Creation of Men & The Flood Myths Essay Example for Free

Creation of Men The Flood Myths Essay The three well-known stories about the Creation of Men The Flood are the Epic of Gilgamesh, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and the story of creation in the bible’s book of Genesis. Among the three, I believe the story that best describes the story of creation and the flood is the Epic of Gilgamesh. Although all three stories were well-constructed, the Epic of Gilgamesh stands out because it has a more human side to it and it is more dynamic than the other two. The problem with Ovid’s Metamorphoses is that it jumps from one tale to another. Moreover, the Metamorphoses mainly focused on Greek myths and not on other parts of the world. The story of creation in the bible’s genesis, on the other hand, is too dogmatic and its plot is too linear. I believe that the Epic of Gilgamesh is better than the two because it tells a story from a human perspective. In the story, it was depicted that Gilgamesh was one-third man and two-thirds God. Being part human, Gilgamesh is also vulnerable to a lot of things that most humans are prone to such as sin. He also possesses certain weaknesses like humans such as having the capability to grieve and mourn death as shown in his immense sadness when his friend, Enkidu died. It also illustrated a brief and interesting account of the flood when Utnapishtim, the immortal, shared with Gilgamesh how he survived the floods brought about by the gods through building massive boat and brining with him the offspring and seed of all the living creatures. The story also gave an interesting lesson in immortality when Gilgamesh failed to obtain the secret of eternal life from Utnapishtim and lost the magical plant that would restore his youth. However, he believed he achieved the closest thing to immortality when he said in the end: Go up, Urshanabi, onto the wall of Uruk and walk around. Examine its foundation, inspect its brickwork thoroughly is not (even the core of) the brick structure of kiln-fired brick, and did not the Seven Sages themselves lay out its plan! † (Ancienttexts. org) His words at the end of the story meant that even though he could not attain immortality, his legacy would live on forever through his kingdom of Uruk, which for him was his best achievement that would endure the test of time. Works Cited Ancienttexts. org. The Epic of Gilgamesh. † 2008. 3 October 2008 http://www. ancienttexts. org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/.

Social Media in China Essay Example for Free

Social Media in China Essay Introduction: According to Webster’s dictionary Social Media are â€Å"forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content.† The main purpose of social media as a marketing tool is to engage with consumers. Social media allows businesses to engage with consumers in ways that were never possible before. For most companies, creating a social media campaign is not the challenge. The challenge for most companies is their ability to measure effectiveness of their social media efforts. Measuring how a social media campaign translates into profits for a company is no easy feat. But there are some things companies can do to not only make their campaigns successful, but to measure the benefits of this success. The objective of this research paper is to explore how businesses can use social media as a successful marketing tool. Specifically, this paper will address how Chinese businesses can use social media as an effective marking tool. It will also explore the differences between social media in the United States and China. Social Media Platforms in the USA There are several types of social media which are used in the United States. The most commonly known are those which are considered to be â€Å"social networks.† These sites allow for individuals to make their own personal profile and connect with other individuals. Communications on these platforms come as video, messages and pictures. Facebook and MySpace are commonly used to keep in touch with friends and family. LinkedIn is a different type of social network whose primary focus is to connect business professionals with one another. Many businesses use these types of social media to share important information about the company activities with consumers. They can also use these types of tools to entice consumers to purchase products or visit their stores. These types of networks can also be used to target customers or to create a buzz about some new product or promotion going on with a specific company. Pepsi is a great example of how a company used Facebook to increase sales. â€Å"Pepsi used social networks, specifically Facebook, to gather custo mer insights about their DEWmocracy promotions. Their efforts lead to the creation of various varieties of their Mountain Dew brand.† By allowing the customer to decide what flavors they would like to see created, Pepsi gained great insight about the people who buy their product. Another type of social platform is what is known as a microblog. A microblog is a shorter condensed version of an actual blog. These platforms limited their users to 140 characters as opposed to regular blogs that allow users unlimited amount of characters. They are used for immediate and constant updating when things happen or even when they are happening. The purpose of the microblog is to get small bits of information to your â€Å"followers† as quickly as possible. Twitter is the most commonly known and most popular microblog in use today. With Twitter, a user can create their own account and then can elect to â€Å"follow† other users on the platform. They can choose to â€Å"follow† friends, family and even celebrities. Bu t from a business standpoint, there is more value in Twitter than just tweeting and retweeting. According to Schmidt, â€Å"Twitter can be used as a monitoring tool to get data that marketers need to make decisions. Companies now have ability to monitor what consumers think and feel about their specific product. One tweet from a company has the potential of reaching all 140 million Twitter users† (Schmidt.6). Though the microblog is a newer type of social media platform, Twitter has seen huge success since its birth in 2006. Marketers can capitalize on this platforms’ success by utilizing it in their business’s everyday marketing strategy. Blogs are also considered to be a type of social media, though less popular than the ones previously mentioned. A blog is similar to an online journal or diary but is used by several different people for different reasons. They are not limited in length and can be very informative or just for fun, depending on the author. The entries can also be short or long as well. Schmidt explains that, â€Å"the blog has a solid pla ce in social media because of it flexibility and capacity for interactivity. A blog reaches people in different ways than other mediums do so it is a good idea for companies to use this together with other social media outlets, not instead of them† (Schmidt.4). It is important to note, however, that if a company uses a blog, they must make sure they invest the time and energy to keep the information current and the posting frequent. Social Media in China Social media in China takes on a unique form compared to the rest of the world. Unlike other countries, the use of such social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are banned and blocked in China. â€Å"Rather than eliminate social media all together, these restrictions have resulted in a flourishing home-grown, state approved ecosystem in which Chinese-owned properties thrive† (Crampton.1). Social media has become integrated in the lives of Chinese people. Most internet users in Chinese experience the internet solely through social media. The Chinese platforms created are similar to those platforms used across the world. Like their US counterpart, the Chinese have developed numerous types of social media platforms. While other counties use Facebook, China has developed a platform called Renren. This â€Å"social network† has similar features to that of Facebook in which users create their own personal profile and connect with friends and family. This platform is commonly used to keep in touch with such people. This platform attracts college students and users can also upload video and personal information. However, unlike many other countries, China also has several other platforms which attract unique segments of the population. For example, Douban is a social media site that specifically attracts art students. You are likely to find individuals who are passionate about reading , culture and music. Another type of â€Å"social network†, KaixinOO1, is similar to Renren in that it allows users to create profiles. Unlike Renren, this site is utilized mostly by white collared professionals and is used to share more broad information as opposed to personal content. The Chinese have also utilized the microblog through there platform known as Sina Weibo. Again, this platform has similarities to that of Twitter. The interface works just like Twitter. Users elect to follow certain people and in turn other people can follow them. This platform has about 100 million registered users which consist of a board range of China’s internet population. Some of the people who utilize this type of social media include youth, celebrities, business professionals, and media personalities (Nooruddin.2). But what sets this country’s social media apart is not those platforms that are similar to those of other countries, but those interfaces uniquely utilized in China. An example is the utilization of Chinese bulletin board systems (BBS). These are â€Å"online forums where individuals can post questions and engage in discussions on any range of topics. More the 96% of Chinese online users have spent an hour or more a day on BBS sites. These users tend to be between the ages of 20 to 40 years old from various professional backgrounds. More than 80% of BBS users search for product information and of these users about 61.7% ask other BBS users for their opinion before making a purchase themselves†(Geng.6). These systems allow for users to post anonymously which encourages users to be honest in their reviews of certain products and services. As you can see, different social media platforms in china attract a distinct audience, making it easier for Chinese businesses to target specific consumers. However, while there are many different social media outlets in China, after having a chance to speak with Chinese natives, it seems that Webio is the most highly used by Chinese citizens. We will explore further how businesses in China use these different platforms to successfully