Social Media In The Hospitality Industry

Social Media In The Hospitality Industry Armstrong and Kotler state the internet is revolutionising the way we think about à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ how to construct relationships with suppliers and customers, how to create value for, and how to make money in the process; in other words revolutionising marketing. This has led to a significant shift over the last couple of years from using traditional sources such as newspapers, television, radios and leaflets. (Thevenot, 2007, Young, 2007, Cheung et al. 2008 and Field 2008) note that word of mouth marketing is the most powerful promotional tool, with Social Media just finger tips away; this makes it even more crucial for businesses to recognise and acknowledge it. It has been defined as a second generation of Web development and design that aims to facilitate communication, secures information sharing, interoperability, and collaboration on the World Wide Web (Paris et al. 2010: 531). This essay seeks to critically explore the issues and benefits associated with the use of Social Media. The application of Social Media has developed the way organisations communicate with their guests, since it was introduced in the early 90s society towards a new era. It has evolved from being a tool that was used by the public to connect with old and new friends to giving businesses and consumers the opportunity to have a two way conversation (Lim et al.2012). Additionally Social Media enables organisations to promote their brand and connect with their customers on a more intimate level (Ragone, 2012 and Wilson et al. 2012). Over the last few years the use of Social Media has increased, with many social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Googleplus emerging). Research undertaken by Burson-Marsteller (2009) who are a globally recognised Public Relations company, discovered companies who made the most profit in Fortune magazine were registered with three networking sites these included Twitter, Facebook and Blogs. 54% of the businesses joined and used Twitter, 32 % had blogs and 29% had a Facebook page. The report went on to show that 94% of the organisations used their Twitter to keep consumers updated. Additionally 67% were using Twitter to deal with customers inquiries or queries. Wigder et al. (2010) reported the growth of Social Media from 2005 to 2009 grew from 1 billion to 1.6 billion, similarly it is expected to increase by 42% by the end of 2012. Social Media has made such a significant impact on the hospitality industry. The most important and possibly damaging Social Media sites to the hospitality industry are Trip Advisor, Yelp and Booking.com, they are on the increase as they have been seen to gain substantial popularity with potential travellers (Xiang and Gretzel 2010). According to Pantelidis (2010) tourists are more willing to put their faith in the reviews written by other travellers compared to those by professional reviewers such as the AA (Automobile Association). Sparks and Browning (2011) say customers want information that is easy to process, which is why they look to Social Media, they also believe by reading peer reviews they are more likely to get accurate information. Therefore the demand for Social Media is growing fast and it is important for businesses that want to survive to adapt and to get their name and brand out there, with the recent economic problems that the world has been facing any opportunity to win over the competitors should be taken (Gretzel et al. 2007 and Fraser, 2010). The explosion of this application brought many opportunities as well as challenges and issues. Saunders and Graham (1992) believe as guests are directly involved in the service process; it brings uncertainty in the delivery process .For that reason its difficult knowing what the customer regards as high and acceptable standards. Standards may also be determined by how a guest feels emotionally rather than how the organisation has delivered the service. A guest might go into a hotel today and be ecstatic with the service that the organisation has provided whereas two weeks later they may go in again but emerge feeling disappointed despite receiving the same level of service. They may go on Social Media voice out their frustrations at the hotel. Saunders and Graham (1992:246) state Focus on the customer is very much a part of the provision of a service. Seeing as service is intangible it is difficult to determine what each individual considers acceptable, naturally all the consumer can rely on is their feelings towards the experience. As a result it makes quality harder to define and varies from each customer to the next. Service is not something you can store; it is measured immediately by the recipient. Under these circumstances any measurement taken is thus too late to avoid a failure in contact with the customer (Saunders and Graham, 1992: 246). Although these theories were identified years ago they still apply to the hospitality industry today. Another challenge which Social Media has presented is there is no way to verify who is making reviews or comments. As a result disgruntled employees could go on Social Media to write negative reviews. Parkes (2011) claimed Trip Advisor is being used to blackmail hoteliers by guests to get special discounts or complimentary upgrades. An investigation carried out by Kenber (2011) discovered 80 hotel owners had complained about guests blackmailing