Face It: the Impact of Gender on Social Media Images Essay

Social websites like Facebook enable users to upload self-created digital images; it is therefore of interest to see how gender is performed in this domain. A panel used a literature review of pictorial features associated with gender traits, and a sample of Facebook pictures to assess gender stereotypes present in Facebook images. Traits emerging in greater prominence in pictures of males included active, dominant, and independent. Those prominent with female users included attractive and dependent. These findings generally conform to gender stereotypes found in prior research and extend the research regarding stereotypical gender traits displayed in professional media depictions to self-selected social media displays. They also extend the research on gender differences in impression management generally, in both interpersonal communication and social media, to include gender-specific traits that are part of young mens and women’s impression management. Keywords: Facebook; Ge nder Display; Impression Management; Role Theory; Social Media Jessica Rose (B.A., Villanova University, 2011) is a marketing and communications professional in the Greater Philadelphia Area. Susan Mackey-Kallis (Ph.D., Penn State University, 1986) is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at Villanova University. Len Shyles (Ph.D., Ohio State University, 1981) is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at Villanova University. Kelly Barry (B.A., Villanova University, 2011) is a marketing and communications professional in the Greater New York area. Danielle Biagini (B.A., Villanova University, 2011) is a marketing and communications professional in the Greater San Diego area. Colleen Hart (B.A., Villanova University, 2011) is a student at the University of North Carolina School of Law. Lauren Jack (B.A., Villanova University, 2011) is a marketing and communications professional in the Greater New York area. The authors would like to thank Dr. Jesse Frey of the Mathematics Department of Villanova University f or his help in creating the tables presented in this article. Correspondence: Susan Mackey-Kallis, Department of Communication, 800 E. Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, PA 19085; E-mail: susan.mackey-kallis@villanova.edu ISSN 0146-3373 print/1746-4102 online # 2012 Eastern Communication Association DOI: 10.1080/01463373.2012.725005 The centrality of gender embodiment has animated recent debates in media studies about the relationship among gender representations in media, gendered bodies in virtual space, and gender as performance. With the emergence of social media websites, such as Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace, users have an online platform that allows them to communicate widely, to virtually manage others’ impressions of them, and to even express gendered identities in cyberspace. With over 500 million active users as of 2011 (http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics), Facebook dominates the social media market. Offering a highly interactive platform, Facebook users can leave comments on their friends’ walls, provide status updates and photos, and can even access one another wirelessly through Facebook Mobile. As of 2010, users spent over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/ press/info.php?statistics), often updating their Facebook profiles to add relat ionships to their friends lists. One well-known feature of Facebook is the user’s profile picture, displayed in the upper left-hand corner of each user’s homepage. Intended to be the first thing seen, it is arguably one of the most important features of the user’s Facebook page. The profile picture offers friends, acquaintances and even potential employers a firstimpression of the user’s appearance and, perhaps, their character. Therefore, the content of users’ Facebook profile pictures is an important object of study for researchers interested in how people practice impression management. According to role theory, people follow unwritten social and cultural rules and norms as they behave ‘‘in ways that are different and predictable depending on their respective social identities and the situations they find themselves in’’ (Biddle, 1986, p. 68). Gender identity and gender roles are a significant part of everyday life and, according to Goffman, are actually constituted through social interaction (1976). Gender shapes how people make sense of themselves and their social relationships. However, as Wood notes, ‘‘What gender means depends heavily on cultural values and practices; a culture’s definitions of masculinity and femininity shape expectations about how individual men and women should communicate; and how individuals communicate establishes gender that, in turn, influences cultural views’’ (Wood, 2009, p. 20). Gender display, as a continuous communication loop, is defined by society and expressed by individuals as they interact while shaping evolving societal expectations regarding gender. In contemporary media and culture, women’s and men’s social desirability and gender have often been defined in terms of their bodies. For women, this has often involved comparing themselves to and even replicating the ‘‘thin ideal’’ (presented in modern mass media despite the looming specter of anorexia and bulimia), altering their bodies to heighten perceived sexuality or youthfulness (through cosmetic surgery, exercise or eating), or conforming to traditional definitions of femininity including qualities such as submissiveness or sentimentality (through dress, cosmetics, style, etc.). For men, gender-based definitions of success frequently revolve around presenting or developing their bodies as strong, youthful, active, and physically dominant. The evolution of social media (such as Facebook) and online digital gaming environments (such as massive, multiple online games [MMOs]) now offer venues where individuals can consciously self-select an d present virtual versions of themselves that can either conform with, challenge, or defy societal expectations and media presentations. Digital formats, on the one hand, represent exciting possibilities for individuals who can explore the freedom of presenting a physical self that might differ from the one they present or perform in everyday life or from socially-defined expectations. As Rettberg argues, ‘‘our fascination with creating digital self-portraits is indicative of our collective coming of age where we as a culture are discovering that we have voices online and can express ourselves rather than simply accepting the mass media’s views of the world’’ (2009, p. 453). On the other hand, digital formats may simply offer a chance to replicate cultural and mass media normative versions of the individual, specifically as they relate to gender. Since how people present and perform their bodies in virtual spaces offer specific impressions, many of which relate to gender, one objective of the current study is to examine how gender portrayals manifest themselves in self-selected social media displays. Specifically, can social media website content help us understand more about gender roles and the way people present themselves in the virtual social world? Do the ways they manage their images reinforce existing gendered stereotypes? Because social networks such as Facebook are relatively recent phenomena, the content of self-presentation profile pictures has not been analyzed in great depth. Extant literature supports the idea of expected gender roles unique to males and females (Goffman, 1976; Lauzen, Dozier, & Horan, 2008; Wanta & Legett, 1989; Williams & Best, 1990) and the idea that society advocates these roles through various media (Bell & Milic, 2002; Hancock & Toma, 2009), with both males and females engaging in impression management in order to control their public image (Dominick, 1999; Jones, 1997; Leary, 1996). Witmer and Katzman (1997) argued that females may display more emotional graphics than males while communicating on the Internet. Extant literature, however, only reveals one study that has examined gender differences in self-selected portraits in self-posed photographs (Mills, 1984) and one study that has examined gender differences in Facebook profile pictures (Strano, 2008). Strano’s study, focusing exclusively on gender difference in impression management, found that women engage in management more than men (Strano, 2008). In a related area of literature, self-presentation in computer-mediated communication (CMC), some studies suggest a great deal of ‘‘gender-swapping’’ on the Internet (Bruckman, 1993; Roberts & Parks, 1999; Witmer & Katzman, 1997) with some estimates as high as 60% (Roberts & Parks, 1999), and with males ‘‘gender-swapping’’ more than females (Bruckman, 1993; Suler, 1999). The fantastical and fantasy-based nature of many gaming environments, however, and the anonymous nature of most CMC in general might suggest that the freedom to reinvent oneself not only in terms of gender but also race, ethnicity, and other variables is much broader than in Facebook profile pictures. Facebook friends, who may know the person in real life, recognize a photograph as a self-selected presentation but, researchers argue, most likely do not assume that the profile picture reflects extensive alteration or photo retouching. The current study, therefore, makes a unique contribution by investigating whether self-selected Facebook profile pictures exhibit stereotypical gender roles consistent with traits emerging from existing research. Literature Review Gender Roles Some researchers suggest that gender differences result from a variety of factors including socialization and biology; as such, gender roles are often manifested through communication and culture (Goffman, 1976; Lauzen et al., 2008; Wanta & Legett, 1989; Williams & Best, 1990; Wood, 2009). West and Zimmerman (1987) claim gendering is a routine interaction of everyday life. ‘‘Both gender role and gender display focus on behavioral aspects of being a man and a woman’’ (p. 127). They use Goffman’s (1976) account of ‘‘gender display’’ to suggest gender is also constituted through interaction. Says Goffman, ‘‘If gender [can] be defined as the culturally established correlates of sex (whether in consequence of biology or learning), then gender display refers to conventionalized portrayals of these correlates’’ (1976, p. 69). Goffman cites sports as a framework to explain masc uline tendencies, asserting that the male gender is categorically viewed as aggressive, strong, and competitive. In agreement, West and Zimmerman (1987) assert that ‘‘Doing gender is unavoidable . . . because of the social consequences of sex-category membership: [this includes] the allocation of power and resources not only in the domestic, economic, and political domains but also in the broad arena of interpersonal relations’’ (p. 145). As men and women tend to assume ‘‘proper’’ societal gender roles, associated behaviors are viewed as cultural markers that indicate norms of social interaction. Williams and Best (1990) searched for gender stereotypes among respondents from 25 nations worldwide. Participants were presented with a list of 300 character traits and instructed to indicate whether the trait was ‘‘more frequently associated with men than with women,’’ ‘‘more frequently associated with women than with men,’’ or ‘‘not differentially associated with the two sexes.’’ Table 1 presents results for the traits most commonly associated with men and women and indicates the traits isolated for this analysis. Gender Roles in the Media Society often promotes gender role markers as social norms through photographs and other visual displays used in advertising. Wanta and Legett (1989) studied the media images of male a nd female athletes of the 1987 Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, concluding that men and women were depicted differently in terms of emotion, dominance, and power. Goffman (1976) accounts for these traits in his research of magazine and newspaper photography, finding women to be pictured in more submissive positions while men are depicted in more elevated positions. Based on Goffman’s inquiries, Wanta and Legett (1989) hypothesized that female tennis players would be shown more often in positions implying helplessness than male tennis players. Goffman’s (1976) studies of power within photographs asserted that the more dominant a person’s face was (i.e., the more full-front, direct-to-camera orientation of the face, and the greater the percentage of photo space taken up by the face), the more power was held and=or portrayed by the person pictured. Wanta and Legett used these ideas to predict that the photographs of female tennis players would focus more on the players’ bodies, while male tennis players would have more concentrated images of their faces. However, the majority of Wanta and Legett’s (1989) hypothe ses remained unsubstantiated; their gender stereotypes were not confirmed. In fact, opposite portrayals often emerged. They concluded that the photographer was trying to break gender stereotypes. In contrast to the work of Wanta and Legett, the research conducted in the current study does not rely on images shot by professional photographers. Rather, the present analysis is based on self-selected and, almost exclusively, self-created Facebook profile pictures. Gender roles, present in everyday interaction, are also enacted on television. Lauzen and colleagues (2008) examined gender roles enacted by men and women on television. Using a stratified random sample of 124 prime-time television series airing on six broadcast networks during the 2005–06 seasons, they looked at the rates at which men and women fell into categorically different social roles. Taking a category scheme developed by earlier research, Lauzen and colleagues defined social roles as the things ‘‘people do in daily life’’ (see Eagly & Steffan, 1984, p. 735). These roles vary from childcare and household chores to workplace activities. Through a content analysis, they found male characters on prime-time television were more likely to inhabit work roles, including blue collar, white collar, and extracurricular activities, while women were portrayed in more interpersonal roles involving romance, friendship, and family. Similarly, in their content analysis of 827 Australian magazine advertisements from 1997–98 to determine the presence of stereotypical gender roles, Bell and Milic (2002) concluded that ‘‘Males were more frequently shown in ‘narrative’ ways (as actors) than females, and this is true of both groups and individuals. Women were more likely than men to ‘behave’ (or to express emotion)’’ (p. 215). Their findings suggest stereotypical gender traits of men and women consistent with those of Williams and Best (1990) and consistent with Goffman’s (1976) analysis of advertising which found that women were ‘‘more likely to be portrayed performing submissive or appeasing gestures such as head or body canting, bending one knee inward (‘bashful knee-bend’), smiling, clowning, and acting less seriously’’ and were ‘‘often portrayed as being under the physical care and protection of a man’’ (as cited in Bell and Milic, 2002, p. 205). Ragan (1982) analyzed gender differences in 1,296 portrait photos from high school and university yearbooks, concluding there are gender differences; females smiled more than males, smiled more expansively than males, tilted their heads at greater angles than males, faced the camera less directly than males, and wore glasses less frequently than males. While this research identifies gender differences, it was limited by an influential factor: Photographers posed the subjects (Ragan, 1982). In hopes of accounting for this limitation, Mills (1984) conducted a study in which 34 men and 34 women were asked to present themselves as typical college students in pictures. Mills’ findings reinforced the suggestion that females smile more, and smile more expansively, than males. Gender stereotypes also abound in video games. Female characters are represented as highly sexualized while male characters possess exaggerated strength, are hypermasculine, aggressive, and, with the exception of showing hostility, lack emotion. They are also less likely to display helping or nurturing qualities (Robinson, Callister, Clark, & Phillips, 2008). One study found that the central role for male characters was ‘‘competitor’’ while females’ central roles were ‘‘victim,’’ ‘‘damsel in distress,’’ or ‘‘evil obstacle’’ for the hero to overcome (Heintz-Knowles et al., 2001). The findings of these video game content analyses have remained fairly consistent over time and have also been shown to be perceived by audiences (Robinson et al., 2008). Based on the work from several decades of research on gender roles from the fields of advertising, television, photography, digital gaming studies, and cultural studies, it is apparent that masculinity often implies strength, ambition, and independence, whereas femininity implies physical attractiveness, reverence, and sentimentality (Wood, 2009). The rapid growth of digital media invites researchers interested in the cultural impact of gender to investigate this alternative outlet for self-presentation. This study provides a natural extension of such work in investigation of gender differences in self-selected Facebook profile pictures. Self-Presentation Goffman (1959) argued that individuals were concerned with self-presentation during all social encounters. This is because, among other reasons, impressions impact the opinions of others regardless of an individual’s intentions. Burr (2002) claims J. Rose et al. The other people making up our audience can, by their own conduct, either legitimate or reject our claim to be a certain kind of person, and Goffman (1959) argues that this is done by carefully monitoring the match or mismatch between what we ‘give’ (the things we say or do to create an impression) and what we ‘give off’ (the body language, our general demeanor—the communicative aspects of our conduct that are harder for us to control and manipulate). The creation and maintenance of impressions is therefore a two-way street (2002, p. 73). Hence, for Goffman (1959), the ‘‘presentation of self in everyday life’’ and the roles maintained are pertinent to everyday interaction. People constantly play characters to avoid embarrassment and to ‘‘fit-in’’ with social norms. Gender role, then, focuses on the collectivity of logical, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional responses to social situations (Burr, 2002). Most self-presentation studies have examined the concept only in face-to-face communication (Goffman, 1959; Leary 1996). Recent studies (Oh, 2004; Cho, 2006) about self-presentation in personal websites analyze only the styles and not gender display specifically. Similar to face-to-face contexts, individuals do make choices about gender-related impressions over the Internet. A number of studies, for example, have demonstrated extensive ‘‘gender-swapping’’ in ‘‘avatar’’ creation for online gaming and in text-based CMC (Bruckman, 1993; Roberts & Parks, 1999; Suler, 1999). In these virtual environments, physical identity markers are not apparent and, as a result, the self is more fluid and changeable (Gergen, 1991) and offers increased opportunities for strategic self-presentation (Walther, 1993; Walther, Anderson, & Park, 1994). Gender is often one of the variables that communicators can consciously shape in these mediated environments (Roberts & Parks, 1999; Bruckman, 1993; Wilbur, 1996). Some researchers have gone so far as to argue that the computer-mediated environment is a gender-bending world (Witmer & Katzman, 1997). Modern gaming environments, in particular, allow gamers to design or choose ‘‘avatars,’’ their virtual self in the gaming world, that possess a variety of differing characteristics such as height, weight, age, gender, dress, and profession. In these environments, the avatar becomes ‘‘inextricably linked to their performance of self and engagement in [a virtual] community’’ (Taylor , 1999, p. 438). Despite the above cited studies of ‘‘gender-swapping’’ and self-presentation in CMC, no researchers have examined the extent to which social media users ascribe to gender stereotypes in their presentation of self on the Internet. Samp, Wittenberg, and Gillett (2003) examined the extent to which ‘‘gender schematic’’ individuals (individuals with either strong masculine or feminine gender orientations versus androgynous orientations) and individuals who were high (versus low) self-monitoring engaged in gender-swapping on the Internet. The researchers in this study used self-report data from Internet users about their online gender-swapping behavior generally. The researchers in the current study, by contrast, provide a content analysis of actual Facebook profile pictures in terms of the presence or absence of gender stereotypes and do not focus on gender swapping. Hancock and Toma’s 2009 study of profile pictures on online dating websites created and posted with the intention of creating relationships comes closest to the focus of the current study. In line with Goffman’s (1959) suggestion that self-presentation is the process of packaging and editing the self in order to create a certain impression for an audience, Hancock and Toma (2009) examined the impact of gender on self-presentation and social desirability. They found that both women and men ‘‘edit’’ their profiles to create a better self-presentation through self-enhancement (Hancock & Toma, 2009). Some participate in ‘‘selective self-presentation,’’ an even more controlled act of impression management in which imag es are changed or distorted, often leading to further inaccuracy portrayed by the profile (Hancock & Toma, 2009). Having the ability to ‘‘select’’ or specifically change or display particular points of interest, the users can greatly affect the impression made of them (Hancock & Toma, 2009). Both men and women on the online dating social network use ‘‘selective self-presentation’’ to their advantage to give the impression of being more desirable to their audiences. Hancock and Toma (2009) suggest men and women can control their self-presentation through social networks (i.e., online dating sites). Such sites comprise one segment of social networks; Facebook is another. Realizing stereotypical gender roles are present in society, Dominick (1999) studied how men and women presented themselves on personal homepages. Dominick (1999) coded 500 randomly sampled personal homepages based on demographic and personal information, creative expressions, and photographs. He used Jones’ (1997) five strategies of image construction: ingratiation (state ments of modesty, familiarity, and humor); competence (statements of abilities and achievements); intimidation (statements of anger and unpleasantness); exemplification (acts of moral superiority); and supplication (images of helplessness, while acting self-deprecating; Dominick, 1999). He concluded that females released more information than males while both males and females were equally likely to have photographs on their pages. Women’s photographs tended to be more sentimental in nature, while men’s more often were ‘‘joke images’’ and images that made them seem more competent and capable. He concluded that ‘‘A personal web page can be viewed as a carefully constructed selfpresentation’’ (Dominick, 1999, p. 647). Dominick asserted that the concept of impression construction exposes the different strategies men and women use to present themselves through images and information to gain a higher level of likeability, respect, and power in society (1999). Jones (1997) noted that individuals strive to be liked and accepted, resulting in social rewards such as friendship, social support, companionship, romance, and social status. Because smiling is associated with being liked and competent, Jones (1997) correlates gestures with the ingratiation and competence strategies of image construction. As Facebook was not founded until 2004, Dominick’s (1999) study is expanded upon in this study (http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?factsheet). Buffardi and Campbell (2008) studied whether photographs from a variety of social networks are self-promoting. They state, ‘‘Self-promoting connoted persuading others about one’s own positive traits’’ (p. 1307) and define physical attractiveness as the degree to which an individual appears self-promoting and vain in a photograph. While not examining gender differences in self-promotion per se, the researchers did examine ‘‘how sexy and modest . . . the individual in the main photo appeared to be’’ (Buffardi & Campbell, 2008, p. 1307).

