The Host Chapter 47: Employed

This is too easy. It's not really even fun anymore,† Kyle complained. â€Å"You wanted to come,† Ian reminded him. He and Ian were in the windowless back of the van, sorting through the nonperishable groceries and toiletries I'd just collected from the store. It was the middle of the day, and the sun was shining on Wichita. It was not as hot as the Arizona desert, but it was more humid. The air swarmed with tiny flying bugs. Jared drove toward the highway out of town, carefully keeping below the speed limit. This continued to irritate him. â€Å"Getting tired of shopping yet, Wanda?† Ian asked me. â€Å"No. I don't mind it.† â€Å"You always say that. Isn't there anything you mind?† â€Å"I mind†¦ being away from Jamie. And I mind being outside, a little bit. During the day especially. It's like the opposite of claustrophobia. Everything is too open. Does that bother you, too?† â€Å"Sometimes. We don't go out during the day much.† â€Å"At least she gets to stretch her legs,† Kyle muttered. â€Å"I don't know why you want to hear her complain.† â€Å"Because it's so uncommon. Which makes it a nice change from listening to you complain.† I tuned them out. Once Ian and Kyle got started, they usually went on for a while. I consulted the map. † Oklahoma City next?† I asked Jared. â€Å"And a few small towns on the way, if you're up for it,† he answered, eyes on the road. â€Å"I am.† Jared rarely lost his focus when on a raid. He didn't relax into relieved banter the way Ian and Kyle did every time I completed another mission successfully. It made me smile when they used that word-mission. That sounded so formidable. In reality, it was just a trip to the store. Just like I'd done a hundred times in San Diego when I was only feeding myself. Like Kyle said, it was too easy to provide any excitement. I pushed my cart up and down the aisles. I smiled at the souls who smiled at me, and I filled my cart with things that would last. I usually grabbed a few things that wouldn't, for the men hiding in the back of the van. Premade sandwiches from the deli-things like that for our meals. And maybe a treat or two. Ian had a fondness for mint chocolate chip ice cream. Kyle liked caramel sweets best. Jared ate anything he was offered; it seemed as if he'd given up favorites many years before, embracing a life where wants were unwelcome and even needs were carefully assessed before they were met. Another reason he was good at this life-he saw priorities uncontaminated by personal desire. Occasionally, in the smaller towns, someone would notice me, would speak to me. I had my lines down so well that I could probably have fooled a human by this point. â€Å"Hi there. New in town?† â€Å"Yes. Brand-new.† â€Å"What brings you to Byers?† I was always careful to check the map before I left the van, so the town's name would be familiar. â€Å"My partner travels a lot. He's a photographer.† â€Å"How wonderful! An Artist. Well, there's certainly a lot of beautiful land around here.† Originally, I'd been the Artist. But I'd found that throwing in the information that I was already partnered saved me some time when I was speaking to males. â€Å"Thank you so much for your help.† â€Å"You're very welcome. Come back soon.† I'd only had to speak to a pharmacist once, in Salt Lake City; after that, I'd known what to look for. A sheepish smile. â€Å"I'm not sure I'm getting the right nutrition. I can't seem to avoid the junk food. This body has such a sweet tooth.† â€Å"You need to be wise, Thousand Petals. I know it's easy to give in to your cravings, but try to think about what you're eating. In the meantime, you should take a supplement.† Health. Such an obvious title on the bottle, it made me feel silly for asking. â€Å"Would you like the ones that taste like strawberries or the ones that taste like chocolate?† â€Å"Could I try both?† And the pleasant soul named Earthborn gave me both of the large bottles. Not very challenging. The only fear or sense of danger I ever felt came when I thought of the small cyanide pill that I always kept in an easily reachable pocket. Just in case. â€Å"You should get new clothes in the next town,† Jared said. â€Å"Again?† â€Å"Those are looking a little creased.† â€Å"Okay,† I agreed. I didn't like the excess, but the steadily growing pile of dirty laundry wouldn't go to waste. Lily and Heidi and Paige were all close to my size, and they would be grateful for something new to wear. The men rarely bothered with things like clothes when they were raiding. Every foray was life-or-death-clothes were not a priority. Nor were the gentle soaps and shampoos that I'd been collecting at every store. â€Å"You should probably clean up, too,† Jared said with a sigh. â€Å"Guess that means a hotel tonight.† Keeping up appearances was not something they'd worried about before. Of course, I was the only one who had to look as if I were a part of civilization from close up. The men wore jeans and dark T-shirts now, things that didn't show dirt or attract attention in the brief moments they might be seen. They all hated sleeping in the roadside inns-succumbing to unconsciousness inside the very mouth of the enemy. It scared them more than anything else we did. Ian said he'd rather charge an armed Seeker. Kyle simply refused. He mostly slept in the van during the day and then sat up at night, acting as sentry. For me, it was as easy as shopping in the stores. I checked us in, made conversation with the clerk. Told the story about my photographer partner and the friend who was traveling with us (just in case someone saw all three of us enter the room). I used generic names from unremarkable planets. Sometimes we were Bats: Word Keeper, Sings the Egg Song, and Sky Roost. Sometimes we were See Weeds: Twisting Eyes, Sees to the Surface, and Second Sunrise. I changed the names every time, not that anyone was trying to trace our path. It just made Melanie feel safer to do that. All this made her feel like a character in a human movie about espionage. The hard part, the part I really minded-not that I would say this in front of Kyle, who was so quick to doubt my intentions-was all the taking without giving anything back. It had never bothered me to shop in San Diego. I took what I needed and nothing more. Then I spent my days at the university giving back to the community by sharing my knowledge. Not a taxing Calling, but one I took seriously. I took my turns at the less-appealing chores. I did my day collecting garbage and cleaning streets. We all did. And now I took so much more and gave nothing in return. It made me feel selfish and wrong. It's not for yourself. It's for others, Mel reminded me when I brooded. It still feels wrong. Even you can feel that, can't you? Don't think about it was her solution. I was glad we were on the homestretch of our long raid. Tomorrow we would visit our growing cache-a moving truck we kept hidden within a day's reach of our path-and clean out the van for the last time. Just a few more cities, a few more days, down through Oklahoma, then New Mexico, and then a straight drive through Arizona with no stops. Home again. At last. When we slept in hotels rather than in the crowded van, we usually checked in after dark and left before dawn to keep the souls from getting a good look at us. Not really necessary. Jared and Ian were beginning to realize that. This night, because we'd had such a successful day-the van was completely full; Kyle would have little space-and because Ian thought I looked tired, we stopped early. The sun had not set when I returned to the van with the plastic key card. The little inn was not very busy. We parked close to our room, and Jared and Ian went straight from the van to the room in a matter of five or six steps, their eyes on the ground. On their necks, small, faint pink lines provided camouflage. Jared carried a half-empty suitcase. No one looked at them or me. Inside, the room-darkening curtains were drawn, and the men relaxed a little bit. Ian lounged on the bed he and Jared would use, and flipped on the TV. Jared put the suitcase on the table, took out our dinner-cooled greasy breaded chicken strips I'd ordered from the deli in the last store-and passed it around. I sat by the window, peeking through the corner at the falling sun as I ate. â€Å"You have to admit, Wanda, we humans had better entertainment,† Ian teased. On the television screen, two souls were speaking their lines clearly, their bodies held with perfect posture. It wasn't hard to pick up what was happening in the story because there wasn't a lot of variety in the scripts souls wrote. In this one, two souls were reconnecting after a long separation. The male's stint with the See Weeds had come between them, but he'd chosen to be human because he guessed his partner from the Mists Planet would be drawn to these warm-blooded hosts. And, miracle of miracles, he'd found her here. They all had happy endings. â€Å"You have to consider the intended audience.† â€Å"True. I wish they'd run old human shows again.† He flipped through the channels and frowned. â€Å"Used to be a few of them on.† â€Å"They were too disturbing. They had to be replaced with things that weren't so†¦ violent.† â€Å"The Brady Bunch?† I laughed. I'd seen that show in San Diego, and Melanie knew it from her childhood. â€Å"It condoned aggression. I remember one where a little male child punched a bully, and that was portrayed as being the right thing to do. There was blood.† Ian shook his head in disbelief but returned to the show with the former See Weed. He laughed at the wrong parts, the parts that were supposed to be touching. I stared out the window, watching something much more interesting than the predictable story on television. Across the two-lane road from the inn was a small park, bordered on one side by a school and on the other by a field where cows grazed. There were a few young trees, and an old-fashioned playground with a sandbox, a slide, a set of monkey bars, and one of those hand-pulled merry-go-rounds. Of course there was a swing set, too, and that was the only equipment being used currently. A little family was taking advantage of the cooler evening air. The father had some silver in his dark hair at the temples; the mother looked many years his junior. Her red brown hair was pulled back in a long ponytail that bobbed when she moved. They had a little boy, no more than a year old. The father pushed the child in the swing from behind, while the mother stood in front, leaning in to kiss his forehead when he swung her way, making him giggle so hard that his chubby little face was bright red. This had her laughing, too-I could see her body shake with it, her hair dancing. â€Å"What are you staring at, Wanda?† Jared's question wasn't anxious, because I was smiling softly at the surprising scene. â€Å"Something I've never seen in all my lives. I'm staring at†¦ hope.† Jared came to stand behind me, peeking out over my shoulder. â€Å"What do you mean?† His eyes swept across the buildings and the road, not pausing on the playing family. I caught his chin and pointed his face in the right direction. He didn't so much as flinch at my unexpected touch, and that gave me a strange jolt of warmth in the pit of my stomach. â€Å"Look,† I said. â€Å"What am I looking at?† â€Å"The only hope for survival I've ever seen for a host species.† â€Å"Where?† he demanded, bewildered. I was aware of Ian close behind us now, listening silently. â€Å"See?† I pointed at the laughing mother. â€Å"See how she loves her human child?† At that moment, the woman snatched her son from the swing and squeezed him in a tight embrace, covering his face with kisses. He cooed and flailed-just a baby. Not the miniature adult he would have been if he carried one of my kind. Jared gasped. â€Å"The baby is human? How? Why? For how long?† I shrugged. â€Å"I've never seen this before-I don't know. She has not given him up for a host. I can't imagine that she would be†¦ forced. Motherhood is all but worshipped among my kind. If she is unwilling†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I shook my head. â€Å"I have no idea how that will be handled. This doesn't happen elsewhere. The emotions of these bodies are so much stronger than logic.† I glanced up at Jared and Ian. They were both staring openmouthed at the interspecies family in the park. â€Å"No,† I murmured to myself. â€Å"No one would force the parents if they wanted the child. And just look at them.† The father had his arms around both the mother and the child now. He looked down at his host body's biological son with staggering tenderness in his eyes. â€Å"Aside from ourselves, this is the first planet we've discovered with live births. Yours certainly isn't the easiest or most prolific system. I wonder if that's the difference†¦ or if it's the helplessness of your young. Everywhere else, reproduction is through some form of eggs or seeds. Many parents never even meet their young. I wonder†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I trailed off, my thoughts full of speculation. The mother lifted her face to her partner, and he kissed her lips. The human child crowed with delight. â€Å"Hmm. Perhaps, someday, some of my kind and some of yours will live in peace. Wouldn't that be†¦ strange?† Neither man could tear his eyes from the miracle in front of them. The family was leaving. The mother dusted the sand off her jeans while the father took the boy. Then, holding hands that they swung between them, the souls strolled toward the apartments with their human child. Ian swallowed loudly. We didn't speak for the rest of the evening, all of us made thoughtful by what we'd seen. We went to sleep early, so we could rise early and get back to work. I slept alone, in the bed farthest from the door. This made me uncomfortable. The two big men did not fit easily on the other bed; Ian tended to sprawl when he was deeply asleep, and Jared was not above throwing punches when that happened. Both of them would be more comfortable if I shared. I slept in a small ball now; maybe it was the too-open spaces I moved in all day that had me constricting in on myself at night, or maybe I was just so used to curling up to sleep in the tiny space behind the passenger seat on the van's floor that I'd forgotten how to sleep straight. But I knew why no one asked me to share. The first night the men had unhappily realized the necessity of a hotel shower for me, I'd heard Ian and Jared talking about me over the whir of the bathroom fan. â€Å"†¦ not fair to ask her to choose,† Ian was saying. He kept his voice low, but the fan was not loud enough to drown it out. The hotel room was very small. â€Å"Why not? It's fairer to tell her where she's going to sleep? Don't you think it's more polite -â€Å" â€Å"For someone else. But Wanda will agonize over this. She'll be trying so hard to please us both, she'll make herself miserable.† â€Å"Jealous again?† â€Å"Not this time. I just know how she thinks.† There was a silence. Ian was right. He did know how I thought. He'd probably already foreseen that given the slightest hint that Jared would prefer it, I would choose to sleep beside Jared, and then keep myself awake worrying that I'd made Jared unhappy by being there and that I'd hurt Ian's feelings in the bargain. â€Å"Fine,† Jared snapped. â€Å"But if you try cuddling up to me tonight†¦ so help me, O'Shea.† Ian chuckled. â€Å"Not to sound overly arrogant, but to be perfectly honest, Jared, were I so inclined, I think I could do better.† Despite feeling a little guilty about wasting so much needed space, I probably did sleep better alone. We didn't have to go to a hotel again. The days started to pass more quickly, as if even the seconds were trying to run home. I could feel a strange western pull on my body. We were all eager to get back to our dark, crowded haven. Even Jared got careless. It was late, no sunlight left lingering behind the western mountains. Behind us, Ian and Kyle were taking turns driving the big moving truck loaded with our spoils, just as Jared and I took turns with the van. They had to drive the heavy vehicle more carefully than Jared did the van. The headlights had faded slowly into the distance, until they disappeared around a wide curve in the road. We were on the homestretch. Tucson was behind us. In a few short hours, I would see Jamie. We would unload the welcome provisions, surrounded by smiling faces. A real homecoming. My first, I realized. For once the return would bring nothing but joy. We carried no doomed hostages this time. I wasn't paying attention to anything but anticipation. The road didn't seem to be flying by too fast; it couldn't fly past fast enough as far as I was concerned. The truck's headlights reappeared behind us. â€Å"Kyle must be driving,† I murmured. â€Å"They're catching up.† And then the red and blue lights suddenly spun out in the dark night behind us. They reflected off all the mirrors, dancing spots of color across the roof, the seats, our frozen faces, and the dashboard, where the needle on the speed gauge showed that we were traveling twenty miles over the speed limit. The sound of a siren pierced the desert calm.

