Significance of Literacy Essay Example for Free

Significance of Literacy Essay Good afternoon my fellow students, and to our beloved teacher, Mrs. Leny Ibon. For you, what is literacy? Is it really important in one’s life? How can it help everyone? Well these questions will be answer by this speech. So please, lend me you ears in just a few minutes. For me, literacy is all about possessing the skills of reading and writing. Reading and writing is the right of everyone. By studying, people upgrade their mind about literacy with the help of the teachers. Reading and writing are the basic skills discussed and developed by the teachers because these are the major part in students’ life. In reading, the instructor or teachers teaches first the alphabet. They are training the children to read perfectly. In writing, the teacher train the students to write beautifully and legibly. Literacy is important in one’s life. Because, by reading and writing you can know what is good or bad. Based on the second paragraph, literacy is the basic studies of the students. If you don’t know the basic, you can’t go to the next topic because it will cause a suffering on you in the reason of it is hard. If you know about this, you can also understand how to use languages properly. When you’re knowledgeable, you can easily get job after you finish your studies that will lead you in a better life. It is also important in our life because if we know about literacy we will also know the right of everyone, the laws and the freedom of speech. Reading and writing can help us to get many information. As I said, if we go to school, the faculties will teach us the good manners and attitudes. After we graduate from high school and college, of course we will look for a job. When we get a job, we can moderately show our good attitudes based on what your parents and teachers teach you. All of these starts on literacy. That’s how literacy helps everyone. As I conclude, literacy is important and it can help us everywhere and everything. For me, literacy has good effects depends on the person if he or she doesn’t think of being lazy. It also has a good effects if we’re going to use it in a right way of living. God gave us knowledge ang wisdom to live in accordance to His will. That’s how literacy is so important. So we need to pay more attention on this matter. We also need to pursue our studies and reach our goal. Literacy is the key to our success.  thanks ..

Application Of Microcontroller In Instrumentation Information Technology Essay

Application Of Microcontroller In Instrumentation Information Technology Essay A  microcontroller  is a small computer on a single  integrated circuit  consisting internally of a relatively simple CPU,  clock, timers, I/O ports, and memory. Program memory in form of   NOR flash  or   ROM  is also often included on chip, as well as a typically small amount of RAM. Microcontrollers are designed for small or dedicated applications. Thus, in contrast to the  microprocessors  used in   personal computers  and other high-performance or general purpose applications, simplicity is emphasized. Some microcontrollers may use four-bit words and operate at  clock rate  frequencies as low as 4  kHz as this is adequate for many typical applications, enabling low power consumption. They will generally have the ability to retain functionality while waiting for an event such as a button press or other interrupt; power consumption while sleeping (CPU clock and most peripherals off) may be just nano watts, making many of them well suited for long la sting battery applications. Microcontrollers are used in automatically controlled products and devices, such as automobile engine control systems, implantable medical devices, remote controls, office machines, appliances, power tools, and toys. By reducing the size and cost compared to a design that uses a separate microprocessor, memory, and input/output devices, microcontrollers make it economical to digitally control even more devices and processes. Mixed signal microcontrollers are common, integrating analog components needed to control non-digital electronic systems. INTRODUCTION Embedded design A microcontroller can be considered a self-contained system with a processor, memory and peripherals and can be used with an  embedded system.  The majority of microcontrollers in use today are embedded in other machinery, such as automobiles, telephones, appliances, and peripherals for computer systems. These are called  embedded systems. While some embedded systems are very sophisticated, many have minimal requirements for memory and program length, with no operating system, and low software complexity. Programs Microcontroller programs must fit in the available on-chip program memory, since it would be costly to provide a system with external, expandable, memory. Compilers and assembler are used to turn high-level language and assembler language codes into a compact  machine code  for storage in the microcontrollers memory. Depending on the device, the program memory may be permanent, read-only memory that can only be programmed at the factory, or program memory may be field-alterable flash or erasable read-only memory. Other microcontroller features Many embedded systems need to read sensors that produce analog signals. This is the purpose of the  analog-to-digital converter  (ADC). Since processors are built to interpret and process digital data, i.e. 1s and 0s, they wont be able to do anything with the analog signals that may be sent to it by a device. So the analog to digital converter is used to convert the incoming data into a form that the processor can recognize. A less common feature on some microcontrollers is a  digital-to-analog converter  (DAC) that allows the processor to output analog signals or voltage levels. Time Processing Unit  (TPU) is a sophisticated timer. In addition to counting down, the TPU can detect input events, generate output events, and perform other useful operations. A dedicated  Pulse Width Modulation  (PWM) block makes it possible for the CPU to control power converters,  resistive  loads,  motors, etc., without using lots of CPU resources in tight timer  loops. Higher integration In contrast to general-purpose CPUs, micro-controllers may not implement an external address or data bus as they integrate RAM and non-volatile memory on the same chip as the CPU. Using fewer pins, the chip can be placed in a much smaller, cheaper package. A micro-controller is a single  integrated circuit, commonly with the following features central processing unit   ranging from small and simple 4-bit  processors to complex 32- or 64-bit processors discrete input and output bits, allowing control or detection of the logic state of an individual package pin. APPLICATION OF MICROCONTROLLER IN INSTRUMENTATION LIST OF MICROCONTROLLER BASED PROJECTS 1. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C51 BASED METRO TRAIN PROTOTYPE USING LCD: The project shows resemblance as you are travelling in metro train. It will display three stations at LCD and a stepper motor to rotate clock or anti-clock wise. 2. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C51 BASED VOTING MACHINE: The voting system for four candidates with memory backup to restore the results to be viewed with password. Now-a-days Electronic voting machines are being used effectively. The confidence of the voter in its flawless working is gradually building up and these machines are thus becoming quite popular throughout the country. Features of the electronic voting machine include avoidance of invalid votes and reduction of counting time and the consequent expenditure incurred on manpower deployment. By using the Microcontroller the voting machine can be built up easily and it will make simple to operate. 3. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C51 BASED TEXT EDITOR CUM MOVING MESSAGE DISPLAY: The project comprises 30 keys to edit any message in English. One can restore the message in memory IC. The 16 characters at a time can be view in running mode. 4. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C51 BASED FULL FUNCTION STEPPER MOTOR CONTROLLER: The project will operate the stepper motor in almost all modes viz. clock, anti -clock, speed and frequency control with time duration for both directions. 5. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C51 BASED WATER LEVEL CONTROLLER CUM MOTOR PROTECTOR: It can indicate the level and control the water pump at top level filling. The present concept implements controlling of pump which pumps water from the sump (underground tank) to the overhead tank, using 8951 microcontroller. The control panel, i.e. the main control unit of the system which consists of the primary control switches, pump indicator, siren and level indicators. The visual example of how switches And the indicators can be placed as shown the figure below. 6. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C51 BASED SIMPLE STEPPER MOTOR CONTROLLER: A simple stepper motor controller circuit with direction change only. A stepper motor (or step motor) is a brushless, synchronous electric motor that can divide a full rotation into a large number of steps. The motors position can be controlled precisely without any feedback mechanism (see Open-loop controller), as long as the motor is carefully sized to the application. Stepper motors are similar to switched reluctance motors (which are very large stepping motors with a reduced pole count, and generally are closed-loop commutated.) 7. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C51 BASED AUTO GEAR SHIFTING SYSTEM: The circuit shows the demo of auto shifting of gears using stepper motor with the change in speed of vehicle. One can change the speed of DC motor as actual vehicle running wheel. Motorcycle is widely used around the world and particularly in Pakistan. The gear shifting system of the motorcycle is conventionally manual. This paper covers development of an indigenous automatic gear shifting/changing system for the standard motorcycle. By this system the manual mechanical gear-shifting system will remain unchanged because an additional electro-mechanical system is placed on the vehicle to shift the gear and for automatic controlling the clutch. So the system has both the options manual as well as automatic. This system uses low-cost microcontrollers to make the accurate decision for shifting the gear up and down by observing the speed, and it controls the clutch transmission where necessary. The complete hardware and software has been tested and the functioning of the automatic gear sh ifting system is verified. This system is flexible and can be used with any motorcycle manufactured in Pakistan ranging from 50cc to 200cc. 8. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C51 BASED AUTO SPEED LIMITER WITH AUTO BREAKING: The project is to read the rpm of an automobile and according to that it limits the speed as Speed Governor. One can change the speed with variable control. This Project can be used with the three phase Induction motors. The circuit will take the full control of the motor and it will protect the motor from several faults such us over voltage and under voltage and the circuit will switch on the motor under safety conditions. The circuit was fully controlled by the microcontroller and the microcontroller wills continuously monitors the voltages of the three phases and if the voltage goes abnormal then it will switch off the motor until they are normal. All the conditions are displayed it over the LCD display. In our project we are using the popular 8 bit microcontroller AT89S52. It is a 40 pin microcontroller. 9. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C51 BASED FASTEST FINGER FIRST: Useful for Quiz games, dumb charades. It displays the player no. along with the beep for seven players. 10. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C51 BASED TEMPERATURE METER: It will display the room temperature on LCD and one can set the desired value to indicate the alarm or control at a desired temperature. It uses an ADC to interface with LM-35 sensor. 11. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C51 BASED INFRARED REMOTE CONTROLLED SWITCH BOARD: One can operate (on/off) four electrical devices with TV remote synchronized with circuit independently. 12. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C51 BASED RANK DISPLAY SYSTEM FOR RACE QUIZ COMPETITION WITH LCD: It can resolve the time difference (may be few milliseconds) and indicate the correct ranking between the individuals denoted A to H 13. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C51 BASED AUTO SPEED LIMITER/GOVERNER WITH AUTO BREAKING: The project is to read the rpm of a automobile and according to that it limits the speed as Speed Governor. One can change the speed with variable control. 14. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C51 BASED LINE FOLLOWER ROBOT: A Robotic car that follows the black line at the floor area based on IR sensors with transmitters and receivers. 15. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C51 BASED YES MASTER FOLLOWER: A robotic car that follows his master who is sending an IR transmission always. 16. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C51 BASED VOLTAGE/ POWER FACTOR / FREQUENCY METER: The project checks the electrical input factors as multifunction meter. 17. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C51 BASED RFID ATTENDENCE MONITOR: The project will show the names of person who had pressed the RFID key on LCD. One can use DATA encoder/decoder circuit. 18. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C2051 BASED FREQUENCY COUNTER USING LCD: The project will check the unknown frequency input up to 200 KHz. And display at LCD. 19. TRAFFIC SIGNAL CONTROL TRAFFIC MAN: It can actually control traffic with lights and humanoid robot police man rotating in all directions with hand movements for stop and go actions. This is a project comprises two stepper motors to perform the action. 20. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C2051 BASED IR WIRELESS FREQUENCY COUNTER: The project will check the unknown frequency input up to 200KHz. Coming from an IR source and display at LCD. 21. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C2051 BASED COUNTDOWN TIMER: The project performs the countdown operation for up to -99 minutes with two seven segments display showing actual time left to activate or de-activate the connected relay. 22. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C2051 BASED TEMPERATURE INDICATOR: The temperature of room can be displayed at LCD using a sensitive device DS 1621. 23. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C2051 BASED ALARM CLOCK: The unit display the time in Hr. Min. and one can set the alarm also for a desired time at Seven segment display. 24. MICROCONTROLLER AT-89C2051 BASED VEHICLE SPEEDOMETER CUM ODOMETER: The project comprises a dc motor speed controller circuit with reed sensor. It is being detected by this and displays the same at LCD in form of speed KmHr. and also display the distance covered by the vehicle. DETAIL OF SOME APPLICATION Microcontroller based Electronic Governor and Control System of a Mini-hydro Power Plant:- This project is absolute requirement to develop small-scale power plants. The idea is described in the introduction. Then there are some details about the functionality of the system. That is described in both user aspect and technical aspect. The idea will lead to fully automated power plants with remote access, while it is lower cost. Some attractive future development proposals will be at the end of the technical details. INTRODUCTION In brief our project is an Microcontroller based Electronic Governor Control System for Mini Hydro Power Plant. The courses of selecting this project were the expanding the features of the presently available mechanical governor systems and improve the remote controllability of the system in user-friendly manner. In this invention we selected specific mini hydro plant to consideration because of several limitations. The governor of a mini-hydro power plant considers as a heart of the system. It controls the output power and makes the generator frequency up to the grid frequency by utilizing the available water supply to the turbine. Those operations are achieved by controlling the gate valves of the turbine. Almost all the turbine units use this method of control and it comprises of a mechanical actuator and electrical control device to give the desired command signals to the actuator to open or close valves appropriately. Commercially available electronic governors are very expensive. It is very difficult to find a suitable commercial product for a particular power plant and not easy to tune them to reach the best operating condition. Therefore our main focus was to implement an electronic governor system for a user specific circumstance. So the initial stage, we studied the entire control system of a mini-hydro power plant that is situated at Niriella. Then we decided to develop this electronic governor system using newly promoted micro-controller technology. Other than the basic governor operations we impl emented several new features. To interact with the micro-controller some of the electronic devices were re-implemented. BASIC OPERATION Although its called an Electronic governor control system, it consists of some plant automating functions as well. All those functions can be categorized as follows. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Starting and shutting down sequences of the plant. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Frequency controlling until the generator is synchronized with the national grid. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Manual and automatic control of the power output. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Quick safety actions in fatal faulty conditions. FUNCTIONAL UNITS The entire system is an integration of several functional units. The system software controls those units. 