use social media as part of their marketing mix. Social Media Differences between the Two Countries Upon reviewing the different platforms in both countries, one might conclude that there is no difference among those types of social media used in both countries. Though at first glance, this may be the case, there is much more to social media in China than simply the platforms which Chinese internet users utilize. Social media has been so deeply intenerated into the lives of the Chinese. In china, the social media is the internet; there is no real distinction. â€Å"Social media platforms and online behaviors vary in important ways from those that may be considered their international equivalents and this difference is not due to censorship,† (Crampton.2). The variations in usage are driven by language, culture and economical development. The platforms which individuals of different countries focus on can vary widely. This variation can occur not only between countries, but within a single country as well. One way to understand the differences between the uses in China verses The United States is by analyzing the differences among the platforms in both countries. Twitter and Sina Weibo are both microblogs used to have short quick communications with users. The differences between these two platforms are rooted mainly in language. Sina Weibo is the fastest growing microblog in China. Though it is similar to Twitter in that it allows users to post 140 characters, Weibo actually allows its users to post videos and photos. It also allows users to comment on other peoples updates and to add comments when reposting a friends message; all things which twitter currently lacks. One of the biggest advantages however, which Weibo has over Twitter is the â€Å"length of communications expressed via microblogs in Chinese verses English† (Crampton.4). Even though both platforms allow users to express 140 characters worth of information in a single post, those users communicated using Chinese have an upper hand. This is due to the fact that each Chinese character is a word. This allows users, but more importantly, companies which are utilizing this platform to engage with consumers, to share more information. The article, â€Å"Social Media in China: The Same, but Different,† shows how Dell utilized this language difference. For a promotion the company was running they posted this update on twitter: â€Å"Today’s deal: Get FREE Eco-Lite Sleeve with the purchase of any Dell Outlet Insprion Mini 10,† (Crampton.4). A similar message on a Chinese microblog for the same add read like this: â€Å"Dell’s National Day Sale runs from Se ptember 11 to October 8th. To celebrate the 60th anniversary with the motherland, Dell home computers is offering 6 cool gifts and deals on 20 computer models. These exciting offers will run nonstop for 4 weeks. Also, get a free upgrade to color casing and a 512MB independent graphics card, as well as other service upgrades. All offers are on a first com first serve bases† (Crampton.4). As one might notice, a 114 characters limit in Chinese translates into 434 characters in English. This turns microblogging in China into more of a blog-like platform. Though these two platforms are different in structure, as business promotion tools, they are one in the same. Businesses use both Webio and Twitter to create a dialog and to get information about what is going on with their company quickly to their users. According to Nielsen, brand information via social media in both China and the US spread through, â€Å"interactions with friends on social media platforms. They believe that their platforms can be used by business to achieve greater success than form traditional advertizing.† It is clear to businesses that these micro blogs are important not only to help create a dialog between the consumer and the business, but more importantly, these specific platforms are used to obtain higher immediate brand exposure, brand identity and brand awareness among consumers. While the social network site Facebook has become the default social network throughout most of the world, China has been able to establish similar platforms which are tailored to attract specific segments of people. Most of the social networks created in China have developed around the interests of people who belong to certain segments of the Chinese population. As mentioned before, Douban is focused on attracting those individuals who are art students. The website also allows registered users to record information and create content related to film, books, music, and recent events in Chinese cities. Unlike Facebook and Renren, it is opened to both registered and unregistered users. Not only can users connect according to their interests but the website also provides recommendations about books, music and more to its users. Based on this information, one can conclude that social media in China has been somewhat customized to meet the needs of several different segments of the population as well as to meet the interests of those people. Companies can benefit from these â€Å"targeted social networks.† Yet oddly, â€Å"many companies have failed to acknowledge the shifts in their marketing strategy. Social media has grown to become the shared commons where Chinese consumers offer opinions, ask for advice and discuss their interests which include brands. Thus, while in the past the internet could have been considered a lost opportunity in China, today, ignoring social media is a business risk† (Crampton.6). The article entitled, â€Å"Social Media: The new Hybrid Element of the Promotion Mix,† examines how the traditional marketing mix has been changed due to the rise of social media. Traditional Promotional Mix Verses New Promotional Mix Traditionally, marketing consists of the four â€Å"Ps,† product, price, placement and promotion. The promotional mix focuses on the promotion elements of marketing. Before social media, companies relied heavily on what is known as integrated marketing communications to interact with their consumers. These communications, â€Å"attempt to coordinate and control various elements of the promotional mix- advertising, personal selling, public relations, publicity, direct marketing, and sales promotion- to produce a unified consumer-focused message and therefore, achieve various organizational objectives as well† (Mangold and Faulds.1). Promotions are all about communication because promotions are the way a business makes its products known to both current consumers and potential ones as well. The goal of a promotion is to ensure that customers are aware of the existing products and it is also used to persuade customers that the product is better that the competing products on the market. It is a marketer’s job to remind customers’ why they want to buy their companies products. Traditionally, businesses spoke to their consumers through such mediums as TV ads, billboards and radio. It is also typical for a company to use sales promotions to influence consumers to buy. The rise of social media has flipped these traditional ideas of promotional marketing on its head. Due to the rise of social media, the â€Å"strategies for communicating with customers have changed significantly† (Mangold and Faulds.358). Mangold and Faulds suggest in their article, â€Å"Social Media: The new Hybrid Element of th e Promotion Mix,† that social media plays a hybrid role in the promotional mix. This is due in part to the fact that social media has changed the way which businesses can communicate with their consumers. Social media not only enables companies to speak directly to their consumers, but it also allows for consumers to communicate with one another on a large front. Companies can use such platforms as Facebook and Renren to communicate with their consumers. The company’s consumers can use these same platforms to give feedback about their experiences with that company’s product or service.â€Å"The second role of social media- enabling customers to talk to one another, is in away an extension of the traditional word-of-mouth communication† (Mangold and Faulds.359). What makes this word of mouth exchange unique is that it magnifies the communication. Before social media and with the traditional approach, individual consumers were only able to communicate their experience to a few friends. Consumers now have the ability to express their experience s to hundreds and thousands of people in the matter of a few keystrokes on a social media platform. This takes the control of what messages are sent to consumers away from the actual business and puts it into the hand of the consumer; it in turn limits the amount of control companies have over the content and dissemination of information (Mangold and Fauld.359). The question for businesses to explore: how can this power of social media be harnessed for the benefit of the organization? The best way to do this is by consistently engaging with the consumers by these platforms. Companies are in control when they are able to create a buzz about a specific product, when they are able to learn from customers and when they are able to successfully target customers. Divol, Edelman and Sarrazin explain how companies can use this control which social media gives them to create successful social marketing campaigns. Divol, Edelman and Sarrazin, authors of the McKinsey Quartly article entitled Demystifying social media believe that in order for businesses to be in control of social media conver sations, they must monitor consumer responses, respond to those responses, amplify their responses and make efforts to lead consumers to long term behavioral changes which will continue to keep them coming back to their company. They describe brand monitoring as â€Å"simply knowing and understanding what consumers are saying about the company’s product.