Computers Essay

Books will never be completely replaced by computers. Computers can crash, and all information will be lost. If the power goes out in your house, you can’t read on your computer, but you can pick up a book. What you read on a comp. is just light or something on a screen. A book is is a permentent physical printing. If computers replaced books, we’d all have serious eye problems. The joy of reading would be lost. I’d hate to have to depend on a machine for my relaxing reading time. Books are forever, computers are until it breaks down, and everything will be lost. Books can be taken care of, as can computers, but there are books that are a hundred years old, I haven’t heard of anyone with the same computer for even 10 yrs. see more:essay on computer I guess comps are getting new and better, but books are still better to read. However, on the up side for comps, 1 comp, can store probebly over a hundred books, sort of like an i pod. But if the 1 comp breaks, that a hundred books too. Computers are good, and should store that kind of stuff, but I don’t think it should completly replace the book. That would really suck. You can’t haul your computer everywhere you go, like the bus, waiting rooms, the lunchroom, bed, etc. Too large, awkward and unwieldy. Even laptops. You can’t just throw a laptop in your purse. I take books with me everywhere I go so I have something to kill the time with when I’m waiting. I read everyday on my lunch hour. I read before I go to bed. Sitting in front of a coputer to read makes my eyes, butt and back hurt, because you have to sit up to do it and the computer screen is too bright. Plus, books don’t need batteries. I think it’s okay for kids in school, and I’m sure that there are other instances, but I highly doubt that books will ever become obsolete.f a book – from reading an actual book instead of a screen. . Finding good novels or non-fiction would be more difficult because of the volume of all kinds and qualities of same. A computer, even a notebook, will never replace a pocket-sized paperback you can stick in a purse and read anywhere. Books don’t need batteries, service, defragging or any of those things. Like many aspiring authors, I’m excited by the possibilities posed by on-line publishing, but I have some serious reservations about what could happen if there is an unchecked volume of materials placed â€Å"out there.† Also, collecting royalties could make writing for profit even more of a challenge than it is today. Intro Science has made4 mch developments during the recent decades. It has developed many gadgets for our comfort but in my opinion they cn never replace the traditional things and ways. One of the greatest invention of technology and sciences is computer

What Ails Indian Sports?

One of the greatest† degradations that has occurred in our country during the second half of the twentieth century, has been in the field of sports and games. The† only major performance of note has been the gold medal in hockey won at the Moscow Olympics in 1980 and the triumph at the 1983 & 2011 world cup in cricket,plus a few individual medals in Olympics and few success in Tennis. But these occasional triumphs do not augur well for the future of Indian sports. A nation of 1. 2 billion has not been able to produce a sportsperson or athlete of international standards even after 6 decades of independence. In today’s new climate of peace, a nation’s achievements in sports are valued far above its arsenal or military might. We have, however, lagged behind in every field in spite of a large potential manpower. What does really ail Indian sports? With a few honourable exceptions like cricket, chess and tennis (where, even at the best of times, our performance has been erratic to say the least), our sportspersons and athletes like the ‘Flying Sikh’ Milkha Singh and the ‘Sprint Queen’ P. T. Usha have failed to find a mention in the international medal tally, in spite of their best efforts and glowing eulogies at home. The chances of our doing well or making a mark in the international arena remain grim till date. At home also, the standard in regional, state-level and national-level games is fast deteriorating. The malady, indeed, is deep rooted. The first and the foremost cause is the poor state of our economy. We cannot spot, nourish and nurture talent even in the initial stages. Whoever hits the spotlight is, by and large, a fluke. He or she has done it on one’s own merit. For instance, our cricket hero Kapil Dev has come up’ against all odds to make a mark in international cricket. Privatisation or sponsorship of the various games and sports is the only answer especially when we cannot spare enough funds for sporting activities in the country. Today, when about less than 25% of our population lives below the poverty line, the nation cannot spare funds from other developmental activities to sponsor sports. In such a scenario, privatisation of sports and games is the only remedy. It is done in the United States and the rest of the developed world. We can also do this if we wish sports and games to flourish in this country. The second cause of the fast-deteriorating standards in Indian sports is the politicisation of sports. Regionalism, linguism and favoritism are all visible, when any selection for a national or international event is made. This coupled with the lack of basic infrastructure, has hindered any progress in this direction. While we have gone in for huge stadia like the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, we have sadly neglected building small stadia and arenas in the rural and semi-urban centers, to encourage sporting talent in the initial stages. And such talent, whenever it comes to the fore, is grossly neglected at the time of selection for any event because they do not fit into any caste, region, language or group considerations of the selectors. This is a major shortcoming at the moment. Then, there is a lack of professionalism in our sportspersons; they lack the competitive spirit and are prone to rest on their laurels. Very few of our sportspersons keep up the strict regimen in respect of diet and training once they have achieved some name and fame. A medal here or a medal there is all they can achieve in lifetime before fading away into oblivion. The acme of their achievement is the Arjuna Award. How many chess grandmasters like Viswanathan Anand or cueists of international repute like Geet Sethi has the country produced? Our sportspersons, who have kept up the initial promise, can be counted on fingertips. Parental emphasis on studies, at the expense of sports and game, is another cause for the desperate straits in which Indian sports and games find themselves today. A sportsperson is considered no good unless he or she is academically above par, if not brilliant. A good sportsperson, who does not fare well in studies, is always looked down upon as an idler or no-gooder. Added to it is the lack of sports consciousness in the Indian mind. Our duty is to create an awareness of sports and games in the minds of the people if things are to improve in times to come. Otherwise we are likely to sink deeper into the morass with the passage of time. It is true our achievements in the sports have been negligible, but it is also true that there is no lack of talent in our country. If healthy atmosphere is created and selections properly made we can do a lot in this field. Simply to honour the outstanding sports persons at functions or staging international sports will not serve our purpose. We should extend every possible facility to our sportspersons and encourage them to take up sports and games more seriously.