them with negative Trip Advisor reviews. Allegedly the guests had threatened to give them one star reviews if they did not comply with their demands. Some of the requests consisted of half price rooms and meals and compensation for false food poisoning. Trip Advisor has since responded by saying that hotels that have been victims of these threats should contact them. A program which was aired on Channel 4 Attack of Trip Advisors (2011) showed how negative comments affected the hospitality organisations. With some having claimed a loss of busin ess and tainted reputations. However Trip Advisor said both parties are given a chance to comment and address the reviews to the sites visitors and reviewers and have the last say. The most important issue the hoteliers failed to understand was how guests do not complain during their experience and then write bad reviews on Social Media sites such as Trip Advisor (Parkes, 2011). A further issue that was identified by Ragone (2012) is that some hoteliers believe Social Media is and should be used only in the technology or sale areas. Whereas, they are supposed to combine the two in order to maximise its potential. If used correctly and effectively Social Media can bring in many benefits for the organisation. An important benefit which organisations capitalise on is; it is free advertising (Thomas, 2009). Large chains such as Hilton Hotels, Marriot International, Four Seasons and Starwood Hotels have welcomed both Twitter and Facebook with each of them having over 100,000 likes on Facebook and over 50,000 followers on Twitter. A number of brands such as Sheraton have started to incorporate Facebook into their websites. So whenever a guest makes a post on either one it can be seen on the other (Kwok and Yu, 2012).Others such as Marriot have taken a slightly different approach, they invited a number of celebrities and journalists to their newly refurbished properties in 2010, to start a Twitter campaign and share their thoughts with their followers live on the property (Ehotelier, 2010 and Kwok and Yu, 2012). As far as Social Media is concerned it is essential for hospitality businesses to have s imilar initiatives such as those practiced by the two hotels mentioned above. On the other hand it is important for businesses to realise that even if they choose not to participate or use Social Media, customers can always comment and review the hotel or restaurant (Sparks and Browning, 2011). It has become common practice now for many hospitality businesses to feed information from other Social Media sites to their Facebook page (Thevenot, 2007). Accor have a link on their website which leads guest to trip advisor so that they can have a look at previous guests comments. This gives former guests and potential travellers the opportunities to share and like reviews and messages (Fraser, 2010 and Kwok and Yu, 2012). A study done by Nielsenwire (2012) showed that the public devotes 20% of their day to social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and linkedIn. Social Media is a mixture of fact and opinion, impression and sentiment, founded and unfounded titbits, experiences, and even rumor (Blackshaw and Nazzaro, 2006: 4).so it important for businesses that use Social Media to be able to deal with and clarify both the positive and negative feedback they may receive from guests. If the feedback is not dealt with this could lead to the organisation damaging their own reputation (Field, 2008). According to Verma et al. (2012) the hospitality industry is aware of the impact Social Media has on its potential guests. Research done by (Kwok and Yu 2012) has shown that many hospitality businesses are trying to find a balance between responding to their guests on Social Media and adhering to the International Ratings organisations. Hospitality businesses have adjusted and made changes to their business models in order to accommodate and make the most of Social Media. Mobile applications have also had an impact on the way consumers search and plan their holidays. Both of these factors have led to a change in the way businesses look and communicate with customers, as they are treated more like an active stakeholder (Sigala et al. 2012). Majority of the businesses that have welcomed Social Media, actually encourage their guests to use Trip Advisor, as they like to think of it as a marketing and promotion tool in which they can gain loyal consumers. Similarly some like to take advan tage of this opportunity as a way to gather feedback in order for them to improve their services (Verma et al. 2012). As a result they could they are able to overcome challenges and solve their problems more efficiently. The businesses that have had success when using Social Media are those that have been open and encouraged their guests to comment. Litvin and Hoffman (2012) suggest it is crucial for hospitality businesses to encourage guests to comment as it shows that they are honest and open. They go on to suggest ways for businesses to promote Social Media to their guests. The first is having a sign which reads If you have enjoyed your stay please let others know by sharing your thoughts on Trip Advisor similarly they propose printing it on the receipt when guests are checking out or when they are leaving the restaurant. Obviously there is no guarantee that it will encourage a customer to write a good review because whenever a customer is involved there is always an element of u ncertainty. However when loyal