† (Divol.4) They believe that even if a company does not engage in direct conversation with consumers on social media platforms, this information obtained by monitoring will allow them to gain insight on what their consumers want. It also provides advanced warning for negative publicity. But monitoring is just the start. Businesses also need to respond to consumers by pinpointing conversations for personal interaction with the consumer. This responding can be positive if it is done to provide customer service or to uncover certain leads or to deal with crisis management. Next, the authors believe that it is important to amplify their conversations with their consumers. They explain that â€Å"amplification involves designing your marketing activities to have an inherently social motivator that spurts broader engagement and sharing. This means that businesses should invite consumers to join into a conversation. They should also have ongoing programs and share new content. It is also important for businesses to provide opportunities for sharing back. Finally, businesses should focus on offering experiences that customers want to share to others† (Divol.6). An example of this amplification comes from Starbucks. â€Å"Starbucks wanted to increase awareness of its brand. To do this, the company launched a campaign which challenged their users to be the first to tweet a picture for one of the new advertising posters which the company had placed in six major cities providing the winners with $20 gift cards. This got millions of fans speaking about Starbucks and their current promotion. By giving consumers a reason to speak about a company’s brand, they are able to quickly and effortlessly create customer brand awareness and therefore, save millions of dollars in advertising† (Divol.7). Finally, the authors believe it is important to lead consumers along long term behavioral exchanges which will keep them coming back for more. Companies can influence behavioral changes by creating a buzz, asking for feedback from customers and creating promotions which actively involves consumers. In order to have successful marketing campaigns in the 21st century, mangers need to change their thin king and attitudes toward these new additions to the marketing mix. They need to realize, accept and understand that a large amount of information about their products and services are being talked about via social media outlets. They also need to understand that the communications occurring on these platforms are directly impacting all aspects of consumer behavior. Managers should be aware that â€Å"consumers are reducing their reliance on advertising and traditional elements of the promotional mix as a source of information to help make their purchasing decision,† (Mangold and Faulds.361). In order for marketing managers to drive a successful social media campaign, these managers need to learn to communicate with their consumers on the medium and not to speak at them as illustrated by the examples above. How can Social Media be used to Benefit Businesses? Though the social media platforms used in China and the US differ, the basic benefits of social media to businesses are the same. The main goal of social media in marketing campaigns is customer engagement. Just like with traditional marketing, social media can be utilized for customer engagement. As mentioned previously, social media allows the consumer to communicate on a massive scale to one another on their experiences with particular products. In order for a business to benefit from this, marketing managers need to focus their efforts on shaping the conversation. The following paragraphs explain ways in which businesses can take control of social media conversations. Consumers prefer to communicate with likeminded people. One way that organizations can control this is by providing platforms, which allow likeminded people to network. Organizations can create online communities which consumers with the same interests and values can come together to communicate about similar intere sts. These â€Å"networking opportunities do not have to take form in social media platforms to be effective. For example, movie premiers bring together die-hard fans who like to attend midnight showings so they can be the â€Å"first to know† about the movie. Similarly, Apple has effectively been able to drive iPhone fanatics together who wait in long lines to be the first to purchase the new product. Creating excitement through events and through online forums will benefit the organizations. As the authors state, â€Å" the experience of participating with likeminded individuals in highly anticipated events becomes memorable and is likely to e talked about for years to come† (Mangold and Faulds.361). This is the type of positive conversations organizations can benefit from. Consumers also feel most engaged when they are able to give feedback. This way they feel like they are being heard. Organizations can also use contests and free give a ways in order to engage with their consumers. However, it is important to remember that organizations want to have meaningful conversations with their consumers. If all their consumers are talking about is getting free stuff from them and not about the products and services that these organizations may offer, then that means that companies are not using social media effectively. A way in which organizations can effectively use contests for engagement is by having contests in which consumers are actively involved in promoting a certain product. â€Å"Enabling consumers to see others using the product can entertain and engage consumers while communicating product benefits† (Mangold and Faulds.362). Other ways in which organizations can utilize communication to consumers via social media is by providing information to consumers. Using social media platforms to introduce new products or to provide answers to questions are a few ways in which companies can insure that their consumers are being informed. Some companies have established special websites that allows consumers to connect to one another and gather more information about specific products or services which they are interested. For example, Procter and Gamble created portion of their website called â€Å"Ask Julia.† This section of the website provides detailed information on many subjects related to the products which PG provide to their consumers. The more informed you are, the more you will communicate it to others. At times, it is important for businesses to think outside of the box with their campaign. A way they can do this and attract attention to them is by doing something outrageous to get their consumers talking. For example, Burger King played a joke on it customers by telling them that the Whopper would no longer be sold. They then recorded their customer’s reactions to the news which they posted online for consumers enjoyment. These reactions got Burger King’s consumers talking. Sometimes it is important for businesses to have a little fun with their marketing techniques as Burger King did in this example. Consumers also enjoy exclusivity. People generally like to feel special. Businesses have the ability to control this type of special feelings. Feeling special can occur if businesses offer products, information and special deals which are only available to a specific subset of customers. These positive feelings will most likely translate into positive talk among consumers. Some other ways in which companies can get their consumers talking is by make people want to talk about them. When Apple launched their first iPhone, it changed the way people looked at phones forever. Companies should design products with talking points in mind. If companies provide exclusive offers to their consumers, it will also get them talking as well. It makes the consumer feel important to the company and thus should lea d to positive talks from consumers. Finally, companies can support causes that are important to consumers and utilize the power of stories to create meaningful conversations. By doing so, they can connect with those consumers which may be emotionally linked to a specific causes. Due to this linkage, these consumers may be more likely to purchase a company’s product. How can companies measure the effectiveness of social media? After doing a lot of research, I have found that both American and Chinese companies use the same or similar metrics to track their social media success. Since social media is fairly new in the marketing realm, most companies have struggled translating the effectiveness of their social media into actual numbers in term of return on investment for their companies. But companies can do themselves a favor by tracking specific metrics which can tell them how successful their campaigns are in terms of reach. In terms of social media, reach is defined as the number of people who see the conversations which occur between a specific business and other consumers or social media users in general. As stated before, the purpose of social media is to hold conversations with potential new customers on these platforms; it is all about engagement. In terms of conversation, it is important for a company to measure the number of conversations they have with their â€Å"fans† or â€Å"followers,† the speed of the responses they are getting from their fans or followers and the company’s ability to hold a single conversation. It is important to see what your fans are talking about. The conversations must be of quality and less so about what someone is getting from the company i.e. â€Å"free stuff.† But while social media thrives on conversation, the metrics that can be used to see the effectiveness of a social media campaign stretches much wider. The following lists some of the metrics that a company should look for in order to determine whether their social media campaign is really having an impact on their company: * Social Connections and Page Views: How much exposure is your site getting on social media platforms? It is important for any company to keep track of the number of followers they are obtaining through their social media platforms * Quality of Followers/Fans: According to â€Å"Thoughtful China,† it is important that companies realize that it is not just about the number of followers or fans that the company’s page has but also the number of followers or fans which each individual person who is following the company’s site has. This will drive the reach and the impact which the company is having over the whole social media platform. (Thoughtful China Video). * Engagement Rate: â€Å"A good social media marketer needs to know when he or she posts something that creates a reaction or follower engagement,† (Gold.1). It is important to keep track of positive and negative feedback gained from certain posts. It is also important for a company to keep track of what is known as the â€Å"retweet rate.† This is in essence is keeping track of the number of times you are retweeted every time you post a single tweet. This flows into the next metrics, reach. * The Reach of your Social Media Campaign: This includes a number of things. One of the main things to look for is your company’s â€Å"share of voice.† This simply refers to the number of people on social media which is talking about your company in comparison to your competitors. It is important for a company to think about reach in this manner; â€Å"Am I doing better than last week or last month and what did I do to improve or hurt my performance or reach?