Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Advertisement And Product Placement Advertisements Are...

Increasingly in the media today, commercials and product placement advertisements are becoming more inclusive. Honey Maid, a brand of graham cracker, is one of these companies. In March of 2014, a new commercial was released featuring a same-sex couple and their children. Throughout the media clip, the two men and their eldest son take turns discussing their life. The clip is about the importance of family, and concludes with the product logo and the phrase â€Å"this is wholesome.† This advertisement is one of many examples of how media is becoming progressively diverse; however, it also incorporates many elements one would expect to find in a traditional household. In analyzing the family represented in this clip, I will look at both challenges and confirmations of traditional family ideals. In doing so, I will critically examine the role fathers are typified with, as well as the role that race and class play not only in this commercial, but family ideals in general. Next, I will utilize both of the aforementioned aspects to demonstrate how this particular advertisement helps to sell and promote the product at hand. Finally, I will discuss what, if anything was surprising about this commercial. The most prominent challenge to family ideals in this commercial is the parental structure. Having a same-sex couple starring in this advertisement shatters the preconceived notion that a wholesome family has to consist of a mother and a father. Dorothy Smith’s (1993) article TheShow MoreRelatedHow Media Is Becoming More Inclusive : Honey Maid, A Brand Of Graham Cracker Essay1330 Words   |  6 Pagestoday, commercials and product placement advertisements are becoming more inclusive. Honey Maid, a brand of graham cracker, is one of these companies. In March of 2014, a new commercial was released featuring a same-sex couple and their children. Throughout the commercial, the two men and their eldest son take turns discussing their life. The clip is about the importance of family, and concludes with the product logo and the phrase â€Å"this is wholesome.† This advertisement is one of many examplesRead MoreBusiness Level And Corporate Level Strategies2071 Words   |  9 Pagesmain objectives and the mission of the operating period. A business should use the business-level strategy, as it applies organizational ideas on how to win customers in a very wide open market. This type of strategy includes ideas on products, future technology, placement of factories and etc. In regards to corporate-level strategies, the company makes moves to be competitive and remain sustainable while executing this type of strategy. From the corporate viewpoint, they are able to evaluate all businessesRead MoreWgu Supply Chain Analysis5244 Words   |  21 Pagesoperations. An analysis will also be offered of the application of work cells in the simulated manufacturing plant. Inventory management will also be analyzed. Finally, the author will discuss continuous-improvement plans that lead to high-quality products and services. Simulation Analysis Quarter 1 Analysis Simulation Actions: The author had two aims: 1) capture the majority of the most price-insensitive market and 2) focus on a small, high-margin segment. The author was never motivated by beingRead MoreMarketing Paper - MAC Cosmetics - Product Place Strategy10696 Words   |  43 PagesMKTG 200 Paper #2 – Product Survey Founded by Frank  Toskan  of Canada in 1984, Makeup Art Cosmetics company is one of the few companies which has used innovative PR and unconventional marketing to create a niche for itself without spending millions of pounds in advertising. The company began by giving away their cosmetics to makeup artists that worked with top models and actresses.  MAC  developed products that helped artists achieve the right look for stage lighting conditions. It isRead MoreImc Differences of Coca Cola5066 Words   |  21 Pagesand development of database marketing. New technologies such as personal video recorders (PVRs) are threatening the traditional advertising model for television and leading marketers to turn to nontraditional media such as event sponsorships, product placements, and various forms of â€Å"advertainment† such as short films shown on the Internet (Bianco 2004). As marketers work to find the right way to send the right message to the right person at the right t ime they are looking beyond advertising and theRead MoreImc Differences of Coca Cola5066 Words   |  21 Pagesand development of database marketing. New technologies such as personal video recorders (PVRs) are threatening the traditional advertising model for television and leading marketers to turn to nontraditional media such as event sponsorships, product placements, and various forms of â€Å"advertainment† such as short films shown on the Internet (Bianco 2004). 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We can therefore deduce the influencing is not just a matter of passing orders but more importantly, it is the setting up of examples with every action taken and word spoken while on duty or off duty. Importantly it has to be noted that way in which leadership qualities are communicated can set the prevalent positive or negative precedentsRead MoreWnz Media Case Study Essay2765 Words   |  12 PagesEmploying the MIS Integrative Framework (posted on blackboard for this Session Assignment), what is the primary business focus/driver of WNZ Media (i.e. operational excellence, customer intimacy, product/service innovation) and why did you make this choice? The primary business focus/driver of WNZ Media is product/service innovation. The business of print/online media is cutthroat, and companies die every day. In this intense environment, it is evolve or die, so WNZ needs to be constantly on the cuttingRead MoreMarketing Activities by Redbull9424 Words   |  38 Pagesit doesn’t exist. 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Monday, December 23, 2019

The No Child Left Behind Act - 990 Words

The purpose of this paper is to address the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) which was signed into law by President Barack Obama in December 10, 2015. The paper will also address the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) which was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2002. The paper will talk about some of the key components of ESSA in comparison with NCLB and identify some possible strengths and weaknesses in ESSA’s new approach. ESSA was signed into law on December 10, 2015 by President Barack Obama in replacement of the NCLB, which was signed into law in 2002 by President George W. Bush. ESSA reauthorize the previous law Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that was signed into law in 1965 by President Lyndon Baine†¦show more content†¦ESSA is an ideal law because of it’s flexibility on testing and it’s focus on every student’s access to education. The law will build on the hard work educators, communities, parents and student s across the country have put to have a high standard education. Everyone want to see their school improve and student’s performance improve as well. Moreover, everyone wants to see high school graduation rates to go up, and high dropout to go low. Everyone wants to see more students goes to college as well. With ESSA, all this is possible. NCLB was a one-size-fits-all despite its attempt to provide low-incomes student aid and to close achievement. Regardless of â€Å"race, income, zip code, disability, home language, and background,† N.D), NCLB was not working to meet every students and school achievement rates because of its excessive testing. This put a toll on both the schools and the students because if the school did not improve the performance of the students, the school is held accountable. Since NCLB is a categorical aid, it has a major impact on local school systems (Spring, 2012). This mean that the school that did poor on the test will not get the aid that they need properly. How is

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Play Review the Imaginary Invalid Free Essays

Upon entering the theater, my initial reactions were all positive as I took in the scene, my eyes shifting around the surroundings. The theater was a little smoky and mysterious looking; there were interesting props on the stage (like a candle chandelier, a chrome walker, and a contraption of various sized bottles containing florescent yellow and red liquid with tubes attached throughout) that I found stimulating to look at and wonder about. When the lights went down and the play began, I was excited to see what purpose was behind the smoky environment and the curious props. We will write a custom essay sample on Play Review: the Imaginary Invalid or any similar topic only for you Order Now Up to the end of the production, that excitement (accompanied by times of surprise and empathy) was sustained because of the comical nature of the play. The opening scene with the dark bodies and illuminated faces was a little confusing. I was not sure how having the actors lurking around the stage and audience, with creepy, tingly music and sounds being played in the meantime, related to the play. Besides this scene, though, the plot and structure of the play was made clear due to the comprehensibility of the dialogue and the ease at which the plot could be followed. Many of the scenes aroused the audience to some form of response, more often laughter than others, but surprise and empathy were prominent as well. In the first scene that Argan, a hypochondriac (the imaginary invalid), was introduced, there was a plethora of giggles and grins from the audience as he sorted through his doctor’s bills and spoke of enemas. In the scenes with Angelique, Argan’s daughter, empathy was felt for her while she struggled to be with her love, Cleante. Many of the scenes had shocking or surprising elements, but the most shocking of all was when Argan’s doctor came to visit him after hearing the news that Argan was not abiding to his prescriptions. The scene was outrageous; the doctor’s speech was very loud and exaggerated, as was his wardrobe, and there was an added element of absurdity with saliva spewing this way and that out of the doctor’s mouth as he shouted at Argan. Because the play was filled with scenes of this nature and because most of the play was a little outrageous, it was effective in arousing audience response and captivating my interest throughout the performance. In order to successfully express emotions and ideas, the actors used body movements, voice, and facial expressions wonderfully. A perfect example of one actor utilizing all three would be the character of Thomas Diafoirus. Just out of schooling to become a doctor, Thomas reflects a goofy, savage-like facial expression. He is presented to the audience like an animal also through his slouching and savage-like mannerisms, not to mention the fact that his father would crack a whip on him at any given hint of misbehavior. Thomas is not at all a man who Angelique wants to marry, and so this idea is taken to the next level by making his character obviously repulsing to the audience. As exaggerated as they may have been, and as ridiculous as some might have seemed, body movement, voice, and facial expressions were expertly put to use throughout the performance. The design of the set and the costumes worked great with all the other elements of the production. Many people were heard describing the costumes as sort of â€Å"Rocky Horror†, due to the white, highly made up faces and gothic style clothing. While this was not proper dress for the period in which the play was written, it did still work well with the play and was not seemingly out of place. The characters of Argan, Angelique, Louison, Beralde, and Cleante were not in this gothic style apparel, but instead were in period dress. This was an excellent way of showing the difference between characters. The stage was set strategically with Argan’s bed directly in the middle, a great way to show that the play circled around his â€Å"illness† and being in bed most of the time. The props I mentioned at the beginning (the candle chandelier, the chrome walker, and the contraption of bottles containing liquid and tubes) were dangling about the actors on rope. This was a clever way of decorating Argan’s room with symbols of his hypochondria. The costumes worn and the design of the set worked well together in setting an appropriate mood and style for the production. Overall, I really liked this play and thought that the production was done very well. I enjoyed most of all the comedic elements of the play, it was good to laugh and sit through something that was not in a serious tone. I especially thought it a treat to see the audience around me enjoying the performance as much as I was. How to cite Play Review: the Imaginary Invalid, Papers