Games for Young Learners

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Many researches stated that learning a language is better started from early age because in this stage the children will be easier to acquire the language, sooner they start learning, more proficient they will be in using the language. Therefore, presently, English is introduced starting from kindergarten and becomes one lesson subject that must be taken in elementary school based on government’s rule in Indonesia. In this level, the children are usually called by young learners. Young learners are those who just start the formal school until they are in eleven or twelve years old.Teaching English for young learner is not easy task as it is seen because children are interested in fun activity rather than listening to the teacher who talk in front of the class explaining something that they do not understand. What usually happened in the classroom is that teacher gives so much speech in front of the class and explains many theories and concepts of the lan guage that the children do not understand about. Because of this reason, the children will start to get bored and play with their friends and make chaos.Then, the teacher will surrender of facing chaos in the classroom and get angry until then scold to the children that will make them feel afraid to study. It is not purely children mistake, but it is happened because teacher does not know how to manage the class and keep the children’s attention. The teacher should remember that young learners are different from an adult. They are not interested in studying since they do not have motivation from learning yet. They are interested in game, story, tale, song, and other fun activities.In this case, the teacher should be able to manage the class as fun as possible and find an enjoyable ways to teaching the language naturally. It can be done by designing an activity that takes their attention. Playing such kind of games could be a best way to get the children’s attention. Ga mes are closed to children world and through these children can learn the language naturally since these activities will make them involve into the learning process. It means that they learn directly through listening, watching making interaction, and also moving around. Children learn from an authentic material.This paper will show how games can be an effective tool for learning activity. Through this paper, the writer expects that teacher can understand how game can bring many benefits if it is implemented in language learning classroom. CHAPTER II CONTENT 1. Games for Teaching Young Learners Children like playing games since it allow them to have fun and move around the class. They could involve in the games naturally since it is their world. Children could learn through playing and in playing they could interact and develop the language skills through communication.Games also make a wonderful atmosphere in the classroom. Some researchers said that games could improve childrenâ⠂¬â„¢s learning and can be an effective tool for teaching the language. Besides that, games could be highly motivating since games give competition and also challenge for them. Further, in playing the games they could use the language in real context that would make them have strong memory since games make children use the language instead of thinking about the forms and concepts of the language.Wells (1981) stated that â€Å"in working on first language acquisition, found clear evidence that a child who has a lot of opportunities for negotiating meaning – for making sure that he/she has properly understood what is being said develops language skills more rapidly than a child who does not. Games  can create these opportunities in the foreign language classroom by setting out situations where children urgently need and want to communicate in order to have a turn at playing, to point out the rules, to challenge another player and so on†. Games could cover many language skills.Through games, children can use the language directly, they also listen to the other in other to finish the games. Besides that, language aspects, such as grammar, vocabulary and etc, could be involved in the games. It is based on the teacher’s imagination, creativity, and sensitivity to make the games become useful tool for learning. 2. The Advantages of Games for Teaching Young Learners There are some advantages of using  games as classroom activity, they are: a. Games  could decrease anxiety of learning a new language and it will make the language transfer going smoothly.The children would not feel that they are under pressure. They learn the language in a good and relax atmosphere. In a good, relaxed atmosphere which is created, children would remember things faster, easier and better. b. Games are highly motivating and entertaining. In order words, games bring more fun into the classroom and could give motivation to students since games contain a challenge. c . Games give them new experience of using foreign language that would not available during regular language learning classroom. . Games involve all learners to participate. It means that silent students are also invited to participate and give their contribution in playing the game sp all students have the same opportunity to practice and use the language. e. Furthermore, games give different atmosphere to the classroom activities, break the ice and also can be used to introduce new ideas. According to (Vernon, www. teachingenglishgames. com), there are some reasons of using games for language learning, they are: The first reason why games are so useful is that games make learning fun, children have willingness to participate and are not just present in class because they have to be. Students pay more attention because when they enjoy themselves, they do better, feel better about themselves, and do even better – it is a learning cycle working in their favor. (Vernon, www. tea chingenglishgames. com) †¢ Next reason is playing a game has a purpose and an outcome. In order to play, students have to say things. Therefore, they have a reason to communicate and this makes them want to know and learn more.In addition to this, games stimulate and motivate children to a new level. They know that if they do not pay attention, they will not be able to play the game well and they will let their team down so they make more effort to join in and learn as much as possible. (Vernon, www. teachingenglishgames. com) †¢ The proverb ‘repetition is the mother of skill’ becomes very meaningful during the games in children’s language class as students get to use the language all the time with a lot of repetition. Although repetition is boring in some cases, during games it is fun for children.Also because of the fun involved in the game a massive amount of vocabulary and grammar can be revised in a short time because it is very difficult for learn ers to remember vocabulary if they never use it. Furthermore, the physical movement involved in some of the games also helps keep children stimulated and alert. Children naturally have a lot of energy and are not good at attending formal lessons for long periods, and so if they participate in a game involving physical movements from time to time, they will never get impatient and bored.Most importantly, the philosophy of encouragement incorporated into these games increases confidence in all students. Usually this does not just mean they get better at only English, but in all subjects in school. This in turn makes the teachers more motivated and optimistic, and they can really make a difference in their lessons. (Vernon, www. teachingenglishgames. com) †¢ Apart from all this, language games like any other games involve learners in a healthy competition that can help them learn more. â€Å"As long as no one is forced to participate, competition can be positive and encourage pla yer discovery, examination and learning. (Vernon, www. teachingenglishgames. com) †¢ Thus, creating the right type of language games can foster this healthy, beneficial competition in the classroom. Finally language games create a bond between the teacher and their students, which is fulfilling for the teacher and students alike. In short, if used properly by the teacher, games are excellent ways whereby children have fun and at the same time acquire a language. (Vernon, www. teachingenglishgames. com) 3. How to Use Games for Teaching In using games for language learning, there are something that should be considered by the teacher they are: . Make sure that the  games  that are going to be used have educational purpose. There is no point in playing a game just for the sake of playing a game. Teacher needs to ensure that all  games  have some sort of teaching  element to it and already modify based on the syllabus’ purpose. For example, the popular game, Ã¢â‚¬Ë œSimon Says’ can help listening skills, the students need to listen for the word ‘Simon’ and the action of the word. Word bingo games also can help the students recognize any new words. b. Considering the level of the students.Teacher needs to  use  games  that are not only good for learning  English  but also games that challenging the students in some way. A game that is too easy for the students will have little educational value and the students will become very bored. c. Choosing games based on the age of students. Chose a game that is appropriate for the age of the students when  teaching. Games  that adults find fun will not usually be fun for children and vice versa. d. Don’t let the children choose the game! If you ask the students to play a game that they know. Children tend choose a game with no educational value.You can always add educational value to your  games  by insisting the loser answers a question, spells a word, etc. Ensure that your game is teaching  at the same time as having fun e. Teacher should have an effort to vary the games. Students of all ages and ability will get bored if you keep doing the same thing over and over again, this also applies when playing games  for  teaching  English to young learners. Many games can be downloaded free from many sources in the internet. In implementing games in the classroom, teacher should be able to give the children clear instruction about how to play the games.It is better to give them direct example rather than give long explanation that might make them feel confused. And also, although games are fun, using games for long period also can make the children feel bored since they repeat the same activity for long period. The teacher should be creative in managing the class so everything could go smoothly. CHAPTER III CLOSURE After all, we can conclude that games as a teaching activity is not just a warm up and icebreaker activity but it can be the main activity in the learning process.Besides that, using games in the classroom activity can make an affective learning atmosphere because it gives many advantages for the language learning, such as: creating a good atmosphere, learning process will be fun and cheerful because the class will be live up, etc. Games also will decrease the chaos that may be faced by the teacher. Besides that, Games create contextual learning for the students. Games that are made for learning activity is not simple as it seem since it need some consideration for making it appropriates to be used as the main activity in the classroom.REFERENCES Ara, Shaheen. (2009). Use of Songs, Rhymes and Games in Teaching English to Young Learners in Bangladesh. Journal of Linguistics 2,3: 161-172 How to teach English using games. (n. d. ). Retrived December 11, 2011, from   http://factoidz. com/how-to-teach-english-using-games/ Yolageldili, Gulin & Arikan, Arda. (2011). Effectiveness of Using Games in Teachin g Grammar to Young Learners. Elementary Education Online 10,1: 219-229 Vernon, S. A. Benefits of using games in the classroom. Retrieved on December 20, 2009, from www. teachingenglishgames. com

A Thousand Splendid Suns Narrative Strategies Essay Example for Free

A Thousand Splendid Suns Narrative Strategies Essay ? A Thousand Splendid Suns the reader would think it’s a happy novel, however there’s nothing particularly â€Å"splendid† one would assume about the novel. From the very beginning of the novel the author, Khaled Hosseini inserts hints and foreshadowing to aware the reader that it will be an unhappy story. This is evident in the following illustration when Mariam breaks the sugar bowl , â€Å"It was the last peice that slipped from Mariam’s fingers, that fell to the wooden floorboards of thekolba and shattered† (Hosseini 2). Hosseini is generating depressing emotions in the novel by introducing words † fell† or â€Å"shattered† resembling failure or sin. The reader also gets introduced to the word â€Å"Harami† and other words, such as â€Å"kolba† and â€Å"Jinn† which are terms not identified by the author, so the reader must rely on the context to better understand what the word means. For example, when Mariam expresses the fear that the â€Å"jinn† has returned to her mother, the reader will assume that jinn is something bad. The use of these terms establishes the setting , but also signifies that some things cannot be translated remaining a mystery for the reader. In the novel , Hosseini makes the reader live, see and feel by portraying the experiences the characters are going through in the novel, and by writing from a third person point of view , he broadens the readers ability because the perspective of the characters is limited, sometimes Mariam, sometimes Laila, which works to great effect to attach the reader to both characters equally. A Thousand Splendid Suns Narrative Strategies. (2018, Oct 28).