† (Gold.1). The more effort companies put into their social media campaigns, the higher the return. Studies show that if a company can convert â€Å"7% of fans or followers into customers this will translate into 40% of sales† (Thoughtful China Video). Since there are extremely high volumes of people using social media platforms, it is hard to say exactly how many people you engage with turn into buyers of your product. But since social media can be used all along the value chain, it is important for businesses to look at the ROI of social media in terms of its overall business impact, not just its impact on sales. Without impact measurements, it is extremely difficult for companies to justify investments in social media and to compare social media marketing with other marketing mediums. Key performance indicators are vital in making the case for social media. According to McKinsey Company, a comprehensive measurement rationale should consist of three levels of KPIs. Level one should consist of a basic KPI system that measures engagement and consumers feelings of the companies’ social media efforts on all different platforms. Metrics such as the ones mentioned above can be used to stratify this level measurement. The company also suggests that level two should consist of business case logic. McKinsey Company recommends that â€Å"companies should create business cases to assess the value of specific activates, like campaigns, or decisions, like platform choices† (McKinsey Company Buzz into Gold). An example could be tracking the value of a Facebook fan. A company should create a calculation that recognizes the average number of contacts created through one Facebook fan. The third and final level consists of gross rating points which will allow companies to make social media comparable across all platforms. McKinsey Company notes that â€Å"for traditional marketing, gross rating points (GRPs) measures advertising intensity of a campaign as a whole. This traditional rating can also be used as a metrics which is used specifically for social media. This measure would be based on the number and reach of the companies posting through multiple social media platforms and would be calculated as the number of people reached multiplied by the number of times these people are reached per day or week (which ever the company prefers). Based on the information above, it is clear that there are many ways in which companies can measure effectiveness of their social media campaigns. The question that needs to be answered now is are American and Chinese companies successfully measuring these metrics? The answer: some companies recognize the importance of these metrics more than others and are doing a better job of tracking this information than others. Here are just a few examples of Chinese and American companies who have used social media as a marketing tool successfully. AJ Bombers: An American Company who experienced social media success AJ Bombers is a burger joint located in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Joe Sorge, the owner of the restaurant changed the way he promoted his company and turned it strictly into social media marketing. He believes that successful social media marketing starts with a great product, something he believed his restaurant had; the best burger in town. Sorge decided to get rid of all forms of traditional marketing that he had previously used to promote his restaurant. Before making the switch to strictly social media, he relied on only using email marketing as a method of marketing his restaurants. Sorge started experimenting with Twitter. He first searched to see what people were saying about his restaurant and he eventually decided to create an account himself so that he could respond to what his customers where saying about his restaurant. By doing this, he was able to create meaningful relationships with his customers and began to see positive reactions from his customers whom he had communicated with via Twitter. The power of social media became evident when Sorge realized that his account had the ability to reach hundreds and thousands of people through his Twitter account. Even if he did not directly engage with some of his customers, they were able to see the conversations going on, and if they liked something they heard or saw, they were able to retweet it to friends and family. The restaurant was previously known for its events. When Sorge realized the benefits of social media, he quickly used this to help promote the events which occurred at his restaurants. He used social media platforms to drive sales for AJ Bombers. One example of an event that Sorge put on was the, â€Å"I’m on a boat badge party.† He partnered with foursquare to create a check in point for his restaurant. Then he used Twitter and Facebook to promote the event. This event allowed customers to earn an â€Å"I’m on a boat badge.† He also partnered with a local outdoors store to obtain boats which customers so that customers could earn their badge by taking part in challenges after checking in. During the event, more than 231 people checked in to the foursquare events page. The event resulted in the single best day of sales that the restaurant has ever seen and the employees had to turn away customers because they did not have enough room to accommodate everyone who showed up. Sorge believed that the word of mouth buzz created by this event through various social platforms and the speed at which the information traveled is what lead for this event to be one of the most successful events he has ever created. This example shows the how constant engagement with customers on social media platforms can be effective in attracting consumers to certain businesses. It also shows how fast communication happens via social media and how many people these conversations can potentially reach. This type of success is possible for all kinds of businesses if they know how to effectively engage with customers. IKEA China: Building a Loyal Following through Online Customer Engagement (Source: The China Observer) IKEA Group is the world’s largest furniture retail with over 280 stores in 26 countries. In 1998, IKEA chose Shanghai to penetrate the Chinese market. IKEA presently runs ten stores in nine cities in China and has achieved total sales of $755 million dollars with over 31 million customers visiting its stores in 2011. Since IKEA used a relatively conservative approach to opening new stores in China, IKEA location were limited, making it harder to reach the young generation of white collar consumers across China. The company found it challenging to build a distinctive brand and to influence Chinese consumers to purchase products since most people treated the IEKA stores as a place for entertainment and not to make purchases for new furniture. In October of 2010, IKEA decided to expand their emphasis on social media. The company started to organize events both real-world and virtual events to engage potential customers both online and offline. IKEA created its own profile on Douban, a Chinese social media platform which allows users to recommend, comment on and compare their favorite books, films and music. The company created a page which listed tips on decorating homes with IKEA products. In September 2011, the company launched on its page called â€Å"the dream home in films.† They encouraged users to upload screenshots of their favorite home furnishing styles from famous films and write a description of the scenes with each â€Å"episode† containing a different theme, focusing on different types of rooms in a virtual home. Participants could win gifts sponsored by IKEA. IKEA attracted a widespread and achieve engagement among Douban users; they are considered to be well-educated and creative urban Chinese. The online and offline event provided customers and potential customers with a way of expressing themselves which translated into a positive impression of the IKEA brand. IKEA’s profile page on Douban, increased to just over 30 thousand followers and 210 thousand visitors. IKEA was able to increase its sales by 20% in the 2012 fiscal year by investing in its brand in China through social media. Conclusion Businesses all over the world have switched gears and included social media as a part of their marketing efforts. With the ever evolving ways of the internet, it is important for businesses to realize how to use web platforms such as social media to help increase their bottom line. In order for companies to make sure they run a successful social media campaign, marketers need to educate themselves on the different ways to engage with their consumer on social media, and how to track these conversations in terms of ROI. Proper utilization of social media can lead to increased brand awareness, brand image but most importantly, the proper use of social media as a marketing tool can lead to increased sales. Works Cited Bodnar, Kipp. Generating Small Business Customers with Social Media.Hubspot.com. Web. Crampton, Thomas. Social Media in China: The Same but Different. China Business Review. ProQuest, 11 Jan. 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2012. Divol, Roxane, David Eldmen, and Hugo Sarrzin. Demystifying Social Media. Demystifying Social Media. McKinseyCompany, Apr. 2012. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. Dove: Encouraging Female Consumers to Share Their Beauty Stories. The China Observer. N.p., 31 May 2012. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. IKEA China: Build a Loyal Following Through Customer Engagement Online. The China Observer. N.p., 22 Mar. 2012. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. Kuo, Kaiser. Blogs, Bulletin Boards and Business. China Business Review. ProQuest, Jan. 2009. Web. 27 Oct. 2012. Lipsman, Andrew, Graham Mudd, and Mike Rich. Power of Like: How Brands Rewach (and Influence) Fans Through Social-Media Marketing. Journal of Advertising and Research 52.1 (2012): 1-24. Web. Mangold, Glynn, and David Faulds. Social Media: The New Hybrid Element of the Promotion Mix. Harvard Business Review (n.d.): 1-9. Web. Nooruddin, Zaheer. 7 Steps to Weibo Success. China Buisness Review. ProQuest, July 2012. Web. 27 Oct. 2012. Schmidt, Stacey, and David Ralph. Social Media: More Available Marketing Tools. The Business Review. ProQuest, Dec. 2011. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. Turning Buzz into Gold. McKinseyCompany. McKinseyCompany, n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. Gold, Harry. 14 Social Media ROI Metrics You Can Use Right Now! ClickZ. Click Z Marketing and News, 21 May 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2178428/14-social-media-roi-metrics. Social Media Metrics. Thoughtful Media Group. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. http://www.thoughtfulchina.com/en/social-media-metrics-en.html.