Friday, December 6, 2019

Naming Sytem in the Sukuma Society free essay sample

The paper also will observe the relationship between the Sukuma and neighbouring societies like the Nyamwezi. At the end of this research the paper is expected to fill the gape in the peoples mind or knowledge about the naming system by encouraging them especially Sukuma to value their language and traditions by adopting the names belonging to their culture. 1. 2Background of the Language of Study Kisukuma Language is one among the languages of Bantu speaking people found in Tanzania. The language Kisukuma is derived from the word Sukuma which means north. The people speaking this language are known as Basukuma (plural), Msukuma (Singular) (people from north). The Sukuma or Basukuma belongs to the largest ethnic group in Tanzania and the ancestors of the Sukuma were part of the extensive migrations of people speaking early forms of Bantu speech in the first millennium AD. 1. 2. 1Geographical Location The societies of the people speaking Kisukuma are basically located between Lake Victoria and Lake Rukwa. The Basukuma or Sukuma region lies between 2` 10’ and 6`20` south and 3100` and 35`00` east. The Sukuma live in North West Tanzania on or near the Southern shore of Lake Victoria and Various areas administrative Regions of Tanzania like Manyara, Simiyu, Shinyanga, Geita and in other area of Serengeti that are found in northern side. The Sukuma land covers an area of about 19000 square miles and is to a great extend uniform in its topography, altitude, geographical structure and rainfall. (It is a flat scrub less savannah plain between 910 and 1200 meters which is about 3000 and 4000 ft elevation. Twenty to forty inches (51cm to 100cm)f rainfall from November to March. High temperature range from 26`c to 32`c (79`f to 90`f) while lows at night seldom drops below 15`c (59`f). 1. 2. 2The Relationship with the neighbouring The Sukuma have a close relationship with the Nyamwezi (Banyamwezi). The Sukuma and Nyamwezi are ethnic groups that live principally in the region to the south of Lake Victoria in West-central Tanzania. The Nyamwezi home area is in Tabora Region and west Shinyanga Region, and Sukuma land lies to the north and east, covering eastern Shinyanga Region and also Mwanza region. Basukuma also have a good relationship with Bakurya (kurya) people from Mara Region. 1. 2. 3Classification of the Language ( linguistic affiliation) Kisukuma and Kinyamwezi are sometimes considered as single Bantu Language with several mutual intelligible dialects. These features include a seven vowel system, use of tone, true negative tense, class prefixes to indicate size, and restriction of double prefixes to determine situation. ( There are seven vowel qualities which occur long and short; / ii/ / II/ / UU/ / uu//e ee/ / oo/ / aa/ ) . Iu/ Which are written i u may be closer to [ e o ] and /e o/ closer to [ ]. Kisukuma language has gone through Dahl’s law (Idatu â€Å"three† from proto-Bantu – tatu) and has voiceless nasal consonants. Also there are four tones on short vowels namely high, low, rising and falling. 1. 2. 4Dialects of the Language The Kisukuma Language has dialects namely Kimunasukuma, KimunaNtuzu/Ginantuzu, Jinakiiya/ Jimunakiiya 1. 2. 5Number of Speakers of the Language The Kisukuma is the language of Basukuma who are living in Mwanza, Shinyanga, Geita, Tabora, and Zanzibar and in other Regions in Tanzania. The total numbers of the people who are speaking Kisukuma is unknown due to the fact that Tanzania censers are not based on ethnicities. But according to the information found from the Wikipedia the free encycropedia by October 2006/2007 the Sukuma speaking people numbers were almost 5. 5million. but up to date the exact number of the speakers of this language is unknown due to changes as some of the speakers are dying and others are been born everyday. 1. 2. 6Status of the Language Kisukuma is among the Best Bantu languages in Tanzania as the number of its speaker or the population of the Kisukuma speaking people increase and cover a large area. Kisukuma is spoken by many people all around Tanzania like in Mwanza, Mara, Geita, Shinyanga, Tabora, Zanzibar and in other region there are many Kisukuma speakers as well as outside the borders of Tanzania like Zambia and Congo as a result of movement stemmed from political factors, such as colonial cattle-culling policies, and from local overcrowding and deteriorating soil conditions. . 3Background of the study The system of naming people and other things is of great importance and every society in this world has its way of naming things and people based on consideration of different factors. John P. et al (2006) argues that â€Å"Naming depends on the particular culture from which they are framed, among many African cultures a name tells a lot about the individual that it signifies the language from which it drawn a nd the society that ascribes it. A name may indicate the linguistic structure and phonological process found in the language, the position of the name’s bearer in society, and the collective history and life experiences of the people surrounding the individual. † Names are obtained or given to children and other things brought different names based on culture of the societies, politics, religion, environment and so many other factors. Joseph B. (2010) explains that â€Å"For ancient African, human names were something living and carried from God the power of continuing existence †¦.. a concept that found its way into the Bible ( Isa. 6:22,30, and 27)†. The study also conducted by Mitchell about the naming system, Mitchell D. et all (2003) Discovered that â€Å"By investigating the etymology and significance of our names, we realize that naming-giving practice vary from one culture to another. In his study Mitchell asked student to explore naming, they were fascinated to her how different ra cial and ethic groups had different naming traditions† Mitchell observed that many of the Latino students had been named after some one special usually a relative who had a close relationship with the family. Many of the African American students found that their Parents had created a name especially for them. The Caucasian students were often named just because their parents liked the name. In some families a close friend had been allowed to choose their names as a sign of their importance to the family. † Hence the study needs a great understanding of different traditions and culture of the Sukuma society. 1. 3. 1Statement of the Problem Many researches conducted based on investigation and examination of the Linguistic remnants of African naming system or practice in different African Societies but many researches conducted concerning the Sukuma society based on investigation of Sukuma Morphology and Syntax of the Sukuma language, but the problem existing is that, there is no satisfying investigation on the Naming system in the Sukuma society based on Semantic aspect of the names found in the Sukuma society. Therefore to fill this gape, in this study (paper), I will conduct a research on the Naming system in the Sukuma Society basing on Semantic Analysis of the names found in the Sukuma society( language) by investigating how the names are given and their meaning and factors that are considered when giving names to the Sukuma society. 1. 3. 2Objectives of the Study The main objective of the study is to enhance to people the understanding of the naming system in the Sukuma society. The targeted objective of the study is to inform the name users about the naming system of the Sukuma society so as to enable them making a good choice of names as well as enabling them engaging in the exercise with better knowledge). The Specific objective objectives will be: -To investigate the naming system in the Sukuma society by looking on the names definite meanings and their deep social meanings. To fill the gape in people’s knowledge about the naming system so as to serve people who have a desir e to adopt African names (especially the Sukuma names) for self identity as Africans instead of copying or using names from Western countries. 1. 3. 3Significances of the Study The study is of significant as it will help people (especially the Sukuma) to be aware and to get an understanding of many aspects of their own names and it will help them to gain an insight on their own personal history and understanding how naming is a part of large cultural traditions by comparing heir own example to those of other societies of Africa and those from western countries. The study also will help in motivating Africans to value their traditional names (ethnical names), culture and their Languages. 1. 3. 4Research Questions The research Questions will be -What factors are considered when the process of naming children or other things is conducted? Is there any relationship between the selected or given name to an individual or to something else? What is the relationship between the given name and an individual? ) -Is there any an advantage or disadvantage of the name given to an individual to his or her life? (Is there any impact of the name given to an individual? ) 1. 3. 5The Scope of the Study The study will be carried out in Arusha City Council where by people belonging to the Sukuma Society are expected respondents to the research processes. Also Mobile calls will be used to call to different people especially elderly belonging to the Sukuma society from different regions in Tanzania such as Mwanza, Shinyanga, Tabora, Geita, and Zanzibar. In addition to that a research will be conducted through the use of Face book( for example through the Sukuma and Nyamwezi group), Badoo, Twitter and Tagged where by people belonging to Sukuma society will be asked the same research questions through these mentioned means of communications. 1. 4Limitation of the Study During the research process difficulties are expected to happen when the process of implementation will be taking place. Some of these difficulties will be: -Time factors, The process of collecting data from the respondents need time as some of them are far from Arusha and they have their own daily time table, hence there is a need of time arrangement between the researcher and the respondents so as to avoid interruption of the respondent’s timetable in order to get satisfying answers to the research questions. The research process will need transport, communication between the researcher and respondents through mobile calls, internet services and Stationary services, thus Money is needed so as to make the research process successful. SECTION TWO 2. Literature Review This section is going to present a review of various related literature work conducted or covered in previous studies about the Naming system in different societies. Through literature review a better understandin g about the naming system will be gained on how the process is conducted in different culture, the name given, their meaning to the life of the person. A study of the Bible in the book of Old testament and New testament show that the process of naming people existed since long-time ago as it happened even to the people who were selected by god to serve him and these names given to these people have their meaning to their life. ( Exodus 2:10 )show that Moses was given his name because his mother drew him out of river and this name literary means ‘to draw out†. Some names have aspects of person’s birth as happened to Moses, Jacob, and Samuel as the books of (Genesis 25:6 and 1samuel 1:20) are concerned. Also some of the names expressed the parents’ reaction to the birth of their children. For instance in the book of Genesis 21:6 shows the reaction of Parents to Isaac. The name Isaac means â€Å"Laugher† and the name Abimelech means â€Å" my father is king’ as seen in the book of Judges 8:31). Through deep study of the bible, there is no doubt that, names also were often used to express the nature and function of a person or to explain why a person was born, for example the book of (Mathew 1:20-21) explain itself about Jesus, the name Jesus literary means â€Å"the lord saves† hence the purpose of Jesus in the world is to save people from their sins. Therefore through studying the bible, the knowledge about the naming system is obtained and it will help in conducting a research about the naming system of in Sukuma society based on the semantic aspect of their language, culture and traditions by putting into considerations those important things in the naming system. SECTION THREE 3. Research methodology 3. 1 Research Approach A Qualitative research approach will be used during the research process so as to give freedom to respondents aimed at allowing them giving out their thoughts, feelings, and attitudes. Also it is because the process will involve the smaller number of participants due to the methods that will be used in data collection procedures like Questionnaire, in-depth interviews which are time and labour intensive but also because a large number of people are not needed for the purpose of statistical analysis or to make generalization from the given in formations. . 2The Area of the Study (Targeted Population ) The targeted population of the study that will be involved in the process will be fifty peoples belonging to the Sukuma society from Different areas in Tanzania especially from Mwanza, Shinyanga, Geita, Tabora, Zanzibar and Arusha as the place where the study will be carried out. But the most targeted population is of Elderly people as they know much about traditions. 3. 3Sampling techni ques The stratified systematic sampling technique will be used as the population of fifty respondents will be divided into known groups, and each group will be sampled using a systematic approach as well as the number that will be sampled in each group will be in proportion to its known size from the population. 3. 4Methods of Data Collection The data will be collected through the use of Questionnaire where by Questionnaires will be designed to be as simple and clear as possible, with targeted section and questions. The questions will be short and possible. Respondents will respond to fill out the form themselves. Also as far as mobile calls, face book, tweeter, Tagged and other means of communications will be used, hence there answers to the questions that will be given by the respondents who are using these means of communication will be considered during the sampling process and during data analysis, presentation, and interpretation procedures 3. 5Data analysis, Presentation and Interpretation Procedures Data collected will be analysed, presented and Interpreted based on the answers that will be given by respondents in the Questionnaires for completeness and consistency. For instance the use of frequency distribution table as well as descriptive statistics such as mean, mode, and media will be used to present data. 3. 6Expected outcomes At the end of the research people will be aware of their naming system by understanding and knowing the factors or criteria that are considered during the process or practice of giving names. Also people who have a desire to adopt Sukuma names and other Afri can names from different cultures will be encouraged to involve in the process with a good mind about the origin or ways of giving names in Sukuma society. 3. Budget $ Equipments/ Stationary services 30,000/= Transport 15,000/= Internet Services 10,000/= Participants/Respondents Support 20,000/= Emergency 25,000/= Total 100,000/= 3. 8Time schedule The research will take three weeks 4. References John, P. et al (2006) Selected proceedings of 35th Annual conference on African Linguistics: African Languages and Linguistic in Broad perspectives. Cascadilla proceedings project Summerville, MA. Cascadilla Press, USA. Bailey, J. 2010) Word Stories surrounding African American Slavery (www, jablifeskills. com) African naming Practice Wed. 22 Sept. 2010. Diana M. (1998) Tapping into Family Stories and Themes to Heighten End- of Year Engagement. English Journal 87. 4 (April 1998)65-69. Burell, B. et al (2003) â€Å"Exploring Heritage: Finding Window into our lives† Voice from the middle 10. 4(may 2003):33-36) Nelson, T (1985) The new Testament of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ (Property of the Gideon’s International), Nashville, Tennessee Publishers, USA. Bible societies of Kenya and Tanzania (1997) The Holy Bible in Kiswahili (Maandiko Matakatifu), Bible Society of Tanzania and Kenya publishers, Dodoma and Nairobi.