Organisations Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Organisations Design - Essay Example ctively silence criticism and concerns by the rank and file, a culture that mocked and ignored ethical compliance issues, and numerous other elements that reduced their effective impulse control, morality, concern over their actions and ability to perceive the inevitable consequences of their actions. Definition of Culture Schein defines culture thusly: â€Å"a pattern of basic assumptions...developed by a given group as it learns to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration...considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to...think† (1985, p. 9). Culture can be considered to be separate from but clearly intertwined with institutional characteristics. Institutional decisions to scuttle external auditing and accounts is an institutional decision. The sentiments behind that decision that laugh at external controls and view them as unnecessary is a cultural trait of the organisation. ... . ethics – successful, driven, focused, philanthropic and responsible† (Sims and Brinkmann, 2003). Just as the company had seemed to be the darling of Wall Street and invulnerable to failure, it also seemed to be a truly responsible company. Of course, it is important to note that not everyone bought into Enron's golden story. Greg Palast, an investigative journalist for The Guardian, had been writing exposes on Enron for years (2004). Palast in a retrospective on Enron in 2002 argued that Enron's collapse was predictable due to a combination of lackluster media criticism that continued after the crisis, a culture of political irresponsibility and a sense of political entitlement, arrogance, and other factors: One tabloid...called Baxter a "hero"...[T]his is the Baxter who last year quietly crawled out of Enron...then dumped his stock on unsuspecting buyers... There have been a lot of misplaced tears in the Affair Enron. The employees were shafted, no doubt about it. But the shareholders? I didn't hear any of them moan when Enron stock shot up through the roof when the company, joined by a half dozen other power pirates, manipulated, monopolised and muscled the California electricity market a year ago...Enron and half a dozen others skinned purchasers for more than $12bn in excess charges....Enron sold 500 megawatts of power to the state for delivery over a 15-megawatt line...[T]he company knew darn well the juice couldn't make it over the line, causing panic in the state - customers would then pay 10 times the normal cost... The federal regulator caught that one. Within weeks of taking office, George Bush demoted the troublesome official. Lay boasted to one candidate expected to replace the sacked regulator that

Economic Impacts of the Multi Fibre Agreement expiration in the EU Essay

Economic Impacts of the Multi Fibre Agreement expiration in the EU Countries - Essay Example The essay focuses on the economic side of the MFA expiration, while examining the importance of international trade and the use of protectionist policies in a globalized world. The concept of aggregate demand and supply is used to measure the impact of the changes on products and factors in the textile market. The essay also considers European protectionist measures that can be taken in the nearest future. The essay presents different cases, where other forms of protectionism have been created in developed countries especially in the European Union and the gap between beneficiary and non beneficiary developing countries of the opening of the international textile market. The WTO admitted that the MFA was a special regime outside the GATT rules and that WTO members have committed to remove those quotas by 1st January 2005. Nevertheless, the MFA was not negative for all countries. The US, for example, imposed no restrictions on imports from the poorest countries like Bangladesh, benefiting to a massive expansion of the textile industry there. Since the end of the quotas, the gap between developed and developing countries is not very clear. When some could believe that the dismantling of the MFA could have been a relief and a real opportunity for Southern countries, it appears that the situation is much more complex. There is one main reason for the difficulties facing the textile market within developing countries: competition. Each of developing countries wants to be part of this profitable business. ... ist policies and we will use the concept of aggregate demand and supply to measure the impact of the changes on products and factors in the textile market. I. The consequences of the end of the MFA. 1. Among developing countries. Since the end of the quotas, the gap between developed and developing countries is not very clear. When some could believe that the dismantling of the MFA could have been a relief and a real opportunity for Southern countries, it appears that the situation is much more complex. There is one main reason for the difficulties facing the textile market within developing countries: competition. As the international market is now wide open, each developing countries wants to be part of this profitable business. However, not all of them can compete with giants like China. According to apublication from the OECD "A New World Map in Textiles and Clothing" when the MFA was still in place, smaller developing countries took advantage of the quotas because this system penalised the more competitive suppliers. When the quotas from a country like China was reached, importers turned to less competitive suppliers located in countries that had spare export quotas and whose only advantage was low wage. Today, the less competitive developing countries re not called as back up because countries willing to import textile can only be supplied by one and only exporter, the most competitive: China. As we stated before, the main issue here is competition. What separates China from other developing countries id not only the competitive advantages of low wages. In "China Shows the Way in a Quota-Free Market", Linda Lim presents six competitive advantages that China has over the other developing countries: First, Chinese workers are much more productive, probably

Describe the role of emotions in interpersonal communication and Essay

Describe the role of emotions in interpersonal communication and analyse their implications for workplace interactions - Essay Example When people communicate by use of emotions, they call attention to themselves and provide information to others that may inform how their reaction should be. Often, people learn through socialization how to display and read emotions. However, some people are undoubtedly better in reading emotions than others (Payne & Cooper, 2001, p. 28). Emotions are expressed in two forms; primary emotions and secondary emotions. Primary emotions are experienced for a short time. The reaction is as a result of an outside stimulus and experienced similarly across cultures. Such emotions include joy, anger, fear, distress, disgust and surprise. Secondary emotions do not tend to be innate as primary emotions. They always have a corresponding facial expression that makes them to be recognized by other people. The secondary emotions are processed by a different part of the brain that encompasses higher order thinking. They are not reflexive and include guilt, shame, pride, love, embarrassment, envy, jealousy and pride. They develop over time and take long to fade away. They are regarded as interpersonal since they are experienced many times in relation to real or imagined others. Consequently, they tend to be more influenced by thoughts that can be managed. It means that people can become competent communicators through becoming aware of how they experience and express their secondary emotions. There is more cultural variation in the expression and meaning of secondary emotions hence they are still universal for they are experienced by all cultures (Payne & Cooper, 2001, p. 30). Emotions are shaped by perceptions, social experiences, physiology and language. These elements interact continuously to come up with people’s experience of emotions. Theories of emotions are related to social influences, perceptional influences and

Trademark Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Trademark - Case Study Example Her father was a radio announcer for years and of course his name was used on air. McClusky did not have trouble with her McFest name until she applied for patent for the continuing concerts. That is, of course, when McDonald's got involved. Knowing you have been served from a company like McDonald's (the big dog) would make most regular people give up (the little dog) but not McClusky, This paper will introduce the fight this little dog plans on winning. McDonlad's, it would seem has a McFamily of names that cannot be used by others. Those include McWatchy, McDouble, McJobs, McShirt, McPool, McShades, McFree, McRuler, McLight and even just Mc. So McClusky has the wrong last name. There were no objections from the big dog when McClusky raised $30,000 in charity for the Special Olympics last year. Could it be because McDonlad's also supports Special Olympics and it was seemingly free advertising for them. Now, $5,000 of that money has gone to pay lawyers to support the little dogs point of view (fight). McClusky says she can't understand when one company can infringe on the rights one's sir name gives them and will continue this fight in the courts, however, she wants this money to go to charity and not to lawyers. McDonald's says they have the legal mandate to protect their trademark and that trademark means anything that starts with Mc.

Monopoly Power in the Computer Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Monopoly Power in the Computer Industry - Essay Example In a slack antitrust environment, Watson swiftly weeded out virtually all of IBM's once many electromechanical equipment rivals. To its huge credit, IBM and Tom Watson Jr. managed to retain this near-monopoly position through the long shift to totally electronic computing, creating the mainframe colossus of the 1960s and 1970s. Since then, monopoly power has been progressively and unavoidably dissipating. First arrived minicomputers, where IBM could never get more than a third of the business. Then, certainly came the PC and IBM's crucial decision to essentially pass its power on to Microsoft and Intel and, much less directly, to Cisco. As great as the power of these three companies is today, it's still restricted to a few relatively narrow industry segments that account for only a tiny share of total industry revenue. Further, even the joint global power of the three giants is nowhere near what IBM alone enjoyed in its halcyon days. Understandably, the computer business has become more competitive over time. But now the Internet has come up to finish off the job. Already, the emergence of non-PC devices and the invariably problematic plug-compatible chip competition have helped confine Intel. Now, the accelerating shift from packaged software to Web services promises to restrain Microsoft's once uncontrolled ambitions. Finally, the shift from in-house corporate networks to public carrier services will inescapably undo Cisco's still-iron grip on the data-communications-equipment industry. All three companies should continue to flourish tremendously, but their power has already begun to fade.People frequently ask who the next Microsoft or Intel will be. The simple answer is "No one." Although there will certainly be many huge new Internet companies, there probably won't be any major new monopolists.  Ã‚  

Logistics within the Business Organization Coursework

Logistics within the Business Organization - Coursework Example One of the most important strategies that can be used in encouraging management to pay closer attention to the supply chain management is to call the attention of senior management to the effective â€Å"sales† coming out of their competition and other business models that utilize a concentration on the supply chain. According to Dutton, this is a highly effective strategy because it demonstrates the better supply/logistics processes or use of technology that can result in reduced costs for inventory items. It is best that the manager knows how to frame his thoughts and words in such a manner that will make the supply and logistics discussion an interesting and important topic for the managers. Rudski agrees with the observations and suggestions of Dutton. But he adds that the supply management must be able to favorably impact 5 areas of supply management. These include: (1) exceeding performance and earnings expectations, (2)growing revenues year on year, (3) reducing risk an d the  volatility in revenues and earnings, (4) continuously improve the return on investment capital and return on equity, and finally (5) will it create a unique business model that others cannot copy? Furthermore, Dutton calls attention to some additional tips that can help interest business managers in the demands of supply chain management.

