Monday, September 30, 2019

Difference between a School and University Essay

There are many inevitable changes and transformations that a person can experience all throughout his/her life. Having a really good education is one of the greatest gifts that parents can give to their children. Moreover, entering a university is already an opportunity these days. In my case, I have given the chance to enter a university that helped me practiced my academic freedom and at the same, understanding my needs. There are many differences that occur during a high school education and a college education. I came from a private high school that mostly speaks Spanish. All of my classes are in Spanish and majority of the students came from the same culture. There is almost no diversity in terms of people, culture and language. But more than that, a very distinct rule that was implemented in our high school is regarding the grading system. Teachers and parents have a very strong relationship that is why, they were able to control over school time and the way classes should be handled and if a student misses on any of her assignments, she can easily have a make up exam. Since the school was private, there was an air of exclusivity amongst the school grounds and it was regarded dearly. When I entered the university, there were many changes that took place. It was very shocking at first but I have to cope up with it. First of all, the university that I attended to was public and all the classes were taught in English. Moreover, in high school, the student body does not partake in more important matters about the school whereas in college, the student body does not take part in school matters but it is also highly respected. And since it is a public university, it was filled with different people from various cultures and places. Another difference that I experienced in college is the fact that parents do not have a strong authority over the school so they are not involved in the management of classes and time. Because of this situation, they cannot just access the grades of the students and if they want to, they still have to ask permission from the student. Lastly, missed exams are hard to get so you really have to manage your time and study very hard. Along with the decision to go into a public university are the transformations and changes that I was obliged to adapt to. In high school, I was highly dependent on my parents for my primary needs but since stepping into college, I was made to watch over me. I am no longer dependent on my parents for my needs; I should now work for them. But the real challenge that I faced was handling my time between being a wife and a mother and being a student. It is a very time consuming and tiring responsibility but I am happy to say that I am handling it very well. The changes and challenges that I faced from high school through college is one of the most memorable experiences in my entire life. Admittedly, it was really shocking at first but I learned to cope up with it. The fact that I am now in an environment that is filled with very different people means that I should learn to have a hard face in dealing with their moods and personalities. Moreover, since I am now a family person, the biggest challenge that life posted on me was how to balance my time so that I will excel in both aspects. With this realization in mind, I learned to manage my time very well and at the same time, keeping track of my family. I learned to become a different woman. I discovered new talents and potentials that I never thought I had. Going to college opened my eyes to different views and opportunities in life. More than that, I consider this to be a great achievement because there are only few people who can excel in academics and at the same time, a full woman.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Ethnic group and Discrimination Essay