1. Generator Frequency Counter 2. Grid Frequency Counter 3. Water Level Sensor 4. Valve Position Sensor 5. Stepper Motor Driver 6. Emergency Circuit Breaker unit 7. Main Board LCD interfacing with Microcontrollers Introduction The most commonly used Character based LCDs are based on Hitachis HD44780 controller. In this we will discuss about character based LCDs, their interfacing with various microcontrollers, various interfaces (8-bit/4-bit), programming, special stuff and tricks you can do with these simple looking LCDs which can give a new look to your application. Pin Description The most commonly used LCDs found in the market today are 1 Line, 2 Line or 4 Line LCDs which have only 1 controller and support at most of 80 charachers, whereas LCDs supporting more than 80 characters .Most LCDs with 1 controller has 14 Pins and LCDs with 2 controller has 16 Pins (two pins are extra in both for back-light LED connections). Keypad circuit diagram Usually these days you will find single controller LCD modules are used more in the market. So in the tutorial we will discuss more about the single controller LCD, the operation and everything else is same for the double controller too. Lets take a look at the basic information which is there in every LCD. LCD Initialization Before using the LCD for display purpose, LCD has to be initialized either by the internal reset circuit or sending set of commands to initialize the LCD. It is the user who has to decide whether an LCD has to be initialized by instructions or by internal reset circuit. We will discuss both ways of initialization one by one. Initialization by instructions Initializing LCD with instructions is really simple. Given below is a flowchart that describes the step to follow, to initialize the LCD. LCD initialization flow chart Figure 8: Flow chart for LCD initialization As you can see from the flow chart, the LCD is initialized in the following sequence 1) Send command 0x30 Using 8-bit interface 2) Delay 20ms 3) Send command 0x30 8-bit interface 4) Delay 20ms 5) Send command 0x30 8-bit interface 6)Delay 20ms 7) Send Function set see Table 4 for more information 8)Display Clear command 9) Set entry mode command explained below The first 3 commands are usually not required but are recommended when you are using 4-bit interface. So you can program the LCD starting from step 7 when working with 8-bit interface. Programming example for LCD Initialization CODE: LCD_data equ P2      LCD Data port LCD_D7    equ P2.7   LCD D7/Busy Flag LCD_rs    equ P1.0   LCD Register Select LCD_rw    equ P1.1   LCD Read/Write LCD_en    equ P1.2   LCD Enable LCD_init:               mov    LCD_data,#38H   Function set: 2 Line, 8-bit, 57 dots               clr    LCD_rs                           clr    LCD_rw            We are writing in instruction register               setb   LCD_en                        clr    LCD_en               acall LCD_busy      Wait for LCD to process the command               mov    LCD_data,#0FH   Display on, Curson blinking command               clr    LCD_rs                           clr    LCD_rw            We are writing in instruction register               setb   LCD_en                        clr    LCD_en               acall LCD_busy          Wait for LCD to process the command               mov    LCD_data,#01H   Clear LCD               clr    LCD_rs                           clr    LCD_rw            We are writing in instruction register               setb   LCD_en                        clr    LCD_en               acall LCD_busy         Wait for LCD to process the command               mov    LCD_data,#06H   Entry mode, auto increment with no shift               clr    LCD_rs             Selected command register               clr    LCD_rw            We are writing in instruction register               setb   LCD_en                        clr    LCD_en               acall LCD_busy    Wait for LCD to process the command               ret                            Digital Countdown Timer (AT89C2051) A simple count-down LED timer that counts in minutes and seconds. Three buttons below the LED provide control of the unit, allowing you set the desired countdown time in minutes and seconds and a start/stop button. Completion of the countdown is indicated by an alarm that starts when the countdown has finished and the display reads zero. The alarm is stopped by pressing the start/stop button. Circuit diagram:- count AUTOMATIC SOLAR TRACKER AUTOMATIC SOLAR TRACKER starts following the SUN right from dawn, throughout the day, till evening, and starts all over again from dawn next day. On cloudy weathers, it remains still and catches the SUN again as it slips out of clouds. It does all this automatically, employs cheap and inexpensive components, and is very accurate. Let us see how it does all this. There are three Electronic Modules to be explained. First one is the HORIZONTAL SENSOR MODULE. It employs the timer 555 in the MONOSTABLE MODE. PIN 2(Trigger Pin of 555) is hooked up with a VOLTAGE DIVIDER NETWORK (PLEASE see FIGURE 2). PIN 4(Reset) is hooked up with ANOTHER VOLTAGE DIVIDER NETWORK.   Fig 1: Block diagram of the tracker following the sun all through  Fig 1: Block diagram of the tracker following the sun all through fig 4: Stepper motor control board  Fig: Stepper motor control board I have only shown the Horizontal Motor Control Circuit. The Vertical One uses a similar Decade Counter, NPN Transistors, and Diodes (to encounter BACK EMF of Power Transistors due to Fast Switching). I chose for a Steep Angle of 2 Degrees for the Unipolar Steppers. They are driven in a Normal 4 Step Sequence, first coil A is energised simultaneously with coil B, then coil C with coil D. Thus the Motors rotate by 2 degrees each time. The Charging Interval is almost in synchronism with the steps/second speed of the motors, to avoid false triggering. STEPPER MOTOR Introduction This section will explain you everything that you need to know about stepper motors. Stepper motors can be used in various areas of your microcontroller projects such as making robots, robotic arm, automatic door lock system etc. This tutorial will explain you construction of stepper motors, basic principal, different controlling types (Half step and Full step), Interfacing Techniques (using L293D or ULN2003) and programming your microcontroller in C and assembly to control stepper motor. Unipolar stepper motor The unipolar stepper motor has five or six wires and four coils (actually two coils divided by centre connections on each coil). The centre connections of the coils are tied together and used as the power connection. They are called unipolar steppers because power always comes in on this one pole. Bipolar stepper motor The bipolar stepper motor usually has four wires coming out of it. Unlike unipolar steppers, bipolar steppers have no common centre connection. They have two independent sets of coils instead. You can distinguish them from unipolar steppers by measuring the resistance between the wires. You should find two pairs of wires with equal resistance. If youve got the leads of your meter connected to two wires that are not connected (i.e. not attached to the same coil), you should see infinite resistance (or no continuity). As already said, we will talk mostly on Unipolar stepper motors which is most common type of stepper motor available in the market. A simple example of 6 lead step motor is given below and in 5 lead step motor wire 5 and 6 are joined together to make 1 wire as common. Unipolar stepper motor coils Working of Stepper Motor Now lets discuss the operation principal of a stepper motor. When we energize a coil of Stepper motor, the shaft of stepper motor (which is actually a permanent magnet) align itself according to poles of energized coil. So when motor coils are energized in a particular sequence, motor shaft tend to align itself according to pole of coils and hence rotates. A small example of energizing operation is given below. working principal of stepper motor You can see in the example, when coil A is energized, A north-south polarity is generated at A+A as shown in the figure above and magnetic shaft automatically align itself according to the poles generated. When the next coil is energized the shaft again aligns itself and takes a step. Hence , the working principal. working principal of stepper motor We have seen that to make the stepper motor work, we need to energize coil in a sequence. The explanation and generation of the sequence is explained in the next section of the tutorial. Stepper Motor interfacing with Microcontrollers: Programming Stepper motor Programming Full step Sequence I am assuming that stepper motor is connected at Port 1.0 to Port 1.3. Adjusting the delay will increase or decrease the speed of the motor. Here just for demonstration i have taken some delay, you can change it as you want.    org 0H stepper