Effectivess of Foreign Aid as a Form of Multinational Financial Essay

Effectivess of Foreign Aid as a Form of Multinational Financial Assistanse - Essay Example This paper presents comprehensive analysis of the effectiveness of the financial aid as a form of foreign assistance to the economy of a recipient country. As a condition for aid money, many donors apply conditions that tie the recipient to purchase products only from that donor. In a way this might seem fair and â€Å"balanced†, because the donor gets something out of the relationship as well, but on the other hand, for the poorer country, it can mean precious resources are used buying more expensive options, which could otherwise have been used in other situations. A country from the third world that feels difficulties with its budget may turn to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank or one of the Major Developed Countries (MDCs) for assistance. Since such assistance is usually given on some condition, it involves agreement to modify domestic economic policy.In this case creditor country (or organization) restricts free trade with protectionism in which barriers to imports (tariffs and quotas) are established in order to protect their industries from foreign competition. Government regulations also protect the environment, agriculture and workers of the donor country or organization. It was reported, that 71.6% of American bilateral aid commitments were tied to the purchase of goods and services from the US.† That is, where the US did give aid, it was most often tied to foreign policy objectives that would help the US. The origins of the foreign aid policies of the industrialized democracies are complex and varied. ... In the Reality of Aid 2000 (Earthscan Publications, 2000 cited in Shah 2006) reported in their US section that "71.6% of its bilateral aid commitments were tied to the purchase of goods and services from the US." That is, where the US did give aid, it was most often tied to foreign policy objectives that would help the US. Leading up to the UN Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico in March 2002, the Bush administration promised a nearly $10 billion fund over three years followed by a permanent increase of $5 billion a year thereafter. The EU also offered some $5 billion increase over a similar time period. History of Foreign Aid Countries of Latin America The Worlds debt crisis of the early 1980's was the culmination of a build up of external debt of developing countries, a large part of which was accounted by a progressively rising short-term debt. The debt of Less Developed Countries (LDCs) was triggered largely by demands from the balance of payments effects of the oil crisis that started in 1973/74. The debt build up became more apparent towards 1980 when third world borrowers resorted to rolling over their debts. (Stambuli 2002) A combination of very tight internal fiscal position and increasingly fragile balance of payments, most developing countries contracted new loans to liquidate maturing loans. In some cases, entirely new loans were contracted to service interest only. At the same time bankers in the western world ignored signals of an imminent debt crisis and remained more than willing to refinance maturing loans of developing countries, but with shorter maturities. In this process, third

Blackberry Smartphones and Other Competitors Term Paper

Blackberry Smartphones and Other Competitors - Term Paper Example Consumers are attracted to the features that a smartphone brand exhibits such as touch screen capability, music, fast internet speeds, camera and expansive storage. The opinions that consumers of smartphones provide reveal that there are psychographics that determine the smartphone they prefer such as its popularity among peers. It is therefore reflective that competitive advantage and improved market performance is achieved by mobile phone companies by providing features that meet the needs and preferences of consumers as well as effective marketing strategies. Introduction Advancement in information and communication technology has had a significant impact in the mobile industry. Developments in the mobile industry emanate from creativity, innovativeness and customer needs motivated design of phones (Parsons 2012). More notable is the introduction of the smartphone technologies and mobile applications. This has resulted from the changes in the preferences and needs of consumers. In return mobile companies have demonstrated increased competition which is driving the various strategies in marketing which are employed to achieve a competitive advantage within the market (Strategic Direction 2009). This paper presents an analytical report on the Blackberry smartphone versus Samsung, iPhone and HTC which comprise of its main competitors. ... Blackberry Smartphone versus Competitors When Blackberry was introduced to the market by the Research In Motion Ltd, many competitors sprouted within the smartphone market with an aim of grabbing a significant share of the mobile phone market (Shields 2010). Early brands of the Blackberry such as the 7000, 7100 and 8000 series attracted many consumers with a resultant