consumers are encouraged to comment they can counter negative comments, and will have a positive influence on the potential travellers (Litvin and Hoffman, 2012). They later pointed out the significance for management to get involved by responding to the negative reviews. With Social Media becoming more mobile this has enabled guests to be able to record videos and take pictures which they can Post on their Social Media sites (Wilson et al. 2012 and Verma et al. 2012). It has also been established that hospitality marketers need to realise creating customer value and satisfaction are at the heart of the hospitality and travel industry (Dev et al. 2010:460). In addition they believe for hospitality businesses to be a success they need to inform and make sure profit maximisation is part of the roles and responsibilities for the revenue manager. McKenna (2012) claims there are a number of procedures being introduced to stop false reviews and to name those involved and the organisations that have paid them or encouraged them. Yelp is a site similar to Trip Advisor but is used more in the USA; it has developed a tool to alerts people that a review is believed to be false. Trip Advisor is also thought to be considering introducing a similar system. To conclude Social Media has become the centre of hospitality businesses Internet marketing strategy, many hospitality businesses especially the well-known brands have perceived and realised its potential and are maximising it when marketing their business. Since its inception it has developed interest in both consumers and businesses. The issues and challenges brought by this application have made it essential for hospitality businesses to understand and embrace customer feedback. As discussed earlier consumers consider peer reviews more important in making purchasing decisions. The only way businesses can use it as a successful tool is by making sure they listen to their guests and respond quickly and efficiently. Social Media if used properly can generate some profit for any organisations. To put it more simply consumers want to be kept up to date about what is going on in the businesses; they are able to do that by using Social Media as its free and easily accessible. The issues that have been identified above such as perishability and lack of control; are not easy to manage for hospitality organisations all they can do is make sure quality and high standards are maintained. Verification is also an issue that will need to be dealt with by the Social Media websites; this is an on-going problem that could cost hospitality businesses large amounts of money and their reputation. No one has come up with any solutions addressing the issues of fake reviews, they can only take responsibility and if needs be investigate the claims that consumers have made, to ensure it does not happen again. It is also very important for organisations to respond, apologise and acknowledge when they are at fault and find ways to compensate the guest

Message of Hope in East of Eden, Cannery Row, and The Grapes of Wrath E

Message of Hope in East of Eden, Cannery Row, and The Grapes of Wrath      Ã‚   When I look at Caleb Trask, I see a man from the book East of Eden to admire.   Although he was a man with many faults and shortcomings, and a man with an unnatural sense of cruelty, he was also a man who had a deep longing to be perfect and pleasing to his family, a man who craved his father's attention, and a man with a better heart than any other character in the book.   When I look at Mack I see a man with more soul and more kindness than any other person on Cannery Row.   He isn't ashamed of his poverty or life as a bum, and he embraces who he is, for all of the good and bad.   He goes to exhaustive lengths to give his friend, Doc, a party.   He is compelled to do this because he sees what Doc does for the people of the community, and he wishes to give him something in return.   That kind of spirit and gentleness cannot be bought with any amount of money.   When I look at Ma, in the novel, The Grapes of Wrath; never have I read of such a strong person, mal e or female, who so single-handedly kept her family together. While reading the book I became disheartened at what this woman had to endure and persevere through: death, family desertion, starvation, and sickness.   I was also encouraged by her. Ma was a role model of integrity, or rather, she was a reminder of the ease in which I live from day to day-she was the epitome of courage and diligence.   John Steinbeck uses three seemingly different characters to convey the same message, one of hope and perseverance.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When I first read East of Eden, nothing about Cal Trask's personality or his mannerisms made him likable. He was introverted, cold, and hard.   I could not help but sense th... ...EINBECK(1902-1968).   San Jose State University.   17 Jan. 2001.   . Levant, Howard.   The Novels of John Steinbeck: a Critical Study.   Columbia: U of Missouri Press, 1974. Murray, Robert Davis, ed.   Steinbeck.   Englewood: Prentice-Hall, 1972. National Steinbeck Center.   Salinas, CA.   17 Jan. 2001.   . Steinbeck Country.   San Jose State University.   17 Jan. 2001.   . Trosow, Esther. John Steinbeck's Pacific Grove.   17 Jan. 2001.   . Trosow, Esther.   John Steinbeck's Biography.   17 Jan. 2001.  Ã‚  Ã‚   . Valjean, Nelson.   John Steinbeck: The Errant Knight.   San Francisco:   Chronicle Books, 1975.         