equ P1 main:             mov stepper, #0CH             acall delay             mov stepper, #06H             acall delay             mov stepper, #03H             acall delay             mov stepper, #09H             acall delay             sjmp main delay:             mov r7,#4 wait2:             mov r6,#0FFH wait1:             mov r5,#0FFH wait:             djnz r5,wait             djnz r6,wait1             djnz r7,wait2             ret             end The working of the above code can be seen in the demo animation below. unipolar stepper motor in full step sequence Programming Half step Sequence Assembly Programming: Here also the main routine changes rest everything remains same. CODE: main:             mov stepper, #08H             acall delay             mov stepper, #0CH             acall delay             mov stepper, #04H             acall delay             mov stepper, #06H             acall delay             mov stepper, #02H             acall delay             mov stepper, #03H             acall delay             mov stepper, #01H             acall delay             mov stepper, #09H             acall delay             sjmp main The working of the above code can be seen in the demo animation below. unipolar stepper motor in half step sequence Water level indicator cum controller Water level indicator is which pumps water from the sump (unrepresented concept implements controlling of pump reground tank) to the overhead tank, using 8951 microcontroller. The control panel i.e. the main control unit of the system which consists of the primary control switches, pump indicator, siren and level indicators. The visual example of how switches. And the indicators can be placed as shown the figure below. Front view of the model Front view of the model In the figure shown above there are total of nine LEDs, four of which indicates the water level in the tank, another four indicates the water level in the sump and one LED indicates whether the pump is ON/OFF. It also consists of three switches. 1. Switch 1 is the main power switch which is used to activate the system. 2. Switch 2 is used to select whether to operate the pump in AUTO or MANUAL mode. 3. Switch 3 comes to picture only when the system is operated in MANUAL mode. It controls the direct activation of the pump. Description: This system is built around an 8951 microcontroller and the circuit diagram is as given below. Circuit diagram of Water level indicator cum controller As you can see in the above diagram, port 0 is exclusively used as an input port which takes the information regarding the water level in the sump as well as in the overhead tank. Port 1 is used as output port which is connected to the indicator that indicates the water level in both the tanks. Port 2 is used as in/out port, it takes the input from switch 2 and switches 3 and gives the output which is connected to pump indicator, siren and the relay which controls the switching of the pump. Working of the system: There are two modes of working for the system 1. Manual mode 2. Auto mode Manual mode: When the system is active and in manual mode, it only indicates the water levels in the tanks and it doesnt control any working of the pump. To activate the pump in manual mode switch 3 is used. In this mode the operator should manually control the working of the pump. As in case if the tank is full, operator should switch of the pump which is not the case when compared to auto mode. Auto mode: When the system is active and in auto mode, it only indicates the water levels in the tanks and it controls the working of the pump. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This is the easiest way to make the Host Computer to pin connection. The next step is actually using this connection to download programs to the internal memory and to receive debug information through the IC. Microcontrollers are used in automatically controlled products and devices, such as automobile engine control systems, implantable medical devices, remote controls, office machines, appliances, power tools, and toys. By reducing the size and cost compared to a design that uses a separate microprocessor, memory, and input/output devices, microcontrollers make it economical to digitally control even more devices and processes. Mixed signal microcontrollers are common, integrating analog components needed to control non-digital electronic systems.

Social Networking Relationships

Social Networking Relationships Social Networking Relation 1.0 Introduction â€Å"Social networking is really recommendation between people about the things that they are interested in and they like†¦ this has stimulated people’s attention in terms of the importance of public relation. The people who are going on these sites didn’t want to be monetised, they didn’t want to be advertised to, so again editorial communication is so powerful, they would rather be communities that can exchange views that are untarnished.† Sir Martin Sorrell Social media is a global phenomenon in which old demographics no longer apply. Conversations happen at the click of a button. New communities are born every day and brands need to be involved; in the first instance to listen, and then to participate. Social media is booming. Every day new statistics, white papers and articles appear discussing its continued growth. Independent market analyst Datamonitor (2008) has revealed how quickly the number of people participating in online social networking is growing: the United Kingdom currently leads Europe, in terms of membership, and is expected to reach 27 million users a threefold increase on todays figures by 2012 (www.datamonitor.com). â€Å"Social networking sites are the reality television of the Internet,† said Jon Gibs (Senior Director of Media, Nielsen//NetRatings). â€Å"The content is relatively inexpensive for publishers to produce, and social networking is not a fad that will disappear. If anything, it will become more ingrained in mainstream sites, just as reality TV programming has become ubiquitous in network programming,† Gibs continued (www.acnielsen.com). â€Å"However, again like reality programming, the concept of ‘reality’ alone, or in this case ‘social networking,’ is not enough. In this competitive marketplace, sites also have to provide consumers with distinct content they can identify with.† A new survey reveals that almost 50 percent of attorneys are members of online social networks and over 40 percent of attorneys believe professional networking has the potential to change the business and practice of law over the next five years. â€Å"Online professional networking is a growing area of importance in the legal industry,† said Ralph Calistri, Chief Executive Officer of Martindale Hubbell and senior vice president of Global Client Development at LexisNexis. â€Å"As we develop a global network for the legal community through Martindale-Hubbell, objective research such as this survey by Leader Networks serves as an important way for us to listen to clients and guide our efforts.† Table: United States: Top 10 Social Networking Sites (March 2008) Source: AC Nielsen The Internet has broadened the area of word of mouth influences from interpersonal communication among acquaintances to online communication to general public (e.g. posting reviews). Harrison-Walker (2001) defined word of mouth as â€Å"informal person-to-person communication between a perceived non-commercial communicator and a receiver regarding a brand, a product, an organization, or a service.† Marketing practitioners try to encourage such â€Å"informal† communication in a positive manner, and several approaches such as â€Å"viral marketing† (Wilson 2000) and â€Å"buzz marketing† (Rosen 2000) have been developed. Facebook was created in February 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, a student at Harvard University. According to Zuckerberg, â€Å"The idea for the website was motivated by a social need at Harvard to be able to identify people in other residential houses† (Moyle, 2004). Today Facebook has more than 7.5 million registered members at over 2,000 U.S. colleges and is the seventh-most-popular site on the entire Web with respect to total page views (Cassidy, 2006). Social networking sites are online spaces that allow individuals to present themselves, articulate their social networks, and establish or maintain connections with others. These sites can be oriented towards work-related contexts (e.g. LinkedIn.com), romantic relationship initiation, or connecting those with shared interests such as music or politics (e.g. MySpace.com). Users may use the sites’ communication tools to interact with those they know from offline contexts, such as school, or they may use the sites to meet new people. The way in which these sites allow for new connections to be made between individuals has resulted in proposed legislation which would bar libraries and schools to block minors’ access to social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook (McCullagh, 