BUS Unit1 - Individual Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

BUS Unit1 - Individual Project - Research Paper Example The subject matter of economics includes the study of the behavior of the markets, the buyers and the sellers and how different quantities of the goods are bought and sold at the various prices that are determined by the forces of demand and supply. The subject also includes the activities of the government but from an individual point of view only and how the consumption of an individual will increase or decrease with the changes in the tax rates imposed by the government (Perloff, 2007). It tries to achieve the equilibrium in a market by efficiently allocating the resources among the individuals with fixed income and endowment. For example, a firm in a typical oligopoly market would try to reduce the price of the final product by using the cost efficient technology and resources and thereby increase the sales which in turn would maximize its profit. On the other hand Macroeconomics deals with the study of how the economy of the country or the world economy behave due to fluctuations of the Macroeconomics variables like income, inflation, unemployment rate, rate of growth, the rates of interest and the rates of taxes in the economy . This subject throws light on the bigger picture of the economy and how the variables interact with each other to affect the gross domestic product of a country. Hence this subject is mostly analyzed from a policymaker’s point of view. It makes an attempt to control the economic variables in the disequilibrium position to achieve a desired rate of growth of the economy (Blanchard, 2000). For instance, when the central bank of a country wants to reduce the amount of inflation in the economy it would want to reduce the liquidity and hence it would increase the rates of interest. As a result of this the people in the economy would start keeping their money in the banks and would cut their spending and thus the aggregate demand would decrease. This is a

The Fire Department Strategic Plan for 2009-2013 Essay Example for Free

The Fire Department Strategic Plan for 2009-2013 Essay Firemen – these are the people whose functions we often take for granted. However, the role of fire departments in communities is of paramount importance. It is in the hands of the firemen where the security and the safety of the people lye. Thus, providing for the needs of the fire department ought to be listed at the agendas of the government. The government must make sure that the community fire department is working at their prime by providing for all of their needs. In addition to that, the government must also be able to deal with, and meet the future demands of the fire department for them to be able to keep up with the times. With that said, I propose for a strategic plan for the advancement of the local fire department. My proposal mainly encompasses the provision of equipments for the fire department so that their objectives of serving their people can be met. The fire department strategic plan for 2009-2013 How could a fire department function properly without their main weapon – the fire truck? Thus, the government must be able to provide for, not only a working and functioning fire truck, but also one that can sustain the vigorous demands of the firemen. The number of fire trucks within the fire department must also be ample and sufficient in number so that the firemen can respond to their community’s call for help smoothly whenever the need arises. Providing for a working and sufficient fire truck can help the fire department do their function orderly and properly. Corollary to the provision of fire trucks, provision of equipments for the firemen must also be addressed. Equipments and gears such as the basic yet very essential fireproof coats, gloves, fire retardant helmets, foot wears, and goggles to name a few must be sufficiently provided for. Worn out gears and equipments must also be immediately replaced and restocked. In addition, other gears such as, binoculars, flashlights, axes, high power cutters and drills, or even compasses must also be provided for. These equipments can greatly help the local fire department in servicing the people. Ample provision of these gears can provide for the quality performance of the firemen in overcoming the drawbacks of narrow buildings, illegal constructions, basement fires, and in combating chemical and hazardous fires in the city and other neighboring areas. (http://www. hindu. com/2005/05/20/stories/2005052012780400. htm) Thus, the goals and objectives of the community fire department can consequently be met. The provisions that I have stated above are the fundamental tools a fireman must have. To boot, communication equipments are equally essential for the orderly functioning of the local fire department. Communication and other electronic apparatuses such as telephones and or other wireless phones, and computers at the fire department must be provided for efficient communication. These communication equipments must be in adequate quantity to assure the easy contact and access of the people to their fire department. GPS should also be placed inside fire trucks so that the firemen can know the fastest access to a site of casualty. Thus, these gears can provide for a well-organized functioning of the community fire department. To quote G. C. Mishra, a senior official at the Delhi Fire Service (DFS): Another area which has been of interest to us is the development of communication equipments which would include computerization of fire control room that will also act as an information centre. Any call being made to this place would be recorded and firemen would be given information about the special risks in the area where the fire has occurred including the layout, the kind of fire and will also run a check on any hazardous material that the men will need to look out for. It would also tell the official about the nearest fire station, cutting down the travel and response time (http://www. hindu. com/2005/05/20/stories/2005052012780400. htm) Included in my proposal for a strategic development for the local fire department is the construction of newer and more up-to-date fire houses. These contemporary fire departments would serve as the home base of the firemen. Since this is the place where the firemen would be receiving the calls for help from the people, then a fire house that can keep up with the rigorous activities of the firemen must be properly addressed. This too must meet the standards for safety and protection from hazardous casualties so as not to impede the orderly function of the department. The fire house must have adequate allocation of spaces reserved for specific functions such as an office for the department containing up-to-date equipments which I have also mentioned above. My last proposal is none other than for the firemen themselves, addressing the demands of these personnel. These firemen must have the just treatments that are rightfully accord to them. A job as risky as firefighting, people working as firemen must be accorded with remunerations and benefits such as in health – free hospitalization and the like. To quote Mr. G. C. Mishra, a DFS senior official: Our data from 2004 has shown that we have lost 10 men to various accidents. Fire-fighting is a high-tension job. Besides the obvious dangers it is also very stressful with the men suffering from exhaustion and severe health problems after every major fire†¦ (http://www. hindu. com/2005/05/20/stories/2005052012780400. htm) Closing The proposals that I have mentioned is a testament to the fact that there is a need to update fire fighting methods and equipments not just for the security and protection of a community, but also to improve the working capability of the community fire department. Reference: 1. The Hindu. New Delhi: Fire Service goes hi-tech. Retrieved from website: http://www. hindu. com/2005/05/20/stories/2005052012780400. htm