Naming Sytem in the Sukuma Society free essay sample

The paper also will observe the relationship between the Sukuma and neighbouring societies like the Nyamwezi. At the end of this research the paper is expected to fill the gape in the peoples mind or knowledge about the naming system by encouraging them especially Sukuma to value their language and traditions by adopting the names belonging to their culture. 1. 2Background of the Language of Study Kisukuma Language is one among the languages of Bantu speaking people found in Tanzania. The language Kisukuma is derived from the word Sukuma which means north. The people speaking this language are known as Basukuma (plural), Msukuma (Singular) (people from north). The Sukuma or Basukuma belongs to the largest ethnic group in Tanzania and the ancestors of the Sukuma were part of the extensive migrations of people speaking early forms of Bantu speech in the first millennium AD. 1. 2. 1Geographical Location The societies of the people speaking Kisukuma are basically located between Lake Victoria and Lake Rukwa. The Basukuma or Sukuma region lies between 2` 10’ and 6`20` south and 3100` and 35`00` east. The Sukuma live in North West Tanzania on or near the Southern shore of Lake Victoria and Various areas administrative Regions of Tanzania like Manyara, Simiyu, Shinyanga, Geita and in other area of Serengeti that are found in northern side. The Sukuma land covers an area of about 19000 square miles and is to a great extend uniform in its topography, altitude, geographical structure and rainfall. (It is a flat scrub less savannah plain between 910 and 1200 meters which is about 3000 and 4000 ft elevation. Twenty to forty inches (51cm to 100cm)f rainfall from November to March. High temperature range from 26`c to 32`c (79`f to 90`f) while lows at night seldom drops below 15`c (59`f). 1. 2. 2The Relationship with the neighbouring The Sukuma have a close relationship with the Nyamwezi (Banyamwezi). The Sukuma and Nyamwezi are ethnic groups that live principally in the region to the south of Lake Victoria in West-central Tanzania. The Nyamwezi home area is in Tabora Region and west Shinyanga Region, and Sukuma land lies to the north and east, covering eastern Shinyanga Region and also Mwanza region. Basukuma also have a good relationship with Bakurya (kurya) people from Mara Region. 1. 2. 3Classification of the Language ( linguistic affiliation) Kisukuma and Kinyamwezi are sometimes considered as single Bantu Language with several mutual intelligible dialects. These features include a seven vowel system, use of tone, true negative tense, class prefixes to indicate size, and restriction of double prefixes to determine situation. ( There are seven vowel qualities which occur long and short; / ii/ / II/ / UU/ / uu//e ee/ / oo/ / aa/ ) . Iu/ Which are written i u may be closer to [ e o ] and /e o/ closer to [ ]. Kisukuma language has gone through Dahl’s law (Idatu â€Å"three† from proto-Bantu – tatu) and has voiceless nasal consonants. Also there are four tones on short vowels namely high, low, rising and falling. 1. 2. 4Dialects of the Language The Kisukuma Language has dialects namely Kimunasukuma, KimunaNtuzu/Ginantuzu, Jinakiiya/ Jimunakiiya 1. 2. 5Number of Speakers of the Language The Kisukuma is the language of Basukuma who are living in Mwanza, Shinyanga, Geita, Tabora, and Zanzibar and in other Regions in Tanzania. The total numbers of the people who are speaking Kisukuma is unknown due to the fact that Tanzania censers are not based on ethnicities. But according to the information found from the Wikipedia the free encycropedia by October 2006/2007 the Sukuma speaking people numbers were almost 5. 5million. but up to date the exact number of the speakers of this language is unknown due to changes as some of the speakers are dying and others are been born everyday. 1. 2. 6Status of the Language Kisukuma is among the Best Bantu languages in Tanzania as the number of its speaker or the population of the Kisukuma speaking people increase and cover a large area. Kisukuma is spoken by many people all around Tanzania like in Mwanza, Mara, Geita, Shinyanga, Tabora, Zanzibar and in other region there are many Kisukuma speakers as well as outside the borders of Tanzania like Zambia and Congo as a result of movement stemmed from political factors, such as colonial cattle-culling policies, and from local overcrowding and deteriorating soil conditions. . 3Background of the study The system of naming people and other things is of great importance and every society in this world has its way of naming things and people based on consideration of different factors. John P. et al (2006) argues that â€Å"Naming depends on the particular culture from which they are framed, among many African cultures a name tells a lot about the individual that it signifies the language from which it drawn a nd the society that ascribes it. A name may indicate the linguistic structure and phonological process found in the language, the position of the name’s bearer in society, and the collective history and life experiences of the people surrounding the individual. † Names are obtained or given to children and other things brought different names based on culture of the societies, politics, religion, environment and so many other factors. Joseph B. (2010) explains that â€Å"For ancient African, human names were something living and carried from God the power of continuing existence †¦.. a concept that found its way into the Bible ( Isa. 6:22,30, and 27)†. The study also conducted by Mitchell about the naming system, Mitchell D. et all (2003) Discovered that â€Å"By investigating the etymology and significance of our names, we realize that naming-giving practice vary from one culture to another. In his study Mitchell asked student to explore naming, they were fascinated to her how different ra cial and ethic groups had different naming traditions† Mitchell observed that many of the Latino students had been named after some one special usually a relative who had a close relationship with the family. Many of the African American students found that their Parents had created a name especially for them. The Caucasian students were often named just because their parents liked the name. In some families a close friend had been allowed to choose their names as a sign of their importance to the family. † Hence the study needs a great understanding of different traditions and culture of the Sukuma society. 1. 3. 1Statement of the Problem Many researches conducted based on investigation and examination of the Linguistic remnants of African naming system or practice in different African Societies but many researches conducted concerning the Sukuma society based on investigation of Sukuma Morphology and Syntax of the Sukuma language, but the problem existing is that, there is no satisfying investigation on the Naming system in the Sukuma society based on Semantic aspect of the names found in the Sukuma society. Therefore to fill this gape, in this study (paper), I will conduct a research on the Naming system in the Sukuma Society basing on Semantic Analysis of the names found in the Sukuma society( language) by investigating how the names are given and their meaning and factors that are considered when giving names to the Sukuma society. 1. 3. 2Objectives of the Study The main objective of the study is to enhance to people the understanding of the naming system in the Sukuma society. The targeted objective of the study is to inform the name users about the naming system of the Sukuma society so as to enable them making a good choice of names as well as enabling them engaging in the exercise with better knowledge). The Specific objective objectives will be: -To investigate the naming system in the Sukuma society by looking on the names definite meanings and their deep social meanings. To fill the gape in people’s knowledge about the naming system so as to serve people who have a desir e to adopt African names (especially the Sukuma names) for self identity as Africans instead of copying or using names from Western countries. 1. 3. 3Significances of the Study The study is of significant as it will help people (especially the Sukuma) to be aware and to get an understanding of many aspects of their own names and it will help them to gain an insight on their own personal history and understanding how naming is a part of large cultural traditions by comparing heir own example to those of other societies of Africa and those from western countries. The study also will help in motivating Africans to value their traditional names (ethnical names), culture and their Languages. 1. 3. 4Research Questions The research Questions will be -What factors are considered when the process of naming children or other things is conducted? Is there any relationship between the selected or given name to an individual or to something else? What is the relationship between the given name and an individual? ) -Is there any an advantage or disadvantage of the name given to an individual to his or her life? (Is there any impact of the name given to an individual? ) 1. 3. 5The Scope of the Study The study will be carried out in Arusha City Council where by people belonging to the Sukuma Society are expected respondents to the research processes. Also Mobile calls will be used to call to different people especially elderly belonging to the Sukuma society from different regions in Tanzania such as Mwanza, Shinyanga, Tabora, Geita, and Zanzibar. In addition to that a research will be conducted through the use of Face book( for example through the Sukuma and Nyamwezi group), Badoo, Twitter and Tagged where by people belonging to Sukuma society will be asked the same research questions through these mentioned means of communications. 1. 4Limitation of the Study During the research process difficulties are expected to happen when the process of implementation will be taking place. Some of these difficulties will be: -Time factors, The process of collecting data from the respondents need time as some of them are far from Arusha and they have their own daily time table, hence there is a need of time arrangement between the researcher and the respondents so as to avoid interruption of the respondent’s timetable in order to get satisfying answers to the research questions. The research process will need transport, communication between the researcher and respondents through mobile calls, internet services and Stationary services, thus Money is needed so as to make the research process successful. SECTION TWO 2. Literature Review This section is going to present a review of various related literature work conducted or covered in previous studies about the Naming system in different societies. Through literature review a better understandin g about the naming system will be gained on how the process is conducted in different culture, the name given, their meaning to the life of the person. A study of the Bible in the book of Old testament and New testament show that the process of naming people existed since long-time ago as it happened even to the people who were selected by god to serve him and these names given to these people have their meaning to their life. ( Exodus 2:10 )show that Moses was given his name because his mother drew him out of river and this name literary means ‘to draw out†. Some names have aspects of person’s birth as happened to Moses, Jacob, and Samuel as the books of (Genesis 25:6 and 1samuel 1:20) are concerned. Also some of the names expressed the parents’ reaction to the birth of their children. For instance in the book of Genesis 21:6 shows the reaction of Parents to Isaac. The name Isaac means â€Å"Laugher† and the name Abimelech means â€Å" my father is king’ as seen in the book of Judges 8:31). Through deep study of the bible, there is no doubt that, names also were often used to express the nature and function of a person or to explain why a person was born, for example the book of (Mathew 1:20-21) explain itself about Jesus, the name Jesus literary means â€Å"the lord saves† hence the purpose of Jesus in the world is to save people from their sins. Therefore through studying the bible, the knowledge about the naming system is obtained and it will help in conducting a research about the naming system of in Sukuma society based on the semantic aspect of their language, culture and traditions by putting into considerations those important things in the naming system. SECTION THREE 3. Research methodology 3. 1 Research Approach A Qualitative research approach will be used during the research process so as to give freedom to respondents aimed at allowing them giving out their thoughts, feelings, and attitudes. Also it is because the process will involve the smaller number of participants due to the methods that will be used in data collection procedures like Questionnaire, in-depth interviews which are time and labour intensive but also because a large number of people are not needed for the purpose of statistical analysis or to make generalization from the given in formations. . 2The Area of the Study (Targeted Population ) The targeted population of the study that will be involved in the process will be fifty peoples belonging to the Sukuma society from Different areas in Tanzania especially from Mwanza, Shinyanga, Geita, Tabora, Zanzibar and Arusha as the place where the study will be carried out. But the most targeted population is of Elderly people as they know much about traditions. 3. 3Sampling techni ques The stratified systematic sampling technique will be used as the population of fifty respondents will be divided into known groups, and each group will be sampled using a systematic approach as well as the number that will be sampled in each group will be in proportion to its known size from the population. 3. 4Methods of Data Collection The data will be collected through the use of Questionnaire where by Questionnaires will be designed to be as simple and clear as possible, with targeted section and questions. The questions will be short and possible. Respondents will respond to fill out the form themselves. Also as far as mobile calls, face book, tweeter, Tagged and other means of communications will be used, hence there answers to the questions that will be given by the respondents who are using these means of communication will be considered during the sampling process and during data analysis, presentation, and interpretation procedures 3. 5Data analysis, Presentation and Interpretation Procedures Data collected will be analysed, presented and Interpreted based on the answers that will be given by respondents in the Questionnaires for completeness and consistency. For instance the use of frequency distribution table as well as descriptive statistics such as mean, mode, and media will be used to present data. 3. 6Expected outcomes At the end of the research people will be aware of their naming system by understanding and knowing the factors or criteria that are considered during the process or practice of giving names. Also people who have a desire to adopt Sukuma names and other Afri can names from different cultures will be encouraged to involve in the process with a good mind about the origin or ways of giving names in Sukuma society. 3. Budget $ Equipments/ Stationary services 30,000/= Transport 15,000/= Internet Services 10,000/= Participants/Respondents Support 20,000/= Emergency 25,000/= Total 100,000/= 3. 8Time schedule The research will take three weeks 4. References John, P. et al (2006) Selected proceedings of 35th Annual conference on African Linguistics: African Languages and Linguistic in Broad perspectives. Cascadilla proceedings project Summerville, MA. Cascadilla Press, USA. Bailey, J. 2010) Word Stories surrounding African American Slavery (www, jablifeskills. com) African naming Practice Wed. 22 Sept. 2010. Diana M. (1998) Tapping into Family Stories and Themes to Heighten End- of Year Engagement. English Journal 87. 4 (April 1998)65-69. Burell, B. et al (2003) â€Å"Exploring Heritage: Finding Window into our lives† Voice from the middle 10. 4(may 2003):33-36) Nelson, T (1985) The new Testament of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ (Property of the Gideon’s International), Nashville, Tennessee Publishers, USA. Bible societies of Kenya and Tanzania (1997) The Holy Bible in Kiswahili (Maandiko Matakatifu), Bible Society of Tanzania and Kenya publishers, Dodoma and Nairobi.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Q What Measures Are The Government Bringing In To Boost E-commerce E