Environmental Health Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Environmental Health Assessment - Essay Example The hydrocarbon wastes emitted by the oil refineries can do immense damage to the biological systems situated in their vicinity (Jahdali, 2008, p.34). The environmental pollution caused by the oil refineries has a broad scope that involves an above average level of pollutants in the air, large scale contamination of the soil and the above average contamination of the underground and above ground water resources (Jahdali, 2008, p.34). The gravest risk to the residents living in the neighborhoods like Torrance, which lie in the vicinity of a proposed petroleum refinery, will come from the utterly polluted air (Jahdali, 2008, p.35). The emissions from most of the oil refineries contain large amounts of sulfur dioxide, Nitrogen oxides, and heavy metals like zinc, lead, cadmium, besides loads of other pollutants like toluene, phenol and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Jahdali, 2008, p.35). Sulfur dioxide is the primary pollutant emitted by the oil refineries that gets accumulated in the lower layers of atmospheric air. Rainfall and humidity cause this toxic gas to precipitate and settle down in the surrounding soil (Jahdali, 2008, p.35). Eventually this pollutant gets absorbed by the plants including the fruits and vegetables growing in the area. Sulfur dioxide has been known to cause a range of ailments like lung cancer, allergic rhinitis, lung inflammations and a number of other respiratory and cardiovascular diseases (Opera and Mihul, 2003, p.84). The damage caused by sulfur dioxide to the people living in the vicinity of the oil refineries comes from two sources i.e. through long term inhalation of the poll uted air and through the food chain. Besides sulfur dioxide, the other pollutants emitted by the petroleum refineries are also known to cause many debilitating and sometimes incurable diseases. Another potential risk to the people living around the oil refineries comes from asbestos that is widely used for insulation in the oil refineries. Thus not only the workers employed in the petroleum refineries get exposed to asbestos, but the people living around such facilities do get to inhale asbestos particles emitted by them. Asbestos has been known to cause pleural mesotheliomas and is a medically proven carcinogenic substance (You Claim, 2002). The threat caused by asbestos emissions from the petroleum refineries is particularly pertinent in the case of the US, which has nearly 150 petroleum refineries scattered across 32 states. Besides, various scientific studies have established beyond doubt that the children living in proximity to industrial pollutants face severe problems related to academic and physical growth (Krisberg, 2006, p.3). Exposure to air pollutants emitted by facilities like petroleum refineries has been known to cause augmented instances of Preterm Delivery in the residents living around them (Leem, et al., 2006, p.1). As per a British medical study, rampant instances of childhood leukemia were noticed near petroleum refineries and oil storage installations (Gilman, 1997, p.156). It is imperative that the health hazards associated with

Evaluation and comparison of the marketing strategies of the two Essay

Evaluation and comparison of the marketing strategies of the two global companies P&G and Nestle - Essay Example Therefore, these three efficient tools of marketing will help to analyse overall marketing strategies of the two selected companies. Marketing strategy reflects the overall efficiency of a brand in the market in terms of demand of the products in the target market. It is one of the important areas of a business which drives the market demand and brand value of overall brand in the market. Nestle and P&G are two leading multinational FMCG companies which have been developing and implementing effective marketing strategies. Innovative marketing strategies by these brands create a benchmark in the market with their competitors. Through, both of these two companies operate in the same sector but there is substantial difference in main focused areas of business of these two companies. Main business of Nestle is confectionary food business whereas P&G’s focused area is beauty and household products. ... In terms of revenue and market, Nestle is the largest confectionary and notional food company in the world. The company has successfully developed a diversified portfolio of different popular brands. Major categories of products are starting from breakfast cereals, baby food, dairy products, bottled water, coffee confectionary, snacks, ice cream and pet foods. To compete with the regional competitors in foreign markets, the company has established production units in most of the foreign markets. It helps the company to offer competitive market price of its products. Nestle has developed 450 production units in 86 foreign countries. Demand of the Nestle product is so high that $1.1 billion revenue comes from only 29 brands. These brands include Kitkat, Nespresso, Nesquik, Nescafe, Smarties, Magi, Vittel etc. Nestle holds a large stake on world’s largest beauty product brand in terms of revenue and market share i.e. L’Oreal. Nestle has been followed acquisition aggressive strategy for rapid diversification into many foreign markets. The company holds the first position as world’s most profitable company in Fortune Global 500. The company currently has more than $200 billion market share and it helped the company to achieve FT Global 2011 ranking as 13th position. P&G Procter & Gamble is of the largest multinational fast moving consumer goods company in the world. It is a US based company headquartered in Ney York Stock Exchange. The company has successfully developed a large portfolio of diversified brands of different product ranges. Each of the brands holds wide numbers of products, most of that are very much popular in global market. P&G generated $82.6 billion revenue according annual report of 2011. The company ranked fifth position in the list of

Depends on Paper Chosen Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Depends on Chosen - Research Paper Example These norms for conduct have been advanced by regulation of research to address any sort of concerns highlighted in research of conformity and responsibility.   â€Å"Research ethics is a kind of applied or practical ethics, meaning that it attempts to resolve not merely general issue but also specific problems that arise in the conduct of research.   Its goal is to determine the moral acceptability or appropriateness of specific conduct and to establish the actions that moral agents ought to take in particular situations† (Penslar, 1995, p. 13). Researchers in every field are therefore bound by many ethical norms and obligations that can pose as challenges through the research phase. There are several reasons as to why it is crucial to adhere to ethical norms in a research. The â€Å"code of conduct† or the norms in research should be followed to promote the aims of research – knowledge, truth and eluding misrepresentation of data error. Most importantly, re searchers should follow strict conduct of ethical norms to ensure moral and social values, such as social responsibility, and to ensure accountability to the public. The main ethical challenge a researcher encounters in a survey research is the data collection. Many a times the data collected are not done professionally or sometimes they are fabricated. Some researcher also made up their own data due to time constraints and other factors. Research ethicists everywhere today are challenged by the issue of limited resources in any field. This often led to fabrication of data and misrepresentation of the given data. Embellishment  of data  and fabrication of data are the two things that I need to avoid to uphold my ethical values in my research .It would be an immense challenge for me to maintain ethics in research with the limited resource material available. This is a serious breach of ethics in research and should not be practiced. For any researcher to be relevant, it is necess ary to be free from personal bias and objectivity. Objectivity can be considered as one of the most cherished ideals of the educational research community. A very crucial role of a researcher is to unearth the facts without tainting it or influencing it in any way.   We, as humans, often tend to be biased, especially on things that are close to our heart and which matter to us. This often blinds our judgment and makes us err in many decisions. A researcher should be free from personal bias or fabricating data. If a researcher separates his daily life from his professional role, he can be free of bias.   Another factor to keep in mind while doing a survey research is that the research questions should be clear and should not be manipulated. The interviewee should  Ã‚   be able to understand the questions given to him/ her for the survey to be successful. Many a times a survey researcher manipulated the questions as to get the desired answers from the correspondent. This should not be practiced as it violates the ethics of research. In any research the confidentiality of the participants should be of high priority. It is very crucial to have a clear understanding with the participants. They should be clearly addressed on the research being conducted and it should also be mentioned that their names will be strictly confidential if