advantageous positioning of these brands in the market (Woyke 2011). This is attributed to the customer value that was achieved by the innovativeness of the company and the provision of attractive features such as Wi-F, options for memory expansion and in-built cameras (Shepherd 2010). These brand elements as presented by the design of the blackberry is attributed to the strategic and better positioning of Blackberry within the market. More innovation was included within the Blackberry mobile as demonstrated by the mobile applications that are provided within its smartphone brands (Mobile Phones Industry Profile: Europe 2011). The mobile phone industry is characterized by rapid changes in the preferences and needs of consumers. This is attributed to the business competition that Blackberry received from other smartphone brands such as Samsung, iPhone and HTC Mobile (Boost Mobile 2012). The competitor companies provided more innovative features such as fast processing speeds, high megapixel cameras, full touch screen capabilities, android and thousands of mobile software applications for the diverse needs of the consumers (Segan and Jenn 2007). In this sense, the ability of Blackberry to maintain its position in the market would only be achieved through Customer Based Equity (CBE), brand advertising and marketing communication that was

Organizational Behavior Critical Thinking Essay Example for Free

Organizational Behavior Critical Thinking Essay I have chosen three theories to address the problem. The first theory is Schwartz’s Value Theory. According to the theory, everyone has each own set of personal values and the attainment of these personal values is crucial. Conflict of values or failure in attaining them might lead to employees’ turnover. From the article, the senior staffs claimed that the bonuses they received were below average. I infer that some of the staffs’ personal values were not attained, which in this case possibly power and achievement. Their personal values might also have conflicted with the company’s values, which lead to their departure. Herzberg’s Motivator-Hygiene Theory is also applicable in addressing this issue. According to the theory, there are some factors those lead to both work â€Å"satisfaction† (motivators) and â€Å"dissatisfaction† (hygiene). The absence of recognition which is one of the motivators leads to no satisfaction and the presence of hygiene factors such as poor salary and violation of company’s policies such as not paying bonuses that the executives deserved might lead to â€Å"dissatisfaction†. This  presence of â€Å"dissatisfaction† might be the major reason for the staffs to quit. Lastly, according to The Three-Component Model of Organizational Commitment there are three types of commitment that create a binding force, those may reduce the high turnover. They are namely Normative, Continuance and Affective commitment. Affective commitment is mainly influenced by personal characteristics and values and is closely related to the Schwartz’s Value Theory. This commitment also takes into consideration work experience, which might support the executives’ decision to quit. Violation of psychological contract is a factor that may cause Normative commitment to be ruptured. UBS has failed to meet the expectation of some of their executive and this can be seen as hygiene factors according to Herzberg’s Motivator-Hygiene Theory which leads to â€Å"dissatisfaction†. The model, so far, has covered the other two theories. Adding on to that, this model also includes the possibility of external factors that might lead someone to leave a company. In this case, availability of job alternatives in other companies, which compromise their Continuance commitments, might be another force that encouraged executives to leave their positions in the company. Therefore, I conclude that this model, in comparison with the others, is the most appropriate model to address the problem of high turnover in UBS as it covers more possibilities and gives us a more complete view of why the senior staffs may have left the company. UBS is very sensitive to the performance of the world’s economy as it runs in the area of financial service. Poor global economic performance or recession is a major factor that influences the problem of high turnover faced by UBS. Most of the decisions must be made carefully by the company as it involves very high risk level. Through these decisions, UBS has to maintain or even improve the job satisfaction level of its employee and at the same time, continue to give excellent performance. Wrong decisions might cause UBS to lose its employees even its key executives. In the time of financial crisis, it is more difficult for UBS to maintain both its employees’ job satisfaction and also its performance. This depends largely on the company’s policy and also the decisions made by the company. For instance, in Wall Street Meltdown in 2008 UBS made a US$32 billion loss and its stock value plunged by almost 70% (Gross, 2008). One of the decisions that the company made was to fire 8900 employees worldwide (Ubs lay off, 2008). The increased in the regulation  of financial industry such as tax on