Q: What measures are the government bringing in to boost e-commerce? A: E-commerce is absolutely essential to the growth of our economy and that is very strongly recognised by the government and very strongly recognised by both the Treasury and by the Department of Trade and Industry. The DTI published a competitiveness White Paper which was full of measures as far as e-commerce was concerned. We do take the point that e-commerce is going to change the way we do business which is why the chancellor devoted quite a considerable part of his Budget to information technology. Government can also help by giving advice to business - and some of the key things that we need to do are to encourage businesses to file their tax returns electronically and the chancellor outlined an incentive for them to do that. But more than that what we also want to avoid is a society which is divided between the information haves and the information have nots. Which is why the chancellor also announced yesterday initiatives to encourage companies to loan computers to their employees and measures to encourage teachers to have computers at home. So all in all there's a really robust package of measures there. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: It is said that car tax for 1100cc cars is to be reduced, however many cars in this bracket are just above this level, i.e. 1108. Will you be taking this into account when enacting the Budget proposals? Brian Wilkinson A: What the chancellor was trying to do there was put together a comprehensive package of proposals on cars. Clearly the limit has got to be set somewhere but what's interesting about that is that the chancellor's moves have been warmly welcomed by the public transport bodies and the environmental lobby. Clearly the ?100 reduction in vehicle excise duty for the small car is being regarded as a tremendous step forward and has been welcomed as such. What the chancellor was trying to do was give a well-rounded package as far as the environment was concerned. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: What benefit to the country is there in raising stamp duty? Home owners are obviously an easy target for you, but I would like to know if you have any justification for it? Preventing people from moving is a restriction of labour mobility and is frankly a real demotivator. It is beginning to feel like it's not worth working hard in this country if we are going to get penalised for trying to improve our standard of living. I was hoping to move at the end of April. I may pull out of the deal now. I simply can't afford to pay the government the extra money. Andrew Whiteman A: As far as stamp duty is concerned, 96% of properties in this country will be unaffected and, of course, this government has really delivered to home owners by having low rates of interest on mortgages and, of course, that is the key thing as far as home owners are concerned. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: What is the government doing to help pensioners? A: Basically, there is a package for pensioners which helps them. First there is the five-fold increase in the winter allowance to ?100 for every pensioner household and of the course the minimum incomes guarantee and that is going to be upgraded by earnings so that will make a real difference from April 2000. There is also the minimum tax guarantee for pensioners so that really is going to take numbers of people out of paying tax. So taken altogether with all the measures we are bringing in, there is a great deal for pensioners in this Budget. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Hello there, I am a disabled person and was watching this afternoon's Budget with close interest. There were no mentions of any benefit adjustments to help the disabled and I wondered if details had been left in the small print? Stephen Ralph A: Everybody is going to benefit from this Budget. Clearly from the measures we have made in cutting the basic rate income tax, but also having the new 10p starting rate is going to help people, particularly those who work on low incomes. Working families tax credit and the measures

