-91 Impact of Web 2.0 on CMEs : Every system which are connected through systems are termed to be computer mediated environment. Also server to personal computer environment can also be stated as CME and websites can be categorized into that. With the adoption of web 2.0 technologies the nature of CMEs have entirely changed and people started using computer mediated environments as frequent as they can, which is the main reason of Web 2.0 revolution. People started using internet very well and so applications like mails, chat, video streaming etc. Web 2.0 got its importance in combining all the applications on a single platform. We have improved functionalities on a single platform in such a way that we can login into a website, email friends, chat with them with out using separate software installation, participate in community discussions, view videos, have conversation about my desertion project etc. All the above things can be handled with out need of separate account logins. This could be possible using web 2. 0 only. Thus Web 2.0 changed the way people deal with internet. Also Web 2.0 technologies made human to depend for any kind of solution. Facebook : Facebook is the social networking website which was started in the year 2004. Mark Zuckerberg is the Founder, who started his facebook empire in Massachussetts, USA. The head quarters is located in California, USA. More than 900 people are being employed in Facebook Inc. Main features of Facebook: Facebook is the social networking website where users are interconnected to each other on single platform. That platform is nothing but Facebook. Not only user to user connectivity, but also have organization to user connectivity, which helps in leveraging business techniques. Users need to signup with facebook in order to use services from facebook website. Organizations can also start their own groups to which they can send invitations to users and subscribed users will get updates from moderator of the particular group(or community). The above is most interesting factor about facebook and the most helpful thing for businesses and we shall discuss about this in our next chapter. In facebook there are other options like walls, where we can post our ads which will be displayed to other users. News feeds are also helpful for users in facebook, in which users will get automatic updates like profile changes, event updates from their friends. Facebook also prov ides image hosting, where we can get unlimited photos to host. Another option called tagging which will be available to tag(mark) things using keywords. This option will be most useful one to identify things quickly by other users. Many of the universities have their organizational groups in facebook (organizational groups are referred to as official groups) and friends group is referred to as student groups (these groups are been maintained by friends only for intercommunication). The main source of income for Facebook Inc is through banner ads and text ads. We can also send virtual gifts to other users. There is another option called chatting to chat with other users and poking option to poke users. Another important feature here in facebook is posting classified ads. Users can post classified ads in facebook for free of cost. This feature is very much useful for small businesses. Facebook started itself as simple graphical interface(only with text) and have grown to fully graphic al interface. About 11 months back, facebook started its profile linking with customized name like www.facebook.com/satishkakollu Facebook can also been viewed on other mobile devices also. Facebook has its own applications developed by its development team as well as voluntary contributors who contribute applications developed by their own. We can make some communication interfaces very ease using those applications. Facebook has their portal in different languages including Thai, Chinese, Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil and many more. Sources: Eldon, Eric. 2008 Growth Puts Facebook In Better Position to Make Money. VentureBeat. http://venturebeat.com/2008/12/18/2008-growth-puts-facebook-in-better-position-to-make-money/. Facebook frowns on buddy-buyer company, By The New York Post. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/facebook_frowns_on_buddy_buyer_company_DixVGIpAnBGuoWCeMqt5QJ http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/10/zuckerberg-facebook-will-have-a-business-plan-in-three-years http://developers.facebook.com/news.php Second Life: Second life.com is a virtual world website developed by Linden Lab in the year 2003. This website is accessible through specific software called Second life viewer. Residents can explore, meet other residents, socialize, participate in the activities of individuals and groups, and create and trade virtual property and services to cope with, or running around the world, which residents call the grid. Second Life, people over 18 years old, and young people who for the second life 13 to 17 years of age. Features of Second Life : Second life can be viewed via Second life viewer software only. Users will be