Cubism Essay -- Art History Cubism Arts Painting Essays

Cubism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before the twentieth century, art was recognized as an imitation of nature. Paintings and portraits were made to look as realistic and three-dimensional as possible, as if seen through a window. Artists were painting in the flamboyant fauvism style. French postimpressionist Paul Cà ©zannes flattened still lives, and African sculptures gained in popularity in Western Europe when artists went looking for a new way of showing their ideas and expressing their views. In 1907 Pablo Picasso created the painting Les Damsoilles d'Avignon, depicting five women whose bodies are constructed of geometric shapes and heads of African masks rather then faces. This new image grew to be known as 'cubism'. The name originating from the critic Louis Vauxcelles, who after reviewing French artist and fellow Cubist Georges Braque exhibition wrote of 'Bizzeries Cubiques', and that objects 'had been reduced to cubes (Arnheim, 1984). Cubism changed the way art was represented and viewed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Picasso, together with Braque, presented a new style of painting that showed the subject from several different angles simultaneously. The result was intended to show the object in a more complete and realistic view than traditional art, to convey a feeling of being able to move around within the painting. ?Cubism abandoned traditional notions of perception, foreshadowing and modeling and aimed to represent solidarity and volume in a three-dimensional plane without converting the two-dimensional canvas illusionalistically into a three-dimensional picture space? (Chivers, 1998). Picasso and Braque pioneered the movement and worked so closely together that they had difficulty telling their own work apart. They referred to each other as Orville and Wilbur, knowing that their contributions to art were every bit as revolutionary as the first flight (Hoving, 1999). Cubism was divided into two categories. Analytical Cubism, beginning in 1907, visually laid out what the artist thought was important about the subject rather then just mimicking it. Body parts and objects within the picture were broken down into geometric shapes that were barley recognizable as the original image. Braque wrote that ?senses deform and the spirit forms?. Analytical Cubism restricted the use of color to simple and dull hues so the emphasis would lie more on the structure. Cà ©zanne said, ?nature should be ... ...ople a different perspective with which to look at reality and evoked new emotions. Cubism set a new standard for what is accepted as a work of art. ?Art no longer had to be aesthetically right or nice to be a masterpiece?(Hoving, 1999). It also set the stage for other artists to test new styles that would have been considered too unorthodox before. Cubism truly embodied the phrase, ?art is in the eye of the beholder.? Bibliography Arnheim, Rudolf. Art and Visual Perception, a psychology of the creative eye.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Los Angelas: University of California Press, 1984. Arnheim, Rudolf. Visual Thinking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Los Angelas: University of California Press, 1984. Chilvers, Ian, Harold Osborne, Dennis Farr. The Oxford Dictionary of Art.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  New York: Oxford University Press, 1988. Hoving, Thomas. Art for Dummies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Foster City California: IDG Books Worldwide, 1999. Miki, Tamon. What is Cubism? The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  www.cubistic.com. November 29,1999. Robinson, Walter. Instant Art History, from cave art to pop art.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  New York: Bryon Press Visual Publications, 1995. Schaffner, Ingrid. The Essential Picasso.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  New York: Harry

Fast Food in Malaysia Essay

Restaurants have been around in some form for most of human civilization. But they usually catered to travelers. As far back as ancient Greece and Rome, inns and taverns generally served food to people who had a reason to be away from home. This trend continued until relatively recently. Although taverns and coffee houses were popular places to gather and share beverages in the 17th century, the idea of eating out for fun didn’t take off in Western society until the late 18th century. Although McDonald’s was the first restaurant to use the assembly-line system, some people think of White Castle as the first fast-food chain. White Castle was founded in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas. At the time, most people considered the burgers sold at fairs, circuses, lunch counters and carts to be low-quality. Many people thought hamburger came from slaughterhouse scraps and spoiled meat. White Castle’s founders decided to change the public’s perception of hamburgers. They built their restaurants so that customers could see the food being prepared. They painted the buildings white and even chose a name that suggested cleanliness. White Castle was most popular in the American East and Midwest, but its success helped give hamburger meat a better reputation nationwide. So, like cars, White Castle played an important part in the development of fast food. Image courtesy Brands of the World The McDonald brothers opened their redesigned restaurant in 1948, and several fast-food chains that exist today opened soon after. Burger King and Taco Bell got their start in the 1950s, and Wendy’s opened in 1969. Some chains, like Carl’s Jr. , KFC and Jack in the Box, existed before the Speedee Service System, but modified their cooking techniques after its debut. McDonald’s, which started it all, is now the world’s largest fast-food chain. According to the National Restaurant Association, American sales of fast food totaled $163. 5 billion in 2005 [ref]. The industry is growing globally as well. Total sales for McDonald’s grew 5. 6 percent in 2005, and the company now has 30,000 franchised stores in more than 120 countries [ref and ref]. However, McDonald’s – and fast food in general – does not always get a welcoming reception around the world. McDonald’s restaurants have been attacked in several countries, including the United States, China, Belgium, Holland, India, Russia, Sweden and the U. K. Protestors have accused McDonald’s and other chains of selling unhealthy food, marketing aggressively to children and undermining local values and culture.