An illustrated critique of the nature of brand design and its value to Essay - 1

An illustrated critique of the nature of brand design and its value to a selected company - Essay Example It also critically evaluates its internal strength, weakness, and brand power due to massive international presence. The key competitors are under analysis and comparison with H&M to evaluate its brand image significant for its international standing and business operations. OVERVIEW H&M (Hennes and Mauritz) group is a renowned retail designer specialising in fashion apparel and accessories for men, women and children wear. It is the second largest international fashion retailer after the Spanish brand Zara (Inditex). It is operated through leased retail stores, franchises and online catalogue stores with operations in Europe, Americas, Middle East and Asia. It has expanded internationally through network of franchise stores as well as catalogue sales. It offers affordable and chic high street fashion from children to teenagers and adults with wide variety of fashion apparel, footwear, accessories and cosmetics. It divulges the concept of fast fashion i.e. offering premium fashion at affordable prices while maintaining satisfactory quality. It has a distinctive global presence across 48 countries with 2,700 retail outlets covering 50 franchises, 48 Monki, 18 Weekday and 35 Collection of Styles (COS) stores. It has a workforce of almost 94,000 employees globally. The significant growth was captured by introduction of cosmetics and accessories in the fashion apparel market. It derives 90% of its revenue from overseas market, where Germany being the biggest at 27%. The online and catalogue sale is only offered in the European region (Datamonitor, 2011). HISTORY The history of the multi-national retailer dates back to Erling Persson in 1947 at Vasteras, who started the brand initially with Hennes dealing with women wear. In 1969, Erling Mauritz bought a menswear retail company, together Hennes and Mauritz AB founded H&M fashion house dealing with both men, and women wear products. It expanded the fashion business from Sweden during the late 1960s to Norway, Denmark , Switzerland, UK, Austria, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Germany. H&M is listed on Stockholm Stock Exchange since 1974. In spite of H&M Scandinavian origin, its expansion into British and European market was a major success in the late 1970s. The online store was inaugurated in 1988 with consolidation of men, women, teens and children under one fashion brand called H&M. It is operated and headquartered in Stockholm. It turned into a multinational retail fashion business by acquiring 40% stakes in Fabric Scandinavian, which deals with brands such as Cheap Monday, Monki and Weekday retail stores. It also inaugurated its first COS concept store in 2011 at Stockholm (Datamonitor, 2011). H&M LOGO The logo signifies the first letters of the founding members of the H&M group, Hennes and Mauritz. The brand logo illustrates a bold red colour with light cursive that depicts softer outlook. The red colour illustrates a vibrant and enthusiastic outlook that comprehends with the company’s creative fashion trends. The font size and colour chosen for the brand depicts the

REFLECT THOUGHT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

REFLECT THOUGHT - Assignment Example The main difference in these regards is the understanding that in these regions, strength is a more valued quality than intelligence, as the majority of work is farm or manual labor. It’s clear that this difference could lead to relativism as one culture places higher value than another on intellectual forms of intelligence. Even as difference value is placed on these elements, it’s clear that the different values are different because they have specific viability in the culture, leading to support of relativism. 2. Psychological egoism claims that whatever we do, we do out of self-interest. Give an example of an act you think is not done out of self-interest, and explain how the psychological egoist might try to interpret that act as selfish. One of the major acts that are claimed to be done not out of self-interest is charity work. Everyone from celebrities to billionaires to everyday citizens has regularly involved themselves in charitable activity as a means of contributing to world culture and helping disenfranchised individuals. Even as these acts are performed out of charity, a psychological egoist may claim they are done out of self-interest. The egoist could potentially argue that in performing these acts the people are not doing it out of a selfless interest to help others, but actually as a means of making themselves feel better. Similarly, the egoist might argue that these people are participating in these charitable activities to make themselves look better in the eyes of their peers and the general public. The problem of prayer in school is a hot-button issue. In the hypothetical dilemma John wants prayer, while Mary does not. One of the potential compromises that could be reached for this situation is to allow prayer in school for those individuals that choose to pray. Still, prayer must not be an institutionally sponsored activity; for instance, teachers would not be able to institute prayer sessions. This scenario

How technology impact to fashion & life style industry Essay

How technology impact to fashion & life style industry - Essay Example The demand for Performance and wearable technology products in this category comes from professional athletes, managers of corporate wellness programs as well as consumers of recreational fitness (MENA Report, 2014, 4). This indicates that more people are undertaking fitness and wellness programs. In addition to that, there are more than 230 million installs of fitness applications Performance and wearable technology devices have improved the medical field as well as the health care industry as a whole. Aside from reducing the costs of health care by enabling people to maintain healthy lifestyles by practicing, performance and wearable technology have made it easier for doctors to detect defects in the human body on time (SNS, 2013, 12). Smart glasses and head ware are increasingly being used in hospitals to manage diseases such as diabetes through a label reader, educating patients, accessing patient records and improving emergency responses. Further, they have enabled complex activities such as surgery and hearing augmentation to become relatively easier. Health care practitioners can treat inner injuries like brain injury with better technology (May, 2013, 7). It is estimated that almost half a billion smartphones were shipped in the year 2011 alone. Projections indicate that smart phone manufacturers will ship more than 1.2 billion smartphones annually by 2016 (Editorialist, n.d., n.p.). As the number of smart phone owners increases and the smart phones fast turning into an information hub for their users, analysts foresee a situation where new devices will enter the market with the ability to connect to smart phones and exchange data with them (Scaturro, 2008, 474). Smart glasses and smart watches are already sharing data with smart phones, case in point being the i-Watch by Apple Inc. The number of people with

Research Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

Research Project - Essay Example ucted studies on the relationship between language anxiety and performance have indicated the existence of a negative relationship between language barrier and the overall performance of a learner. To an extent, the effects of language anxiety severely affect the performance of a learner. The extent of these effects is obvious during language tests, when learners are put under the pressure of time constraints and of success. This study focused on the issue of language anxiety and its effects on Saudi learners’ test performance. A questionnaire was used to identify learners’ different levels of language anxiety. Later, the learners were subjected to a standardised test to determine their anxiety levels. The results from the study indicated that the correlation between anxiety scores and test had adverse effects on the students’ performance in the tests. From the findings, suggestions were made on the need for more attention to be made on language anxiety. Methods of reducing language anxiety among students during tests to improve their performance are also suggested. Language anxiety, comprising of the various types of fears, worries, or nervousness related to learning or using a foreign language in communication has been the subject of research for a long time. The feeling of discomfort associated with a person using a foreign language both in learning and communication in comparison to the ease of using mother tongue is justified. Experts in the field of anxiety and psychology hold that learning anxiety successfully has negative effects in the performance of a student, which at times can lead to adverse results. The ease of understanding questions in a test, the time taken in understanding and answering a particular question and the comfort while answering questions are the various factors that affect the level of performance of a student. Time is essential in tests as success is determined by the ability to answer either all or most of the questions. If a

Country Analysis Report - Saudi Arabia Research Paper

Country Analysis Report - Saudi Arabia - Research Paper Example Being a growing country, the government has launched strategies to encourage integration of the digital technology within the business sector. In this light, this is a potential market for ICT infrastructure. If Apple invests in this business sector, it is likely to benefit from high market demand, high customer loyalty, less competition and a stable market position. With a high bargaining power, the organization should expect more profits from this environment. These benefits are expected to last in the long term. The challenges that exist in this market sector cost of imports, delay in obtaining a license and high construction costs. In fact, this market is ranked as one of the hardest market for foreign investors to launch their products. This makes it quite hard for Apple Inc to launch its business plan in this market. Its ability to design a strategy that overcomes these challenges will determine its survival in this market. Numerous risks threaten business survival in this mark et. Existence of terrorism and political instability promises an unpredictable future within this market environment. Also, religious conflicts make it hard to predict consumer behavior in this market. On entry in this market, Apple Inc should be aware of these risk and devise plans to neutralize them. Altogether, Apple Inc should consider entry in this market as challenges and risks are inevitable in every market environment. Saudi Arabia Analysis Report Introduction In the 21st century, there is pressure for every business organization to push its operations in the international markets as a strategic plan to target more customers and optimize profits. Before developing an international investment plan, it is crucial to conduct a thorough environmental market scanning before choosing potential countries where business is viable. This process requires a clear identification of the opportunities available in the country, risk, difficulties and potential of the target country. This h elps a business entity to understand the nature of the new market, and decide whether it is worth to invest in this country. In addition, this helps the organization to devise the right market entry strategy to take advantage of the opportunities, neutralize risks and overcome difficulties associated with the new environment. Understanding the market environment goes way far in determining the success of the organization within the international market. Saudi Arabia is one of the countries that are becoming potential investment market sectors especially in the field of technology. As the country struggles to absorb technology within its industry, there is potential for ICT business in this part of the world. However, this market has associated risks that pose threat to business survival in this industry. For Apple Inc, this market sector is a potential investment environment due to the demand of technology infrastructure that is building up in this country. Although Apple Inc produc ts are already trending in this market, there is need to develop a manufacturing plant in this country to take better advantage of this market. This report is a presentation of the image of the Business environment in Saudi Arabia. It presents the opportunities, benefits, risks and difficulties that Apple Inc would encounter in launching manufacturing operations in this Saudi Arabia. The ICT Potentials of

Egypt vs. Fertile Crescent Essay Example for Free

Egypt vs. Fertile Crescent Essay During the early dynastic period, the early River Civilizations had just come to be. Egypt and The Fertile Crescent were 2 of the civilizations. Different civilizations were developing different things as well as living two different ways of life. In social and intellectual ways, these two civilizations handled themselves in very similar as well as many different ways to function the way they did and remain stable while they could. Egypt and the Fertile Crescent shared certain things within the social and political part of their civilizations. They both needed a lot of work to be done. Anywhere from building pyramids, to parts of a city, someone had to do it, but who? To solve this dilemma, the Fertile Crescent used slaves, and Egypt had laborers. Having slaves or laborers made is accomplishable for job positions to be filled within a city, or made it easier and quicker to finish projects ordered by the Pharaoh. In an intellectual view, both developed a form of writing. The Fertile Crescent invented the cuneiform, which is also the first form of writing, to pass down history. As well as Egypt, they had hieroglyphics, which served the same purpose, In other words, they needed a way to keep records from generation to generation. To do this, they used what they had to develop a form of writing to accomplish this. As for differences between to two civilizations, they were very many social and political ones. The Fertile Crescent had a small amount of social classes. They had a priest, merchants, and slaves. Those are the basic classes. The significance of having a less amount of classes is simplicity. Also, because the Monarchy already holds most of the power, it has no need for someone else to have any. Egypt had a lot more compared to them. Pharaohs, Land owners, Army commander, merchants, Farmers, and Laborers. While having more social classes than The Fertile Crescent, it might seem to make it harder on them for they have more going on, and more people doing more things, but it made it easier on the Pharaoh. Yes, he still had say so in what went on, but there were still different people in charge of different things. As for any intellectual differences, Egypt was able to develop a calendar. By doing this, they were able to tell when any floods were coming and it was no surprise. Not only did this calendar only help with flooding problems, but they could also mark any important date of when anything happened during their time. On the other hand, the Fertile Crescent was always hit by surprise by floods from the river. They never developed a calendar, so for them, they had no clue when a flood was coming and it became a panic when it did.