The issue on racial discrimination continues to prevail in developed countries although in subtle manner. Minority groups in United States have had a turbulent history fighting against ethnic group discrimination by the whites. In this paper, I choose to focus on the African America perspective on their fight against prejudice, segregation and racism. The first blacks to arrive in America were slaves. They were brought there against their own will contrary to other immigrants in the land of opportunity. Terms like Negroes were used to refer to black slaves and from the onset, prejudice remarks were used on them. It is documented that black slaves were seen to have similar attributes to dumb animals hence inferior. In fact, whites held that Negroes ranked between chimpanzees and human being. Its not clear as to where and when racism started or why but a clear definition of racism exists it means exclusion, division, restriction of any kind based on skin color, race, ethnic origin or nationality It is indeed a shame to see that the society has imposed the three ills of society upon Blacks Americans. The Blacks have and continue to experience segregation prejudice and discrimination even today. During the period of colonialism and slavery, blacks were not privileged to attend school inorder to keep them down form any form civilization. They were thought to endure and fight all kinds of discriminations either on basis of skin color, in life style, social class, academic, criminal justice and economic circles. (Karenga, 2002). In retaliation, the blacks Americans have also propagated Afro centric ideologies against whites which emphasis their superiority. Seemingly, it is fair for blacks to habour feelings of oppression and dislike against whites and other minority groups because these racial ideologies are deeply rooted in society. The weight of past negatively against blacks is a big challenge felt up until today. The effects have not worn off and hence blacks continue to log a step behind whites not because they are ‘lesser’ being but society has a way of pressurizing them to stay at their place i. e. second citizens. In the past, African Americans have faced challenges of security employment and have shaky single headed homes. Thus, they are poor. The whites on the other hand, get preference in well paying jobs, hence a form of discrimination. Perhaps, the blacks are the most segregated community in America. This is because of the quality of housing and congestion in black concentration neighbourhoods. It is common to find premium pricing in real estate, which ensures that Black Americans do not afford spacious homes to live in. Even those who make it to purchase prime property face a degree of segregation in the white neighbourhood. As a result, infant mortality is high and health issues are common in black neighbourhoods. At the same time, crime rates and violent crimes occur among teenagers as they try to fight for survival in poverty-stricken homes. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and other black heroes realized these disconnect and lead black liberations movements aimed at bringing to advance in life. (Amnesty International, US Domestic Human Rights Program, 2004). These discrimination prevent African American from attaining the ‘American dream’ since blacks stand out sharply than any other minority group, their color has often been used to dictate the quality of housing, education, service or products that they will given (Kitano, 1997) often it is low quality. Similarly in the criminal justice arena, prejudices and racial profiling persist. Perceptions or rather misconceptions about police action as accidental shooting, use of force, slow response and so on are constructed by blacks to be a racist conspiracy and segregation. ( Karenga, 2002). Due to these underlying prejudices and racist ideologies, reverse discrimination, policies have been formulated to try to correct historically oppressed groups in the Diaspora. This is seen in cases where jobs are reserved for black candidates even where there are qualified whites to fill the position. This is the same policy used to propel affirmative action and boost women participation of women in state affairs. Despite the noble cause behind this policy, it has not gained ground sufficiently owing to the connotations of pity and sympathy stringed to it. Similarly, it goes against the equal protection clause of the fourteenth Amendment and Title VI of the civil rights Act, 42 (Amnesty International, US Domestic Human Rights Program, 2004) Other forms of discriminations against the African Americans include redlining. This practice dates back to the 1930s where banks took survey on residential areas to determine the level of security and hence their real estate value and thus award loans. Neighbourhoods inhabited by blacks were regarded as insecure and thus not eligible for loans. As such, blacks were segregated directly from acquiring mortgage loans, which in turn ensured that they had access to rich suburbs with decent housing. This form of discrimination was fought and overcome after the Fair housing Act 1968. This law guarded against any kind of redlining based on skin color, race, ethnicity, gender and so on (Amnesty International, US Domestic Human Rights Program, 2004) The community reinvestment Act 1977 also put blacks and other minority groups a step ahead in fight against racial segregation. Racial discrimination against blacks affects their presence in the labor market. The opportunity structure in the labor market is one that ensures that blacks dominate the cheap labour pool in occupation such as gardening, janitors’ waiters and so on. In addition, historical influence of past black discrimination forms a culture whereby blacks do not enroll for long-term educational training (Karenga, 2002). Similarly, black resided in urban outskirts where employment opportunities were limited and economic activities few. (Kitano, 1997) thus causing a dual market to form. Moreover, employers also prefer to employ workers from so-called ‘superior’ races, until they exhaust their supply. All these forces create a dual market one, which is discriminate against blacks. The advancement of black people within social and career circles is limited owing to discrimination on racial lines. Women are particularly subject to this glass ceiling. Notably, the expression used ‘glass† means that this form of discrimination is unwritten and unofficial yet real. It is commonplace to see a high black achiever unable to advance in career just because of gender or racial bias. In terms of promotions, most employers prefer superior races. Conclusion Personally, I do not identify with any ethnic group. I identify with the human race Blacks, whites, Asians stereotyping prejudice and discrimination ultimately resorts to hate speech and violence against groups. Often than not, these prejudices are reinforced for scapegoats inorder to justify own failures. It is worthless to hate each other and in extreme cases resort to genocides just because of differing color and nationality. Once humanity can accept that there is no superior person, area only then can we pride ourselves of true intelligence and harmony in the world.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Accounting Information is Objective and Neutral- myassignmenthelp