The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 13

Do You Like Foreign Films? Cliff asks about Veronica's dinner party in a way that lets me know my mother has already discussed it with him – probably in an effort to get me to wear the collared shirts she bought me at the Gap, which Mom loves and I do not love. As soon as I sit down in the brown recliner, Cliff broaches the subject, pinching his chin the way he does every time he asks me a question my mother has already answered. Even though I now recognize Cliff's tell, I am excited to let him know he was right about wearing the shirt my brother had given me. Surprisingly, he does not want to talk about what clothes I wore; he wants to talk about Tiffany, and he keeps asking what I thought about her, how she made me feel, and if I enjoyed her company. At first I am polite and answer by saying that Tiffany was nice and well dressed and had a pretty good body, but Cliff keeps pushing for the truth like therapists do, because they all have some sort of psychic ability that allows them to see through your lies, and therefore they know you will eventually tire of the talking game and will offer up the truth. Finally I say, â€Å"Well, the thing is – and I don't like saying this – but Tiffany is kind of slutty.† â€Å"What do you mean?† Cliff asks me. â€Å"I mean she's sort of a whore.† Cliff sits forward a little. He looks surprised, and uncomfortable enough to make me feel uncomfortable. â€Å"On what do you base your observation? Did she dress provocatively?† â€Å"No. I told you already. She wore a nice dress. But as soon as we finished our dessert, she asked me to walk her home.† â€Å"What's wrong with that?† â€Å"Nothing. But at the end of the walk she asked me to have sexual intercourse with her, and not in those words.† Cliff removes his fingers from his chin, sits back, and says, â€Å"Oh.† â€Å"I know. It shocked me too, especially because she knows I'm married.† â€Å"So did you?† â€Å"Did I what?† â€Å"Have sexual intercourse with Tiffany?† At first Cliff's words don't register, but when they do, I become angry. â€Å"No!† â€Å"Why not?† I cannot believe Cliff has actually asked me such a question, especially since he is a happily married man himself, but I dignify the inquiry with an answer anyway. â€Å"Because I love my wife! That's why!† â€Å"That's what I thought,† he says, which makes me feel a little better. He is only testing my morals, which is perfectly understandable, because people outside of mental institutions need to have good morals so that the world will continue to work without any major interruptions – and happy endings will flourish. Then I say, â€Å"I don't even know why Tiffany would ask me to have sex with her anyway. I mean, I'm not even an attractive guy; she's pretty and could do a lot better than me for sure. So I'm thinking now that maybe she's a nymphomaniac. What do you think?† â€Å"I don't know whether she is a nymphomaniac or not,† he says. â€Å"But I do know that sometimes people say and do what they think others want them to. Maybe Tiffany really did not want to have sex with you, but only offered something she thought you would find valuable, so you would value her.† I think about his explanation for a second and then say, â€Å"So you're saying that Tiffany thought I wanted to have sex with her?† â€Å"Not necessarily.† He grabs his chin again. â€Å"Your mother told me you came home with makeup on your shirt. Do you mind if I ask how that happened?† Reluctantly, because I don't like to gossip, I tell him about Tiffany's wearing her wedding ring even after her husband died, and the hugging and the crying we did in front of her parents' house. Cliff nods and says, â€Å"It seems like Tiffany really needs a friend, and that she thought having sex with you would make you want to be her friend. But tell me again how you handled the situation.† So I tell him exactly what led us to the hug and how I let her get makeup on my Hank Baskett jersey and – â€Å"Where did you get a Hank Baskett jersey?† he asks me. â€Å"I told you. My brother gave it to me.† â€Å"That's what you wore to the dinner party?† â€Å"Yeah, just like you told me to.† He smiles and even chuckles, which surprises me. Then he adds, â€Å"What did your friends say?† â€Å"Ronnie said that Hank Baskett is the man.† â€Å"Hank Baskett is the man. I bet he catches at least seven touchdowns this season.