Qualitative And Quantitative Research Methods Computer Science Essay

Qualitative And Quantitative Research Methods Computer Science Essay Qualitative research is involves using various methods ranging from participant observation, interviews, and action research, to ethnography, document review and grounded theory in order to investigate and explain phenomena of predominantly human sciences. However, qualitative research can also be found in various other disciplines, subject to suitable methodologies. A general shift in orientation of Information Systems (IS) has resulted in an elevated focus on organizational and managerial rather than technological issues. The reorientation also requires qualitative research to enter the discipline of IS, which used to be exclusively relying on quantitative research for testing its theoretical body. This paper is to review and discuss the methods of qualitative research with the aim of identifying their suitability for research in Information Systems. Based on the limitations and benefits of the individual research methods, a framework for applying such methods will be presented to be considered as a vantage point in applying such methods scientifically. Introduction The concept of methodology refers to the principal way of going about doing research or practicing the discipline in its present activities. Consequently, the term research methodology refers to the way research is being conducted within the discipline, and normally this is methodology is confined to the respective scientific discipline. Research methodology refers to all the methods employed specifically when doing research, e.g. the subjects interviewed, the materials used, the methods used to collect data, etc. The aim is to accurately and exhaustingly describe and list all parameters which led to the obtaining of a certain set of data, so that it could be repeated elsewhere and by other researchers. The methodology also specifies the upper and lower limits, the exact circumstances under which the research was conducted (Alavi Carlson, 1992) (Myers, 1997) (Orlikowski Iacono, 2001). The emergence of computer science and the absence of a research tradition like the disciplines of physics, chemistry, or biology led to the predominance of a technical perspective on information systems. Realizing the tremendous social consequences of information systems, computer science and technology on people and society has paved the way for using qualitative research in this discipline. Not surprisingly, researchers such as (Mangan, 2004) have pointed out the increasing occurrence of qualitative research methods in information system research and its related management areas. Discussion The human desire to shape the world and materialise ideas and concepts brought on us many notoriously failing, yet at other times marvellously ingenious pieces of engineering and concepts of grandeur, which is unique to human life as much as we are able to reflect on ourselves and our actions. This paper is to discuss computer science by defining the terms science and scientific method in relation to the Theory of Science. Based on the writings of (Kuhn, 1962) (Carnap, 1994) (Popper, 1999)and (Chalmers, 1999), the relationships between science, research, development and technology is explored. Computer Science has as its object of investigation the computer as a technology, as a tool to structure knowledge and information in and about our world. As much as computer science is based in mathematics and logic, its theoretical and experimental research methods follow that of classical sciences. However, computer science also features those unique methods of modelling and simulation which have drawn and transformed other sciences while impacting tremendously on artistic and commercial fields. In maintaining a close relationship with technology, computer science is subject to a continuous development parallel to modern life, though lacking a scientific tradition of classical sciences. By the time computer science emerged in the late 1940s, it was more of a bringing together of various existing sciences, culminating in various concepts of other sciences (logic, mathematics, physics) to be re-assembled to bring forth a new theory and practice of general abstraction and specific design. Though termed computer science, however, it is not so obvious that the field qualifies as a science in the traditional sense. Still a young discipline, it also started out very differently than for example similar classic Greek sciences such as mathematics and physics. The historical development of computer science brought about an age of dramatically increased communication, which, for one, allowed other sciences to communicate much more effectively than ever before, while at the same time allowed a holistic view of our world to emerge and establish itself amongst most of todays societies. What is commonly referred to as science can be described a systematic observation of phenomena by means of (certain) sets empirical and logical methods in order to understand such phenomena. We consign to a certain understanding of phenomena, once we have a theory which can help us to explain such phenomena why they are what they are, or why we experience them as we do, whether they follow a certain pattern, etc. Traditionally, the scientific enquiry is first and foremost concerned with the physical world, with empirical phenomena which require logical and empirical methods to observe, describe and explain such phenomena. As such, science is divided into several specific sciences in order to cut down on complexities. Natural sciences contain fields such as physics, chemistry, geology, biology, etc., while social sciences refer to psychology, sociology, economics, anthropology, etc. The humanities refer to areas of investigation such as philosophy, history, linguistics, etc., while culture refers to areas such as religion, art, etc. A special class of science is logic and mathematics, in that they are exclusively abstract fields of enquiry with no need to refer to the physical world in any way. What is referred to as science is also a body of knowledge that is more or less organized, and which gives rise and consistency to the agreed logical and empirical methods employed in going about the observation and explanation of phenomena. However, science is also the concrete application of such organized knowledge to the physical world. Science attempts to explain and understand the physical world. It is important to note that science is always an after-the-fact effort in understanding the observed phenomena. Scientific knowledge is not a priori, meaning, it never occurs before the observation. This is different for logic and mathematics, in that knowledge in these fields does not presuppose an observation. In these fields, conclusions are reached by logic, while at the same time logic is the object and field of investigation. Science presupposes an order in the natural world which structures and order everything in the universe, an order which is relatively constant, and which can be discovered in order to gain increased levels of knowledge about the world. In the end, science is an expression of human curiosity and a desire, and ability, to solve problems. Such problem-solving endeavours eventually lead to the building of theories, attempting to unite and unify all our observations, or a subset of observations into rational structures which depict the natural world. As such, theories are nets cast to catch what we call the world: to rationalize, to explain, and to master it. We endeavor to make the mesh ever finer and finer. (Popper, 1999) The Scientific Method There is no single scientific method. While one could define the scientific method as a set of practices which scientists use to answer questions within their specific field of research or investigation, the methods employed can vary significantly. Some of the methods used for scientific enquiry are of logical nature, as they refer to arriving at deductions from certain hypotheses, or as they refer to causal relationships and their logical implications. Other methods are of an empirical quality, in that they refer to making observations, the designing of instruments (e.g. to collect data), or the designing of controlled experiments. However, all and any scientific method employed is subject to the criterion of being replicable and repeatable. Any other person should be able to duplicate the very experimental setup or enquiry, and produce either the same results, or dissimilar results. This is also a strong indicator of scientific methods being impersonal, or put differently, unless another person can duplicate the results of another scientist, this serves as a sign that there are substantial errors in either the design, the methodology, or the interpretation of such results. Scientific methods are used to generate the logical limits or environment within which to generate information, which can serve either as a result of certain questions asked, or as input to questions to be asked. Such methods also serve to establish scientific theories about whatever can be theorised about in the context of the specific research environment. In science, everything is theoretical until substantiated by logical deduction (or induction), empirical proof, or a combination thereof. The scientific method is characterised by the very nature of science, in that it is never absolute, constantly in a state of being changed and reviewed. All findings are negotiated in empirical terms, and this positivist negotiating process is a recursively self-correcting process which roots science exclusively in the empirical paradigm. It should be noted, though, that the scientific method is just that, a method, a set of human practices geared and calibrated towards obtaining knowledge about the world in a certain, exclusively positivist way. Researchers such as (Feyerabend, 2000) et al. maintained that all human epistemological endeavours, and with that all scientific endeavours, do not arise from a vacuum. All human experience and thought are based on prior experience and thought, thus all experimental data is rather theory-contaminated. This bears specifically on computer science, in that the design of experimental equipment has to follow a similar pattern like the scientific method exemplified above in order to maintain a verifiable baseline. Qualitative Research The most common differentiation between various research methods is that of quantitative versus qualitative research methods. Quantitative research is concerned with quantifiable data, objective measures which can be repeated always and everywhere, given that all parameters which could influence the measurement process have been analysed and specified in the research design. This is the predominant research methodology of all natural sciences (Myers, 1997), and includes methods such as e.g. mathematical modeling (also used in computer science), test performance scores, measurements (weighing, counting, etc.), but also context-free survey responses. Qualitative research is about evaluating, measuring, and understanding of social issues (e.g. in sociology) or human problems (e.g. in psychology), as embedded in a social context featuring the influence of subjective opinions, goals, objectives or understandings (Cresswell, 1994). Here, more than often, it matters for example how questions and statements are worded, and how such is understood across various cultures, societies, groups, or individuals. Accordingly, the methods employed range from participant observation to interviews and questionnaires, in short, whatever method is suitable to elucidate the very quality of a situation or condition. The fact that the Information Systems discipline is rooted in the engineering tradition due to its positivist qualities regarding computer science and the activities around designing and building computers, prototyping and modelling have led researchers such as Roger Clarke to indicate that positivist approaches alone are insufficient to gather the interpretive aspects and qualities which often are emergent phenomena when approaching Information Systems from a management perspective (Clarke, 1995). Positivist Information systems research was classified as positivist by researchers (Orlikowski Baroudi, 1991), provided such research provided quantifiable measures of variables, hypothesis testing and formal propositions about a problem, the phenomenon and the sample of the population. Researchers such as (Yin, 2002) and (Marzanah, 2007), on the contrary, have exemplified the applicability of case study research as a valid approach to information system research. Interpretive Notwithstanding the ideals and benefits of a positivist approach to the world, not all phenomena can be accorded for by an empirical approach as practiced in the hard sciences of physics et al. The attempt to understand the complexities of a subjectively experienced but socially constructed reality in which it is important to understand the context within which such processes happen and meaning is imbued on a multitude of processes and relations, has fostered the scientific approach to history and culture, and the embeddedness of human life into such complex systems (Orlikowski Baroudi, 1991). Irrespective of the perspective