This reflection is undertaken in order to have an understanding about accounting information. Accounting is a key part of the recording the financial transactions and thereby all the financial transactions are maintained in an effective manner. I have observed that there are several characteristics of accounting information and accounting has been a subject of sustainable development from year to year and therefore there has been a development of several regulations and concepts which have been incorporated in order to assist the accountants to display the correct picture. The double entry system was introduced globally and thereby it became the foundation of accounting and in the current time period it has become one of the significant tools for understanding the profitability of an entity, but even even the liquidity and the total performance in relation to the debts and the other factors that are non-financial in nature. I have observed that because of the fact that there have been high stake level that is involved and significance is given in order to restrict the stakeholders from being misinformed and therefore the accounting entities and the other governing bodies have taken measures in order to control the level of misstatements and this explains that accounting is objective in nature. The accounting information has certain amount of objective and it is seen that all the different level of accounting information have their unique objective and thereby tries to reduce misstatements. I have even observed that neutrality is even a characteristic of accounting information. Neutrality is even known as the quality of independence from biasness. Neutrality explains that during the formulation or the incorporation of the standards, the main issue is relevance and information reliability that improves and not has an impact that the new rule may have on a specific interest. It is seen that a neutral selection among the accounting substitutes are free from bias towards a prearranged outcome. The objectives of the financial statements serve towards users of various different data who have different interests and none of the prearranged outcome is likely to be suitable to the users. I can therefore state that accounting information and practices are determined impartially with no objective of focused bias for any type of user. I have noticed that there have been significant level of transformation in the process of accounting and accounting information with the advent of time as there have been several new kinds and mechanisms that have been introduced in order to enhance the process of accounting. Accounting information has significant level of value and it is seen that value of the accounting information is used by the users and the accountants in order to find out the result that is suitable for them. It is seen that there has been a fall in the value of accounting information with the transformation in the accounting standards. I feel that accounting information has an effective role to play with the help of which economic decision making can take place and thereby improvement in the operational plan and business decisions relating to various aspects can be undertaken.   Givoly, D., Hayn, C. and Katz, S., 2017. The changing relevance of accounting information to debt holders over time. Review of Accounting Studies, 22(1), pp.64-108. Magnan, M., Menini, A. and Parbonetti, A., 2015. Fair value accounting: information or confusion for financial markets?. Review of Accounting Studies, 20(1), pp.559-591. Prasad, A. and Green, P., 2015. Organizational competencies and dynamic accounting information system capability: impact on AIS processes and firm performance. Journal of Information Systems, 29(3), pp.123-149. Sudaryanti, D., Sukoharsono, E.G., Baridwan, Z. and Mulawarman, A.D., 2015. Critical Analysis on Accounting Information Based On Pancasila Value. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 172, pp.533-539.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Liam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Liam - Essay Example I didn't choose the subject beforehand so I knew nothing about him until I spoke with his teacher after my final observation was completed. I chose the child that occupied the most central seat in the class, but I could have used any number of other criteria to choose a subject. I came up with these criteria before entering the class for the first time. I had no idea whether my subject would be male or female, what their age would be, or what their other physical and mental characteristics would be. Upon completion of the study, I found that my hypotheses were incorrect. Though psychosocial, cognitive and biosocial developments are interrelated, I focused on the biosocial domain while conducting and documenting this study. The average 4-5 year old, regardless of sex or race, is active and consumes and uses about 1,700 calories per day, and sleeps ten to eleven hours at night. They have gained greater control of their gross motor skills which enables them to run, skip, hop, climb, and jump with fewer accidents and more self-confidence. They are beginning to refine their fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination, enabling them to draw simple, recognizable shapes and print a few capital letters. They have almost fully established the preference for right- or left-handedness. They are also beginning to lose their baby teeth and may grow a few inches taller during these years. Liam I decide to attend a local kindergarten class to observe 5-year olds in action. I wanted to verify or debunk my previously mentioned hypotheses regarding the subjects drawn by children and if they still built and took apart items. I decided to focus my observations on the most centrally located student in the classroom: Liam (a pseudonym). I later interviewed him and his teacher to get a better picture of a typical 5-year old. Liam is taller than most of his classmates, with brown hair and hazel eyes, and a constantly disheveled appearance. I found observing him in a class of thirty other youngsters proved to be a challenge because he was always moving about. While the other students were going to their "cubbies" to get their paint shirts he was busy alternating between socializing and knocking his drawing paper onto the floor with his gestures while talking animatedly with other students. When he finally put his paint shirt on, after much struggling, it became apparent that it was the cleanest item of his attire. He'd tripped over his feet while running on the playground at recess. He immediately knocked his container of paint off the table and onto the floor, and himself, with his broad gesticulations with the paint brush. His attempts to clean his mess created further mess, and while the rest of the class was quietly painting, his teacher helped him clean up, though he was more of a mess than the floor had been. When he finally set to painting, his picture was not of a house or any of the other subjects I'd imagined. His art consisted of broad brushstrokes of deep, vibrant, rich colors: purples, cyan, and maroon. He had