2006). MySpace in particular has generated public concern due to its large member base 78 million registered accounts according to one source (Wright, 2006) many of whom are teenagers. There is little academic work examining online social networks. A 2005 survey of academic community members found that 90% of the undergraduates participated in a social network community, primarily Facebook, MySpace, and Friendster, and that many of them disclosed personal information such as email address (Stutzman, 2006). In her ethnographic work examining self-presentation and social connections among Friendster users, boyd (2004) notes that users have a variety of motivations for using the site, including connecting with old friends, meeting new acquaintances, dating, and furthering professional networks. In one of the few pieces to examine this new breed of online fora, Donath and boyd (2004) point out that one of the chief hallmarks of these sites is that links between individuals are mutual, public, unnuanced and decontextualized. In the sites that Donath and boyd examine, public displays of connections serve to warrant, or signal the reliability of, one’s identity claims. Social networking sites are distinguished from the first wave of virtual community sites in that they allow for both maintenance of existing social ties and formation of new connections. A hallmark of the early research on computer-mediated communication and virtual communities in particular is the assumption that individuals using these systems would be connecting with those outside their pre-existing social group or location, liberating individuals to form communities around shared interests, as opposed to shared geography (Wellman et al., 1996). However, some online community researchers have explored how online communities present opportunities for people in a common offline community to extend their interaction. Such a theme is articulated by Wellman et al. (1996), who note that â€Å"Although CSSNs [computer supported social networks] do transcend time and space, not all ties are either totally on-line or off-line. Much on-line contact is between people who see each other in person and live locally† (p.222). 1.1 Research Question This research studies the importance of social networking sites and aims to identify how motivations for using social networking sites influence the degree of interaction and the generation of word-of-mouth. Next, in order to study use patterns of social networking sites between users in United Kingdom and to explore the relationship between the degree of interaction and the generation of word-of-mouth, the following questions are generated. Why / how often do people use social networking sites? Are social networking sites users generating word-of-mouth? If so, what makes users generate word-of-mouth? Do the motivations of using social networking sites influence on the degree of interaction or on the generation of word-of-mouth? H1 Exploring the relationship between the purpose of using social networking sites and the degree of users’ interaction H2 Exploring the relationship between the purpose of using social networking sites and the generation of word-of-mouth H3 Exploring the relationship between the degree of users’ interaction and the generation of word-of-mouth in social networking sites Main Research Question: How effective are motivations for using social networking sites influencing degree of interaction and word of mouth in United Kingdom? At the same time, the growing importance of word-of-mouth on social networking sites is understood and discussed by both marketing practitioners and academics, and online word-of-mouth communication is considered as a new marketing tool (Kozinets, 1999; Croteau, 2006; Peattie, 2007; McKinsey Quarterly, 2007). Due to the similar characteristics between social networking sites and word-of-mouth communication, namely, relationship and interaction among people, a number of researchers tried to find out the connection between online communities and word-of-mouth, then, came up with various ways to measure word-of-mouth in the virtual world (Kozinets, 2002; Godes et al, 2005; Dwyer, 2007). In addition, after their introduction, social networking sites brought in a new organisational framework for online communities. According to Boyd and Ellison (2008), early online communities were constructed as ‘communities of interest’, but social networking sites these days are constructed as personal. In other words, social networking sites are centred around people rather than topics or ‘topical hierarchies’. 2.0 Literature Review 2.1 General Overview The study of personal influence and the idea that there are certain people who are especially influential over others has fascinated researchers, practitioners, and the general public for more than 60 years. Variously named in academic and popular circles, these people have been called opinion leaders (Katz Lazarsfeld, 1955), early adopters (Rogers, 1962/2003), influential (Weimann, 1994), and Influential Americans ® (Keller Berry, 2003), while the process of personal influence has been linked to, or synonymous with, various phenomena such as compliance gaining (strategic attempts to seek compliance from others in interpersonal settings; Wilson, 2002), the diffusion of innovations (how ideas spread in a culture; Rogers, 1962/2003), buzz (contagious word-of-mouth commentary about products, services, brands, and ideas; Walker, 2004), and tipping points (the point at which an idea, behavior, or product â€Å"tips,† crossing a threshold from being a minor phenomenon to a wild epidemic; Gladwell, 2000). Numerous organizations, for-profit and not-for-profit, in an assortment of industries (consumer products, fashion, health care, law, higher education, etc.) have sought to capitalize on a renewed awareness and interest in the influential role that informal conversation and relational networks play internally to an organization (e.g., in terms of sharing knowledge within and across organizational units; Cross Parker, 2004; May Zorn, 2002) and especially to external audiences (e.g., in the case of viral and buzz marketing). Thus, although the power of stimulating word-of-mouth and relational networks has been known for some time (Arndt, 1967; Whyte, 1954), a more recent phenomenon is when certain firms seek to consciously engineer buzz in relational networks (Balter Butman, 2005; Dye, 2000; Godin, 2001; Ozcan, 2004; Rosen, 2000;Walker, 2004). For example, some firms (such as Big Fat Inc.) pay people to go out and talk up a brand, either in face-toface or online settings, where the fact that they are employed by a marketing agency is not disclosed (a form of â€Å"undercover† marketing). Other firms (such as BzzAgent, Inc.) actively recruit volunteers who willingly participate in a campaign by going out and buzzing the product or service (oftentimes in exchange for points that can be redeemed for prizes or the knowledge that they are the first among their peers to have access to a new product) and then report back to the buzz marketing company their own and others’ feedback about the product (the company then compiles and analyzes these various reports from the field and presents them to the client). Still others (e.g., Proctor Gamble’s Tremor program) form an extensive network of carefully selected teenagers to create buzz among peers for their clients’ brands and products (Wells, 2004). These distinct kinds of organizational marketing practices have raised a number of ethical concerns, some more than others. In addition to whether or not the institutional identity of the agent is disclosed, whether or not the person buzzing the brand is doing so for some form of compensation, and whether or not agents involve minors younger than age 13 (Wells, 2004), a significant concern is that through buzz marketing marketers are better able to infiltrate everyday conversations and relationships (Walker, 2004), which might be regarded as further instantiation of corporate colonization of the lifeworld (Deetz, 1992). With traditional forms of marketing and advertising efforts, consumer audiences can â€Å"tune out† or â€Å"turn off† the advertising. However, what happens when the marketing is your friend or family member, in online and offline conversations? Is society increasingly falling prey to the â€Å"commercialization of chit-chat?†(Walker, 2004). Although these concerns are not new— for example, marketing to known others has been well-documented and critiqued in terms of Tupperware parties (Frenzen Davis, 1990; Taylor, 1978) and multilevel marketing companies (Biggart, 1989; Carl, 2004; Fitzpatrick Reynolds, 1997)—the fact that increasing numbers of well-known, mainstream organizations seek to amplify buzz in social networks has elevated the concern (Vranica, 2005). 