termed as residents and they will communicate with each other using customized avatars. Secondlife viewer will accept keyboard strokes only and we can fly from one region to another region using keyboard keys. There are several options like that and we can explore a lot of things using second life. Residents are of different types both free and paid. Now a days second life is charging $9.95 for paid members and comparing to free member it has advanced options. We can virtually reside in any place of the world which is the new concept of web 2.0. We can purchase things using Linden Dollar, this is the specialized currency in secondlife where we can purchase land ownership, islands etc. We can also purchase surname of the user, so that user can choose ours in the surname of their username as surname must be choosen from available username and business can purchase surnames to make th em available to students. There are many opportunities for innovation and profit in the world, Second Life, because in the real world. To open a shop, sell gadgets, become a land speculation, the choice is you can make. Many residents are part or all of their real life income second life business. We can find different types of environments in Second life, some of them are Dancer, Musician, Editor, Player, Landscape etc. We can join in that particular environment. Business in Second Life: We can do business in Second life like buying properties and maintaining our own organizations. We can maintain virtual classrooms and also can give presentations over there. Secondlife also helps in providing good market place for our businesses and many of the universities (mainly business schools and Top Companies) are already been there to satisfy their demand. I did observed companies like IBM having their virtual space there. Sources : https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/User:Philip_Linden http://tleinsl.com/index.htm http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2009/03/million.html http://slurl.com/secondlife/Virtual%20Estonia/140/111/57/ Blogger: Blogger was started by Pyra Labs in August 1999 in San Francisco. Even though those days were boomed with dotcom revolution, they faced problems in getting them selves funded by venture capitalists. Using blogger, We can publish our voice for free and as simple as mailing, this is the core advantage of web 2.0 and in the previous case (in web 1.0 we must be aware of html code atleast to modify a website). With this the revoultion of easeness in web 2.0 technologies started. we can maintain our website for free of cost using blogger which comes with www.ourname.blogger.com (also www.ourname.blogspot.com after google purchased blogger). Simple user interface is the positive aspect for blogger.com where we can post our content using simple admin panel within seconds. We can use custom templates for our website. We can even upload our template to that website. We can easily make search engines to index our site easily. This is another core advantage of blogger and because of the same reason, many businesses have their blogs to communicate with people. Time stamping feature make blogger more popular, as user can know what is going on in those blog with time. Actually to upload photoes and videos to our website, it will take alot of coding work when we use web 1.0 but using blog

The origins of the word stress

The origins of the word stress The opening subject of this literature review relates to the origins of the word stress and how pioneer Dr Hans Selye was the catalyst in creating a greater interest on this topic. Following his hypothesis and subsequent definition of the word stress, many prominent researchers have delved deeper into the subject to formulate their own assumptions. Clearly, a substantial amount of research has been conducted in this area and hence a number of descriptions of the word stress exist. This may be a contributory factor as to why much uncertainty exists in relation to stress per se, and why the apposing schools of thought have formed conflicting opinions on Selyes interpretation on the subject. In fact the following quote written by the Pioneer of Stress himself is regularly cited in numerous publications relating to the subject matter: Stress, like Einsteins theory of relativity, is a scientific concept which has suffered from the mixed blessing of being too well known and too little understood (Selye,1980) Origins of the word stress Stress is a word derived from the Latin word stringere, meaning to draw tight (Arnold, 2005). Definition of Stress Stress has become a legitimate concern for most and a talking point for people from all walks of life . However, when agencies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and International Labour Organisation (ILO) draw attention the prevalence of stress in the work place, it substantiates the importance for those particularly in the Hospitality Industry, to pay more attention to this issue and its consequences. (Faulkner, 1997). One can clearly see why many scholars have chosen to explore the subject in greater detail. Consequently, each have formed their own definitions and models in accordance with their research on this subject . Most of the definitions given by the stress gurus in the past number of years, correspond with the definition used by the Founder of this subject, Dr Hans Seyle. His definition is regularly cited as : Stress is the nonspecific response of the body to any demand, whether it is caused by, or results in, pleasant or unpleasant conditions.  [i]   In a similar context Griffin and Moorhead (Griffin, 2009) define stress as: Stress is a persons adaptive response to stimulus that places excessive psychological or physical demands on that person Therefore, one school of thought believes that a stress reaction is triggered when an individual faces a challenging situation. Whereas, Harrisons viewpoint on stress challenges the theory that stress is a symptomatic response to excessive demands placed on an individual and proposed that a stress reaction occurs when an individual is unable to adapt to circumstances imposed on them. In his book Theories of Organisational Stress Cooper quoted Harrison view that: stress arises when (1) the environment does not provide adequate supplies to meet a persons needs; or (2) the abilities of the person fall short of demands that are prerequisite of receiving supplies; (Cooper, 1998). Conventional Stress Theory Models There appears to be two conventional models relating to the subject matter. The stimulus based response relates to stressors that are believed to initiate reactions whereas the response based model which defines stress as a pattern of behavioural responses. Thus suggesting that an individuals stress coping mechanism will vary and that different stimuli ignite different responses. Field et al wrote the following Evidence is clear that different individuals respond to the same set of stimuli differently, but a single subject responds to different stimuli consistently. (Field, 1985) The work situation has the potential to create many stressful scenarios which generally are perceived negatively, however, in some instances the pressure to perform can drive those with an internal locus of control to perform more efficiently. (Levi, 1972). Instinct has taught man to assess situations and form opinions on whether the state of affairs is perceived as a challenge or hindrance stressor. Challenge stressors are a source of stress that have a positive direct effect on motivation and performance (Dubrin, 2009) whereas Hindrance stressors lead to de-motivation and impaired performance levels. Role Theory In order for any organisation to achieve its strategic goals and gain competitive advantage, it must have the correct set of resources and well defined standard operating processes in place. (St. John, 2010) Organisational objectives require the completion of a specific set of procedures which are usually assigned to various individuals within the organisation . Therefore, prior to recruitment stage the business entity is required to establish a manpower plan. This plan should include a job analysis, job descriptions and person specification for each role required (Nickson, 2007) . Associated with each role is a set of standards and norms of conduct that the role occupant (and others) expect from the holder of the position. (Bennet, 1994) To conduct their business activity, Hotels require a number of role specific positions within their organisational structure. One essential role is Sales. The simplest way to think of the nature and role of selling ( or salesmanship as it is sometimes termed) is to make a sale. This seemingly obvious statement disguises what is often a very complex process, involving the use of a whole set of principles, techniques and substantial personal skills, and covering a wide range of different selling types of selling task (Lancaster, 1994) Those employed by the organisation , will not only be expected to fulfil a specific set of duties in an efficient manner, but will also be required to align their behavioural practices in accordance with the Corporate Culture . (Dubrin, 2009) Role theory sees large organisations as systems of interlocking roles. These roles relate to what people do and what people expect of them rather than their individual identities (Stranks, 2005) . One inevitability that exists in a Service Orientated Environment e.g. a Hotel, is that each role within the organisational structure is interdependent. The capricious nature of the Hospitality business requires regular interactions with various people holding different positions within the service chain. Roles that involve selling an intangible service require a high level of interaction with the operational departments. Communication is vital to ensure that those providing the service will match or exceed the expectations that have been formed by the client when the sale was affected. The concept of the Psychological Contract reflects mutual expectations of those working within the same framework, each will form specific expectations and perceptions of an individuals performance level. Even those who do not have direct involvement in selling come into contact with it in their