financial may also affect the performance of UBS negatively. Financial Analysts predicted that this increase in regulation will reduce the size of the industry (Adams, 2011) and this leaves UBS with no other option than cutting off the number of its employees. This decision made might negatively impact the rest of the employees as they would feel insecure in their positions. This factor can also be seen as one of the hygiene factors which lead to â€Å"dissatisfaction† and this result in the high turnover. Apart from that, the competitive nature of the industry itself intensifies the challenge faced by UBS. Due to lower bonuses that it paid to its executive in comparison to the rival companies might encourage the executives to switch company. For example, Edward Cook who has worked for UBS for 28 years decided to join Morgan Stanley very recently (Philbin, 2011) and Suneel Kamlani, who has worked for 21 years in UBS, decided to join RBS just last year (Muà ±oz, 2010). This shows that it is definitely a challenge for UBS to elicit higher levels of commitment of its employees and executives. Availability of position and better payment offered by rival companies will test the loyalty of the UBS’s employees. Hence, the high competition among banks also induces the high turnover in UBS. To reduce turnover, managers should cultivate the company’s value in the employees. This will reduce Individual-Organizational value conflict and it can be done through training sharing of the company’s vision. Managers also have to respect the psychological contract and should propose more-defined policies to company as it may reduce job dissatisfaction. In time of crisis, company may also maintain the Continuance Commitment of the employees by paying the bonuses by using the company’s share. However, all of the solutions I proposed may not be successful as they do not take into account the other external factors and the success also depends on the personal characteristics of the employees. References Shehan, Tom, S. ,. T. (n.d.). How to retain employees: a high turnover rate is costly in both direct and indirect costs. . Retrieved from http://www.allbusiness.com/management/447495-1.html Gross, D. (2008, July 07). Phil gramms ubs problem. http://www.slate.com/id/2194933/ Ubs lay off job cut: may fire 1900 employees. (2008, October 01). Retrieved from http://www.finance-trading-times.com/2008/10/ubs-lay-off-job-cut-may-fire-1900.html Adams, B. (2011, August 30). The big layoff: struggling financial giant fires thousands of employees. Retrieved from http://www.theblaze.com/stories/the-big-layoff-struggling-financial-giant-fires-thousands-of-employees/ Philbin, B. (2011, September 14). Street moves: morgan stanley hires rbc, ubs financial advisers. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110914-711796.html Muà ±oz, S. S. (2010, April 12). Rbs hires key executive from ubs. Retrieved from http://www.efinancialnews.com/story/2010-04-12/rbs-hires-kamlani-executive-ubs

Extraversion :: essays research papers

Cross Cultural Evidence for the Fundamental Features of Extraversion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There has yet to be any determining evidence defines the characteristics of extraversion. The experimenters in this particular experiment have hypothesized that the facets of extraversion are somehow linked by reward sensitivity. This hypothesis was also tested against a model in which they are linked by sociability. There has been much work on this topic in the past, beginning with the works of Jung and James in the early 20th century—to the work of Watson and Clark in 1997. And even after a century of study, they are still unable to truly define the characteristics of the extraversion dimension of personality. In the many attempts to define extraversion, Watson and Clark have defined six basic facets of the personality trait. These are: venturesome, affiliation, positive affectivity, energy, ascendance, and ambition. Researchers Depue and Collins, in 1999, also offered a more succinct depiction of the characteristics of extraversion, this only having thre e basic parts. The first being affiliation, the enjoyment and value of close interpersonal bonds, also being warm and affectionate. The second, agency, being socially dominant, enjoying leadership roles, being assertive and exhibitionistic, and having a sense of potency in accomplishing goals. The final facet being impuslivity, but this one has been argued upon whether it should be included at all in the characteristics of extraversion at all.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Their first study was composed of 443 college students from two large universities in the Midwest. The participants were offered credit in their introductory psychology classes in return for their participation. They completed a questionnaire as part of their participation. 52% of the participants were men, and 48% were women. 94% were between the ages of 18 and 25. Only the 404 students that had complete data were used to set up the model that the experimenters formed. The second study tried to show any coincidence between the findings of American students and international ones.