2.2 Word of mouth Word-of-mouth has grown in popularity over the past several years as a marketing and research medium (BzzAgent, 2005). Marketers seeking to find new methods for reaching customers and communicating with them have wondered if word-of-mouth could provide a potential solution to the dwindling return of traditional marketing platforms. Since the beginning of organized marketing programs, marketers viewed word-of-mouth as an incredibly valuable, yet uncontrollable, result of effective marketing practices. Many marketers have implemented plans to fool word of mouth into occurring, seeding the marketplace with shills (paid actors talking up products and services). They found the results effective but extremely risky, since consumers didn’t like being deceived. In recent years, a number of companies have formed, seeking to harness the power of authentic word of mouth (BzzAgent, 2005). By organizing real consumers, they train them to share their honest opinions more effectively. Defining word of mouth can be tricky, especially in light of the Internet and recent emergence of buzz marketing firms. According to Buttle’s (1998) review of marketing research, Arndt (1967) discussed word of mouth as face-to-face communication about a brand, product, or service between people who are perceived as not having connections to a commercial entity. Bone’s (1992) definition is similar though she noted that word of mouth could be a group phenomenon: â€Å"An exchange of comments, thoughts, and ideas among two or more individuals in which none of the individuals represent a marketing source† (p. 579). Stern (1994) distinguished word of mouth from advertising in that word of mouth is face-to-face, interactive, ephemeral, spontaneous, and does not include such features as clever turns of phrases or jingles. Buttle (1998), however, found these definitions unsatisfactory because (a) Word of mouth can include talk about an organization (in addition to a brand, product, or service), (b) it can be electronically mediated (such as cell phone, chat rooms, e-mail, Web sites, â€Å"tell-a-friend† hyperlinks, etc.), and (c) more and more companies may offer incentives or rewards for consumers to spread word of mouth or make referrals (e.g., to refer friends and family members for a company’s services). Buttle concluded that currently the only distinguishing feature of word of mouth may be that â€Å"word of mouth is uttered by sources that are assumed by receivers to be independent of corporate influence† (p. 243). In contrast to traditional word of mouth marketing research, research on buzz marketing is still in its infancy. Verlegh, Verkerk, Tuk, and Smidts (2004) mentioned, but did not study, buzz marketers in their experimental research on whether or not financial incentives used when stimulating customer referrals alter the meaning of the situation such that consumers would perceive the word of mouth episode to be â€Å"persuasive† rather than just friendly, peer advice. Thomas (2004) represented an early conceptual piece on buzz marketing where it was defined as the â€Å"amplification of initial marketing efforts by third parties through their passive or active influence† (p. 64). An early empirical study that applied insights from existing word of mouth and social network research from a firm’s perspective was conducted by Godes and Mayzlin (2004). Abundant research demonstrates that word of mouth (WOM) is one of the most influential channels of communication in the marketplace. The reasons for WOMs power are evident: word of mouth is seen as more credible than marketer initiated communications because it is perceived as having passed through the unbiased filter of people like me. At a time of declining trust in institutions, research shows that its influence is growing stronger. In a recent national survey (Harris Interactive, 2006a), U.S. consumers were asked which information sources they find useful when deciding which products to buy in four common product categories. WOM and recommendations from friends/family/people at work/school were by far the most influential sources for fast food, cold medicine, and breakfast cereal. For personal computers, a highly technical category, we saw a strong reliance on expert advice in the form of product reviews and websites, followed by WOM as the next most useful. The consumer marketplace in which any enterprise operates is a complex, dynamic system. A study found that disinterested, ill-prepared and unwelcoming salespeople lead to more lost business and bad word-of-mouth than any other management challenge in retailing. There are a variety of different triggers for having a bad shopping experience, including things like parking or how well the store is organized. Some of those things retailers can do something about and some of them they cant. But frankly, a very important part of the retail experience is the interaction with the sales associate, says Wharton marketing professor Stephen J. Hoch, director of the Baker Initiative. In a telephone survey of 1,000 shoppers who were asked about their most recent retail experience, 33% reported they had been unable to find a salesperson to help them. Many of these shoppers were so annoyed by this one problem that they said they would not return to the store. According to the Wharton analysis, sales associates who are missing in action cost American retailers six percent of their customers. Add to that the 25% of consumers reporting they were ignored outright by sales associates no greeting, no smile, not even eye contact (Arndt, 1967; Aaker et al, 1996; Reingen and Kernan, 1986). This lack of engagement turned off three percent of customers to the point where they said they would permanently stay way from the store in which they encountered this behaviour. Hoch remains puzzled by sales associates who retreat from potential customers. You would think that if these sales associates are spending the whole day interacting with people, they would be a lot happier in their own life if they were friendly. Instead, they pull into their shell (Brown and Reingen, 1987). Whats wrong with saying, Hi, how are you doing?' According to Paula Courtney, president of the Verde Group, survey respondents were not frustrated by sales associates who seemed overworked or outmanned by shoppers. Its the conscious ignoring that irritates them, she says. Customers would walk into a store and the store representative would see them and continue to put items on the shelf or watch the cash register or do administrative work absolutely ignoring the fact that an actual person was in the store (Cox, 1963, cited in Brown at el, 2007). In the above example, the degree of interaction was bad with consumers at a particular retail outlet. This provided bad word of mouth and hampered long term sustainability for the retailer. In other words, this forms the central part of the dissertation that degree of interaction and word of mouth are slightly interrelated. 2.3 Motives of Social networking British anthropologist Robin Dunbar estimates that humans can only maintain stable relationships with around 150 people. That number refers to significant relationships like those in a family or tribe and other purposeful groups. Yet in todays over-informed digital business world, where bloated data moves at the speed of thought, its not who you know that really counts, but who knows you (Kozinets, 1999; Boyd and Ellison, 2008). Professional online social networking tools are invaluable in creating personal brand equity and raising awareness about who you are, especially beyond your 150 closest friends (BBC News, 2005). Online social networking software enables you to find quality people who may not be familiar with you, or with your organization, and creates an opportunity to connect with them and sell them on your opportunities (Boyd and Ellison, 2008). They may be unfamiliar with your company or business, or may not have even been looking for something. Because you already know someone who knows them, you can feel more comfortable that they are a quality prospect or at least can do some checking around (Boyd and Ellison, 2008). Also, because of that mutual connection, you can more easily overcome cumbersome barriers and begin a relationship with a little more trust and warmth than with a total stranger. Like Six degrees of Kevin Bacon, social networking sheds light on the contacts you never knew you had. For example, you can contact people in your network to: Rekindle old connections Maximize value in your weak connections Build business relationships with clients or hiring managers Find and meet prospective job-seekers Grow a referral network Heighten your corporate and personal brand Make new connections and grow your sphere of influence Open doors to future career opportunities, increased pay, or promotions Increase visibility, which improves influence and effectiveness internally with your organization as well as externally Social networking also helps you find new leads for networking into companies to: Educate yourself and ask questions about other organizations Conduct competitive intelligence on companies, industries, or individuals Make