Monday, November 25, 2019

Semester Exam System Erd Essay Example

Semester Exam System Erd Essay Example Semester Exam System Erd Essay Semester Exam System Erd Essay Semester Examination System DBMS Lab Assignment Group III Srimanta Singh (004) Samik Saha (015) Prasenjit Gayen (016) 3rd yr. 1st sem. , Department of Computer Sc. Engg. Jadavpur University ASSUMPTIONS Data requirements: ? The major characteristics of the semester examination system are†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. The university has many departments which are identified basically by the department_id. Also the departments have a particular location (campus). ? Each department has teachers. Each teacher is assigned to teach a particular subject. He also has to make question paper and evaluate the answer script. WE have assumed that a teacher can take classes in different department but he will belong to a particular department. ? A particular department may offer few courses. One or more subjects may be same for different courses as well as departments. Same subject (name) in two courses or department is separately identified by the corresponding subject_id. ? Subject_id for a course of a department is unique. ? A student must register to appear in the exam. A registered student is considered as exam candidate. ? Exam can be of two types –regular and supplementary. In case of supplementary a candidate may not have to appear in all the subjects assigned to a particular semester. ? The exam controller section is the administrator of this whole examination system. ENTITY SETS USED IN E-R DIAGRAM For constructing a conceptual schema of this data base, the entity sets and the associated attributes are given below (as our specification of the E-R diagram)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. ENTITY SETS 1. Student 2. Department 3. Teacher 4. Subject 5. Exam ASSOCIATED ATTRIBUTES Name, Roll No, Reg. No, Contact No Department_id, Name, Location Teacher_id, Name, Contact No, Status Name, Subject_id ,Course, Dept Exam_id, Roll No, Sub_id, Exam roll no. 6. Exam Candidate Semester, Year, Exam_id, Sub_id 7. Result 8. Routine Roll no, Exam_id, Sub_id, Grade, Date_of_publish Date, Time, Room No, Exam_id ? Student: Student enrolls in a course in a particular department, each student has a roll no by which they are identified uniquely, and each student also has a registration number. Each student has to enroll to appear in the examination as a candidate. A student also have also have contact number and address. ? Department: University has so many departments. Each department has a unique department_id, name. The departments have their respective location and contact number. ? Teacher Each department has many teachers. Each teacher has their corresponding teacher_id, contact no. , name and status. Each teacher is uniquely identified by the attribute teacher_id. Contact no. of the teachers may have multiple values. ? Subject: Each department offers many courses and each course consists of subjects. Here each subject have subject name, subject_id. The subjects are uniquely identified by their corresponding subject_id. Same subject can be taught in several departments but in that case the subject_id will be different. ? Exam : The whole semester examination system is organized in few exams. These exams are identified by the exam_id, semester and year in which the exam is taken. Exam may be of two types – regular and supplementary. Exam_id is the primary key of this entity. All attributes are atomic. ? Exam Candidate : Each student has to register his name for the examination. After registration for the exam he achieves the candidature for that particular exam. A candidate is uniquely identified by his exam roll no. It contains candidate name, roll no. , sub_id and exam_id. ? Result : Each exam must have their corresponding results. Result is also associated with the students. Thus the result of a student of a particular semester is identified using roll no, subject_id, exam_id. It also contains grade and date of publication of the result as attributes ? Routine : Each exam has a corresponding routine which consists of date, time, room no. and exam_id. RELATIONSHIP SETS FOR DATA BASE In our E-R diagram specified relationship sets and mapping cardinalities are described below: ? Has This is the 1-to-many binary relationship set between department and student entity sets. And the participation of the weak entity set. We also have a one-to-one binary has relationship between the exam and the exam results. ? Belongs to This is the 1-to-many binary relation ship set between DEPARTMENT and TEACHER sets. Because- for a particular department there are many teacher but for a teacher only 1 department is fixed. And the participation of the teacher entity sets in this relation ship sets is partial. ? Teaches This is the many-to-many binary relationship sets between teacher and subjects. Enrolls This is the one-to-one binary relationship sets between Student and Exam Candidate. Component attributes are: date, month, and year. ? Sits for This is a many-to-many binary relationship sets between the Exam Candidate and the Examination. ? Scheduled This is the relationship that holds between the examination and the exam routine. ? Holds This is a many-to-many binary relationship set between the department and the examination. ? ISA This is a relationship set that holds between the exam and the two category of exam-regular and supplementary. Of This relation holds between the exam and subjects as well as the subject and results. ? Gets This is the relationship sets between Exam Candidate and the Results. name dept. no. name belongs to department contact no. teacher teacher-id has of sub-id name roll no. student regd. no. contact no. dept. no. (fk) assigne d to teaches sem year exam-id exam sub-id (fk) ISA of subject name enrolls scheduled routine time room no date exam-id (fk) Sub-id regular sits for supplementary of has exam-id (fk) enrolled gets sub-id sub-id grade roll no. (fk) exam-id (fk) roll no. results Date published

Thursday, November 21, 2019

ZJZ Quality Department Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ZJZ Quality Department - Essay Example Quality control is an important determinant of final quality and it could be crucial to newly-introduced products since unexpected defects and malfunctions may have to be designed out. As products mature, competitors come out with copycat offerings, and in general, design know-how gets diffused across the industry, as the determinant both of quality delivered to customers and of quality differences among competitors. In this case, the quality department can monitor recent changes and innovations on the market and initiate changes. Following Rose (2005) a designed of the product does not guarantee superior quality. The functions and responsibilities of the quality department will be to monitor and control research projects and production of products and their components. The quality department will help ZJZ Corporation to establish culture of quality as a main organizational value. The purpose underlying all quality assurance efforts is to establish both methods and philosophies of working which lead to improved outputs (quality and value) as well as techniques for keeping track of progress toward these output goals.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Discussions Week 1-3 CIS462 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussions Week 1-3 CIS462 - Coursework Example Employees demonstrating the highest level of acceptance to policies get honorary or monetary compensations. Another method would involve provision of training programs that increase employees’ knowledge regarding the workplace policies. Lastly, acceptance can be improved through participative decision making. Managers should involve subordinate employees in formulation of policies (Lindsey, 2012). Potential challenges during implementation of these acceptance methods include but not limited to financial constrains and cultural barriers. Within an organization, security control measures are classified as technical measures, administrative measures or physical measures. Physical controls include things like door locks and fences for restricted access, while technical controls include authentication details like login information. These classifications contain control measures which are preventive, corrective or detective in nature. Within an organization, preventive controls like passwords deter unauthorized access of information. Detective measures like alarms notifies of security breaches while corrective controls like backup servers limit damages resulting from security breaches (Lindsey, 2012). Technical preventive measures feature as the most challenging control measures to implement. As mentioned earlier, preventive measures under the technical category include use of authentication details and antivirus software. Because of advancement in information technology, new programs and software that can bypass authentication barriers emerge regularly. In this case, redundancy of preventive controls undermines prolonged data security (Lindsey, 2012). One way of overcoming this redundancy challenge would involve regular updating of technical controls. The Children’s Internet protection Act, abbreviated as CIPA, protects minors from access to obscene online content. Technically, CIPA requires institutions like

Monday, November 18, 2019

The Mexican-American War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Mexican-American War - Essay Example The northerners who were partial to free labor quarreled with the southerners who desired to expand slavery over the fate of the new lands. Congressman David Wilmot’s proviso that barred slavery in the new lands was supported by the northern Democrats but objected to by the southerners. These disagreements were sorted out in the compromise of 1850 that accepted California as a free state, ending slave trade in Washington D.C, solving the boundary quarrel between Texas and New Mexico, easing Southerners ability to recapture fugitive slaves and formation of Utah and New Mexico regions with issues regarding slavery in each to be settled by popular sovereignty (Singletary).  Capital punishment has been abolished in many countries across Europe, Latin America although it is still retained in some parts of Asia and Africa. In non-democratic countAfrica.pecially in the Middle East, capital punishment is still quite common. Capital punishment is usually given for murder, treason and in Muslim countries, it is also given for sexual and, religious crimes. In China, the death penalty could be given for corruption and other serious offenses. In countries where capital punishment has been banned, the punishment is usually considered as a human rights issue and opponents of capital punishment argue that capital punishment does not deter criminals and the poor or minority are sometimes wrongfully convicted.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Exploring the role of empathy in psychotherapy