Comparing and analysing Essay Example for Free

Comparing and analysing Essay The most obvious difference between The Times and The Mirror is the area, the Times is the size of two A3 pieces of paper and the Mirror is only an A3. Tabloids were invented around the 1950s, (a lot more recent than the broadsheet) and are a lot easier to read in tight places, such as busy London trains. The age of the newspaper can be detected in the newspaper name, for example in the Times there is an old-looking font for the name, and an aged logo with Latin on, a classic language. Tabloids smaller capacity also has an effect on the number of words they are physically able to put on a page. Even so, the editors of tabloids, such as the Mirror, over come this slight problem by using tiny font, however, the font is exactly the same size as it is in a broadsheet. A broadsheet uses a wide variety of vocabulary, about 2000-3000 different words; they use very sophisticated English to make the newspaper look as if its sophisticated and refined, while a tabloid uses something of 1000 different words. They do this so they attract their target audience, broadsheets for the supposed intelligent, well-educated public and tabloids for the laid-back part of the public. Also, because of their target audience and volume of the actual newspaper, tabloids are generally cheaper than broadsheets. The Times was 90p and the Mirror was only 45p. The tabloid has a lot more pictures and colour than the broadsheet, but the broadsheet has a lot more writing so I think they should be around the same price, however, prices are not just about the volume or the colour of the newspaper. Broadsheets cost more than tabloids because theyre making a point to their target audience, broadsheets are selling quality whereas tabloids are selling popularity, so the broadsheet sells for more to suggest in depth, truer stories than those of the tabloid. Controversially, the tabloid lowers its prices to suggest good reputation and better prices, this also makes sense if you think of the actual size of each page. If you look at the front page of the mirror, you can easily see that 90% of it is simply pictures, advertisements and two huge, bold headlines. The masthead The Mirror is bold and colour is reversed out, this is so the readers attention will first be drawn to the masthead and the words newspaper of the year below it. In the times, 30% of the front page is advertisements, headlines and pictures. The Mirror has only 3 miniature columns, the rest of the front page is advertising what is actually in the newspaper, for example, Shane Richie, exclusive: the day I wanted to kill myself this is a huge headline accompanied by a large picture of Shane Richie and his girlfriend. By having a celebrity rule the front page of the Mirror, this tabloid is attracting a larger audience than usual because many fans of Shane Richie will buy the paper for the sake of Richie in the paper. The headline also includes the word exclusive which assists this theory by saying only this newspaper has it and this is your only chance to grab it! In the times even the advertisements are expensive, one advertisement is for the best jewellers in New York! The advertisements in the mirror are far from glamorous, there is only a big, FREE sign in the top right hand corner, it promises a miniature i 2 free bet if you buy more than i 2 on sport clothing, not exactly free! But this advertisement really shows you the kind of people tabloids are aiming for, people who are interested in sports and betting. In the times, the front page is dominated by one extreme close-up picture, a face made up of the features of David Beckham and Johnny Wilkinson. This is unusual for a broadsheet, but understandable as its one of the most vivid week-ends of sport in history. Plus, the article on the two sports isnt very long, and the other articles are all about politics and education, these being very typical subjects of a broadsheet. The pictures on the mirror are very simple and are all of celebrities, this is to capture the readers attention and any fans of that particular star will be inclined to buy the newspaper if only for the reason of the celebrity. The photographs are all in very flattering light and pleasing positions, creating a better-looking celebrity than they really are, this also adds to the newspaper opinion. For example, one story on the front page is about Kieron Dyer and the charge of rape against him. It is clear from the picture alone that the mirrors opinion of the case is that Dyer is innocent. The image is a close up of his perplexed and sad looking face, the lighting is complimentary and his expression is one of a worried but innocent man. The mirror could easily of inserted a picture of Dyer looking angry and malicious, but the picture they chose suits the opinion of the story and the emotive language in the head line My rape case hell. In the Times there is only one picture, an extreme close up of David Beckham and Johnny Wilkinson, their faces split in half and carefully joined with the other. This is a very intellectual picture as you can barely tell it is actually two different people, it makes the reader look twice and it shows that even though the story is about sport, it reminds the reader that the newspaper is still a broadsheet and every story possesses an intelligent angle which causes the reader to think. In the Mirror, emotive language is used a great deal to convey their opinion strongly across to their readers, for example My rape Case Hell, this is about Kieron Dyers rape case against him. In the story it gives lots of opinions for Kieron Dyer, it also has a quote from Dyer himself, explaining how his reputation has been destroyed and how he had no involvement in the matter. It uses intense emotive language and only has the opinions of those for Kieron Dyer in the story. It mentions nothing of the girl who was raped nor any views for her case, this just goes to show how strong the opinions of newspapers can be and I wouldnt be surprised if many readers of the mirror believe these types of stories. Another problem with tabloid newspapers is often they exaggerate or completely focus of one side of the story so the other side looks completely non-existent. It is illegal for journalists to write something thats completely untrue, but they can easily get away with a lot in these ways. However broadsheets generally name both sides of the argument, but sometimes they give their opinions as all good journalists do. Alliteration is often used in newspapers as headlines; this creates rhythm and will often remain stuck in the readers head for the rest of the day. Newspapers use alliteration because phrases that have a sequence tend to stick in peoples minds and get passed through people, so soon pretty much everyone has at least heard the alliteration. An example of alliteration from a separate issue of The Mirror would be Dianas daring disguise. This alliteration would be sure to capture the readers attention and may even cause a little humour. Puns are used frequently in newspapers, especially tabloids. After writing this essay, and thinking thoroughly through each point I have made, Ive come to the conclusion that you are more likely to find pictures, advertisements and biased stories in a tabloid, it uses lots of different techniques to make it easy to read. The stories are easily found and the reader and recognise the main stories, whereas you can expect high quality stories and all the same techniques in broadsheet newspapers. However, the techniques used in a broadsheet are used in an indistinct way, so the readers have a choice as to what story they wish to read.