fewer cold calls and better prepare for them Leverage contacts you already have With the help of existing literature, Ridings and Gefen (2004) categorised four reasons to join online communities: ‘information exchange’, ‘social support exchange’, ‘friendship, and ‘recreation’. Firstly, people choose to use online communities to access and exchange information. By using online communities, people can access a huge amount of information generated by other users since online community providers offer effective systems or technologies in order to make their users easily exchange, create, request and search information (Hagel and Armstrong, 1997). The second reason why users participate in online communities is to obtain the social support. Wellman et al (1996) suggested that online communities give emotional support and sociability to their users by giving ‘a sense of belonging’. For instance, Mickelson (1997) gave examples of online communities which focus on recovering social problems such as alcohol and drug addicts in order to explain why the social support can be the motivation of using online communities. Thirdly, people join online communities to manage relationships. To seek friendship or to generate social capital, which can be defined as the resources gathered through the relationships among people (Coleman, 1988), online community users interact with other users with the aim of establishing and continuing relationships. For example, offline social capital can be generated by means of online tools, especially using social networking sites when people want to expand or keep up their offline relationships. Lastly, recreation is another reason why people experience online communities. In conclusion, how word-of-mouth affects consumer behaviour can be described by those three factors; tie strength, homophily, and source credibility. As mentioned above, Brown et al (2007) and other researchers (Silverman, 1997; Money et al, 1998; Bansal and Voyer, 2000) explored the nature of word-of-mouth in online communities. Finally, the summary of the research above is compared by Brown et al (2007) as the following Table 1. Table 1: A Comparison between offline and online social network constructs Offline Online Tie Strength Definition The intensity of a social relation between pairs of individuals The intensity of an interactive and personalised relationship between an individual and a website Homophily Definition The degree to which pairs of individuals are similar in terms of certain attributes The congruence between a user’s psychological attributes and website content Source Credibility Definition Perceived competence of the individual source providing information Perceived competence of the website and its membership Source: Brown et al, 2007, pp. 10 Table 1 Bottom line: It could be seen that different internet users have diverse motives to enter social networking sites. Fulfilment of motives can enhance positive word of mouth and higher degree of interaction of a particular website. As per previous academic literature there have been negligible cases that internet users have entered social networking with out motivations. This forms the foundation of dissertation. 3.0 Research Model 3.1 Research approach The research strategy we intend to adopt is a combination of multi-methods, of deductive, inductive and exploratory. Quantitative data will be collected throughout the life cycle of the project, from secondary sources: journals, databases, past dissertations, newspapers and magazine articles etc. We propose to use the following secondary databases to conduct quantitative data research: Emerald Full text Emerald Reviews Emerald Abstracts Swet Wise Reuters Business Insight Regional Business News Questia Media Primary research will be conducted, using a closed questionnaire designed to predict average behaviour of children in general (Saunders et al. 2003). The inductive approach takes to account interpretivism or social considerations, which enables to establish the intentions of the respondents more clearly. Saunders et al (2003) says that data collected using open-ended questions allows individuals more flexibility in answering, which may confirm a hypothesis or other wise. The limitation or disadvantage of this approach is that it is subjective and can only be applied to a limited sample of participants (Saunders et el. 2003). Exploratory research will be conducted on a pilot group consisting of young internet users (mainly with Orkut profiles) within the age group 15-20 who will participate in a discussion on the following; the influence of motivations for using social networking sites on degree of interaction and word of mouth in United Kingdom. 3.2 Research Design A research design is a program that guides the investigator in the process of collecting, analyzing and interpreting observations. According to Nachmias Nachmias (1987) it is logical model of proof that allows the researcher to draw inferences concerning causal relationships among the variables under investigation. Consequently, the appropriate research design will depend on the problem to be investigated (Churchill, 1991), the purpose of the research, the research questions, and the state of the knowledge existing prior to the research plan (Eisenhardt, 1989). Research methods and data collection, form an elementary part of the research design. Typically, the research methods and the data collection techniques are functions of the purpose of the research design. The purpose of the research may be organized into three groups based on what the researcher is trying to accomplish: explore a new topic, describe social phenomena or explain why something occurs. The three basic types of research designs are: Exploratory (Case Studies), Descriptive and Casual. 3.2.1 Case Study The case study approach is the most widely used in management fraternity. A Case study is the collection and presentation of detailed information about a particular participant or small group, frequently including the accounts of subjects themselves. It’s a form of qualitative descriptive research and it deals intensely at an individual or small participant pool, drawing conclusions only about that participant or group and only in that specific context. This research design is not used to focus on topics such as discovery of a universal, general

Essay --

The Islamic revolution in 1979 resulted in the collapse of the secular regime of the Pahlavi dynasty ruled by Muhammad Reza Shah in favour of an Islamic republic under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini. The revolution came about due to multiple internal and external social and political factors that mobilised the Iranian people. This essay will discuss the ways in which the people of Iran were discontented by the oppressive regime of the Shah and its various economic failures, the government’s programme of secularization and Westernisation and its close relationship with the United States, and how the views of Arabs internationally and in the Middle East affected the revival of Islamism in Iran. Mohammed Reza Shah’s oppressive regime motivated many people to protest against the social injustices carried out by the state. The government was wasteful, elitist and corrupt, and the people of Iran recognised it as such. The role of the secret police (the SAVAK) was heavily criticised by leftist, nationalist and Islamist movements for its political oppression and violent methods, which were seen by many factions of society as being violations of the Iranian Constitution of 1906. In 1975 the government abolished the existing two-party system and introduced a single political organization, the Resurgence Party, which all Iranians were required to join, thereby establishing their control over the people. The highly personalised system prevented competition, which led to dramatic divisions within the army and the political elite . The authoritarian system was subsequently undermined by the Shah’s indecisiveness and apparent weakness in the face of protest, which add ed momentum to the Islamists’ revolution. Because the regime was n... ... Middle East. The state of affairs in the Arab world is therefore linked to the need of many Muslims to return to a traditionally Islamic way of governance, and can thereby explain the vehement Islamic-oriented revolution in Iran. In conclusion, the corrupt regime and poor leadership of Muhammad Reza Shah created social injustice which the population protested, and the economic failures of the government alienated members of the Iranian population and incited revolutionaries to action. The attempted secularization and Westernization of Iran furthered the people’s discontent, and Khomeini’s movement heavily criticised Iran’s close relationship with the West. In Iran as well as in the Middle East as a whole there was a desire for a return to Islam provoked by events such as the June War. All these social and political factors contributed to emergence of a revolution.