Exploring the role of empathy in psychotherapy In psychotherapy three aspects are identified as imperative to ensure a therapeutic climate that facilitates growth and change. These aspects include genuineness or congruence, an attitude of unconditional positive regard and empathy or empathic understanding. Each aspect plays a complementary role to one another and once integrated provides a mechanism through which self-actualisation can be reached. Empathy is a key indicator of a therapists ability as a facilitator in a therapeutic relationship and if genuinely and accurately displayed can result in a powerful means of assisting the client (Meyer, Moore, Viljoen, 2003; Tolan, 2007). This discussion explores the role of empathy in psychotherapy through identifying the components intrinsic to empathy, their role in creating a truly empathic environment, the use of empathy in psychotherapy and the possible effects empathy can have when displayed in an effective manner. The basis from which empathy will be explored is a Rogerian person-centred psychotherapeutic context as empathy is regarded as necessary for the process of psychotherapy in this context. Although empathy is recognised in majority of psychotherapeutic theories, client-centred therapy or Rogerian psychotherapy provides the most holistic and thorough view of the role of empathy in psychotherapy. Definition of concepts In understanding the role of empathy in psychotherapy it is of utmost importance to identify the concepts that manifest in the discussion. Identifying and defining these concepts allows for an exploration of each within the context of psychotherapy. In so doing, the role that empathy plays in this context can be explored and comprehensively analysed. Psychotherapy Psychotherapy is a complex subject with no definitive description. The lack of precise definition could be due to this concept being regarded as adaptive and dynamic in that each definition would illustrate the underlying perspective utilised by the author of that definition. A generic definition of psychotherapy would entail a therapeutic relationship where two or more persons are involved in a formal relationship with a therapist. The relationship is defined on the basis of one or more parties seeking psychological assistance from the therapist in an attempt to overcome emotional discomfort (Corsini, 1984). Psychotherapy, from a Rogerian perspective, views the client as the central proponent of the therapeutic process. The client is regarded as their own change agent and the therapist, the facilitator of the change process. The process of change in Rogerian psychotherapy is deemed necessary in an attempt to resolve emotional discomfort the goal of psychotherapy. The therapist achieves and maintains their facilitative role through being a participant observer whom adopts a non-directive and empathic stance whilst providing unconditional positive regard to the client and mediating a process of self-actualisation within the client (Meyer et al., 2003; Vorster, 2003). An operational definition of psychotherapy, for this discussion, entails a therapeutic process which is focused on the interactions between persons involved in the therapy situation. The non-directive manner in which the therapy is conducted enables the client to reach a level of self-actualisation and empowers the client in managing their own life stressors. Empathy According to Tolan (2007) empathy is a means of demonstrating, through communication, that someone is heard and understood. It is the capacity to think and feel oneself into the inner life of another person (Kahn, 1991, p. 93). In the context of psychotherapy, empathy involves perception of a clients experience from their internal frame of reference and the communication of this perception to the client in order for the client to feel as though the therapist understands them from their perspective (Kahn, 1991; Rogers, 1980; Tolan, 2007). Empathy does not involve a sympathetic stance on which to understand the client but rather delves into the clients inner experiences in an attempt to create a vicarious experience of the clients world through the clients eyes. In addition, empathy does not entail experiencing the identical emotions and feelings as the client, but rather experiencing the emotions and feelings with the client. In colloquail language, empathy is often regarded as steppi ng into someone elses shoes (Parrott, 1997). Operationally defined, empathy or empathic understanding, in a psychotherapeutic context, refers to a therapist perceiving a clients experience, understanding the corresponding emotions of that experience and conveying this understanding to the client in a manner that will enable the client to feel entirely understood and heard. In can therefore be said that empathy entails experiencing with, rather than for or about the client (Brammer, Abrego Shostrom, 1993, p. 98). Empathy versus sympathy The concepts empathy and sympathy are often used interchangeably and synonymously, however this is an incorrect evaluation of these concepts. Sympathy is a superficial attempt at grasping what a person is feeling whilst empathy is a deep understanding of a persons experiences, cognitions and feelings in certain situations. A good analogy as illustrated by Parrot (1997) is that sympathy is standing on the shore, seeing a person struggling in the water and throwing out a life-ring, [whilst] [e]mpathy is jumping into the water and risking ones own safety to help the struggling person (p. 29). Sympathy is not sufficient in assisting a client through facilitative change and should be avoided in a psychotherapeutic context. Empathy, on the other hand, is highly beneficial in psychotherapy and should be developed and maintained in this context (Parrott, 1997). Empathy and psychotherapeutic approaches Research findings from a study conducted by Ranskin (in Rogers, 1980) suggests that majority of therapists, from a wide range of psychotherapeutic perspectives, acknowledge empathy as one of the most important facets of psychotherapy. However, in practice these therapists opt rather for cognitive or behavioural approaches in their therapy sessions and do not develop their empathic abilities optimally (Rogers, 1980). This is reiterated in an article by Feller and Cottone (2003) who state that empathy, as a construct, has received a great deal of support across a wide range of theoretical approaches, including but not limited to the psychoanalytic, self-psychology, client-centred, existential, cognitive and behaviour approaches. The differences emerge in the view of prominence or sufficiency of empathy in psychotherapy. Some approaches view empathy as a mere aspect which is used as a tool in psychotherapy, whilst other view empathy as a powerful means of facilitating change in a person or system (Feller Cottone, 2003). Thus, although empathy is acknowledged in the majority of psychotherapeutic approaches it does not occupy the same role in each approach. The role of empathy in psychotherapy Carl Rogers identifies the importance of psychotherapy in the acknowledgement of the persons involved and the relationship between those participating in the therapeutic relationship rather than the method or technique used to conduct the therapy. In order to acknowledge the dynamics of the therapeutic relationship empathy must be conveyed to the client(s) (Meyer et al., 2003). Empathy is based on the phenomenological approach to reality, where human beings, as a species, perceive and make sense of the world around them through their own lenses. Reality is not regarded as fixed and clear cut for all to experience identically, but rather as an individual subjective experience. This subjective experience is understood and shared through communication and interaction (Tudor, Keemar, Tudor, Valentine Worrall, 2004; Vorster, 2003). Empathy provides a mechanism from which to tap into another persons subjective experience or perception, which for that person is reality. It is due to this belief that empathy is regarded vital in understanding a client from their worldview (Clark, 2004; Tudor et al., 2004). Empathy is a cognitive, emotional and experiential skill, where the therapist uses a variety of means in an attempt to constantly remain with the client and vicariously experience the clients world in order to genuinely understand reality as the client perceives it. In dissecting this statement to create a better understanding of empathy one could acknowledge that empathy can be enhanced through training, especially if the trainers are genuinely empathic or provide a sensitive understanding during the training sessions. In addition, training sessions often encourage student therapists to practice the skill of empathy. The underlying notion is that the more practice one gets at developing their proficiency in empathy, the more capable the person becomes at providing empathy and integrating this skill into their way of being. Training implies that empathy is a skill that can be cognitively developed and experientially enhanced. The emotional component of empathy, on the other hand, rel ates to the aptitude of the therapist to identify, with relative accuracy, the inner feelings of a client (Rogers, 1980; Tolan, 2007). A critical analysis of empathy and its role in psychotherapy reveals the multidimensional nature of empathy, the various facets that form part of empathy and the diverse roles that empathy can play in a psychotherapeutic relationship. The following discussion demonstrates the various facets of empathy and the role that empathy plays in the context of psychotherapy. The role of listening and communication in empathy Empathy is a vital element which forms an integral part of psychotherapy as it provides a mechanism in which to grasp an understanding of the clients frame of reference in a meaningful way. Empathic understanding allows the therapist to sense the clients private world as if it were [their] own, but without ever losing the as if quality (Kirschenbaum Henderson, 1989, p. 226). Sensing the clients world in an empathic way is achieved through active and highly attentive listening in which the therapist enters the clients internal frame of reference by acknowledging the clients experience and sharing the emotions of the client vicariously. In so doing, the therapist is able to fully comprehend their clients experience, perceptions, values and feelings (Kirschenbaum Henderson, 1989; Rogers, 1980). However, merely listening actively and attentively to the client is not sufficient in displaying empathy. The understanding must be conveyed to the client in a meaningful way. This suggests that the manner in which an understanding is communicated is an essential feature of empathy. The empathic communication should be conveyed in line with the clients abilities to comprehend the message precisely and internalise the empathic response as accurate. Similarly, communication without attentive listening or perception does not demonstrate an understanding of the client. Mere communication with a client may indicate to the client that the therapist is not hearing them accurately and may create distance between the client and the therapist (Kirschenbaum Henderson, 1989; Rautalinko, Lisper, Ekehammar, 2007; Rogers, 1980; Tolan, 2007). The role of listening and communication in empathy contributes to the role of empathy in psychotherapy in that once a client perceives and accepts empathic reflections from a therapist, the client feels understood. This understanding enables the client to grasp the meanings of their own experiences more concretely, tune into their own feelings more acutely and provide themselves with a greater degree of empathy (Rogers, 1980). The role of non-verbal information in empathy It is imperative that empathic reflections are not merely restatements of what the client has said, as this form of reflection will not enable the therapist to move forward and deeper into the clients frame of reference. Parroting the clients expressions will keep the therapist at a surface level of understanding. It can therefore be said that although parroting the clients content may assist in some instances (Brodley, 1998), restatements are not entirely effective in displaying empathy and may demonstrate that the therapist does not truly understand the clients worldview (Mackay, Hughes Carver, 1990; Parrott, 1997; Tolan, 2007). Empathy involves more than listening to the content the client is expressing and regurgitating this information back to the client, it reaches beyond the meaning and recognises the nuances in the persons speech and encourages the therapist to appreciate the amount of significance the client attaches to the subject being discussed (Tudor et al., 2004). Empathy involves a comprehensive and holistic analysis of a variety of sources of information available to the therapist. The information can include, but is not limited to the clients tone of voice, tempo of speech, degree of hesitation, words used, facial expressions, posture, eye contact, attitude towards you as the therapist, emotions, previous information given by the client and sensed meanings beneath the expressed content. Considering all the information available to the therapist during a psychotherapeutic session may enable the therapist to delve deeper into the clients world and create a more meaningful picture of what the client is genuinely experiencing. When a therapist uses the additional information to create understanding and combines this awareness with the content description given by the client a much more meaningful level of understanding is reached (Mackay et al., 1990; Parrott, 1997; Tolan, 2007). The manner in which the empathy is reflected is of great importance. The content of the reflection is an important factor however the additional information mentioned above can also be actively demonstrated by the therapist toward the client. Therefore, it is of vital importance that the therapist conveys their empathic reflection congruently and meaningfully. The therapist should be aware of their pace of voice, rhythm of speech and consistency in language deliverance as well as their non-verbal indicators (Tolan, 2007). Should the therapist be aware and in control of all of these facets within themselves, the client is more likely to register the empathy displayed as a genuine understanding of the client. This implies that even if the empathic reflection is completely accurate, if it is delivered in an incorrect manner it will lose its meaningfulness and may even be interpreted, by the client, as inaccurate. Furthermore, the manner in which the therapist manoeuvres throughout the therapy session is of utmost importance as the continual signalling of non-verbal information in the relationship between the client and the therapist determines the dynamics of the session. As the therapist is continually attempting to remain in the clients frame of reference and sought through the information available in the interaction, the client is experiencing the therapist and responding to the therapist at all times. Vorster (2003) refers to this constant interaction or responding between the client and therapist as an input-output relationship, which demonstrates the constant attempt of the therapist to understand the client. Should the therapist display any level of incongruence in the