† â€Å"Cliff, you're an Eagles fan?† He does the Eagles chant – â€Å"E!-A!-G!-L!-E!-S! EAGLES!† – which makes me laugh because he is my therapist and I did not know therapists could like NFL football. â€Å"Well, now that I know you too bleed green, we'll have to talk Birds off the clock,† Cliff says. â€Å"So you really let Tiffany cry her makeup onto your brand-new Hank Baskett jersey?† â€Å"Yeah, and it's one with stitched-on numbers, not the cheap iron-ons.† â€Å"Authentic Hank Baskett jersey!† he says. â€Å"That was certainly very kind of you, Pat. It sounds like Tiffany only really needed a hug, which you gave her because you are a nice guy.† I can't help smiling, because I really am trying hard to be a nice guy. â€Å"Yeah, I know, but now she's always following me all over town.† â€Å"What do you mean?† So I tell Cliff that since the dinner party, whenever I put on a trash bag and leave my house for a run, Tiffany is always waiting outside in her little running outfit and pink headband. â€Å"Very politely, I told her that I do not like running with other people and asked her to leave me alone, but she ignored my request and simply jogged five feet behind me for my entire run. The next day, she did the same thing, and she keeps on doing it. Somehow she's figured out my schedule, and she's always there when I leave my house an hour before sunset – ready to shadow me wherever I jog. I run fast, and she stays with me. I run on dangerous streets, and she follows. She never tires out either – and just keeps running down the street when I finally stop in front of my house. She doesn't even say hello or goodbye.† â€Å"Why don't you want her to follow you?† Cliff asks. So I ask him how his wife, Sonja, would feel if some hot woman shadowed him every time he went for a run. He smiles the way guys do when they are alone and talking about women in a sexual way, and then he says, â€Å"So you think Tiffany is hot?† This surprises me because I did not know therapists were allowed to talk like guys do when they are buddies, and I wonder if this means that Cliff thinks of me as his buddy now. â€Å"Sure, she's hot,† I say. â€Å"But I'm married.† He grabs his chin and says, â€Å"How long has it been since you've seen Nikki?† I tell him I don't know. â€Å"Maybe a couple of months,† I say. â€Å"Do you really believe that?† he asks, grabbing his chin again. When I say I do, I hear the yelling in my voice and even allow the f-word to slip out. Immediately I feel bad because Cliff was talking to me like a friend, and sane people should not yell and curse at their buddies. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I say when Cliff starts to look scared. â€Å"It's okay,† he says, and forces a smile. â€Å"I should believe that you really mean what you tell me.† He scratches his head for a second and then says, â€Å"My wife loves foreign films. Do you like foreign films?† â€Å"With subtitles?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"I hate those types of films.† â€Å"Me too,† Cliff says. â€Å"Mostly because – â€Å" â€Å"No happy endings.† â€Å"Exactly,† Cliff says, pointing a brown finger at my face. â€Å"So depressing most of the time.† I nod wholeheartedly in agreement, even though I haven't been to see any movies for a long time, and won't until Nikki returns, because I am now watching the movie of my life as I live it. â€Å"My wife used to beg me to take her to see these foreign films with subtitles all the time,† Cliff says. â€Å"It seemed like every day she would ask me if we might go to see a foreign film, until I broke down and started taking her. Every Wednesday night we'd go to the Ritz movie theater and see some depressing movie. And you know what?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"After a year we simply stopped going.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"She stopped asking.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"I don't know. But maybe if you take an interest in Tiffany, ask her to run with you and maybe to go out to dinner a few times – maybe after a few weeks, she will grow tired of the chase and leave you alone. Let her get what she wants, and maybe she will not want it anymore. Understand?† I do understand, but cannot help asking, â€Å"Do you think that will really work?† And Cliff shrugs in a way that makes me believe it will.