Domestic Violence Within The Military Social Work Essay

Domestic Violence Within The Military Social Work Essay Understanding family violence in the military is an important concern because of the unique stresses faced by military families on a daily basis that could place them at greater risk for family dysfunction. Long separations, such as Deployment to war, can create a stressful lifestyle for military families. In the mid to late 1990s advocates and activists, were able to persuade policy makers that domestic violence constituted a social problem specifically for the military. American foreign policy has resulted in the deployment of U.S. military personnel to nations around the world, providing servicemen opportunities to meet and socialize with local women. Immigrant status keeps many women from seeking help or leaving the abusive relationship, fearing they cant ask for help and deportation. The servicemen tried to prevent their immigrant wives from gaining independence or leaving the marriage. The militarys approach to prevent, identify and intervene with domestic violence relies heavi ly on the Family Advocacy Program (FAP). Introduction Family violence may be more common in the military population compared to the civilian population because of higher overall stress levels associated with the military lifestyle (e.g., frequent separations, long work hours, dangerous work environment, etc.). Long separations, such as Deployment to war, can create a stressful lifestyle for military families. Studies have proven long deployments increase the chances of returning with combat trauma, as a result heightens the risk of domestic violence (Rentz et al., 2006). Understanding family violence in the military is an important concern because of the unique stresses faced by military families on a daily basis that could place them at greater risk for family dysfunction. Members of the armed forces are often required to relocate to another city, state, or country, often resulting in a disruption to family life. They also tend to work long hours and are subject to extended separations in the form of schooling, temporary assignments, or deployment, all of which may interfere with family obligations (Alvarez Sontiag, 2008). Domestic Violence in the Military: The History The Department of Defense has taken a clear stance against family violence. In 1981, Department of Defense Directive 6400.1 required each branch of military service (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps) to establish (a) a Family Advocacy Program to prevent and treat child maltreatment and spouse abuse and (b) a confidential central registry to collect and analyze Family Advocacy Program data (Department of Defense, 2004). It is unclear whether or not family violence would be more common among military families than among civilian families. Family violence may be more common in the military population compared to the civilian population because of higher overall stress levels associated with the military lifestyle (e.g., frequent separations, long work hours, dangerous work environment, etc.). Soldiers are subject to deployments and relocations that can often lead to a separation from peers and community support networks. Frequent and extensive separations may have a profound impact on marriages, particularly those of short duration, because they present a window of opportunity for the spouse left behind to explore independence and develop other relationships. For those relocated to installations located outside of the continental United States, social and cultural isolation is fairly common (Rentz et al., 2006). There is an increasing number of active duty military (ADM) women, like their civilian counterparts, at risk for domestic violence (DV). This study illustrates active duty military womens attitudes and choices concerning the militarys policy on domestic violence. 474 ADM women from all services were interviewed via telephone. Nineteen of whom had experienced DV during their military service (Gielen et al., 2006). During the study, ADM women were afraid if they were to report domestic violence it would jeopardize their job. In fact, a higher proportion of military women thought regular screening would intensify future abuse (Gielen et al., 2006). This may be related to the military context in which there is mandatory reporting and a lack of confidentiality. United States Military Culture Gender-based violence, such as sexual harassment, rape, and domestic violence, is a global phenomenon that occurs among military families and within military communities, during peace time and in time of war. A number of researchers and activists have argued that military culture, shared norms, for example, regarding masculinity, sexuality, violence, and women, is conducive to rape and sexual harassment, as well as domestic violence (Adelman, 2003). In the United States, however, it was not until the mid to late 1990s that advocates and activists, working both within and outside of the military, were able to persuade policy makers that domestic violence constituted a social problem specifically for the military. Widespread media coverage of military-generated sexual harassment and sexual assault scandals as well as reporting of high rates of domestic violence in the U.S. military in Time magazines and 60 Minutess motivated the Department of Defense to address domestic violence in the military (Adelman, 2003). Civilian advocates for battered women as well as military personnel warn that domestic violence harms servicewomen and civilian women (and their children) who are married to military servicemen. It also has been argued that domestic violence goes against the institutional values of the military and negatively affects military readiness (Adelman, 2003). These include creation of a task force, strengthening of reporting protocols, enhancement of the Family Advocacy Program, and encouragement to create public notice between civilian and military authorities. Military policies regarding domestic violence diverge from civilian approaches in several significant ways. What constitutes a criminal violation, for example, and who substantiates a complaint of domestic violence conform to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ, n.d.). Privacy and confidentiality are not guaranteed within the military system, which mandates the reporting to unit commanders of suspected cases of domestic violence regarding personnel under their supervision. Military responses to domestic violence differ most clearly from civilian, state-based responses in that the social control mechanism doubles as the offenders employer. In the United States, the military or the military base constitutes a relatively isolated and autonomous social and legal entity that produces and is governed by its own language, norms, and laws. This reflects the idealized distance and legal division between military and civilian life in the United States, and as a result, studies of domestic violence in the U.S. military are based on a separation between the civil and the military, making it difficult to conduct comprehensive or comparative research. Orders of protection obtained in a civilian court, for example, may not be enforced within the federal jurisdiction of a military base and vice versa. Much of the concern with and research on military culture and relationships between military culture and domestic violence have been generated in the United States or in countries that host U.S. military bases, due to a number of high-profile cases of sexual harassment, rape, and domestic homicide in the U.S. military (Adelman, 2003). Defense Task Force on Domestic Violence Although the Defense Task Force on Domestic Violence (DTFDV) has made a serious attempt to address many of the concerns related to domestic violence in the military, its analysis of battering is highly flawed in key sections of the report. As a result, the report includes inappropriate recommendations for interventions and remedies. Battering is described as an individual, clinical problem in the section on training of military officers and the section on offender accountability. No attention is given to the societal attitudes and belief systems that support such violence and no distinctions are made between normal marital disputes and the pattern of power and control that characterizes domestic violence (DOD, 2004; Rosenthal McDonald, 2003). The DTFDV report strongly recommends that training be provided to military officers and presents information that should be included in such training. However, there is a troublesome emphasis within this information on anger management as a remedy in some domestic violence cases. The information states that anger management classes should only be utilized in low level emotional maltreatment cases where there has been no physical violence. Classifying any domestic violence case as low level is problematic and indicates confusion about the dynamics of this specific pattern of behavior. Domestic violence is not about everyday arguments and irritabilities between couples. The pattern of behavior that is generally defined as domestic violence involves coercive, intimidating, frightening, and controlling behavior by one partner toward another. Situations in which such a pattern is present generally involve not only emotional maltreatment but also threats of violence that can quickly escala te into physical abuse (Rosenthal McDonald, 2003). Reports of Parental Spousal Violence In the military, family violence directly jeopardizes the familys financial security. A battered wife often protects the military husband against legal proceedings initiated by the military. The military also may be more likely to protect officers accused of spousal violence as compared to enlisted soldiers. Studies indicate that children can accurately report on spousal violence. In the military, 95% of spousal violence occurs in the home and 43% of victims report that children witness the abuse. The study demonstrated that there was as general trend for more spousal violence in the military families with slapping, throwing objects, and an overall measure of violence distinguishing between the military and civilian groups. These differences persisted even when controlling for ethnic background and military rank. Spousal violence was significantly higher in commissioned officers as compared to enlisted personnel. The current study does not address whether the military environment contributes to increased spousal violence or whether individuals prone to abusive behavior are more likely to join the military (Cronin, 1995). Immigration and Domestic Violence Each year, hundreds of thousands of women enter the United States as a spouse of a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident, coming to the United States with significant disadvantages in social status and resources compared with their male partners. Women whose immigrant status is attached to their husbands U.S. citizenship enjoy somewhat greater legal protection than do undocumented immigrant women, but they too are vulnerable due to the structure of immigration law (MSCFV, n.d.). Immigrant status keeps many women from seeking help from abuse or leaving the abusive relationship. Undocumented women fear