roles as consumers. Perhaps, because of this familiarity, many people have strong, and often misplaced, views about selling and sales people. (Lancaster, 1994) Many a time, when low occupancy levels exist, a large percentage of the hotel employees would point the finger of blame at the Sales Team. This coupled with clients raising expectations creates the need for a Sales Person to perform a balancing act to satisfy all stakeholders. In 2000 Wetzels, de Ruyter and Bloemer wrote : Another source of role stress for salespeople is the lack of empowerment and flexibility in trying to meet customers service expectations while following company guidelines (Knight, 2007) Research studies show that conflicting demands can cause confusion among employees and lead to the creation of stressful situations. (Kavitha, 2009) (Kavitha: 2009)  [ii]   Three factors that may contribute towards Role Stress are Role Ambiguity, Role Conflict and Role Overload. Role Stress A warning sign that indicates that role stress may be evident , is when an individual shows signs of being unable to fulfil their role. (Bennet, 1994). In 1978 Katz and Kahn describe the term role stress as: is the implied uncertainty felt when role incumbents think that they can not accomplish all the role demands (Fischer, 2010) There may be many factors that influence this condition such as a mismatch of role to the individual or even that the appropriate induction and on the job training may not been provided. In both instances, be it either a wrong recruitment decision or insufficient induction training has not been provided , the organisation is in fact setting the individual up for failure. Hence, the company has inadvertently created the situation through inadequate planning. Therefore, to minimise the instances a job description should be compiled. This will act as a blue print for the personnel specification which outlines the type of applicant the company is seeking (Lancaster, 1994) Role Ambiguity This source of occupational stress, stems from a lack of clarification of what is expected in terms of responsibilities , performance expectations and guidance through regular feedback. Role ambiguity denotes uncertainty about the expectations, behaviours, and consequences associated with a particular role (Cooper C. L.) Furthermore, when employees are uncertain of what their role entails it can have a negative affect on job satisfaction levels. Role ambiguity, the lack of clear and specific information regarding work role requirements, has also been linked repeatedly with job stress and low job satisfaction (Cordes, 1993) Role Conflict Most of the time, Sales teams are faced with the dilemma of having to meet the needs of conflicting objectives e.g. achieving the companys sales targets in addition to offering value to the customer. Therefore, it is common occurrence for conflicting obligations to arise simultaneously. According to the demand-job control model, workers experience most stress when the demands of the job are high, yet they have little control over the activity (Dubrin, 2009) There are two rules for anyone working in a service related industry :- The Customer is always right When the Customer is wrong refer back to rule number one. Sales workers are required to regulate their feelings and emotions to meet organisational goals (Grandey, 2000) Such situations can lead an Sales Person to have a conflict between personal and corporate values, having to mask ones feelings can lead to a moral dilemma. This issue may lead an individual to feel hindered and hence trigger a flight response which would lead the individual opt towards leaving the organization. (Cordes, 1993) Role Overload The idiom The early bird catches the worm could not be more apt for those involved in selling products or services. The current Economic Scenario coupled with crisis in Neighbouring States has escalated competitively between companies which are battling for the same business. Time is of the essence and the constraint of not having sufficient time can cause a great deal of stress. Role overload occurs when there are insufficient resources to meet the demands of all that is required. Role overload occurs when an incumbent has too many duties and responsibilities (Kruger, 2008) Highly driven individuals may choose to work longer hours in order to complete all their tasks. (Arnold J. J., 2005) . However, sustaining this working pattern over a prolonged period of time will take a toll on an employees wellbeing (Arnold J. J., 2005), Under such circumstances there is a tendency for an individual to reach a plateau, more commonly known as Job Burn Out. Dubrin describes Job Burn Out as a pattern of emotional and mental exhaustion in response to chronic job stress. When workers feel both physically and psychologically drained it often prompts them to consider leaving their current place of employment. (Yuen, 1998) . Latent turnover brings with it additional expenses to the company. i.e. recruitment and training costs for replacement plus the disruption it may cause to other workers who will be requested to share the burden of the workload until