Report of Media Deception on children’s Education Essay

With a new technology develops and advances, the debate about their negative impact on society also increases simultaneously. Media has been changed rapidly in last few decades. Today, everyone can see the impact of media in everyone’s life be it home or outside. The role of the media has been changed and because of progress of media the world has become global village. However, the negative side of media, especially its negative influence on children’s education through Television, Internet, and Video games can not be ignored. Discussion According to a study â€Å"American Kids now spend 40% less time with their parents than kids did in the mid-sixties. † They spend more time in watching TV, surfing internet and playing video games. The reason is not just TV and internet. The complexities of life, family size and traditional values, priorities and lifestyle have changed. â€Å"Our kids are living in an entirely different, much more complex media environment than we ever could have imagined at their age. The rule and the risks have changed radically, and many of us have been slow to grasp the difference. † Points out Steyer (2002), the Founder and Chairman of the media production firm JP Kids. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) strongly suggest that kids under two years old should not watch any TV and that those older than two should not watch more than an hour or two and that too quality programs The Initial days of childhood are very crucial for brain development of a child. In that period, a child wants to interact with his parents and play with his toys. A child can learn many things through his interaction with parents and physical activities. Physical activities are very necessary to make a child healthy. Interaction with family members and physical activities are always very important for everyone’s lives at any stage of our life. We can be mentally and physically fit by doing both of the above written activities. Gradually a child gets older, watching TV and using other electronic media will get part of his routine. Too much involvement with any mode of media can be disturbed his normal life and growth. Child would not be able to do his normal routine activities like playing outdoor games with his friends, reading, doing homework etc. even a child will not be interested in spending time with his family members. Research says that those children, who spend more time with TV, get violent and get suspicious about the world and people around. Their confidence level decreased and they imagine that something bad will happen to them. The consequence of involvement of children with media are coming gradually, children of today are more violent as compare to past. Shows and games related to crime are becoming very popular among children. Media violence is very harmful for the growing mind and has negative psychological implications. There is an on going debate on the mass-marketing of such games. Media is selling women as an object, it creates enormous impact on teenagers’ mind and they become sexually violent. Video games with violence and sexually explicit presentations are harmful for the mental growth of the child. According to an article of Kids Health, â€Å"The average American child will witness 200, 000 violent acts on television by age 18. † By seeing violent acts on TV, they get emotionless and gradually they become violent. TV makes children curious about women, sex etc. and internet provides them depth information on the same topic. The provided information makes the situation worst. TV violence, most of the times done by the HEROES, so children take violence as the act of heroism. At the various occasion young kids believed that the TV violence is real and frightened by scary and brutal images. They can not distinguish between real and reel images, as consequence, they can have behaviour problems, nightmare, sleeping disorders, be wetting and other. Older kids can also be affected by horrible programs; parents should not allow for watching those programs. Parental guidance is needed for any violent or mature subject programs. TV is a full of programs and commercials that show risking human behaviour as fun that can include petty crimes to heinous crimes like rape and murder. TV commercial shows children to their ideals (Heroes) are smoking, drinking alcohol on the screen and they try to follow their role models. They can lead to drinking, smoking, drugs or substance abuse after the motivation from screen. Studies have shown that TV programs also motivate children to participate in sexual activities too early. The other drawback of spending time with media is on children is, who watch TV more than four hours more likely to be overweight. Overweight Child becomes public shy and loses their confidence as compare to normal child. Obese child will trap in inferiority complex after that he can not able to do good in academics and the other activities. May be that child will get addicted to take alcohol because of his inferiority complex. The health complexity and risk for obese children are higher. Many psychologists agree on the bad effect of over exposure of media on children, but still there has been an on-going debate whether or not television influences a child’s behavior. Parents have no doubt about the impact of media on their child but they never imagined that how much it can be influence a child until they will not faced the crime done by their child. There is important evidence on link between repeated exposure to media violence and behavioral effect said Dr. Susan Villani (1999). â€Å"A total of 25 Pershing Elementary School students in the before and after school program, participated in this study. They were observed prior, during, and post a Tom & Jerry video clip. After observing their behaviors post the video clip, each child was asked two questions based on their everyday television watching habits. It was