that if they ask for help, the health or social service provider will turn them in for deportation. However, even battered immigrant women with legal immigrant status feel vulnerable to deportation should they seek help. Asian and Latino immigrant women with spousal visas tied to their abusers also report that fears of deportation maintain their involvement with their batterer (Erez Bach, 2003). The United States is considered a nation of immigrants. Nevertheless, who is allowed to legally immigrate has varied over time. U.S. immigration and naturalization laws have shaped the resulting immigrant pool in terms of gender, race or nationality, sexual orientation, and marital status. Subsequent changes in immigration policy, including an amnesty initiative in the mid-1980s, led to heterosexual family reunification and an increase in the numbers of women and children who migrated to the United States. Such gendered and sexualized patterns reflect how immigration and naturalization law serves to police the purported moral as well as political boundaries of the nation. These immigration laws affect why, when, how, and with whom women immigrate and their experiences of domestic violence subsequent to arrival in the United States (Erez, Adelman, Gregory, 2009; Raj Silverman, 2002). Some women reported that the increase in emotional, sexual, and physical abuse coincided with immigration-specific activities such as entering the country, filing immigration papers, or accessing social welfare systems. The majority of women who came with their spouses reported that the transition and move to the United States altered the dynamics of the relationship: He has had more power to manipulate in the U.S. because I am illegal and depended on him and I didnt have any rights here (Erez et al., 2009). Although law is not intentionally gender biased, one that creates a status-marriage dependency, such as immigration law, makes immigrant women more vulnerable to the domestic violence power dynamic. Military Brides American foreign policy has resulted in the deployment of U.S. military personnel to nations around the world, providing servicemen opportunities to meet and socialize with local women. Some members of the Armed Forces stationed overseas form intimate which they are deployed, making these women military brides, namely, foreign-born women who marry U.S. military personnel. For instance, the deployment of U.S. troops in Asian countries has resulted in more than 200,000 Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, and Filipino women marrying U.S. service members and immigrating to the United States since World War II. On arrival in this country, military brides become immigrants and are subject to U.S. immigration laws, which generally give, with few exceptions, a spouse (or parent) control over the immigration status of their dependents (Erez Bach, 2003). The servicemen tried to prevent their immigrant wives from gaining independence or leaving the marriage. Some husbands prohibited the women from looking for employment. One woman stated that the violence occurred while she was on the telephone discussing a job. Another woman noted that she could only work when her abuser was out of the house. Attempts by the women to take some actions to stop the abuse also triggered violence: [Violence occurred] following meetings with an attorney or military officials (Erez Bach, 2003). Without exception, the women interviewed reported that their husbands (or fiancà © in one case) used their immigration status as a weapon against them. The abuse tactics included threats to report them to immigration authorities, to inform the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) about presumed law violations, to take away the children, or to deport the women (Erez Bach, 2003). Without any close family or friends nearby, the women did not have any semblance of the social and cultural support networks that are available to other military wives. The immigrant women could not travel home, nor could they call or communicate with relatives or friends. They were not familiar with the civilian community around them and did not have the benefit of an immigrant community to turn to for support or advice. Without the presence of family, friends, or community, the isolation and powerlessness intensified (Raj Silverman, 2002). Lack of language skills increases immigrant womens isolation, precludes access to information, and further limits their employment prospects. In responding to domestic violence in the military, special attention should be paid to women whose circumstances involve multiple vulnerabilities, such as military brides. Marital ties of immigrant women to abusive men combine military and immigration-related abuse and dependency, whether real or perceived. The study demonstrates that immigration status can become an additional weapon in the arsenal of abusive military partners. As immigrant women are often not aware of or informed about legal protections and available services, 10 immigration-related abuses can become an effective tool of control and domination. In light of the large number of intimate partnerships formed between American military personnel stationed abroad and foreign-born women, the abuse potential inherent in such relationships warrants special attention by the military in its efforts to address domestic violence (Defense Task Force on Domestic Violence, 2002). It is important to remind all who work with battered women and immigrant communities that we must do what is necessary to improve the lives of battered immigrant women and their children. Members of immigrant communities, battered womens advocates, researchers, policy makers, and most importantly, battered immigrant women must collaborate in designing these efforts. Defense Departments Family Advocacy Program The Department of Defense created a Family Advocacy Program (FAP), providing victims with resources that would help get to safety and back on their feet. The program is available on each military base, and consists of coordinated efforts designed to prevent, identify, report and treat all aspects of child abuse and neglect, and domestic abuse. Each base also has a victims advocate who work with the units FAP (DOD, 2004). Licensed counselors, psychologists and social workers make up the military victim advocate. They are knowledgeable about the process military personnel and their families can take to address domestic violence. They also have available a list of resources, therapists, and shelters that will assist victims and their families. Advocates and consultants work with the victim, advising the individual of available options (DOD, 2004). Commanding officers are ultimately responsible for maintaining good order and discipline among military personnel. Although all the Military Services provide training to assist commanding officers in understanding their roles and responsibilities related to command, the curricula and duration vary by Service. Department of Defense Directive (DoDD) 6400.1 mandates that the Family Advocacy Program (FAP) office notify a service members commanding officer when an act of abuse has allegedly occurred. The directive mandates the education and training of key personnel on policy and effective measures to alleviate problems associated with child and spouse abuse. The directive, however, does not define key personnel (Klimp Tucker, 2001). The services have implemented this policy in varying ways, to include everything from individual briefings with commanding officers once they have assumed command positions on an installation to a group training format. The Army provides specific instructions on briefing commanding officers via Army Regulation 608-18, the Army FAP. The Navys guidance is outlines on OPNAVINST 1752.2A, FAP, noting that commanding officers shall ensure that the command is trained on the identification and prevention of family violence, reporting requirements, and command, community, and FAP response awareness as regular professional development training (Klimp Tucker, 2001). The Air Force provides guidance in Air Force Instruction 40-301, FAP and the Marine Corps provides guidance for commanding officer training in MCOP 1752.3B, Marine Corps FAP Standing Operation. Unit commanders at installations with a family service center should obtain a FAP brief from the FAP manager within 45 days of assuming command (Klimp Tucker, 2001). The Department of Defense does not mandate domestic violence training specifically for military commanding officers. However, the DOD advises the Services to provide education and training for key personnel. Installations vary in their interpretations of the directive, and, as a result, some programs have more depth than others. The militarys approach to prevent, identify and intervene with domestic violence relies heavily on FAP. Given they operate under the guidance of qualified mental health professionals they are readily available to assist those military personnel and their families with their needs. Summary Domestic violence includes but not limited to the willful intimidation, physical assault and battery against an intimate partner or child. It also includes emotionally abusive and controlling behavior that establishes a pattern of dominance and control (NCADV, 2005). Even though domestic violence is never acceptable, mental health professionals know firsthand how the kind of intense stress experienced by military members often leads to abusive behaviors. In the 2008 New York Times article When Strains on Military Families Turn Deadly, the authors state that studies illustrate the relationship between combat experience, trauma, and domestic violence. The article cited a 2006 study which focused on veterans at a Veterans Affairs medical center who sought marital counseling between 1997 and 2003. They found that those with PTSD were significantly more likely to perpetrate violence toward their partner. Studies like these, and reports by those who work with military personnel and their families, have many mental health practitioners, military leaders, and policymakers concerned, and determined to find solutions for countless victims, before its too late. The NYT article mentioned several instances where mental health problems associated with the Iraq and Afghanistan wars led to devastating, deadly homicides, with a service member killing his spouse, or child, and sometimes turning the gun on himself afterwards (Alvarez Sontiag, 2008). Future research is needed that explores family violence in all branches of the military. Studies should also focus on the simultaneous occurrence of child maltreatment and spouse abuse in military families. The civilian and military communities are urged to work toward using common definitions and practices to facilitate comparison of rates among the populations. It is important to further examine service availability and utilization to determine the impact on family violence. References: Adelman, M. (2003). The Military, Militarism and the Militarization of domestic violence. Violence Against Women, 9: 1118-1152. DOI: 10.1177/1077801203255292. Alvarez, L. Sontiag, D. (2008, February 15). When strains on military families turn deadly. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/us/15vets.html?pagewanted=2HYPERLINK http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/us/15vets.html?pagewanted=2_r=1HYPERLINK http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/us/15vets.html?pagewanted=2_r=1_r=1 Cronin, C. (1995). Adolescent reports of parental spousal violence in Military and civilian families. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 10: 117-122. DOI: 10.1177/088626095010001008. Department of Defense. (2004). Department of Defense Directive 6400.1. Retrieved from http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/640001p.pdf Erez, E. Bach, S. (2003). Immigration, domestic violence, and the military: The case of Military Brides. Violence Against Women, 9: 1093-1117. DOI: 10.1177/1077801203255289. Erez, E., Adelman, M. Gregory, C. (2009). Intersections of immigration and domestic violence: Voices of battered immigrant women. Feminist Criminology, 4: 32-56. DOI: 10.1177/1557085108325413. Gielen, A., Campbell, J., Garza, M. A., OCampo, P., Dienemann, J., Kub, J., Lloyd, D. W. (2006). Domestic Violence in the Military: Womens Policy Preferences and Beliefs Concerning Routine Screening and Mandatory Reporting. Military Medicine, 171(8), 729-735. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Klimp, J. W. Tucker, T.T. (2001). Domestic violence. Arlington, VA: Task Force Mid-Shore Council on Family Violence. (n.d.). Domestic violence immigrant victims. Retrieved from http://www.mscfv.org/dvstat.html National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. (2005). Domestic Violence. Retrieved from http://www.ncadv.org/aboutus.php Raj, A. Silverman, J. (2002). Violence against immigrant women: The roles of culture, context, and legal immigrant status on intimate partner violence. Violence Against Women, 8: 367-398. DOI: 10.1177/10778010222183107. Rentz, D.E., Martin, S.L., Gibbs, D.A., Clinton-Sherrod, M. Hardison, J. Marshall, S. (2006). Family violence in the military: A review of the literature. Trauma, Violence, Abuse, 7: 93-108. DOI: 10.1177/1524838005285916. Rosenthal, L. McDonald, S. (2003). Seeking justice: A review of the second report of the defense task force on domestic violence. Violence Against Women, 9: 1153-1161. DOI: 10.1177/1077801203255549. Uniform Code of Military Justice. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ucmj.htm Part II: A Reflection Piece The Family Justice Center Abstract The Family Justice Center (FJC) is just that, a multi-agency service center for victims of family violence and their children. FJC is comprised of multiple community partners. With my legal background interning with the legal network was the best fit. My role consisted of screening domestic violence (DV) victims, assisting in the process of obtaining a temporary restraining order (TRO) and providing court support. As a certified paralegal and currently studying forensic psychology I am finding it somewhat difficult to overstep my boundaries in performing dual roles. The most challenging policy to adhere is the qualifications for obtaining a TRO. It is difficult to determine what qualification constitutes someone as being qualified for a TRO. Does a victim have to get beaten before applying for a TRO? At what point do we justify what qualifies? One of the laws that we do follow is the Dr. Jackie Campbells Danger Assessment. The Danger Assessment (DA) was originally developed by Co-Inv estigator Campbell with consultation and content validity support from battered women, shelter workers, law enforcement officials, and other clinical experts on battering. As every multi-disciplinary team is unique, it is important to be aware of strategies to address challenges related to working in multi-disciplinary teams. Whether it is defining roles, setting boundaries, or ensuring all team members can contribute equally, strategies like these can help multi-disciplinary teams address challenges they often encounter. Introduction There are many forensic psychology settings in which forensic psychology professionals may work. Forensic psychology professionals may work with offenders in the courts, in prisons, in halfway houses, or in community settings. Forensic psychology professionals may also work with crime victims in settings such as domestic violence shelters. There are many reasons why I chose the forensic psychology setting I did for my field experience. The Family Justice Center The Family Justice Center (FJC) focuses on creating a network nationally and internationally minimizing family violence. The center also provides, training, consultation and host conferences. The FJC is comprised of multiple professionals and services such as a military liaison, mental health services, a law enforcement department, and a legal department. The FJC is just that, a multi-agency service center for victims of family violence and their children. This center offers children with close working relationships, shared training and technical assistance, collaborative learning processes, and coordinated funding assistance (FJC, 2009). The FJC legal networks mission statement is to provide convenient and free legal services to victims of domestic violence (FJC, 2009). FJC goes above and beyond their mission statement. They provide additional resources and centers their attention only on the individual client. They provide a child care center for clients with children, a waiting room filled with drinks and snacks is provided as well as small therapy rooms equipped with comfortable sofas. The therapy room is where assessments are conducted for privacy purposes. Roles and Responsibilities FJC is comprised of multiple community partners. With my legal background interning with the legal network was the best fit. My role consisted of screening domestic violence (DV) victims, assisting in the process of obtaining a temporary restraining order (TRO) and providing court support at court hearings. Once the screening is conducted, I consult with my supervising attorney to determine if the client has qualifying elements to proceed with a TRO. To qualify for a TRO through FJC, a client must have one of the following relationships to the person they want restrained: Spouse or former spouse Person with whom you share(d) a living space Have or had a dating/engagement relationship Parents of a child Relative to the second degree (grandparents, but not cousins) The person they wish to have restrained must ALSO have committed one of these acts: Recent physical violence Recent threats of physical violence Harassment Recent sexual assault or molestation Stalking Verbal abuse (only when very severe) (FJC, 2009). Ethical Issues The FJC takes every precaution to follow all ethical codes set upon all professionals within the organization. As I mentioned before the FJC is comprised of various professionals such as detectives, counselors/psychologists and attorneys. Each professional has its own ethical codes to follow. The legal department follows same ethical codes related to confidentiality and release of information (APA, 2010: Ethical Standard Code 4; AP-LS, 2008: Specialty Guideline 10). Each client is required to go through two screenings before they move forward with the legal department. A psychologist screens them and if there are visible injuries, the client is seen by a forensic medical examiner. At this time, a release authorization form of the photos is signed by client. This gives the organization permission to use the photos as evidence for court hearings. Each client is required to sign a confidentiality agreement form prior to meeting with the legal department. As stated above the organization is also comprised of police officers and detectives. Police officers and detectives have their own ethical codes to follow. At times a client would arrive and would also like to file a police report. At the moment the client is allowed to file a report. At no time can the psychologist or attorney be present during this time. If a third party was present during this time, the third party is entitled to testify in court as a witness for the criminal case. It can get pretty complicated. I ran into this problem when assisting with the client that was a detective. As a certified paralegal and currently studying forensic psychology I found it somewhat difficult not to overstep my boundaries in performing dual roles (APA, 2010: Ethical Standard Code 3; AP-LS, 2008: Specialty Guidelines 6). Part of my responsibility prior to assisting with the TRO I have to screen them to determine if they have enough evidence to move forward with a TRO. Sometimes I find myself steering towards a psychological assessment only to remember that Im screening for legal purposes. Legal Issues With the legal field come many laws, regulations and procedures. The most challenging policy to adhere is the

McCarthy :: essays research papers

While I cannot take the time to name all of the men in the State Department who have been named as members of the Communist party and members of a spy ring, I have here in my hand a list of 205 that were known to the Secretary of the State as being members of the Communist party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping the policy of the State Department. (Bayley, 1981,p.17) This story is held responsible for sparking the McCarthyism era. The incidents following it, represent a journalistic period paralleled to the Christian views of the Spanish Inquisition; a time period of branded embarrassment and horror never to be forgotten. Later McCarthy said the number he gave in his speech was not 205 but 57. The fact is that Desmond had a written copy of the speech before McCarthy gave it, but he could have changed the number to 57 when he actually presented the speech. Regardless, the number 57 would have been just as shocking as 205. The reporter's ethics and/or practices were questionable in handling this story. Why he did not ask to see the list of 205 Communists? If he did, history may have been different, for as McCarthy said himself "what he held in his hand was the Byrnes letter, not a list."(Bayley, 1981, p.24) If Desmond had reported that McCarthy was holding a letter, not a list, the newspapers would have handled the story much differently. A letter from one person to another, which suggests unfit employees, would have made much less news than the illusion of an actual list of names. This lack of verification, was one of many press blunders that followed over the next few weeks. In general the press' poor practice would be carried out for the next five years. "I have here in my hand,..." was a phrase that "became more popular than a famous toothpaste slogan,"(Belfrage, 1973, p.117) which he used on an infinite number of occasions to refer to documents he would pull from his briefcase to support wild accusations. The legitimacy of the documents much like that of the accusations seemed never to have been verified by the reporters on sight. The Byrnes's letter that McCarthy pulled out on February 9, 1950 was one of these unchecked documents. The content of the letter gives us insight into McCarthy's ability to manipulate the facts, and cover his tracks just enough so that an unambitious, negligent reporter would help him spread his word. The letter from which the number 205 is extracted is dated 26 July 1946, from Secretary of State James F.