relationship, this may jolt the client and the client may respond in a specific way, usually by withdrawing from the therapist. The therapist should be constantly and consistently aware of the nature of responses or eff ects that they have on the client and that the client has on them. If the client is continually being jolted and distance is being created it is an indication that the therapist is not staying in the clients frame of reference and is thus not displaying empathy effectively (Tolan, 2007). The components of empathy demonstrate that empathy comprises more than a skill in listening and communicating, but is an attitude or way of being that should be developed and internalised by the therapist. In order to be truly empathic, the therapist must have developed beyond thinking of themselves, so they are capable of understanding anothers point of view (Mackay et al., 1990, p. 66). In addition to an attitude, empathy stems from the ability to acknowledge an assortment of observable behaviour (as previously mentioned) and integrate the information in a meaningful way to ensure the person is truly heard and accepted (Brodley, 1998). This hearing is often deeper than the words the person is expressing and can display a personal meaning that may even be beyond the conscious intent of the client. This integrative understanding deepens the meaning of the empathy and encourages the client to fine-tune their empathic understanding of themselves. If all the facets of empathy are combin ed, the psychotherapeutic goal of facilitative change is highly probably (Mackay et al., 1990; Rogers, 1980). The role of empathy, when viewed as an integrated whole, extends beyond psychotherapy and denotes a means for the client to attend to themselves in their everyday lives (Rogers, 1980). The role of congruence and unconditional positive regard in empathy In order for empathy to be of optimal effectiveness in psychotherapy it is of vital importance that the therapist demonstrates the empathy with a high level of congruence or genuineness. Congruence can only be achieved if the therapist accepts the client completely and punctuates from a non-judgemental stance. To accept entirely, the therapist should ensure that they provide the client with unconditional positive regard which is often displayed through continual displays of empathy (Meador Rogers, 1984; Parrott, 1997). The concepts congruence, unconditional positive regard and empathy should be considered along a continuum and not as right or wrong. In addition, these concepts are to be viewed as mutually exclusive and are not regarded as sufficient components for successful psychotherapy if viewed individually. Each of these concepts should be developed in a manner which allows for integration of the concepts as each is ineffective on its own but highly complementary and effective as a holistic approach (Kahn, 1991; Tudor et al., 2004). In order for a therapist to reach a skill level that provides optimal empathic understanding and inscribes affectivity, it is of vital importance that the therapist explores his or her own inner experiencing and [allows] the quality of his [or her] inner experiencing to be apparent in the therapeutic relationship (Meador Rogers, 1984, p. 143). Once this inner experiencing is reached, the therapist provides a high level of congruence in the therapeutic situation. Once the therapist has achieved and developed the skills of unconditional positive regard and congruence at an optimal level, the therapist is able to immerse themselves in the clients frame of reference more effectively and truly experience the clients world through the clients worldview (Meador Rogers, 1984). The therapist makes a conscious decision to dissociate from their own frame of reference and to punctuate from that of their clients. It is at this point that empathy may be regarded as a powerful therapeutic tool in psychotherapy (Rogers, 1980). Congruent empathy will enable the client to move forward with the therapy and explore their situation, enabling the client to resolve emotional discomfort through the acknowledgement of feelings. Furthermore, congruent empathy will prevent a repetitive cycle where the therapy remains at a superficial level (Brodley, 1998). Regarding unconditional positive regard in relation to empathy, the rationale for effectiveness, as demonstrated by Traux and Carcuff (1964, cited in Brammer et al., 1993) the greeater the degree of the therapists accurate empathic understading of the client, the greater the degree to which the therapist shows unconditional or nonpossesive warmth (p. 97). Congruence and non-possesive warmth, as characteristics of an environment which displays empathy, enables clients to view themeselves as accepted. Acceptance of oneself promotes caring for oneself and enables the client to bring about a positive change in their atttudes towards themselves. The combination of the three elements ensures solidarity in the client-therapist relationship allowing a client to actualise their potential constructively (Rogers, 1980). The role of client acceptance of empathic reflections Acceptance of the empathic reflection is a key indicator of the therapists ability to grasp the clients internal frame of reference. Once empathy is perceived by the client as being genuinely accurate, the client accepts the therapist more freely and acknowledges the facets of their experience more concretely (Kahn, 1991). Accuracy, in this context, refers to the therapists ability to view the clients experiences as the client views them (Tudor et al., 2004). Acknowledgement of the empathic understanding allows the client to move forward with the therapy as a sense of being understood is perceived and the client is able to deal with their experiences more effectively (Kahn, 1991). Acceptance of empathic reflection may elicit a range of responses from the client. The responses include verbal acknowledgement of the empathy as well as an assortment of non-verbal behaviour. Should the therapist be perceptive to these responses, they may be aware of empathy being genuinely present and that the client is being completely understood. Empathic reflections, however, do not imply empathy, rather the empathic reflection is the communication variable of the empathic understanding and should be seen as an aspect of empathy (Feller Cottone, 2003). It is important to note that if a reflection is not entirely accurate, the client is able to clarify the reflection or to contemplate and disregard the reflected feeling. This does not ascribe ineffectiveness as it may enable the client to discover their true feelings and explore their emotions. In addition, clarity allows the therapist to demonstrate their attempts at understanding and allows the therapist an opportunity to alter their responses (Kahn, 1991; Rogers, 1980; Tolan, 2007). It can therefore be said that compassionate and congruent empathy is open to correction and should not be regarded as a definitive but rather as a tentative exploration of a clients world (Tolan, 2007). Empathy as a mechanism for catharsis According to Rogers (1980) a high degree of empathy in a relationship is possibly the most potent factor in bringing about change and learning (p. 139). Demonstrating a comprehensive understanding and sincerely conveying this understanding to the client is the process through which to reinforce behaviour that may bring about change. Empathy is often acknowledged for its cathartic effect in a helping relationship in which relief or expression of distressing emotions is regarded as a method of healing and not that of breakdown. Catharsis is recognised as an overt expression of emotion by the client, for instance crying, which allows a release on built up tension within the client. This release is considered cathartic since the client tends to overcome the tension and in its turn reduce the distressing emotion. Once the client has released the tension, a degree of healing is experienced by the client (Heron, 2001; Parrott, 1997). Catharsis can be considered an important role of empathy in psychotherapy as it demonstrates healing and release within the client. In addition, catharsis may indicate a relationship between the client and therapist that displays unconditional positive regard and congruence. If the relationship encourages free expression, the client is often more willing to share experiences and the therapist is able to enter the clients deeper emotional realm more effectively (Kirschenbaum Henderson, 1989; Parrott, 1997). In addition, empathy gives the client the impression that they are worth understanding [and] that their inner hopes and private fears have value (Parrott, 1997; p. 196). Demonstrating worth to the client makes the client feel comfortable and increases the likelihood of them reflecting on and taking responsibility for their emotional distress (Kirschenbaum Henderson, 1989; Parrott, 1997). Another important facet of empathy relates to the clients ability to explore their experiences beyond the context. Accurate displays of empathy in the therapy session can lead to continual reflection on the emotional experience as well as providing additional insight into the clients experiences by the client between therapy sessions. Thus, empathy has the ability to extend the process of healing beyond the therapeutic context (Tolan, 2007). Empathy as a means of challenging a client An empathic environment can challenge a client in various ways. These challenges come as subtle manoeuvres by the therapist who uses empathy as a means of enabling the client to explore their experiences, confront their struggles and acknowledge distorted perceptions freely (Rogers, 1980; Tolan, 2007). The following example illustrates the way in which challenging a client, through empathy, could occur: if a client who has experienced an immense trauma (the death of a partner) indicates that the negative emotion (crying) that is often associated with the trauma is a flaw, defect or sign of weakness, an empathic understanding and acknowledgement of this struggle and a demonstration of the persons sadness can be communicated. Acknowledgement of the struggle may indicate, to the client, that they are genuinely accepted and understood in this environment. The empathy displayed in this context would challenge the clients view of the negative emotion, in turn the client may become more aware of the distorted view and may begin to alter their perception (Tolan, 2007). It is of utmost importance to note that the challenges should be minor in nature, if they are too great or obviously communicated, the client may reject the challenge and view the reflection as a misunderstanding or even as threatening. The therapist should always remember that the client is the central proponent and is the final judge in their inner world (Brodley, 1998; Tolan, 2007). The role of empathy as a means of challenging a client is regarded, by the author, as being of significant value in psychotherapy. The challenge is a means to demonstrate to the client that they can accept certain views and adapt certain ideals that they hold intrinsic to them. This is not to say that challenging a client through the use of empathy forces change, but rather provides an alternative way of viewing attitudes or perceptions. The main aspects related to challenging a client are regarding negative perceptions of certain emotional responses and facilitating a change in these perceptions. This may be very powerful in progressing through the process of psychotherapy. Empathy as a component of reaching optimal functioning A high level of empathy creates an environment where the client feels freedom to articulate themselves completely without having inhibitions or restraints on their expressions. An environment that is comfortable for the client to explore areas of their inner selves openly, creating an atmosphere of trust and openness within the relationship. Once the client explores aspects of themselves in this manner, discoveries are made to which the client may respond, usually through cathartic behaviour, in a constructive fashion that promotes positive change within him- or herself. Through the psychotherapeutic process, the client may realise his or her potential and strive towards it (Kahn, 1991). Rogers regarded empathy as having a curative effect on the client in a therapeutic process. The underlying assumption regarding the cathartic effect of empathy is that is that once a client truly feels heard and understood they are better able to reach a potential of self-actualisation where the clients view of the ideal self is brought closer to the clients view of the real self. The actualising potential is reached when the clients self concept is at a level of optimal functioning (Brammer et al., 1993). When a client feels entirely understood and heard they may begin to accept a change in themselves and the way they view their world, thereby encouraging self-direction. Recognising a feeling or experience and bringing this to conscious awareness through empathic understanding allows the client to deal more efficiently with the emotions and the dilemma they are faced with and in so doing become more competent and adept in understanding themselves (Tolan, 2007; Tudor et al., 2004). Critical discussion of empathy in psychotherapy Empathy is related to the positive outcome of psychotherapy for a client, this can range from a person with severe psychosis to one with no clinical manifestations (Rogers, 1980). However, in the authors opinion it should reiterated that the therapist must be constantly aware of the meaning the client is attaching to the empathic understanding and should adapt the process of psychotherapy accordingly. The positive outcome of empathy in psychotherapy is due to a number of factors including empathy as a mechanism for reducing feelings of alienation, encouraging feelings of value and acceptance within the client, eliciting feelings of being heard and understood and facilitating change whereby a client can direct the flow of their own experiences. These consequences demonstrate that empathy is of great value and use in all helping relationships and should not be confined to the boundaries of psychotherapy (Rogers, 1980). Conclusion The role of empathy in psychotherapy is multidimensional and highly complex in nature. A comprehensive understanding based on the exploration of empathy includes a process of the inner experiencing of another individuals world from that persons perspective with a feeling of comfort in this world, which enables the therapist to move discretely through this world, vicariously experiencing what the client is experiencing with no elements of judgement. It is an attempt to comprehend the inner workings of the person in order to sense the facets of that persons world that may be below conscious interpretation, without attempting to uncover unconscious feelings. It includes a way of being that seeps into aspects of the therapists everyday life, which cannot simply be shut off. However, in order to be truly effective, especially in a psychotherapeutic environment, this way of being and sensing must be communicated in order to create surety for the client that you are a companion in their jou rney of self-discovery and that you, as a therapist, is constantly attempting to grasp an understanding of their world in its entirety (Rogers, 1980).