such time the new replacement is able to work up to full capacity levels. (Arnold J. J., 2005). Environment Some professions are more prone to stress than others. Each occupation has its own potential environmental sources of stress. (Arnold J. J., 2005) Often a work environment can impede productivity if the working area has not been planned to facilitate the work flow process. Factors that can contribute towards stress are poorly designed offices, inadequate ventilation, lighting of strategic location. (Atkin, 2009) The physical design of a workplace can be another potential source of stress. If an office is poorly designed, with personnel who require frequent contact spread throughout the building, poor communication networks can develop, resulting in role ambiguity and poor relationships (Arnold J. J., 2005) Locus of Control Julian B. Rotter, conducted research on personality type behaviours. His studies created a framework known as the Locus of Control. His hypothesis referred to individual perceptions over the control of events that may affect an individual. His theory concluded that those who believed that situations arise due to ones personal contribution are said to have a High Internal Locus of Control whereas those who believed that either fate, destiny or others had power over them have are said to have a Low Internal Locus of Control. (Dubrin, 2009) . Those working in Sales are often faced with rejection, when a client refuses their proposal. Highly competitive rates offered by the competition, rigid pricing policy, client preferences, more advantageous commissions and logistics are some but a few of the reasons why clients may refuse an offer. Regular rejection may gradually demoralise a Sales person and hence it is important for them to remain motivated. (Lancaster, 1994) . Training of Stress Management Techniques Generally organisations concentrate more on skills training than they do on stress management training. On the whole, it is presumed that individuals should instinctively know how to handle stressful situations and hence the general belief that organisational intervention is not required. There are three self help techniques that can be utilised for management of stress. (Dubrin, 2009) These are :- Control Symptom Management Escape Control There are several actions that an individual can take in order to control their stress levels such as learning to accept ones limitations. Those who strive for perfection are often intrinsically motivated and generate more stress on themselves than their superiors. Sometimes, from merely adapting ones work habits can have a substantial impact on reducing stress levels. Those who are highly driven should stop from time to time and take stock of their work- life balance (Rees, 2008). When a person neglects other aspects of life outside work, such as time with family, friends and physical exercise, the person is more likely to suffer from stress (Dubrin, 2009) Symptom Management Those who submit themselves to excessive amounts of pressure should learn a Relaxation Response Technique. Something as simple as a five minute day dream can allow the body to reset itself back to a normal pace. (Dubrin, 2009). Alternatively, by performing high output tasks when one feels that they at their physical peak time during the working day. Regular Physical Exercise can also help to combat stress and is far more beneficial stimulant than caffeine and nicotine. Infact, more progressive organisations are realising the benefits of exercise and are either including gym facilities for their team members to use during break times or free membership to the Gym. Escape More commonly known as the Flight Response, they may be occasions that the only way to combat stress is to remove the stressor from your life. Those who reach the precipice should consider their current skill set and which role would best suit their abilities. (Rees, 2008) Latent Turnover When a moderate amount of stress exists within the working environment, those who have an internal locus of control will not be defeated by a moderate level of challenge and often rise to the occasion through self motivation techniques . However, when excessive amounts of stress exist over a large span of time, it will lead towards more negative attitudes towards their job. According to the National Statistics Office of Malta,  [1]  Life Style Survey of 2007 only 29.7 % of respondents reported that they derive satisfaction from their current job. (NSO, 2007). In the local hospitality sector there has been a 0.7% decline to the workforce to 7.5%  [2]  . (NSO, Labour Force Survey: Q3/2010, 2010) It is estimated that 45 % of unwanted job turnover is stress related (Dubrin, 2009). This rather alarming figure demonstrates that there appears to be a strong correlation between occupational stress and turnover. Based on the review of all the relevant literature, the purpose of this study is to examine the following :- The sources of Stress for Hotel Sales Teams Their perceptions on stress Organisational Intervention Methods Whether constant levels of stress would prompt them to leave the Company.