on such negotiated contexts, qualitative research still aims at maintaining the objectivity of the researcher as he/she attempts to collect data for interpretation. Likewise, the use of qualitative research in the Information Systems discipline is aimed at producing an understanding of the context of the information system, and the process whereby the informatio n system influences and is influenced by the context (Walsham, 1993). Engineering The movement from logic and mathematics to natural science, social sciences, the humanities and culture is an indication that human society developed parallel to human thought as contained in the purely natural sciences concerned only with the natural world. The development of science beyond those natural sciences and logic and mathematics is to show that humans were successfully integrating and re-integrating the then current knowledge to include further areas of interest which do not correlate with the traditional field of investigation of the respective sciences, i.e. humans were repeatedly relating one subject with another, say, the functions of vitamins in the human body with the effects thereof within a social context. The emergence of computer science was possible by the inclusion of mathematics and logic, in the form of the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), while at the same time drawing on physics, chemistry, biology and psychology. Since its inception in 1936 as a branch of mathematics, computer science has been limiting itself to an exploration of how mathematics can be codified by and into mechanistic explanations and principles, with the earliest computer programs being FORTRAN in 1954 to solve problems in numerical analysis, and LISP in 1958 to solve problems in symbolic processing. Computer science is more of a meta-activity, in that it reflects on the practice of writing software programs or designing computer hardware. More precisely though, computer science is concerned with the design, development and investigation of empirical methodologies and logical concepts that are the basis of the scientific activities of specifying, developing, implementing and analyzing computational systems (Eden, 2007). Qualitative Research Method in Information System IS research has been the study of processes related to the development of IS applications and the effects that IS applications have on people, particularly in formal settings such as organizations. The importance of IS research until now, has led to a number of different research approaches and methods, usually adapted from other disciplines such as sociology, natural sciences, and business studies. Harvard colloquium on qualitative IS research methods and QualIT conference in Griffith University in Brisbane on November 2005 have highlighted qualitative research, as a distinctive research approach. Qualitative research methods were developed in the social sciences to enable researchers to study social and cultural phenomena. Qualitative data sources include observation and participant observation (fieldwork), interviews and questionnaires, documents and texts, and the researchers impressions and reactions. According to Northcutt McCoy (2004), Myers (2006), and Hesse-Biber Levy (200 6), there are four research methods being used by IS researchers. The research methods are the case study research, ethnography, action research, and grounded theory. Case Study Case study research is the most common qualitative method used in information systems (Alavi and Carlson, 1992). Yin (2002) defines the scope of a case study as an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident. Yin further suggested the following steps techniques for organizing and conducting the case study research. The steps are to determine and define the research questions, to select the cases and determine data gathering and analysis techniques, prepare to collect data, collect data in the field, to evaluate and analyze the data and lastly preparing the report. There are numerous case study research, in the organizational context for the implementation of information systems, to illustrate and investigate theories related to IS and organization. Ethnography This is the research method of anthropology with its emphasis on culture. It is undertaken by observation, interviews and examination of documents. In the research, the researchers observe their collaborators without prejudice or prior assumptions. Ethnography is widely used in the study of information systems in organizations, from the study of the development of information systems (Davies Nielsen, 1992). Ethnography according to Avison and Myers, (1995) is suited to providing information systems researchers with rich insights into the human, social and organizational aspects of information systems development and application. The goal of ethnographic research is to improve our understanding of human thought and action through interpretation of human actions in context. Basic steps recommended as a general framework for an ethnographic study (Rose et al., 1995), used to conduct an ethnographic study. The steps include preparation to understand, familiarize setting goals and access to observe. Field study to establish rapport with managers and users, observe/interview and collect data. Analysis to compile the collected data, quantify data and compile statistics, preparing report and presenting the findings. Randall, D., et al. (1999), explore the issue of legacy through the use of a long-term empirical investigation into how information technology is employed in a major UK bank. The closeness of their investigation into the day-to-day operations of the bank from the perspectives of individual users (using ethnographic techniques) identifies the embedded nature of the technology and the impact of cultural, organizational, and individual employees legacy on organizational and technical change. Action Research Action research has been promoted and practiced as one way to conduct empirical research within Information System discipline. Information system action research (Davidson, 1998) is applied research to develop a solution that is of practical value to the people with whom the researchers are working, and at the same time to develop theoretical knowledge of value to a research community. According to Baskerville, R. (1999), information system research in has led to a number of different research approaches and methods, adapted from other disciplines such as sociology, natural sciences, and business studies and is often identified by its dual goal of both improving the organization participating in the research project, and the AR practitioner is expected to apply intervention on this environment. Action Research methodology was normally chosen as a research methodology as it provides the research with an inside and working view of the research matter. AR study done is characterized by the researcher applying positive intervention to the organization, while collecting field data about the organization and the effects of the intervention. Grounded Theory Grounded theory is a research method that seeks to develop theory that is grounded in data systematically gathered and analyzed. According to Corbin and Strauss (1990), grounded theory is theory discovery methodology that allows the researcher to develop a theoretical account based on concepts, categories and propositions. There are five phases of grounded theory building: research design, data collection, data ordering, data analysis and literature comparison, and each phase were evaluated against four research quality criteria: construct validity, internal validity, external validity and reliability. Orlikowski, (1993) uses grounded theory research in the findings of an empirical study into two organizations experiences with the adoption and use of CASE tools over time. The study characterizes the organizations experiences in terms of processes of incremental or radical organizational change. These findings are used to develop a theoretical framework for conceptualizing the organiz ational issues around the adoption and use of these tools and issues that have been largely missing from contemporary discussions of CASE tools. Singh et al (2005) discussed on the challenge of methodological implication of moving from grounded theory to user requirement in IS design. Results and Discussion Conclusion A research method is a strategy of inquiry to research design and data collection. The choice of research method will influence the way in which the researcher collects data. Specific research methods also imply different skills, assumptions and research practices. According to Benbasat et al (1996), no single research methodology is better that any other methodology, and in order to ensure the quality of information system research, Clarke (1997) listed the following requirements to be present in an IS research: the research method, applied within the scientific, the interpretive or the engineering tradition, the explication of a body of theory, which in most cases needs to reach back into reference disciplines, and also the extension of the theory. This give rise to the following motivation in conducting qualitative research in IS: Spending many hours in the field, collecting extensive data, and trying to gain access, rapport, as to gain an insider perspective in natural setting, and doing exploratory studies, where variables cannot be identified, theories are not available to explain behavior of participants or their population of study, and theories need to be developed. The qualitative research does also present some challenges that the researchers might face in using the method. In grounded theory, the challenges for the researchers are to set aside, as much as possible, theoretical ideas or notions so that the analytic, substantive theory can emerge, the researcher must recognize that this is a systematic approach to research with specific steps in data analysis. The researcher faces the difficulty of determining when categories are saturated or when the theory is sufficiently detailed. The ethnography is challenging to use for the researchers as the researcher needs to have grounding in cultural anthropology, time to collect data is extensive, involving prolonged time in the field, and there is a possibility to be unable to complete the study or be compromised in the study. In case study research, some of the challenges that the researcher must face is that whether to study a single case or multiple cases. The study of more than one case may dilutes the overall due to the lack of depth. In action research methods, lack of agreed criteria for evaluating action research, further complicates the publication review process, and makes this approach a difficult choice for academics. There is also an issue in both ethical and professional problems. Researchers who do not carefully explain their research orientation may mislead clients who are expecting consulting-type performance, creating an ethical breech regarding informed consent. In the field of IS a variety of research methodologies has been explored by researchers for different aspects of research study depending on the research focus and application domain of the researchers. Whatever research method to use, there must be some way of assuring the quality of the data collected, and the correctness of interpretation. There is also the need of a framework to guide the effort, and to clarify such methodological details, as it will provide a set of guidelines for a good IS research as suggested by Checkland (1991) and Lau (1997). A framework in Table 3 is proposed and has been used by Marzanah (2007) to guide the effort, clarify methodological details as the role of the researcher, the process of problem diagnosis, the nature of the intervention, the extent of reflection and learning intended, and whether there is new knowledge to be gained in the research. The action research approach enabled us to understand the interaction of social organization and information systems, by introducing changes into these processes and observing the effects of these changes. The action research approach is proposed due to the value of capturing and explaining what is going on in real organization. By using action research, it enabled us to understand the interaction of social organization and information systems, by introducing changes into these processes and observing the effects of these changes. It serves as a checklist with its criteria and questions to assess the quality of the research. The qualitative research methodology approach is viewed as significant in IS research due to the value of capturing and explaining what is going on in real organization. It enabled us to understand the interaction of social organization and information systems, the processes and observing the effects of these changes brought forward by IS. A research framework inaction research is proposed as guidance for the research activities to be undertaken to ensure the research objectives are met. The framework would guide the research effort and clarify methodological details of the role of the researcher, the process of problem diagnosis, the real world happening in an organization, the extent of reflection and learning intended, and whether there is new knowledge to be gained.