Holiday Decision Making Processes Tourism Essay

Holiday Decision Making Processes Tourism Essay The following essay attempts to critically analyze the traditional problem solving approach to consumer decision making process with support of the study that the case study has discussed. The writing is done over nine steps. It begins with the introduction phase that discusses the importance of consumer behavior and the importance of decision making and in particular the importance of traditional consumer decision making in consumer behavior. The following subsection defines the detailed stages involved in traditional consumer decision making. Following this, is a comparative study done between traditional consumer decision making and holiday decision making based on the stages of traditional consumer decision making model. This is further, followed by a conclusion that summarizes the outcome of the study altogether. Consumer behavior is the study of the mental and emotional processes and observable behavior of consumers during searching, consumption and post purchase of a product or service. Assessing consumer behavior and understanding the same is vital and essential for the success of any marketing strategy. Consumer decision making process is the sequential stages of processes that a consumer goes through when opting to purchase a product or a service. Any consumer is assumed to go through five staged decision making process before attempting to make any purchase. This is referred to as the Traditional Decision making process. It is very necessary for the marketer to understand the decision making process that the consumer goes through in order to successfully market the product. III.TRADITIONAL DECISION MAKING PROCESS The five important stages of the traditional consumer decision making process are: Need Recognition, Information Search, Evaluation of Alternatives, Purchase and Post-Purchase evaluation. Need Recognition Problem Awareness: Need recognition is when a consumer has identified a particular need or a problem that has been unmet and has to be immediately met. Two different styles of need/problem recognition styles exist within consumers. The categories of consumers are those who opt a product as the present product that they are using fails to function efficiently. These consumers are referred to as actual state type consumers. The second type of consumers are the desired state types, who need a product just because to desire to have one. So the desire becomes the trigger in their decision process. Altogether, a consumer at this stage can be referred to as an aroused consumer who is vulnerable to any stimulus of the marketers appeal. Information Search Information search is the search is the next subsequent stage wherein, the consumer has already identified a product that will cater to his/her need. There are two types of searches , the internal search and the external search. The internal search is when the consumer recollects his/her past experiences and makes that the base for his/her current decision making. An external search is when the consumer consults external environment factors for making his/her choice decision. This is because the consumer lacks sufficient experience. In many purchase decisions, a consumer conducts an internal search in combination with an external search as well. Normally, the consumers tend to involve themselves in extensive information search in products that involve high risk and are more costly than in case of products that involve low risk and are inexpensive. The search conducted before buying a shoes would differ from the search conducted before buying a car. Evaluation Of Alternatives In this corresponding stage, the consumer has identified a number of particular product/service that will satisfy his/her need. It is here that the consumer makes the decision between the available potential alternatives on the basis of brands and number of preferred criteria against which these products are assessed. The set of brands that comes in the consideration list of the consumer is called evoked set. Inept set is the set of brands that the product does not consider because it is looked upon by the consumer as unacceptable. Inert set is that set of brands that the consumer is indifferent towards because the consumer, does not consider the product to be having any particular advantages. Purchase This is the stage wherein the consumer actually purchases a particular product after identifying need, conducting search and evaluating possible alternatives. Consumers are normally identified to be making three types of purchases which are namely trial purchases, repeated purchases and long term commitment purchases. The trial purchase refers to the instance wherein a consumer tries to evaluate a product or brand by using it for the first time. Repeated purchase is a case of established brand loyalty wherein consumers repeat product purchases. Long term commitment is when consumers associate themselves in opting to purchase a particular brand of a product and over again in time. Post purchase Evaluation This is the stage wherein the consumer has bought and used a particular product, the consumers reflection on whether the product was satisfying or disappointing. In cases where the consumers needs are met or exceeded the consumer can be referred to as satisfied. If that does not happen, the consumer begins to experience cognitive dissonance which is an internal conflict that the consumer experiences because of having conflicting ideas. (Schiffman G.L, Kanuk L.L, Hansen.H , 2008) IV.IDENTIFYING THE NEED FOR A HOLIDAY DECISION MAKING When the holiday decision making plan of 27 Belgian households were analyzed, it was found that Holiday decision making model did not have any fixed sequential stages, unlike the traditional decision making model. It was observed that in the Holiday decision making model, the administrative factors played a vital role in deciding choice and time of holiday decision making. Apart from this, it was found that unlike in the traditional decision making model, while planning for a holiday, there was no sequential evolution of holiday plans. The typical factors that influence the need and the decision of holiday decision making process was found to be situational factors, levels of involvement, day dreaming nostalgia, anticipation. This is completely different from the Traditional Decision making process which has very well structured and sequentialized. The need for a particular product/service is identified, following which the information search and evaluation of alternatives is done. This further leads the consumer towards making a purchase and then post purchase evaluation. Unlike in the Holiday decision model the factors that influence the decision making process of a consumer in traditional consumer decision making is the need that is triggered due to the failure of a product that they are using or the desire to have a new product. Decision for choosing a product is done here. V.SEARCHING FOR AN IDEAL HOLIDAY DESTINATION . The information search in traditional consumer decision making is well structured, which is at times internal or external or a combination of both based on the value /risk of a product. The information search phase in the holiday decision model was found to be unstructured unlike the traditional decision making model .In holiday decision making, information collection was identified to be an ongoing process that still continues even after the holiday has been booked. Information is gathered during and after the holiday experience owing to cognitive dissonance, prolonged involvement/hedonic consumption. Moreover, the information search in holiday decision making is found to be more internal or memory based, than external or stimulus based. However, all the information collected were not always used. The holiday decision makers were also found to be low information searchers. Information accumulated naturally in a non purposive way and they become really important in the last days before a booking is made. There is a shift observed from internal to external source of information and from general to more specific information altogether. Hence in holiday decision making , information search information collection is not a direct predictor of actual choices but helps in strongly pointing out the preferences of a consumer. Whereas, in traditional consumer decision making the information search is mainly internal oriented (like past experience) for products with low risk and products that are less expensive, external (like person reference) for products those involve high risk and are expensive. The higher the past experience, the lesser the external search would be done. Information is considered very important and the information gathered becomes the driving force in the decision making of a consumer. The kind of shift from general to specific information hunt is not quite significant in traditional consumer decision making. In traditional consumer decision making, the search begins as internal and then proceeds to external and then a combination of both. It is also observed that unlike holiday decision making, traditional consumer decision making consumers are keen information searchers and conducts a thorough research before deciding on a particular product. And finally, in traditional consumer deci sion making, information collection strong points the preferences of consumer, and also is a vital predictor of the actual decision that the consumer tends to take. VI.EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE HOLIDAY DECISIONS When it came to the evaluation of alternatives in case of holiday decision making, the study conducted brought to light that holiday decision making was an ongoing circular process that began with the making of a decision. Ideally, as one holiday ended, the holidays decision makers involved themselves in making the next plan. It was also observed that the decision makers involved themselves in making a number of plans at the same time. So does the evaluation of alternatives. As they constantly keep gaining information they tend to keep switching their preference for alternatives. And each of the plans that the holiday maker made comprised of different time horizons, different formulas and different types of decision making processes. Another instance in the case , highlighted the fact that holiday decision making was mostly found to be adaptable and opportunistic. In these cases holiday decision makers , though had willingness to go to a particular place for a holiday , they were found to be going only when the opportunity struck. Hence, adaptability and opportunity were found to be the two major criterias on which a holiday decision maker was found to evaluating and deciding on the option of a holiday destination. Moreover, these strategies were found to be aligned with situation and to the type of decision making unit in which they were involved. So while evaluating the alternative, the alternative that is more favorable to adapt and to which there was a prevailing opportunity was given more importance than a on e which wasnt favorable and for which there w as no opportunity. Altogether, it was found that while evaluating alternatives and decision making, adaptability and the decision making unit to which a holiday decision maker belonged influenced to situations and decision making unit to which they belong. When it came to evaluation, preferences were more given to experience based techniques than pre-planned ones. Many holiday makers didnt use any well defined strategies while making their decisions. Needs and desires were directly connected to choice solutions because they are evoked at the same time. Finally, they prefer simple decision rules even if they are not accurate. Alongside, holiday makers decision strategies were characterized by factors like limited amount of processing, selective processing, qualitative reasoning, attribute based non compensatory rules and a lack for the evaluation of each alternative. In comparison to this, in the traditional consumer decision making model the consumer evaluates products based on brands and critetrias. Unlike in holiday decision making, in traditional consumer decision making consumers follow a method wherein initially, a evoked set is generated based on the list of brands from which they plan to make their selection following which criterias will be used to evaluate each brand separately. Based on the ranking of criterias, the final product choice is made. Evaluation of alternatives is not an ongoing process and it is done only when a particular product is recognized to be catering to a particular need/problem identified. Hence traditional consumer decision making is not in any manner not adaptable nor opportunistic rather its completely need/desire oriented. Also pre planned decisions were the one that was given more importance when it came to evaluation. Strategies are clearly made based on ranking of features of a particular product of a brand . In traditional consumer decision making, evaluation of alternatives is characterized by the knowledge of the brand, information gathered and the preference of criterias evaluated for each brand/product of the evoked set. VII.PURCHASE OF A HOLIDAY PLAN AND ITS POST PURCHASE EVALUATION: When analyzing the purchase stage of the holiday decision making, it was found that the final decision making was made by consumers in the last minutes. This was mainly done to reduce the risk involved, expectancy, availability, loyalty and personality. It is also found from the case that the purchase of the holiday decision making, is done instantaneously depending on momentary moods and emotions. Emotional factors in fact were identified to be a major factor based on which the holiday choices were made. The purchase is also done instantly as the holiday decision makers are consumers whose choices are made suddenly for sudden pleasure. This highlights the fact that affective choice mode is more relevant than traditional information processing mode in Holiday decision making model that in itself is a highly experiential product. Most of the holiday decision makers tend to be optimistic and idealistic in the starting but they become realistic only over time and final purchase is made only the last moment. The reason for this trend of shift was identified to be the objective intervention or subjective perception of contextual factors. However contextual factors like occupation, family, situation are first considered before contextual inhibitors like time, money and budget. The feeling of cognitive dissonance can be thoroughly noticed in case of holiday decision making. Because of this experience of cognitive dissonance that is a post purchase concern it was seen that the informants involved themselves in gathering information during and after the holiday experience altogether. The informants in many cases were found to be experiencing cognitive dissonance which continuously strived to reduce. In the traditional decision making model, model of feel-learn-do is observed to be important whereas the feel-learn-do and feel-do-learn sequence appear more important in the holiday decision making. Contrary to the holiday decision making, in traditional consumer decision making the consumer plans sequentially before making the purchase. They discover a need, conduct information search, evaluates the alternatives and decides to purchase a chosen product. Unlike in holiday decision making, in traditional consumer decision making the consumers are observed to be optimistic, idealistic and realistic right from the need recognition stage till this stage of purchase. Also, in case of traditional consumer decision making, the post purchase cognitive dissonance experienced by a consumer was found to be directly proportional to the risk or value involved with the product. VIII.CONCLUSION Based on the comparative study made it can be evidently summarized that holiday decision making processes evidently varies from the traditional consumer decision making. Right from the beginning stage of need recognition till the stage of post-purchase evaluation stage the disparities are evident and noticeable. holiday decision making is highly based on opportunities, adaptability and emotions to a very large extent. Unlike traditional consumer decision making holiday decision making is found out to be combination of many processes. Hence altogether holiday decision making, is identified to be a rational process and holiday decision making processes and considered to be quite important as they are vital in achieving higher order goals. IX.REFERENCESBIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Peter Robinson. (2008). Holiday decision making: the family perspective. Available: http://www.insights.org.uk/articleitem.aspx?title=Holiday+Decision+Making:+The+Family+Perspective. Last accessed 25th Jan 2. Michael Richarme. (2004). Consumer Decision Making Models, Strategies and Theories. Available: http://www.decisionanalyst.com/publ_art/decisionmaking.dai. Last accessed 23rd Jan 2010. 3. Lars Perner PhD . (1999). Consumer Behaviour: Psychology Of Marketing. Available: http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/. Last accessed 26th Jan 2011 4. Hawkins, Delbert, Best, Roger, Coney, Kenneth (March 2003). Consumer Behaviour: Building Marketing Strategy. London: McGraw-Hill/Irwin .71-99. 5. Leon G.Schiffman, Leslie Lazar Kanuk, Havard Hansen (2008). Consumer Behaviour. England: Pearson Education Limited. 75-91. 6. Encyclopaedia of business 2nd edition. (2011). Consumer Behaviour. Available: http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Comp-De/Consumer-Behavior.html. Last accessed 26th Jan 2011. 7. Kevin moore, clive smallman, jude Wilson, David simmons . (2010). Yield-Relevant Tourist Decision Making. Available: http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/PageFiles/6830/6197_YieldRelevantIn_s20222.pdf. Last accessed 26th Jan 2011 8. Murthi, B.P.S., and Kannan Srinivasan (1999). Consumers Extent of Evaluation in Brand Choice.. London: Journal of Business. 23-77. 9. Solomon, Michael R (2003). Consumer Behaviour. 6th ed. New York: Prentice Hall . 43-88. 10. Mantel, Susan Powell, and Frank R. Kardes (1999). The Role of Direction of Comparison, Attribute-Based Processing, and Attitude-Based Processing in Consumer Preference.. New York: Journal of Consumer Research. 30-54.

The Shoe Carnival :: essays research papers

The Shoe Carnival Character List: Whitley (Cashier) Raymond (Floor Supervisor) Jessica (Floor Supervisor) Brett (Sales Associate) Karen (Loss Prevention) Shoplifter(female) Customer #1 Police Officer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Extra Customers in store Setting: The Shoe Carnival is a retail store where this scene takes place. It is approximately 7 p.m. and one of the employee’s, Whitley is returning to work after a brief break. Just as she is approaching the entrance to the store she notices the flashing police lights and a crowd of spectators. She also notices Raymond the Floor Supervisor standing at the door. Employees are wearing lime green shirts and kaki pants; Shoplifter and customers are wearing regular street clothes and the police officer is in uniform. Whitley:† Raymond, what’s going on?† Raymond: â€Å"That lady just tried to steal some shoes and she got caught!† Whitley:† Are you serious? I miss everything! Why did I have to go on break?† Raymond: â€Å"Ha, Ha!† (Chuckle) (Jamie and Jessica are in the â€Å"mike stand† and Karen is on the steps.) Jamie: â€Å"Whitley you missed it girl!† Jessica: †Ha Ha, we caught her and now she looks like a fool!† Whitley: Where is she? Karen: â€Å"She’s in the back office with the police.† (Karen leaves and goes to the office, and Brett walks up toward us.) Brett: â€Å"Man! I did a great job holding that big lady down!† (Raymond over hears this conversation and comes over) Raymond: â€Å"Brett, if I remember correctly, you were standing behind the shelf the whole time while I held the lady down.† Brett: (Loudly) â€Å" Dude! Whatever! I don’t know what you’re talking about!† (Everyone laughs at both Raymond and Brett as they continue to argue) Jessica: â€Å"Whitley that man is ready to check out†. (Begrudgingly, Whitley slowly walked up to the register where Customer #1 was patiently waiting). Whitley: â€Å"Hello Sir, how are you doing? Did you find everything you were looking for? Would you like any socks or shoe cleaner?† Customer #1: â€Å"No thank you, this is fine.† Hey what’s going on?† Whitley: â€Å"Oh nothing, this lady just tried to steal some shoes. We caught her and called the police.† Customer #1: â€Å"That is crazy. People these days will do anything.† (Whitley rings up the customer’s purchase and soon returns to the mike stand).