Heap Leaching :: Gold Mining Miners Minerals Essays

Heap Leaching Heap leaching is a method used most commonly for the mining of gold. Along with heap leaching comes many environmental concerns and considerations. In order to decrease these environmental concerns, there must be regulations placed on the mining of gold. Regulations can stem from control acts, enforced by the Department of Energy and other agencies similar to this, to simple regulations dealing with the equipment companies must use in their daily excavations. The heap leaching method used to extract gold uses cyanide as part of the process. This can be â€Å"toxic to fish and wildlife† and is therefore an environmental concern with the mining of gold (Bartlett 79). Some other concerns taken into consideration when dealing with gold mining and heap leaching are â€Å"preventing bird poisoning on wet heaps and solution storage ponds [†¦as well as amounts of] wind blown dust and other air contaminants [which] can be serious† problems spreading throughout the environment (Bartlett 79). Contamination of surface and ground waters is a major concern as a side effect of heap leaching (Bartlett 79). There has been action taken in order to reduce the possibility of any of these environmental considerations taking place during and after the process of heap leaching. It is recommended that in order to regulate heap leaching of gold, companies use methods of containment along with close monitoring in order to recognize problems before they occur (Bartlett 79-80). As I stated in my second essay, the ore and solution removed from the heap leaching process is discarded onto leach pads. These pads are the â€Å"most important element[s] of the solution containment system† (Bartlett 80). The leach pads help prevent toxic solutions from running off into the surrounding areas and therefore they decrease the risk of harming any living organisms living in the area the mining is occurring in. â€Å"Proper foundation preparation is necessary to prevent movement and tearing of the liner† of the leach pad (Bartlett 80). If this were to happen then the leach pad would not be a sufficient means of protection for the environment. Another way to protect the environment is by having a solution collection system.

Acid Rain :: essays research papers fc

Acid Rain INTRODUCTION: Acid rain is a great problem in our world. It causes fish and plants to die in our waters. As well it causes harm to our own race as well, because we eat these fish, drink this water and eat these plants. It is a problem that we must all face together and try to get rid of. However acid rain on it's own is not the biggest problem. It cause many other problems such as aluminum poisoning. Acid Rain is deadly. WHAT IS ACID RAIN? Acid rain is all the rain, snow, mist etc that falls from the sky onto our planet that contains an unnatural acidic. It is not to be confused with uncontaminated rain that falls, for that rain is naturally slightly acidic. It is caused by today's industry. When products are manufactured many chemicals are used to create it. However because of the difficulty and cost of properly disposing of these products they are often emitted into the atmosphere with little or no treatment. The term was first considered to be important about 20 years ago when scientists in Sweden and Norway first believed that acidic rain may be causing great ecological damage to the planet. The problem was that by the time that the scientist found the problem it was already very large. Detecting an acid lake is often quite difficult. A lake does not become acid over night. It happens over a period of many years, some times decades. The changes are usually to gradual for them to be noticed early. At the beginning of the 20th century most rivers/lakes like the river Tovdal in Norway had not yet begun to die. However by 1926 local inspectors were noticing that many of the lakes were beginning to show signs of death. Fish were found dead along the banks of many rivers. As the winters ice began to melt off more and more hundreds upon hundreds more dead fish (trout in particular) were being found. It was at this time that scientist began to search for the reason. As the scientists continued to work they found many piles of dead fish, up to 5000 in one pile, further up the river. Divers were sent in to examine the bottom of the rivers. What they found were many more dead fish. Many live and dead specimens were taken back to labs across Norway. When the live specimens were examined they were found to have very little sodium in their blood. This is typical a typical symptom of acid poisoning. The acid had entered the gills of

The Legal Atmosphere Essay -- Literary Analysis, The Woman in White