found that television does influence a child’s behavior. Although, the results indicate that there wasn’t a significant difference between the pre-video and during-video behaviors. Further implications and limitations of these results are to be found in the paper† Mowers (2003) find out. Media can be very helpful for getting new information, instead of blaming media if parents will make some rules and stick on that, media would be helpful for their children’s growth. Steyer (2002) makes a list of top10 tips for parents. According to Steyer (2002) this is responsibility of parents to limit the exposure of kids to the media and particularly to the negative exposure. Negative exposure should be completely controlled. One can help our the process and understanding of media message among their children Steyer’s (2002) top 10 tips for parents are as follow: Establish good media habits early: Parents should choose, which program child will watch and parents should give accompany to the child while he is watching TV. 2. Location, Location, Location: Location of the TV and Computer is very important. Parents should not install TV or computer in child room. In the past time a computer covered huge area and was visible to everyone but with advancement of technology, size of computer has reduced. Parents can not see what their child is surfing on internet. So location of TV and Computer does matter, if parents want to keep eye on their kids. Set a media diet and stick to it: As a parent, you should make a routine for your kids that how much time they would devote for TV, Internet and video games. And parent should be stick on that. Sometime we give liberty to our child but it is not good for long term. 4. Teach your child to ask permission to use media: Parents should teach to their child to ask before they use internet or watch TV programs. This rule will make a difference. 5. Watch and listen with your kids – then tell them what you like, don’t like, and why: First of all listening to the child is the most important thing for a parent. Listen to the child first; what he wants to say after that parent can instruct him what he wants from his child. Parent should explain to his child that why he has given this instruction. 6. Set clear rules regarding your child’s media use in other homes: Parents should make the clear rule on use of media out of home. Try to not to give permission to use the media out of home, if your child is using for some important reasons like combined study, then supervise your child or make a surprise visit at the place. Have pediatricians review your kids’ media use as part of their annual checkup: Get pediatricians review on your kids’ media use; lets take the action, if pediatricians suggest something serious like vision problem. 8. Teach media literacy in school and at home: Parents should teach their kids about what is happening in around in the world. Parents should not feel shy to educate their children about sex education, because your child will know from the other sources and may be in the negative sense. You can teach your child in a very positive manner. So lets start to talk to your child on every topic, it would boost up your child’s confidence as well as your relationship with him. 9. Read to your child and share positive media experiences. Share the positive media experiences with your child like what you have learnt from internet or TV when you were child. It will divert your child’s mind to learn something positive and creative from the modes of media. 10. Switch the dial to â€Å"OFF. â€Å": When you have spare time, talk to your child instead of watching TV or surfing internet. Conclusion TV and internet are the good things to new thing but over exposure is bad. We can control our TV â€Å"You can easily control habit of TV watching of your child† according to the national PTA, medical experts and child development experts, I to help your family to become â€Å"Media Literate† and also positive media a new â€Å"Children’s digital media culture† is gradually improving on internet. Through some web site children can get important information which would be helpful for their education. Many NGOs are making effort to make media helpful for children ‘Montgomery (2000) concluded in his article. Media has provided us an excellent platform that can support the child development like anything. Children can learn and have fun over the same. This requires proper parental guidance, support and control over the media usage among the children. Reference: â€Å"CIC And PTA partnership†, Control Your TV Its Easy! Retrieved on 14 May 2010 from http://www. controlyourtv. org/#Education. aspx Kids Health, How TV Affects Your Child retrieved on 14 May 2010 from http://kidshealth. org/parent/positive/family/tv_affects_child. html# â€Å"Montgomery K. C†, 2000. , Children’s Media Culture in the New Millennium: Mapping the Digital Landscape. retrieved on 14 May 2010 from < http://www. jstor. org/pss/1602693> â€Å"Mowers M. M. †, 2003. , Does Media Influence A Child’s Behavior? Retrieved on 14 May 2010 from http://clearinghouse. missouriwestern. edu/manuscripts/402. php â€Å"Stayer P. J. †, 2002. , The Other Parent: The Inside Story of the Media’s Effects on Our Children. Retrieved on 14 May 2010 from < http://www. amazon. com/Other-Parent-Inside-Medias-Children/dp/0743405838#reader_0743405838>

Effects of Violent TV Programming on Adolescent Behavior Essay