Criminology Essays Merton Anomie Durkheim

Criminology Essays Merton Anomie Durkheim Merton Anomie Durkheim How does Merton’s theory of anomie differ from that of Durkheim? Durkheim usefully conceptualised the phenomenon of anomie, and I consider the context in which this occurred. I look at Durkheims examples of crime and deviance and his discussion of social solidarity to clarify how his terms are understood. I discuss how, for Durkheim, anomie was a product of social change, resulting in loss of social cohesion and I go on to examine why, for Merton, the concept needed reconsideration. I examine Mertons view that society is in constant flux and his distinction between anomie and strain toward anomie, between social structure and individual responses, discussing briefly his five modes of adaptation, loosely divided into conformity and deviance. Finally, I identify key points of difference between their two theories of anomie. Emile Durkheim conceptualised the term anomie in The Division of Labour in Society (1893). In this treatise he discusses in detail the subject of social solidarity. Durkheim holds that all members within society are a product of society, bound together by societal bonds. Durkheim used the term anomie to describe lack of social cohesion or relative normlessness, where bonds break down or are undefined. (p.212) According to Durkheim this blurring of societal bonds causes members of society to become detached from societal regulatory constraints that govern and control their behaviour and aspirations, leaving them with no set guidelines within which to act or to aspire, resulting in anomie. Durkheim was a positivist; he was not interested in the study of individuals subjective meanings but aimed to identify and study different social facts. Many forces contributing to anomie can be measured only by their visible effects as some forces are invisible, like gravity. Durkheim studied the observable effects of invisible social forces. Anomie can be observed through effects such as societal disorganization and deregulation, leading to criminal and deviant behaviour but also social facts as personal as suicide (discussed below). Durkheim suggests that an anomic state is more likely to be present during periods of social unrest, perhaps caused by social changes like increases and decreases of economic prosperity, due to the disruption of traditional values (p.201) Durkheim believed that crime and deviance were socially constructed. Durkheim saw acts of crime and deviance as an integral part of society’s temporal transition; he suggested that a certain amount of crime and deviance is an essential component of the healthy functioning of society, and he suggested it reinforces society’s moral code and causes social solidarity, change and innovation. Although crime and deviance could threaten the stability of society, Durkheim suggests that a society without crime would also produce an anomic state. (p.226) In Durkheim’s treatise Division of Labour in Society (1893) he differentiated between two types of societies, characterised by their degree of social cohesion: mechanical solidarity, which has strong social cohesion, and organic solidarity, which has weak social cohesion. Durkheim suggested that society has evolved from a mechanical society, based on similarity, to an organic society, based on difference. (p.226) Mechanical societies describe the solidarity found in traditional societies; these societies existed before the modern industrial era. In mechanical societies communities were smaller, societal bonds were stronger; people shared collective norms and values which Durkheim described as collective consciousness. These societal bonds were reinforced by peoples shared religious beliefs. People in this society performed similar tasks and worked to achieve collective goals which benefited the whole group. In this type of society individuals were not as dependent on each other as later, organic, societies. In mechanical societies everyone was doing similar work and did not rely on others for their needs; they did, however, rely on society to function adequately as a whole: â€Å"In societies where this type of solidarity [mechanical] is highly developed, the individual is not his own master†¦. Solidarity is, literally something which the society possesses.† (Durkheim, ed Giddens, 1972, p.139) Durkheim suggests that anomie was less likely to exist in mechanical societies because of society’s strong cohesion. He states The state of anomie is impossible whenever interdependent organs are sufficiently in contact and sufficiently extensive. If they are close to each other, they are readily aware, in every situation, of the need which they have of one-another, and consequently they have an active and permanent feeling of mutual dependence. (Durkheim, 1893, p.184) The second type of solidarity, organic solidarity, Durkheim linked to complex modern industrial societies, suggesting that they are constituted, not by a repetition of similar, homogeneous segments, but by a system of different organs each of which has a special role, and which are themselves formed of differentiated parts. (p.181) In organic societies the division of labour increases and work tasks become more complex, specialised and individualised. The labour force is divided; therefore individuals are no longer working on similar tasks but segregated to individualised tasks. Members of organic societies are highly dependent on each other to produce what they need. Durkheim suggests that this functioning is similar to the functioning of the human body, all different parts working on specialized tasks to sustain the organism as a whole. However if the organ fails to function it causes the other parts of the organism that are reliant on that part to fail as well. This dependence is significant to the survival of society; healthy functioning of the society is based on the reliance of others. (Durkheim, 1893, p. 226) Organic societies differ from mechanical societies as they are based on differences in individual functions, rather than similarity. These differences can cause members to become detached from society which in turn causes misidentification with society. The breakdown of interpersonal bonds (without which individuals lack guidance and feel detached from society) thus produces anomie. Durkheim noted that Man is the more vulnerable to self-destruction the more he is detached from any collectively, that is to say, the more he lives as an egoist. (Durkheim, ed Giddens, 1972, p.113) This organic form of society, he suggested, was the cause of the decline of social cohesion and integration, and the creation of anomie (p.200). This is demonstrated by Taylor, in his publication Durkheim and the Study of Suicide (1982) Taylors interpretation of Durkheim suggests that suicide is present in modern organic societies because of the decline of social cohesion: Durkheim held that in modern society there were two principle causes of high (and rising) suicide rates: (egotistic) suicide was higher where individuals were not well integrated into collective social life; and (anomic) suicide was higher when societys norms and values were too weak to regulate individual desires and drives The relationship between levels of social integration and regulation and suicide rates demonstrated that society exerted an independent influence over the individual. In Durkheims terms, society was external to the individual, so much so that even such a supremely individual act as suicide had its roots in society. (p.21) Durkheim suggested that when social conditions change, the traditional norms and values needed for public consciousness no longer remain the same. An anomic detachment from societal restraints frees members of society from limits to their aspirations causing anomic suicide. (Durkheim, 1893, p. 203) Durkheim writes in Suicide (1897) that, â€Å"The limits are unknown between the possible and the impossible, what is just and what is unjust, legitimate claims and hopes and those which are immoderate. Consequently, there is no restraint upon aspirations.† (p.253) Robert Merton elaborated on Durkheims work on anomie; however, he did not always agree with Durkheim’s theory. Merton adapted the theory of anomie to a general sociological approach to crime and deviance. He considered that deviance was not caused by sudden social change, as suggested by Durkheim, but was, rather, a symptom of a constantly changing social structure. Merton was writing in America at a time when there was inequality between ethnic groups. Merton observed that not all individuals within society have an equal chance of success; he believed that inequality in society blocked people from attaining the means needed to achieve their goals. Many Americans were aiming to achieve â€Å"the American dream† and he was interested in how they pursued their goals, and whether or not dreams were equally attainable to everyone. (Merton, 1957, p.121) Like Durkheim, Merton held that crime and deviance were caused by society: â€Å"the functional analyst†¦ considers socially deviant behaviour just as much a product of social structure as conformist behaviour†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p.121) but Mertons view of deviance is different to Durkheim’s. While Durkheim believed that identifying deviance is a demonstration of society’s norms, and a barometer of cohesion and change, Merton held that crime does not generate social solidarity or social progress and that crime and deviance demonstrate poor societal organization. Merton suggested that society does not evolve from mechanical to organic, but that society is constantly changing and generating new goals if not necessarily the means by which to achieve these goals. (p.121) Merton’s theory of anomie is not easily conceptualized in his writings, as he spoke about both anomie and strain towards anomie, which can be hard to distinguish. For clarity, I have discussed these as if they were two different concepts. Firstly, when Merton talked about anomie, his theory does not refer to the normless societal state identified by Durkheim. Merton suggested â€Å"no society lacks norms governing conduct. But societies do differ in degree to which [such] institutional controls are effectively integrated with the goals which stand high in the hierarchy of cultural values† (p.121) Merton’s theory suggests that there is no decline or undefined presence of societal norms governing behaviour but a disjunction â€Å"between valued cultural ends and legitimate societal means to those ends† (Akers, 2000, p.143). Merton’s anomie theory, like Durkheim’s, can be used as an explanation of deviant and criminal behaviour. Merton held that individual goals and aspirations are regulated by societal restraints unlike Durkheim, who suggested that the anomic state causes no limitation to members aspirations. Merton suggested these societal restraints put pressure on members of society to conform to societal norms. He held that an anomic state is caused by a de-institutionalization of societal norms. This occurs when society emphasizes culturally preferred goals and their achievement but does not emphasize the culturally approved means to achieve these goals: â€Å"any cultural goals which receive extreme and only negligibly qualified emphasis in the culture of a group will serve to attenuate the emphasis on institutionalized practices and make for anomie.† (Merton, 1968, p.235) This disjunction, Merton suggested, is the cause of macro-structural anomie. Mertons structural anomie theory is similar and compatible with what Durkheim suggested as both theories can be used to explain macro-level implica tions of anomie, but the development of the concept of strain allows the application of the concept of anomie to individual experience of society. (p.189) This micro-individual level of anomie, Merton suggested, is caused by strain, and an anomic societal state is needed for strain to occur. In turn, the strain experienced by individuals fosters anomie. Merton’s strain theory can also be used as an explanation of deviant behaviour: â€Å"cultural (or idiosyncratic) exaggeration of the success-goal leads men to withdraw emotional support from the rules† (p.190). Individuals are more likely to pursue illegitimate means to attaining culturally prescribed goals when they are blocked from accessing the institutionalized means to these goals: The social structure†¦ produces a strain toward anomie and deviant behaviour. The pressure of such a social order is outdoing ones competitors. So long as the sentiments supporting this competitive system†¦ are not confined to the final result of â€Å"success†, the choice of means will remain largely within†¦ social control. When, however, the cultural emphasis shifts from satisfaction deriving from competition itself to almost exclusive concern with the outcome, the resultant stress makes for the breakdown of the regulatory structure. (Merton, 1957, p157) Merton also suggested that â€Å"some individuals are subjected more than others to the strains arising from the discrepancy between cultural goals and effective access to their realization. They are consequently more vulnerable to deviant behaviour.† (p.235) Merton described those who are restricted by inequality. This can be used as an explanation of the suffragette movement: women prevented from achieving their goals were provoked into deviant acts of protest. Merton identified five types of response to societal pressure: conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism and rebellion. (p.136) The first two modes accept, and the last three modes reject societal rules. Firstly, Merton described conformity which he considered the most common response to strain. It describes the process by which people strive to succeed using the most socially acceptable means they have available to them. This conformity to social values is cohesive of society according to both Merton and Durkheim. The second mode, ritualism, describes individuals who accept they have no opportunity to achieve their goals. These individuals maintain what they have but are discouraged from doing more: they don’t believe they can become more than what they are. In effect, they join the conformists. (p.200) However, not all people conform. The third mode is rebellion; this describes individuals who have rejected the idea that everyone can achieve success. These individuals have rebelled against the system and rejected socially acceptable means to achieve their goals. The fourth mode is retreatism which occurs when individuals choose to drop out of society, give up on their goals and make no effort to achieve because they see it as impossible. Merton suggested this response is associated with drug addicts and alcoholics. (p.267) The fifth mode is what Merton called innovation: innovation describes the process through which people conform to atypical forms of acquiring means; however, they also seek success that would be unachievable without taking advantage of illegal goals available to them. (p. 267)Each of these modes of adaptation demonstrates the individual’s response to societal strain arising from anomie; modes that accept societal pressures are not as likely to pursue illegitimate means. In conclusion, Durkheim suggested that anomie is caused by the undefined presence of social bonds. This undefined presence causes a decline of social cohesion therefore individuals become detached from society and recognise no limits to their behaviour. Durkheim also suggested that anomie is caused by the decline of social cohesion representative of today’s organic societies, and that mechanical societies found in pre-modern societies had a stronger degree of social integration, reducing the occurrence of anomie. However this view was not shared by Merton; he considered that there has been no time when society lacks norms. He held that the presence of societal norms and their pressure on society and individuals causes anomie and strain towards anomie. Durkheim and Merton also differ on when anomie occurs. Durkheim suggested that anomie is present during periods of social change due to the disruption of traditional bonds. However, Merton disagrees as he believes that anomie can be found in relatively stable societies. For Merton transition was not from one specific type of social structure to another but a constant state of flux, with changing goals. Both Durkheim and Merton agree that crime and deviance are consequences of anomie. However, they differed on whether crime has value to society Durkheim held that some crime and deviance is a product of a normal functioning society, reinforcing solidarity and encouraging social progress, while Merton suggested that crime and deviance demonstrates societal disorganisation. Durkheim and Merton’s theories differ most strongly on what constitutes the causes of anomie. Durkheim looks at anomie from a structural perspective, whereas Merton looks at the causes of anomie from both a macro and micro level, giving the theory a more detailed explanation. Merton looks in detail at the individual’s response to societal strain not discussed intensively in Durkheim, as his positivist ontology did not consider individuals internal motives and drives unless they had objective effects. For Durkheim anomie is the effect of the breakdown of societal bonds; for Merton, strain is a mechanism of anomie and can occur during anomic societal states: strain towards anomie describes the individual’s battle to obtain the necessary means needed to achieve their goals. Durkheim suggested that during an anomic state individual aspirations are not limited because of the undefined presence of societal norms; without these norms, he suggested, members of society are deluded as to what is realistically achievable (Durkheim, 1897, p.253). Mertons theory, on the other hand, offers an explanation for why social forces influence some people to commit deviant and criminal acts and why some individuals conform to societal pressures and why some do not. Bibliography Akers, R. (2000) Criminological Theories: Introduction, Evaluation, and Application. Los Angeles: Roxbury. Durkheim, E. (1893) The Division of Labor in Society, tr. W. D. Halls, (1984) New York: Free Press. Giddens, A. (1972) Emile Durkheim Selected Writings. London: Cambridge University Press Merton, R.K. (1957) Social Theory and Social Structure. 2ed ed. New York: The Free Press. Taylor. S. (1982) Durkheim and the Study of Suicide. London: The Macmillan Press. Thompson, K. (1982) Emile Durkheim. London: Tavistock Publications.