Throughout the novel The woman in White, the novelist Wilkie Collins makes evident the weight of British Due Process in the life of the characters and the happenings of the story. A series of civil wrongs dictate the turning points of the novel. The law and its execution are presented to the reader from the beginning, in the style of witnesses testimonies , that as been collected and brought to court by Walter Hartright in what we could call the legal arena of Glyde v. Glyde. â€Å"the events which fill these pages might have claimed their share of the public attention in a court of justice† (9). The legal atmosphere in The Woman in White, as described before, consists of narrative lines as if they were presented in front of a jury, and that shape what and how the events are perceived by the reader. In that sense readers become judges and jury. The narrative of the novel is one rational and structured as the one used in the atmosphere of a court of justice. For instance, after the death of supposed death of Mrs. Glyde, four key witnesses certify it. Among them a doctor, Alfred Goodricke. In his statement we can appreciate the technicality that requires his profession: â€Å"I hereby certify that I attended Lady Glyde [†¦] and that the cause of death was, Aneurism. Duration of disease, not known† (405). The jargon of a practitioner of medicine is clear, which provides credibility. He also strengthens the legal authenticity of the certificate by signing it accordingly, by leaving proof of his expertise in medicine: â€Å"Prof. Title. M.R.C.S. Eng. L.S.A. (405), f irst thing that is required of and expert in a tribunal. The legal veracity of The Woman in White is not only portrayed in the way the characters speak to the reader, but in the interac... ...le. In Collins narrative the Victorian law is presented in its true form: a blind set of strict procedures in which a law-abiding attorney will not risk his own neck in a case where evidence proves to be insufficient. As stated by Mr. Kyrle â€Å"As a lawyer, and as a lawyer only, it is my duty to tell you, Mr. Hartright, that you have not the shadow of a case... The evidence of lady Glyde's death is... clear and satisfactory† (441). The reader soon suspects that there are testimonies that contain obvious lies as Fosco's or that are just simply unreliable because the memory of the â€Å"witness† is not the best or because we are told that they are insane. A lot of suspense created by this lost of objectivity. But at the same time the credibility of the story itself suffer. However, Collins is very skillful to counter this unreliability by the veracity and realism of the law.

How Is Curley Presented by Steinbeck in of Mice and Men

Curley is one of ‘Of Mice and Men’s’ major characters. Although he does not appear to hold a central role, he is very important in other respects. The first of these is the way in which he treats George and Lennie, and the ranch workers in general on the ranch. Curley is the boss’ son. Therefore he acts like he is the boss himself. He orders the others around, and, although it is true that he does hold some power on the ranch, he does not hold any respect from the workers.He is nasty towards them, treating as though they are them below him, and often trying to pick fights. Curley is disliked by pretty much everyone on the ranch, and with good reason. George immediately dislikes his hostility, and shows the same attitude in return. He himself says â€Å"I hate that kind of a guy† as soon as he has and warns Lennie to â€Å"have nothing to do with him†. Even Curley’s own wife dislikes him, sarcastically saying â€Å"swell guy, ainâ€℠¢t he† when told to talk to him by Candy. Furthermore, Candy, although not directly airing his dislike mentions the he is â€Å"handy.God damn handy. † The way in which Candy says this hints towards his dislike for Candy being on account of his aggressive nature and hostility, rather than simply being due to his nastiness. His desire to fight with people all the time shows two things. Firstly, it shows inferiority complex: Curley is short, and therefore is constantly trying to be better than â€Å"big guys†. Secondly, it shows his aggression. Curley holds a fighting stance when he first encounters George and Lennie: â€Å"his arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists.He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. † According to Candy, Curley is an amateur boxer and is always picking fights, especially with guys who are bigger than he is. Ultimately, Curley is trying to prove his masculinity. Another way in which Curley can be seen as t rying to prove himself is by marrying a physically attractive woman. His wife is never given a name, but by calling her â€Å"Curley's wife,† Steinbeck indicates she is his possession. Curley refuses to let her talk to anyone on the ranch, isolating her from everyone and setting the stage for trouble.This trouble happens in Section 3, where he accuses Slim of being with his wife and is completely wrong. He is ganged up on by the ranch workers, and picks on Lennie in order to vent his anger at being picked on. This turns out to be a mistake. Lennie quickly crushes his hand, and Curley has to be taken to the hospital. Luckily for George and Lennie, Slim comes to there aid, telling Curley â€Å"your hand got caught in a machine†. He makes a big show of keeping