Discussion# 3 Nu461 Community Health Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion# 3 Nu461 Community Health - Assignment Example It is the purpose of this brief paper to discuss an â€Å"I† recommendation or an insufficient study. One such â€Å"I† recommendation concerns the use of fluoride supplementation for kids of preschool age of six months or older. What this means is that dentists have the option of making this recommendation based on their best judgment, which in turn is based on the best available option instead of using the best possible option (Duggan, Watkins & Walker, 2008, p. 468) or a case of making do with what you have. Primary clinicians will have to do individual assessments in each childs case rather than making generalized conclusions on the desirability of fluoride as most children at this stage in their lives still have temporary teeth and not permanent adult teeth. The task force was not able to determine the wisdom of recommending use of fluorides in preschool children by primary care clinicians although it gave a B grade to fluoride use in case where the primary water source of the family is deficient in fluoride. What this means is that the task force found fair evidence wherein the potential benefits outweigh any possible harm for use (USPSTK, 2004, p. 1) and what Dr. Moyer recommends in her video is that parents are informed of this fact by primary care givers and dentists for an informed decision (Moyer, 2008, p. 1). United States Preventive Services Task Force (2004, April). Prevention of dental caries in preschool children [Topic page]. Retrieved from

Are the media programming us to fear american life are they promoting Research Paper

Are the media programming us to fear american life are they promoting a world that is cold, heartless, violent, and dangerous - Research Paper Example The growth in the mass media resulted in the development of a strong entertainment industry, which thereafter began exporting mass media content. Additionally, the globalization and the subsequent rise of the concept of internationalization have expedited the need for the American media to increase the intensity at which it exports its media content (Jeffres and Richard 41). Some of these media contents include news, music, music videos, films and books among others. Consumers of mass media content react differently to the content depending on the information they communicate. A lot of mass media content circulating throughout the world thus affects people differently; this effect relies on the type of the media content that the numerous American media content export. Unfortunately, most of these include violence and extreme danger. This grooms fear of the country especially among its foreign audience most of whom have never been to the country. This forms fear within the audience, t herefore validating the claim that the American media is programming an international audience that is fearful of the country. However, this claim is contentious and therefore depends on the various viewpoints of every researcher. Media is elitist. This implies that only those with some basic education can access and understand the mass media contents. However, the traditional media which comprises of the radio, television and newspapers among others have gained significance reputation as being less segregated and are thus of relevance to any class in the society. The advent of the internet thus referred to as the new media presented major concerns for traditional media practitioners. The new media is arguably the fastest means of communicating with the masses; additionally the media overcomes the geographical barriers some of which hinders the operations of some of the traditional media. The invention of the social media further aggravated the role and effects of the mass media sin ce these made everyone a potential mass communicator without the institutions of gate keepers evident in the traditional media. The internet has therefore amassed all the advantages and disadvantages of each of the traditional media and created yet some new of these. The media performs a number of roles key among which is agenda setting. Under this, the media decides the issues that the public discuss. Several activities take place in the society; however, through the newsworthiness of every event, the media opts to favor some of the events thus giving them more prominence than they do others. Such events and their related issues thus become discussion topics in the public domain. More often than not, strangers meet at gas and train stations and begin discussing the national politics, the latest movie or a recent football match covered in the media. Additionally, the media forms public opinion. Public opinion refers to a thought shared among the public. Through the stories and other mass media content, people form opinions based on the level of the prominence that the media accords a story. Furthermore, through the professional analysis that some media house contract, the media thus form valid opinions in most of their aaudience All these coupled with the fact that most audiences always form a personal likeness to their favorite media personality, which makes them idolize them; the media thus becomes a strong tool of shaping the manner in which an audience views