Violent behavior is a central theme in many kinds of media. Television and movies depict violent behaviors as acceptable ways of communicating and resolving problematic social situations (Strasburger & Donnerstein, 1999). During the twentieth century, Americans were introduced to a wide variety of media technology, including televisions, digital computers, video cassette players and handheld electronic machines (Anderson & Bushman, 2001). Although television is but one of the many media venues, it represents the predominant medium to which very young children are exposed. The 1972 report to the Surgeon General found that 96% of American homes have one or more television sets and the average home set is on more than six hours a day and frequent viewing usually begins at about age 3 and remains relatively high until about age 12 (1972, pp. 1-2). Kaiser’s study (1999) found that children spend up to 40 hours per week in front of the television. For children under the age of 7, Wright et al. (1994) found that media exposure averaged just over four hours per day. Other studies have concurred that the television has become a predominant medium of experience for the child. In a 1990 position paper, the NAEYC stated that the trend toward increased depiction of violence in the media jeopardizes the healthy development of significant numbers of our nation’s children (1990, p. 18). The viewing experience is highly complex, subjective, and dependent upon the child’s level of cognitive and emotional understanding (Wright et al. , 1994). Social scientists and policy makers have expressed concern about the potential negative impact of exposure of violence on children (Bushman & Geen, 1990). They have explored the negative impact longitudinally, both experimentally and observationally, and found that children as young as 2 and into adolescence are adversely affected by televised violence. Studies demonstrated that after viewing violent programs, the child behaved aggressively and imitated the scenes of the violent behavior in his play (Anderson & Bushman 2001). This paper explores the current state of research in this area and seeks for the relationship between television watching and childhood violence. Television and Violence The most recent large-scale longitudinal study was initiated in 1994 by researchers at the Universities of California, Texas, Wisconsin, and North Carolina. The National Television Violence Study (NTVS) was deemed the largest scientific study of television violence ever undertaken (Federman, 1998). NTVS involved a three-year effort (1994-1997) to review violence in televised programming. It examined three areas of concern: televised programming context, factors that either positively or negatively alter the risk of viewing violence, and the interactions between programming and the viewers. In this study, nearly 10,000 hours of televised cross-channel programming were examined using five major groupings: broadcast networks, independent broadcast, public broadcast, basic cable, and premium cable. The authors found that 61% of programs contain violence. By the third year of the study, there was more violent interaction observed across the programs analyzed. Specific to the younger child, the study found that children’s programs, as a genre, contained the greatest share (50%) of all high-risk violent interactions, as well as the highest ratio of interactions per hour (. 75) (Federman, Vol. 3, 1998, p. 175). Child-oriented cable programs such as those on Cartoon Network, Disney, or Nickelodeon contained the most high risk violent interactions (27%), compared to general-entertainment basic cable (24%), independent broadcast (19%), and premium cable (17%) (Federman, 1998). Early morning viewing, which is primarily child-focused cartoon programming, has at least one high-risk violent presentation every hour. In one week, a child is exposed to at least 20 violent behavior depictions, and in one year over 1,000, if he watches three hours of early morning television a day (Federman, 1997-1998). The authors also found that over the course of three years there was little change in the overall number of violent programs. However, there was a significant increase (8%) in the portrayals of violent incidents per program and children’s programs continued to depict violence in animated stories (Federman, Vol. 2, 1998). In many of these violent interactions, the main character did not experience any appropriate consequences for aggressive behavior. One of the goals of the NTVS was to encourage more responsible television programming and viewing. The study emphasized the message that understanding the impact of viewed televised violence offers an opportunity to significantly reduce the risks to society that are posed by exposure to televised violence. Young Child’s Experience of Violence The American media is rife with portrayals of justified violence (Federman, 1997-1998). The good guy beats up the bad guy, and laughter or expressions of glee follow hurtful acts. This conveys the message that aggression is an acceptable way to solve problems and express frustration. Children of all ages watch television and videos on a daily basis and are exposed to acts of violence that potentially shape their way of thinking and behaving (Minow & Lamay, 1995, p. 36) Cartoons feature patterns that are more likely to encourage aggression in children, especially if they are under the age of seven (Boyatzis et al. , 1987). Aggressive behaviors, often portrayed in the genre of animation aimed at children, are confusing for the young child. The stories presented as humorous, with laughter accompanying actions that are hostile and aggressive. This may lead to a decrease in his potential fear of danger and may also foster desensitization to harmful situations (Federman, 1997-1998). Significant results revealed that televised violence is changing the behavior of children (Federman, 1997-1998). Individuals of all ages learn through observation. Three important factors affect the impact of learning through modeling. First, the more engaging and attractive the model is, the more the viewer will stay attentive; the less appealing the character is, the more likely the viewer will be distracted or ignore the experience. The second compelling factor is the repeated exposure of the modeling stimuli. As a result of repeated exposure, modeling stimuli eventually produces enduring, retrievable images (Bandura, 1977, p. 25). The third factor, the complexity of the observed experience, affects the rate