Music Essay - America Needs Rap and Hip Hop -- Expository Exemplificat

America Needs Rap and Hip Hop Ever since it became popular in the late eighties, hip-hop music has been a target of moral disapproval. Many critics have labeled the music as an offensive, vulgar, misogynist form of expression, which negatively influences its listeners, particularly children. Early in rap music's' development "concerned citizens" and various government officials held protests against the release of certain rap albums. Rap music's opponents demanded strict censorship. But hip-hop was increasingly attracting large audiences and its supporters were ready to fight the censors who they believed were taking away their constitutional right of freedom of speech, and the freedom of the urban black culture to express itself. What critics of rap music don't comprehend is that rap music is a part of our culture, which is impossible to ignore. Although it may be untraditional, it is a very eloquent form of expression that illustrates the conditions and feeling of a vibrant African -American young c ulture Hip-hop is constantly attacked in the music world. Many music critics argue that rap is not a valid form of music. This attack on rap music isn't only restricted to critics, many people of older generations have similar attitudes regarding this style of music. Those who stick to the conventional definition of music argue that Hip-hop has no melody, and that since there is no singing it isn't true music. Rap music is also criticized for its lack of originality, because rap artists are constantly "sampling" beats from pre-existing songs. . In response to the argument that hip-hop isn't a "true" form of music, one would ask: who and what defines music? Is there a canon which all contemporary m... ...eve I'm in the right place/ showed her my boarding pass/ then she short of gasped/ If white boys doing it , well, it success/ If I start doing it, well, it's suspect/ ( for rest of song see appendix 2) In spite of the controversy the hip-hop culture encounters, its' significance cannot be overlooked. Rap music is an important cultural phenomenon that represents a part of society that, after many years, has found a voice. It would be a mistake to think of all hip-hop as monolithic in fact it could be seen as a continuous dialogue within a community. Despite some of the controversial elements of hip-hop, rap music is an essential tool for the African- American community's search for identity. Be a native/ get creative/ original and designated -A tribe called quest( youthful expression) 1 The eloquent essay, Leo Marx. P.88

A Handmaids Tale :: Handmaids Tale Essays

A Handmaid's Tale A new society is created by a group of people who strengthen and maintain their power by any means necessary including torture and death. Margaret Atwood's book, A Handmaid's Tale, can be compared to the morning after a bad fight within an abusive relationship. Being surrounded by rules that must be obeyed because of being afraid of the torture that will be received. There are no other choices because there is control over what is done, who you see and talk to, and has taken you far away from your family. You have no money or way out. The new republic of Gilead takes it laws to an even higher level because these laws are said to be of God and by disobeying them you are disobeying him. People are already likely to do anything for their God especially when they live in fear of punishment or death. The republic of Gilead is created and maintains its power structure through the use of religion, laws that isolate people from communication to one another and their families, and the fear of punishment for disobeying the law. The new law would follow God's law that all are brothers and sisters, and according to Aunt Lydia will cause women to live in harmony together and support each other. The wife of the commander, Serena Joy was an strong advocate for submissive female roles and gospel singer before the war and the formation of Gilead. Since the creation of Gilead, she was forced into the submissive role of a housewife. Serena spoke on television about the sanctity of the home and how women should stay in the home. After taking on her new housewife role, "She doesn't make speeches anymore. She has become speechless. She stays in her home but it doesn't agree with her. How furious she must be now that she has been taken at her word" (chapter 8, pg.46). Serena has failed in producing children which is the purpose of woman's life in the beliefs of the Gilead society. She is jealous of Offred because Offred serves as a constant reminder of her failure. She is also resentful of the sexual relatio nship that Offred must have with her husband. A Handmaid's Tale :: Handmaid's Tale Essays A Handmaid's Tale A new society is created by a group of people who strengthen and maintain their power by any means necessary including torture and death. Margaret Atwood's book, A Handmaid's Tale, can be compared to the morning after a bad fight within an abusive relationship. Being surrounded by rules that must be obeyed because of being afraid of the torture that will be received. There are no other choices because there is control over what is done, who you see and talk to, and has taken you far away from your family. You have no money or way out. The new republic of Gilead takes it laws to an even higher level because these laws are said to be of God and by disobeying them you are disobeying him. People are already likely to do anything for their God especially when they live in fear of punishment or death. The republic of Gilead is created and maintains its power structure through the use of religion, laws that isolate people from communication to one another and their families, and the fear of punishment for disobeying the law. The new law would follow God's law that all are brothers and sisters, and according to Aunt Lydia will cause women to live in harmony together and support each other. The wife of the commander, Serena Joy was an strong advocate for submissive female roles and gospel singer before the war and the formation of Gilead. Since the creation of Gilead, she was forced into the submissive role of a housewife. Serena spoke on television about the sanctity of the home and how women should stay in the home. After taking on her new housewife role, "She doesn't make speeches anymore. She has become speechless. She stays in her home but it doesn't agree with her. How furious she must be now that she has been taken at her word" (chapter 8, pg.46). Serena has failed in producing children which is the purpose of woman's life in the beliefs of the Gilead society. She is jealous of Offred because Offred serves as a constant reminder of her failure. She is also resentful of the sexual relatio nship that Offred must have with her husband.

Affordable Care ACT

The patient protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) is expected to have a major impact on the financing of healthcare, principally by expanding insurance coverage to approximately 32 million of the current 50. 7 million uninsured by 2014. If the goal is reached, 95% of all Americans will have health insurance (Kovner& Knickman, 2011). The Affordable Care Act will expand coverage in two key ways: expanding Medicaid eligibility and through a blend of subsidies and mandates that encourage the working class to purchase affordable insurance coverage in the private market.Medicaid eligibility rates will be expanded so that most people who earn less 133% of the federal poverty level will be covered. Furthermore, the Affordable Care Act is one of the biggest changes to our Health care system since the introduction of Medicaid and Medicare. However, there still will be 29 million Americans who will still lack healthcare insurance even after the Affordable Care Act is fully instituted (Andrews,Darnell,Mcbride& Gerlert,2013) fundamental goals of the ACA are to decrease the cost of healthcare, increase quality of healthcare, services, and make healthcare assessable to all Americans, particularly the uninsured.One of the largest changes to healthcare through ACA is that everyone must have insurance this is the largest positive factor of the ACA (Hayes, 2011) The ACA is meant to target insurance policies that have limitations based on preexisting conditions the goal is to eliminate this kind of policy and improve access to quality health care(Hayes,2011). The fundamental goal of the ACA is that by making insurance available to millions more Americans that this will hopefully decrease healthcare cost by allowing more people to receive preventative care.In the long run, it is generally cheaper to prevent healthcare problems than it is to treat active diseases (Cleary, Brenda, and Peggy Wilmoth, 2011). Beginning in 2014, most individuals will be required to maintain mi nimum essential coverage or will be required to pay a penalty of 95 dollars the first year 350 dollars in 2015 and 750 dollars in 2016 ,and indexed thereafter for those under 18 years of age the penalty will be one half the amount for adults(Robeznieks& Andis,2011).For individuals who make over 10, 0000 dollars a year the cost of health care cannot exceed 8% of your yearly income (Hayes, 2011). The drafters of the ACA believed that increasing insurance coverage would not only improve quality of life, but also help reduce medical bankruptcies currently the leading cause of bankruptcy in America. Additionally, ACA will establish state based health insurance exchanges. The exchanges are regulated online market places administered by either the federal or state governments, where individuals and small business can purchase private insurance plans.Individuals with incomes between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level who purchase insurance plans via the exchange will be eligible to receive federal subsidies to help m pay premium costs (Robeznieks& Andis, 2011). The ACA is a step forward in decreasing health disparities in our country by decreasing the influx of chronic diseases on patients and thereby decreasing the amount of preventable diseases that occur in this country. However, opponents of the law want to argue that the individual mandate is unconstitutional.Ethically for individuals and organizations this is the right thing to do by providing the less fortunate with insurance coverage (Hayes, 2011) . The ACA is a golden opportunity for our country to decrease a lot of preventable diseases from occurring by decreasing preventable diseases hopefully it will bring down the cost of healthcare for every American. Conclusion In conclusion, the ACA is not a cure for all that ails our health care system it is going to take several years to realize the full implications of the law, but is a step forward in improving Healthcare in our country.Moreover, there will remain some injustices and health disparities for example, there will 29 million Americans will still be without insurance even after the ACA is instituted among those who will lack insurance coverage are: Illegal immigrants an estimated 23 million will be ineligible for insurance subsides and Medicaid, citizens not enrolled in Medicaid despite being eligible Citizens who whose insurance would cost more than the 8% house hold income are exempt from paying ,and Citizens not otherwise covered and opting to pay the annual penalty instead of purchasing insurance.Under the ACA more North Carolinas’ will be eligible for Health care prior to the ACA only children, the elderly and disabled qualified for Medicaid. I n January of 2014, all North Carolinas’ whose income is below 133% of the Federal poverty level will be eligible for Medicaid this will drastically improve access for North Carolinas’ working class single parent homes and those previously uninsured.