his hand soft to caress her, yet also visits the local whorehouse on Saturday night.While he may strut around the ranch because of his position as the boss' son, he obviously cannot satisfy his wife and is mean, or perhaps simply detached from her. Curley beats up any man who dares to talk to her, but ironically, he rarely talks to her himself, and they spend the majority of the book looking for each other. When Curley’s wife dies, Curley, rather than showing the reaction that would be expected of a man whose wife has just been killed. He does not appear to grieve at all in any way, barely looking at the body, or regarding the her death into his immediate future plans.Instead, his first thought is towards seeking revenge and hunting down Lennie. It is perhaps this moment in the novel which epitomises the way in which Curley is aggressive, nasty, and shows no concern for anyone else apart from himself. All of this seems to be negative however. Surely Steinbeck didn’t present Curley in a poor light? Well, there may some positive aspects to Curley, or perhaps those which are not entirely bad. Firstly, he does appear to show some care for his wife. He is constantly looking for her, a nd appears to try and protect her.Although she is more of a possession to him than a person, he is clearly proud of her, but perhaps for the wrong reasons. Also, Curley is a good worker. He is one of the best on the ranch, having grown up there, and this shows in his care for his work. Unlike most of the other characters, Curley doesn’t develop much over the course of the book, but he stands out as a character with whom Steinbeck does not sympathise. Whilst everyone else is struggling, Curley’s busy picking fights and trying to throw his weight around on his dad’s ranch. He seems to be outside of the economic struggle and even the personal struggle of the Depression.Curley’s the kind of person that is needed in contrast to the mild peacefulness of the other characters. Also, someone is needed to be the source of trouble among the men of the ranch who mostly want to get along. In conclusion, if Steinbeck wrote ‘Of Mice and Men' as being a microcosm o f American society, then Curley represents one clear type of person. This is all the men in the country at the time who are petty and embittered, who wish to appear better than all of the others. He acts as a sort of control variable, whose actions and reactions can almost always be predicted, because he is such a simple shallow person.

Dota Addiction

What is Dota? Dota or Defense of the ancient is a custom scenario for the real-time strategy video game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and it's expansion, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, based on the â€Å"Aeon of Strife† map for StarCraft. The objective of the scenario is for each team to destroy the opponents' Ancients, heavily guarded structures at opposing corners of the map. Players use powerful units known as heroes, and are assisted by allied heroes and AI-controlled fighters called â€Å"creeps†. As in role-playing games, players level up their hero and use gold to buy equipment during the mission. Does Dota really affect the youth today? Does it help the youth today? Or it corrupts the minds of the youth who are playing this game? Let us look at Dota's advantages and disadvantages. Dota helps the youth who are playing this game to become mentally alert, cooperative, and strategic. It also increases their knowledge in mathematics by computing the gold's, damages, magic and physical reduction present in the game. Indeed, Dota really helps the youth by playing this game. In the other hand, playing this game without time management and priority can lead to irresponsibility. Starting from their responsibilities, the youth spend more time playing this game rather than doing their tasks. Studies were forgotten, students became lazy, and relationships with the family were also affected because of this game. Playing this game also triggers the player to lose his/her temper and values. Why? It simply because of the different languages used during the game or what we called â€Å"Trash talks†. Trash talks such as foul languages can really lose their temper and values. As a result, the both sides will fight against each other. Gamble is also present in this game, the highest bet is 5,000 pesos and the lowest is 300 pesos. Again, money for them is not that important anymore. Many players says that â€Å"Dota is the best past time ever,† so it's OK for them to waste their money. Due to playing, eating is irrelevant; the satisfaction they get from playing is the same as the satisfaction they get from eating. As a result, the body's immune systems are getting weaker and now expose the different viruses and diseases. All in all, Dota really affects the life style of the youth who are in to this game, although it has one good benefit, but it corrupts the mind and the way the youth think. It also weakened the body system, money and moral values were not given importance because of this game.