of observational learning. It is based on the observer’s capacity to process information. However, the young child may imitate without knowing what his behavior means. Bandura suggests that immediate imitation does not require much in the way of cognitive functioning because the behavioral reproduction is externally guided by the model’s action (Bandura, 1977, p. 27). Bandura’s research throughout the 1960s and 1970s with the inflatable Bobo doll demonstrated a relationship between viewing aggressive acts of behavior and performing them. He found that children would more often choose the Bobo doll to punch after viewing a televised violent program than reading a book or choosing a quiet game. Although Bandura’s work on modeling has been challenged over the years, there has been strong support. Later researchers have expanded Bandura’s initial studies, finding that the younger the child is, the more likely he will use imitation rather than rational thinking to choose an appropriate, non-violent way of relating. Eron et al. (1972) reported a strong relationship between viewed violence at age 8 and aggressive behavior. Canton and Sparks (1984) found that preschool children have a greater fear response than older children and react accordingly to what they see. Singer et al. (1999) concluded that there was a significant association linking violent exposure with children’s self-reported violent behaviors. Boyatzis et al. ‘s 1995 study of 52 elementary school children with a mean age 7 years, 9 months, showed how children reacted to watching an episode of The Power Rangers. They found that the child’s aggressive tendency and lack of fear was immediate and markedly greater following an exposure to but a single episode of The Power Rangers. (Boyatzis et al. , 1995, p. 53). Animated programming such as The Power Rangers, Ninja Turtles characterizes the hero as attractive, strong, and powerful. These characters use violence to solve problematic situations and rescue the helpless victim. The NTVS found that a preschooler who watches an average of 2 hours a day of such content will 43 be exposed to at least 10 hazardous portrayals a week, and over 500 in a year (Federman, Vol. 3, 1998, p. 163). Other studies have documented the relationship between exposure to violence and aggressive thought and action. For example, Josephson (1987) presented two television excerpts, one violent and one non-violent, to 396 third-grade boys from 13 schools. She hypothesized that there was a relationship between viewed violence and aggressive play behavior. Significance was found in increased aggressive behavior in boys who played a game of hockey after watching a violent program. Boys who scored high on characteristic levels of aggressiveness used more aggressive behaviors in their hockey game if they were in the groups that viewed violence. Furthermore, she found that the boys who watched the violent tape and were not given verbal cues about appropriateness of the behavior played more aggressively after the tape than either the boys who watched a non-violent tape, or boys who watched a violent tape but were given verbal cues that commented on appropriateness of behavior(Josephson, 1987). Children are being presented with messages that invite aggressive ways of relating to resolve situations and handle life events (Groves 2002). Current televised shows use cartoons, as well as live actors, to display forms of aggression as a means of relating to others and solving problems. A significant shift in televised programming, though, has occurred with the portrayal of aggressive behavior through more real life characterization, as illustrated in shows like The Power Rangers. The visual experience of aggressive behavior has become more like real life to the child because instead of viewing animated characters using aggressive behavior, the child can now watch individuals similar to himself transmogrify into violent machines (Boyatzis et al. , 1995). In this mechanical state, the portrayed behavior is violent and aggressive with the child’s intention of solving a problem. Witnessing these aggressive acts of behavior gives the child a script to construct his social interactions. Since young children create and store behavior that they see, viewing violence becomes a potential way of relating to an experience. Whether the televised programming is in the form of cartoons or real life, social scripts are constructed by the child and are then employed in day-to-day experiences (Groves 2002). Mitigating the Influence of Violent Television Even though there have been numerous studies documenting the impact of televised violence on the behavior of children, the television industry has been reluctant to change violent programming (Singer et al. , 1999). As a result, recent research has focused on how to mitigate the experience of what the child sees rather than waiting for the industry to change what is presented to the public. The child uses internal processes, relying on cognitive and emotional capacities, to actively understand what has been experienced. In his efforts to understand these experiences, the child will find a way to concretize the experience into either emotional or behavioral responses. Younger children need the assistance of another to understand what they experience because they are unable to adjust their viewing and comprehension activities in response to learning instructions (Field & Anderson, 1985, p. 91). Collins, Sobol, and Westby (1981) studied 47 children with a mean age of 7. 