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Family and Church Essay -- essays research papers

Family and Church: Enduring Institutions I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  General Family Life As a result of myths of white family life, there has been much confusion over the nature of black families. One of the myths of the nineteenth century entails the close- knit white family, which was parallel to that of the European family. Also, as a result of these myths, scholars often ignored the differences of American and European life. For example, women in frontier areas had a much stronger voice in family affairs than most scholars realized, simply because of the shortage of women. Therefore, women exercised a large percentage of authority in the family. In the cities where family was of little importance as an economic unit and the father was often at work, the care of the children was primarily the responsibility of the mother. By 1880, the American family became more democratic. After the second half of the nineteenth century, changes in the nature and functions of the family occurred. For example, changes such as industrialization, improvements in transportation, the weakening of religious bonds, and increased knowledge of birth control, led to more working wives and more premarital sex, downgraded the importance of family. As a result of relaxed divorce laws and a greater emphasis on romantic love, there was an increase in the number of divorces. By the 1970’s, one in every three marriages ended in divorce, the failure rate for new marriages was thirty percent, nine million people were divorced or separated, and twelve million single individuals were heading households with children. There were so many divorces that a large number of whites were practicing serial monogamy, meaning one person having only one spouse at time, but more than one in his or her lifetime. Most often researchers speak of the pathological disorganization of the black family and imply that all black families are matriarchal, meaning the woman is the head of the household. The dangerous part of this myth was popularized by Daniel P. Moyhnihan, who asserted that the pathological weakness of the black family was,† capable of perpetuating itself without the assistance from the white world.† The weakness of the black family may be seen as a direct result of centuries of white oppression of blacks and not as inherent and immutable. The black family grew out of a complex combination o... ... black clergy felt that Afro Americans had a special duty to regenerate the land of their fathers. The African Methodist Episcopal Church established a mission in Haiti in 1827, for instance, to â€Å"aid in making the Haitian nationality and government, strong, powerful, and commanding among the civilized nations of the earth.† VI.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Literary Praise for the Black Church Black poets, less critical of black religion than novelists, captured more of the essential spirit of the church than most scholars could. While occasionally complaining about the excessive humility of black Christians, the poets used the rhythm and message of sermons, prayers and services in celebration of God’s love and promise of deliverance. The black minister, portrayed sympathetically, was also a favorite subject of black poets. Like James Weldon Johnson, many of the poets reproduced the cadences and messages of the folk sermon. They portrayed the minister’s beautiful word pictures. Among the best of them was Paul Laurence Dunbar’s 1896 poem, â€Å"An Antebellum Sermon,† which demonstrates the black preacher’s attempt to correlate biblical messages with his flock’s hope of early rewards.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Mediated Communication: Connected or Disconnected? Essay

Abstract: We all seem to live and breathe social media. Sending a message and staying connected is as easy as it can get. Technology is essentially transforming traditional methods and revolutionizing the way we communicate with one another. Today, we have to stay relevant, informed, and up-to-date on the newest communication channels and incorporate them into our range of daily activities. However to build meaningful connections between people, we need to let technology enhance our communication, rather than dictate it. As new communication technological advancements become available, our temptation is also to spend less time on face-to-face interactions at the risk of losing the critical context of our message. Of course, texts, e-mails and social media can dramatically impact the speed and volume of messages, but therein also lies the danger in allowing the subtle aspects of dialogue and personality to fall by the wayside Face-to-face discussions are the foundation of human communication; once established, it allows us to build trust, clearly articulate our ideas and minimize misunderstanding. However, for many of us, face-to-face communication seems to be a dying art – replaced by text messaging, e-mails, and social media. Human communication and interactions are getting shaped by available technologies. Thus we have to ask – in today’s tech-savvy world, are we really connected or essentially disconnected? Is social media sabotaging the art of personal communication? On a crisp Friday afternoon last October, Sharon Seline exchanged text messages with her daughter who was in college. They ‘chatted’ back and forth, mom asking how things were going and daughter answering with positive statements followed by emoticons showing smiles, b-i-gï Å  smiles and hearts(/). Happiness†¦. Later that night, her daughter attempted suicide. In the days that followed, it came to light that she’d been holed up in her hostel room, crying and showing signs of depression — a completely different reality from the one that she conveyed in texts, Facebook posts and tweets . (Courtesy; Forbes magazine, April2012) As human beings, our only real method of connection is through authentic communication. Studies show that only 7%  of communication is based on the written or verbal word. A whopping 93% is based on nonverbal body language. Indeed, it’s only when we can hear a tone of voice or look into someone’s eyes that we’re able to know when â€Å"I’m fine† doesn’t mean they’re fine at all†¦or when â€Å"I’m just sad† means they’re thoroughly depressed. Flooded in technology, anyone can hide behind the text, the e-mail, the Facebook post or the tweet, projecting any image they want and creating an illusion of their choice. They can be whoever they want to be and without the ability to see or feel, their audiences are none the wiser. Every relevant metric shows that we are interacting at breakneck speed and frequency through social media. But are we really communicating? With 93% of our communication context stripped away, we are now attempting to forge relationships and make decisions based on phrases, abbreviations, snippets, emoticons which may or may not be accurate representations of the truth. This presents an unprecedented paradox. With all the powerful social technologies at our fingertips, we are more connected – and potentially more disconnected – than ever before. This is where social media gets dicey. Communication Barriers: New Dimensions Social technologies have broken the barriers of space and time, enabling us to interact 24/7 with more people all over the world. The focus is now on communication quantity rather than quality and Superficiality against authenticity? But like any revolutionary concept, it has initiated a new set of barriers and threats. It is an ironic situation where social media has the potential to make us less social; a surrogate for the real thing. For it to be a truly effective communication vehicle, communicators bear a responsibility to be genuine, accurate, and not allow it to replace human contact altogether. In the workplace, the use of electronic communication has overtaken face-to-face and voice-to-voice communication by a wide margin. This major shift has been driven by two major forces: the speed/geographic dispersion of business, and the lack of comfort with traditional interpersonal communication among a growing segment of our employee population: Gen Y and Millennials. Studies show that these generations – which will comprise more than 50% of the workforce by 2020 – would prefer to use instant messaging or other social media than stop by and talk with someone. This new communication preference is one of the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"generational gaps† plaguing organizations as employers try to manage a new set of expectations and norms in their younger employees. The majority of the world’s largest businesses are using social media with little thought as to how it can contribute to the organization’s overall strategy and that its use is destroying the integrity of face-to-face conversations and replacing it with â€Å"hidden conversations†. This is arguably true to some extent with many companies confused as to the role it should play inside the corporate framework. Further, because most business communication is now done via e-mails, texts, instant messaging, intranets, blogs, websites and other technology enabled media, minus body language, the potential for misinterpretation is growing. Rushed and stressed, people often do not take the time to consider the nuances of their writing. Conflicts explode over a tone of an e-mail, or that all-important cc: list. When someone writes a text in all capital letters, does it mean they are â€Å"shouting†? Are one- or two-word responses a sign that the person doesn’t want to engage? On the flip side, does a smiley face or an abbreviated acknowledgement of agreement really mean they are all set and aligned? Unfortunately conclusions are drawn on frighteningly little information. Getting Real In this wired world when we have only abridged words and faceless chats instead of voice, face and body expression how then do we communicate effectively and build more authentic relationships? Leaders must consider the impact on business relationships and the ability to effectively collaborate, build trust, and create employee engagement and loyalty. Susan Tardanico, leadership and communications executive coach, consultant and professional speaker and CEO of the Authentic Leadership Alliance LLC suggests certain ways for keeping communication real Suggestions for Keeping E-Communication Real †¢Address your issues. If you are drawing a conclusion about experiencing a conflict based on an electronic exchange, then pick up the phone or have a face-to-face conversation to clear things up. †¢Me first. Make an effort to check your own communications to ensure you aren’t sending an inaccurate  message. Take steps to put forth an accurate picture of reality. †¢Bridging the gap. As employees and employers, there are chances of dealing with different generations who have noticeably different communication preferences. Talk with colleagues about this aspect and ask for input on the best way to keep communication flowing through the team. †¢Stay connected. Don’t fall prey to the comfort of sitting behind closed doors and doing all your work from behind a computer screen or the hand-held device. No doubt it takes the pressure off many of the complexities of management, but this also disconnects us from face to face connections. Find a way to stay connected with colleagues; employee relationship is one of the determining factors for level of engagement and loyalty to the organization. †¢Beware of the disconnect. An eloquent and motivating online communication is easy to write. But if our words are not consistent with our actions and reality, this disconnect will harm our credibility and impede our ability to work effectively. †¢Two-way communication. Communication is essentially a two-way process. Just because you’ve fired off an e-mail or text, it doesn’t mean communication has taken place. We must pay attention to the feedback to see if our message is understood and accepted. Considering that this trend is here to stay, we need to create cultures where managers, employees and stakeholders renew their efforts to get at the real messages and issues. When colleagues spend personal time we can expect better working abilities. Correlations between face-to-face relationship-building and employee engagement and loyalty are a concept that has been proven again and again over the years. This has also been excellently explored in the concept â€Å"Management by Walking Around† in Tom Peters’ groundbreaking book In Search of Excellence. As global citizens of a technologically-enabled world we must find a way to incorporate all the amazing benefits which mediated communication has to offer while ensuring that we aren’t losing the human touch with the most significant personal and professional relationships.