Anti-Semitism Essay - Martin Luther as Spiritual Icon for Adolf Hitler

Martin Luther as Spiritual Icon for Adolf Hitler   Ã‚   The world has been plagued with the specter of anti-Semitism for many centuries. This hatred manifested itself in the frenzy of Nazism and the deaths of six million Jews, the Holocaust as it has come to be known. If someone were to reveal an eight step plan for the removal of Jews from European society, one would readily associate such a plan with Adolf Hitler. One would not, however, think also of Martin Luther, though he himself wrote an essay in 1543 entitled "Concerning the Jews and their Lies" outlining such a plan. This is not to suggest that Luther was akin to Hitler in action or deed. This does suggest that Luther, the spark of the Protestant Reformation and father of German nationalism, and his teachings had a profound impact on the anti-Semitic thinkers that were to follow (Prager 106). It is possible that Hitler and Luther shared a common ideological base.  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Luther's attitude toward the Jews is puzzling. During the course of his theological writings Luther made a drastic transition from sympathy to hateful paranoia. Very early in his Protestant career Luther wrote an essay entitled "That Jesus Christ Was Born A Jew". In it he calls for tolerance, compassion, and peaceful conversion. "...they [Catholics] have dealt with the Jews as if they were dogs and not human beings" (Luther "That" 33). Luther believed that a purified Christianity, his Christianity, would attract Jews (Patterson 16). Jews could only truly be converted through a demonstration of the scriptural basis of Christianity. A Jew was a person of worth to Luther. Luther asked how Jews could improve his society (Luther "That" 34). Luther called into question those who advocated vi... ...was not constrained by Luther's sense of "merciful severity". Thus, it is unfair to say that Martin Luther was a direct cause of the Holocaust. Rather, Luther's anti-Semitic ideas and proposals provided a fertile soil from which the seeds of new even more horrific visions could germinate and grow into full bloom.    Works Cited Luther, Martin. "Concerning the Jews and their Lies". 1543. Rpt. in Disputation and Dialogue. F.E. Luther ed. New York: Ktav Publishing House, 1975. ---. "That Jesus Christ Was Born a Jew". 1523. Rpt in Disputation and Dialogue. F.E. Luther ed. New York: Ktav Publishing House, 1975. Mosse, George L. Toward the Final Solution. New York: Howard Fertig, 1978. Patterson, Charles. Anti-Semitism. New York: Walker and Company, 1982. Prager, Dennis and Joseph Telushkin. Why the Jews? New York: Simon and Schuster, 1983.   

tupac :: essays research papers

Tupac Shakur was a black African American rapper who lived his life with poverty, violence and drugs. The songs â€Å"â€Å"Hellrazor†Ã¢â‚¬ , â€Å"Me and My Girlfriend† and the poem â€Å"In the Event of my Demise† reflect the tragedy and pain which was Tupac’s life. All his poetry relies on vivid imagery and violent language to create a very realistic picture of how terrible life can be living in the ghettos of America. The song â€Å"Hellrazor† is a very dramatic song which tells the story of a young black African American male trying to make his way into becoming a â€Å"Gangsta† as he has no other way to support himself. The theme of change is reflected in this song. The song doesn’t really have a straight flowing structure. It rhymes in places but there is no pattern to it. For example: it rhymes in the 1st two lines: -   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Born heartless and mean muggin†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"At 16 on the scene watching fiends buggin† But after that it doesn’t rhyme for further 8 lines. That leaves a very dramatic effort because it reflects the tension and the violence of this song. The song has some very harsh and effective similes. For example: - â€Å"When a nigga gettin' richer, they come to get ya† â€Å"It is like a motherfuckin' trap and they wonder why it's hard being black†. This simile works very well because it uses some really strong emotions and the theme of racism to get the message through. Also the use of very strong language leaves a lasting image on the listener. The song uses plenty of Gangsta slang. Some examples include: - Gat, Loc, 5-0.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This is a very memorable song because it is so emotional and tragic. The most vivid lines come when he raps about how a little girl who was killed by a gun. Lines such as:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Dear Lord, if you hear me tell me why?†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Little girl like Natasha had to die†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"She neva got go see the bullet, just heard the shot†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Her little body couldn't take it, she shook and dropped† This part of the song is very dramatic because of his reference to god and by the way he said that she didn’t even see the bullet coming. It is very hard to forget this song because of its strong language and powerful imagery of the girl being murdered. The song â€Å" Me and my Girlfriend† is a very complicated song. The message that Tupac is trying to get through is not what you see written down on the piece of paper.