8 years. Children who watched a program in the presence of an adult who provided ongoing commentary showed improved comprehension of the plot and the witnessed experiences. Without adult participation, the younger children remembered only the aggressive behaviors without remembering the link to either the motive or the consequence. Huesmann et al. (1983) sampled 169 first- and third-grade children over a two-year period. The focus of the study was to mitigate the relation between aggression and television violence viewing in children through an intervention that altered the children’s attitudes about aggression and violent shows (Huesmann et al. , 1983, p. 899). They found a significant change in how the child responded to violence when the experimenter commented on the violent behavior. More children responded with appropriate answers when they were directly asked, â€Å"what are the bad things that could happen when a child imitates the aggressive behavior of a character? † St. Peters et al. (1991) found that the role of co-viewing by the parent with the child is beneficial. This study was conducted over a two-year period and involved the participation of 271 children, ages 3 to 5 years, and their parents. Parental comments about the televised material helped the children understand what they saw. The parents’ comments differentiated acceptable and non-acceptable behavior for the child. Young children need this clarification and guidance because they have relatively few internal structures to guide them in their behavior (St. Peters et al. , 1991). Kubey (1996) noted that network and cable programming are unsuitable for some children, especially the young child. No amount of adult commenting will completely mitigate what a child experiences. Monitoring and limiting a child’s choice of television shows to reduce the exposure to violent behaviors is similar to monitoring a child’s choice of foods to ensure health and nutrition. Children are victims to the effects of exposure to violence. Parents are critically important as a resource for the child in his attempt to understand the world. Grover (2002) noted that the child who has been exposed to violence responds more favorably to a nurturing, sensitive and caring adult relationship. The more parents know about their child’s changing capacities to understand the world, the better able they are to respond empathically and appropriately to the child (Garbarino, 1992). However, it is essential, as a parent is a primary resource to buffer, explain and clarify life experiences for the child that are beyond the child’s capacity to understand ((Minow & Lamay, 1995). The study by Singer et al. (1980) found that parents influenced their children’s perceptions of the importance of television by the type and amount of television viewing they had. Collins et al. (1981) found that parental commentary helped children understand the implicit program content. The longitudinal study by St. Peters et al. (1991) of 3- and 5-year-olds and their families’ viewing patterns found that parents’ viewing choices play a role in determining a child’s exposure to television programs. Conclusion Young children often copy the violent actions that they have witnessed. Bandura’s work on modeling in the field of social learning has been significant in conceptualizing the relationship between viewing violence and subsequent behaviors. The solution for ameliorating the impact of televised violence focuses on change in parental attitudes as well as profound changes in the entertainment industry. Changing parental attitudes and behavior toward media violence is more feasible than changing the way the entertainment industry portrays violence. Educating parents about the child’s cognitive and emotional developmental capacities has been recommended widely as one solution to lessen the potential impact of media violence. References Anderson, C, & Bushman, B. (2001). Effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behavior: A meta-analytic review of the scientific literature. American Psychological Society, 12, pp. 353-359. Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Boyatzis, C. J. , Matillo, G. M. , & Nesbitt, K. M. (1995). Effects of â€Å"The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers† on children’s aggression with peers. Child Study Journal, 25(1), pp. 45-55.

How to Give a Cat a Pill Essays

How to Give a Cat a Pill Essays How to Give a Cat a Pill Essay How to Give a Cat a Pill Essay Pick cat up and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cats mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow. 2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process. 3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away. 4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm holding rear paws tightly with eft hand. Force Jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count often. 5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse. 6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cats throat vigorously. 7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered priceless fgurines from hearth and set to one side for gluing later. 8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head Just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw. 9. Check label to make sure pill is not harmful to humans, drink glass of water to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouses forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap. 0. Retrieve cat from neighbors shed. Get another pill. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band. 11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put door back on hinges. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Throw tee-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom. 12. Call fi re department to retrieve cat from tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil-wrap. 13. Tie cats front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind ightly to leg of dining table, find heavy duty pruning glove from shed, force cats mouth open with small wrench. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of filet mignon. Hold head vertically and pour pint of water down throat to wash pill down. 14. Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture store on way home to order new table. 15. Arrange for SPCA to collect cat and call pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.