In Praise of Folly - Erasmus Dichotomy Essay -- In Praise of Folly Es

In Praise of Folly - Erasmus' Dichotomy      Ã‚   The Silenus box is a "case carved like an ugly Silenus" that can be "opened to reveal beautiful, precious objects" (Erasmus 43, footnote). This box appears in Erasmus' Praise of Folly as a metaphor for the central claim in the novel, which is that that which appears to be Folly (ugly) externally, is wise (precious) within. Erasmus reveals this dichotomy on three levels: in the image of the box itself, in his genuine praise of Folly, and in the structure of the novel as a whole. Erasmus, using the female voice of Folly, introduces his reader to the image of the Silenus box early in the text, thereby allowing his reader to carry the image with her for the rest of her time reading (and see its metaphoric nature when appropriate). Folly makes the introduction, saying, "All human affairs... have two aspects quite different from each other." She then goes on to explain that this means, according to Plato, that things that "appear 'at first blush'... to be death, will, if you examine [them] more closely, turn out to be life... in brief, you will find everything suddenly reversed if you open the Silenus" (43). In more direct terms, something which on its surface seems one way (the 'bad' way), has opposite ('good') guts. In The Praise of Folly, the pair of opposites that Erasmus focuses on is that of folly and wisdom. By including a passage dedicated to the description of the Silenus, Erasmus gives his readers a concrete picture to grasp onto that stands for the novel's link between this pair of opposites, which is that wisdom comes under the wrapping of folly. The passage allows the reader to understand this central concept more easily. The concept, in its many manifestations, c... ...this same literary tradition, Rabelais utilizes this peculiar narrative technique in Gargantua and Pantagruel, where he too hides the wisdom in his work behind the veil of foolish, and even vulgar, language. Erasmus' inclusion of the passage explaining the Selenus box allows it to be a metaphor for the central concept in the novel. Through its presence, Erasmus gives us, his readers, a tool with which to separate the layers of his text. Without it, we might be stranded (after reading) with the inaccurate belief that Erasmus was a babbling hypocrite, with contradictory ideas sprinkled throughout his work. But, I suppose, we could have just attributed that fault to Folly, who is always more than willing to accept such a title. Work Cited Erasmus, D. 1511. In Praise of Folly. (Translated by L. Dean and republished by Hendricks House Farrar Straus. 1946.)

Research in the Counseling Profession Essay

The importance of research lies in the treatment of the client. When counseling treatments are proven and backed by research, this is more effective that using some form of treatment that is new and not backed by research. One of the most prolific things that stands out to me as a student of counseling is the code by which we should all follow and the one thing that we vow never to do and that is â€Å"do no harm†. If we do not research the plan of action that we are to use with our client and to know that this treatment is the proper treatment for the problem or problems presented than the likelihood of doing more damage than good is probable. We must as counselors deliver and disseminate evidence-based treatments for the advance of our profession (Sheperis, Young & Daniels, 2010). As the world evolves the language and procedure of the counseling profession also does, therefore it is of great importance to stay on top of the newest research out there. Working in the field of law enforcement for twenty years I have been through many CISD’S. We see that the ongoing use of CISD (Critical Incident Stress Debriefing) is just one design that examination and evidence-based preparation have to find whereas they fit into the counseling profession to better help the counselor work with someone that has seen things that are sometimes unimaginable to them. This is where research keeps the counselor in the mix of things by exploring the new evidence based training and procedures that are out there that show promise this will make the counselor more effective within this population. Scholar Practitioner Model The scholar-practitioner model is often used in reference to the â€Å"Vail model after the 1973 Vail Conference on Professional Training in Psychology† (Vail, 1973). In this model it is the student that learns how to comprehend and relate academic conclusions to the training. The students are thereby trained and instructed to be and take part in research to gain better understanding of the subject material that is presented before them in the clinical setting. â€Å"A counselor is a scholar practitioner. This implies that a counselor is a highly trained profession who uses new knowledge generated through research to positively change his or her clients’ life. In light of this statement, it is important to recognize the role of research in counseling profession. Research can be described as the process through which hypotheses are tested and proved or disapproved through data collection and analysis† (Sheperis, Young & Daniels, 2010). What this entails is that it is the process in which through new knowledge passes into the counseling profession. Research gives us an avenue to explore new information in the counseling field and the new information is what makes the counselor more adaptable to the client and their needs. Research in all things can provide a firm foundation in which to back up the practices of the counselor. Conclusion No two clients are the same as no two days are similar. They are ever changing, whereas one treatment might work for one client, whereas another client of theirs presents with like issues, this one treatment may not fit the need or the new client. It is always good to learn as learning is a lifelong process. The more you know the more valuable you are to the client as a counselor.

Views on Baz Luhrman’s Adaptation of Romeo and Juliet

Capulet my name is anonymous. My topic for the IOP is based on the film ‘Romeo and Juliet by B Luhrmann . I am going to impersonate William Shakespeare with a monologue where I shall speak aloud my views on Baz Luhrman’s adaptation of my text. When I wrote this book I was attracting a crowd with very orthodoxed thnking . the idea of two young lovers going against the society merely for lust was intolerable! hence in my book they died 4 days into their courtship. Death was their punishment for going against the knomes of the society. my book was a one with a serious message put forth to the reader.Where as the movie which was adapted frm my text seems to be moulded inorder to attract an audience with a very openmindset mindset who prefer entertainment over moral values. It had a many humourous scenes ,mercutio dressing up like a girl and dancing at the capulets party,which the modern crowd would enjoy more. The main objective of the this movie was to make money,which was done by mocking at my well known novel of romeo and Juliet.. adapting their movie from my book must have been a huge advantage for them as tthey wouldn’t have needed any script or a new story which has the risk of being disliked by the audience. hey just changed the costumes and situations into modern day ones which will obviously entertain the audience as they picture romeo as a young teenager in the days of old and not wearing a suit and smoking a cigarette on the beach.. the movie has a many differnces compared to the book in order to make the film more entertaining. in my book Juliet was 14 years old but in the movie Juliet doesn’t appear to be 14 at all. the movie makers changed this aspect of the book in their movie in order to make the scenes expressing lust more entertaining for the crowd.But the reason I had Juliet to be so young in the book was to highlight fact that her actions were all justified by the fact that she was immature. The costumes of the actors in the movie were very western and commonly worn by the people of the new times. in my book they were meant to be dress the way the people did during the time of the book being published. instead of wearing the olden day clothes characters like benvolio were wearing hawaian shirts and romeo was dressed in a suit smoking a cigarette on the beach . scenes like this weren’t common to see in days when I wrote the book.Instead of actually swords the charactes threatened each other with shinning pistols with the word â€Å"sword† carved on them. this aspect of the movie killed the seriousness as in the opening scene the capulets pointed a pistol at the montagues and ordered him to raise his â€Å"sword†. How will two people have a dramatic fight holding two pistols against each other? In my book this scene was supposed to be a dramatic fight . The royal prince was replaced by a police official to make the movie more relative to the modern world.The reason my book had a royal prince was to highlight he fact that these two lovers were going against the will of the highest authority. the movie portrayed the same situation but the police official replacing the prince is another example which I saw where barz luhrman has presented a change in the film for it to be resembling a modern life situation. In two offices of the capulets and the montagues were shown in the film as tall skyscrapers where as my book was geographically set in Verona which is supposed to be a small and silent town. During the time when I wrote this book ,writers and producers would only produce works which gave some hints to make the viewers or readers to ponder over certain real life situations. but I guess times have changed and so has the mindset and the taste of the audience. they seem to enjoy mockeries instead of eye openers I feel barz luhrman has not been faithful to my text while depicting it as a mmovie because the movie simply mocks at the text if I had an option to c reate a film depicting my text it would have been very different not changing any scenes for it to be enjoyed by the modern crowd.