Electoral College vs Direct Popular Vote Essay -- American Government,

The current process of electing the President of the United States through the Electoral College system should not be changed because the Electoral College system is superior in comparison to other comprehensive voting systems. Systems like direct popular vote or the national popular vote may work in democracies; however the United States is a federal republic. While allowing large metropolises and large states to be represented in a manner consistent with their size, the Electoral College has the exceptional attribute of allowing small states and rural areas to still maintain influence in the government. Allowing the entire nation to decide the direction of our government ensures candidates appeal to the majority of the nation, not just a handful of populous centers. This leads to more moderate policies and a protection of minority rights. Problems in elections such as fraud and recounts, are very disruptive in systems such as popular vote, but are minimized in the Electoral College system because these problems are limited to individual states allowing for a national review of such localized problems. Finally, the Electoral College incentivizes policy makers and parties to continually try to win in states that have opposed them in recent elections, ensuring long term policy that addresses needs of the populous quickly. Overall, the Electoral College’s benefits make it the superior system to elect the President, and for that reason it should not be changed. Smaller and particularly rural states are protected by the Electoral College. The number of votes a state is allocated in the Electoral College is determined by adding the number of United States Representatives and Senators a state sends to congress. This means each state ... ...ure, and prosperous nation in the world. Large states and cities are represented with consideration for their size, smaller and rural states given a base minimum representation to protect their intrinsic interests. Moderate and nationally inclusive policies are incentivized, and minority coalitions that foster compromise are encouraged. Fraud and recounts are minimized in relation to other voting systems, and mechanisms to deal with such issues promptly exist in the Electoral College. Finally, all states that need concrete policy change and attention receive it with the Electoral College. When asked what kind of government the United States had, Dr. Benjamin Franklin said â€Å"A republic, if you can keep it.† The Founding Father’s understood the benefits of the Electoral College which have since been validated; therefore the Electoral College should remain in place.

Causes and Effects of the American Revolution Essay -- Essays on Amer

Both the British and the American colonists contributed to causing the American Revolution. The war grew out of contempt: England’s contempt for the colonies and colonial contempt for British policies. A series of actions by the British eventually pushed the colonists over the edge and towards independence. The results of the war gave many citizens a new role in society while others, like slaves, felt no change at all. This paper will examine the specific causes and effects of the American Revolution. Ideology really laid the foundation for the Revolution. British citizens, including those in the North American colonies, felt a special sense of pride in their political system. Unlike in other European countries at the time, the English king did not possess absolute control over his country. England has a parliament, and that stood as a check against the king’s power. Many Britons grew up skeptical of a single, authoritarian ruler. Within this political framework, there existed the concept of liberty. â€Å"The English had no standing army, no letters de cachet; they had their habeas corpus, their trials by jury, their freedom of speech and conscience, and their right to trade and travel; they were free from arbitrary arrest and punishment; their homes were their castles.† The vast majority of the colonists considered themselves British, and as such, they were entitled to these rights and freedoms. Republicanism coexisted with the notion of liberty. â€Å"According to the classical republican tradition, man was by nature a political being, a citizen who achieved his greatest moral fulfillment by participating in a self-governing republic.† The colonists took this virtuous duty seriously, especially when it came to r... ...t for their right to have a say in how their country should be run. In their old age, the leaders of the American Revolution and eventual founders of the United States worried about the extent to which democracy pervaded society. However, their actions planted the seeds for oppressed groups to fight for their rights. A country whose founding principle is that â€Å"all men are created equal†¦with certain unalienable rights† including â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness† will always give people hope for a better future. Works Cited Countryman, Edward. The American Revolution revised edition. New York: Hill and Wang, 2003. Norton, Mary Beth. Liberty’s Daughters: The Revolutionary Experience of American Women, 1750-1800. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1996. Wood, Gordon S. The Radicalism of the American Revolution. New York: Vintage Books, 1991.

The Disadvantages That Confront E-Mango.Com If It Does Not Leverage the Competitive Value of the Internet.

Leveraging the competitive value of the Internet Physical inventories have always been a major cost component of business. Linking to suppliers in real time dramatically enhances the classic goal of inventory â€Å"turn. † The Internet provides a multitude of opportunities for radically reducing the costs of designing, manufacturing, and selling goods and services. E-mango. com, a fruit emarketplace, must take advantage of these opportunities or find itself at a significant competitive disadvantage. Identify the disadvantages that confront E-mango. om if it does not leverage the competitive value of the Internet. Case study Considering that E-mango. com is an online store and it also has a small store outlet which provides all kinds of fruits. a. Fresh fruits b. Dry fruits c. Fruit products such as jams, jellies, fruit syrup etc. In today’s world Internet has become a major source for marketing. Ebusiness is the conducting of business on the Internet, not only buying an d selling, but also serving customers and collaborating with business partners. Electronic business methods enable companies to link their internal and external data processing systems more efficiently and flexibly, to work more closely with suppliers and partners, and to better satisfy the needs and expectations of their customers. Each and every business are now marketing their business through Internet, as it save time and cost and reaches a large number of customers in short span of time If Emango. com is not using the trends of today’s world i. e. if the website is not making use of the various facilities in the Internet for marketing their goods then they may have to face lot of challenges. Being a fruit emarketplace, the goods need to be sold out as soon as possible. It also has other competitors who own a fruit emarketplace which makes it difficult to survive. Internet could provide a lot of advantages such as managing the cost, produce profit by the people visiting the website, reach to a lot of people and thus increase the business, provide an e-catalog for the customers thus enabling them to shop easier etc. The costs of not doing e-business include loss of customers to competitors with good websites and loss of potential revenue. The major areas affected without proper use of Internet in Business has been listed. 1. Convenience A visit to a store requires travel and must take place during business hours whereas online stores are available 24 hours a day, where business could be made at any hour of the day. Nowadays Internet access is available at home and office, so shopping would be easier if they are able to shop online. Online stores would be having e-catalog which provides the pictures and prices of the goods available which increases customers ease for shopping. Without a proper website maintained, customers need to come to the stores and search for the fruits, which is time consuming and this would initiate a customer to buy goods through another store which has a well maintained website. The websites will also be having pop-ups of the clearance and the deals for the day which will attract more customers. There are also online transactions which are fast. It can help improve the speed and accuracy of transactions. So as long as there is no proper usage of Internet the income would be less as customers would move to stores which provides a good business . The advantage of having a well maintained website is also that they can display pictures of fruits along with their nutritional benefits and how they contribute to the health, which fruit would taste good as juice and which would taste good as raw etc. Along with business customers would be able to gain a lot of information’s also, thus the competition for emango. com would always be high. Customers would prefer a better online business which is provided by others. 2. Cost-Effective Marketing and Promotion Using the web to market products guarantees to reach large number of customers at a nominal price. The cost of conducting business in Internet is substantially smaller than the traditional forms of business communication. Advertising techniques like pay per click advertising ensure that the advertiser only pays for the advertisements that are actually viewed. As it is fruit store only dry fruits and fruit products need to ship to far distances. Most of the shipment would be around the local area thus it is cost effective(the local shipment would be similar to that of pap johns). Customers would prefer to have such an online store. The fruits could be bought in bulk or in small quantity. All these could be lacking for the emango. om thus causing loss. The emango. com would not be able to reach its customers and market in an easier way than the Internet. 3. Customer Service Customer service is the most important factor in every business. With an online service the supplier could provide an improved customer service. As the customer enters the website they could be greeted by a pop-u p chat window. Many websites now provide an online chat, where the customers could chat with a customer care executive and clarify all the doubts about the products or any other details. Even the customer could contact the customer service executive through phone which is a 24Ãâ€"7 service. Making customers happy is the important factor for improving the business and to gain benefits. All these customer services could not be provided if the Internet is not being utilized. 4. Selection The main advantage of a website is being able to quickly seek out deals for items or services. The deals and discounts could also be viewed as soon as we enter the website. Electronic catalogs and web pages present customers with updated information in real time about goods, services and prices. As with other aspects of ebusiness, it is important to match electronic catalog design and functionality to a company’s business goals. This ease of ecatalogs cannot be provided without proper use on Internet. 5. Reviews The customers could provide the reviews about the products in the website, which would help to know the views of customer and improve the business. Also with the Internet, it’s easier to summarize and analyze information about customers visiting and buying the website. This information can be used to modify promotional strategies to maximize sales. If there is no proper use of Internet this would not be possible. The rivalry for the E-mango. com is high as it they are not properlyusing the Internet for the better business. The competitors would gain high profit with a better website and better e-business technology. Thus the website e-mango. com needs to enhance itself with the various techniques provided by the internet to attract customers and increase profit. Waiting too long to move in to the track of e-business may cause E-mango. com to lose its place in line entirely. References http://e-business-guide. net/advantages-internet-business-explained. html http://onlinebusiness. volusion. com/articles/e-business-advantages/ http://www. enetsc. com/ebusinessarticles. html