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Voting Systems in the United Kingdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Voting Systems in the United Kingdom - Essay Example According to this kind of voting system, the candidate who will gather either the majority or plurality of voters will ultimately win the election. The main object of this voting system is to represent the majority or plurality of voters in a particular district, locality or state.  This system can be further divided into four different types which separate the plurality and majority system of voting. The first two are commonly used plurality system of voting, while the other two are majority systems.1. Single-member district plurality voting.2. At-large voting.3. Two-round runoff voting.4. Instant runoff voting.Proportional Representation SystemAfter plurality/majority system proportional representation system is the most used voting system. This voting system seems to be the competitor of plurality/majority voting system as this system is receiving popularity and persistently being used in most of the European countries.Proportional representation system provides more accurate re presentation of parties. The basic approach of proportional representation system is to represent or show multimember district instead of a single-member district. The number of seats declared to be won by a particular party in an election is proportional to a number of votes given to that party by the voters.  Ã‚  Electoral system designers divided the proportional representation system into three basic kinds in order to achieve more accurate proportionate results of the voting.

Environmental Effect of Synthetic Lubricants Term Paper

Environmental Effect of Synthetic Lubricants - Term Paper Example Though it may consider late to take up such a noble action of showing environment concern because the environmental condition is somehow in a steep situation wherein global warming continues to affect every nation, climate change renders human activity dysfunctional, rising seashore levels threatens the humankind, and increasing level of scarcity when it comes to natural resources, we cannot consider invalid the efforts made nowadays to counter these problems. The world starts to become highly industrialized. It is understood that a highly industrialized nation has a tendency to produce more wastes that inevitably affect the world. The negative effects of industrialization like environmental degradation escalate on a different level. Their technological advancements and innovations affect not just their nations but other nations as well. One thing to consider though is not all the industrialized nations are the ones to blame on this global ecological turmoil despite the fact that the ir wastes constitute the major reason for this imbalance in the biosphere. Even the not so industrialized nations still have their impacts on the global environmental problem. In viewing the world nowadays, it cannot be denied that the nations who have advanced technologies constantly develop new means to address to full-scope of the environmental problems. In industrialized nations, machinery has become very vital when it comes to production. It is even complex because despite the convenience it gives to the welfare of the country in the sustenance of its needs, there are harsher effects that they introduce on the environment that is being addressed lately. There are several efforts to counter these global problems. New lubricants have been developed. Lubricants are considered to be vital since it deals with machines. However, it cannot be avoided that lubricants, before the development of the environment-friendly ones, have posed a serious predicament since it contributed to pollu tion that greatly affected the marine, the terrestrial and the aerial biodiversity. People, at first, seem to be so doubtful about the use of these new lubricants. At the same time, most of them neglect the fact that the effects of the use of eco-friendly lubricants have contributed to the welfare of the environment and were not fully aware of the successes of the researchers and innovations made that pertain to its usage. In my years of practice in an oil company in Texas, I am able to see with my own eyes the full capacity of these newly-formulated and environment-friendly lubricants. They have yielded positive results despite certain negative implications. Based on how I have seen these outcomes, I am able to prove with certainty that the positive effects indeed outweigh the negative ones. Also, there can still be improvements which the scientist and engineers can still work on in improving further the function of these lubricants. During my stay in the oil company I work for, th ey have considered these environment-friendly lubricants to be a better choice.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Practice Problems for Elasticity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Practice Problems for Elasticity - Essay Example Price elasticity is always negative for complements. Forth and last, income, a change in income causes a shift in demand. Income elasticity f demand is calculated as the percent change in demand divided by the percent change in income. This change determines the magnitude f the shift. Demand can increase or decrease with the increase or decrease in income. Along any straight-line demand curve, elasticity decreases from infinity to zero. In the range f the demand curve where elasticity is more than one, decreasing price increases revenue. In the rage where elasticity is less than one, however, decreasing price decreases revenue. My service selection is Pet Day Care and I have found it to price elastic...meaning that there are several substitutes. Low-end services like dog walking are good substitutes for drop-off pet day care centers. A fall in the price for someone to come to your home and let your dog out or walk or dog may likely decrease the demand for you take your pet to an "All-Day" daycare facility. The lower price f the "In-Home" service induces consumers to purchases these services versus those f a drop-off or "All-Day" facility. The cross-price elasticity f Pet Day Care with respect to drop-off or in-home service determines the magnitude f shift in the demand curve. Lowering the price f drop-off service would likely increase demand and revenue. Immediate substitutes or replacements f... Where as a walking service averages about $25 per week for 2 ten-minute daily walks Monday through Friday and in home services averaging $25 - $30 per day. Price adjustments have increased demand in the drop-off sector as having space resources readily available i.e. -warehouse space or open land have become increasingly available and by market standards, very cheap to acquire and maintain. This project was able to focus on the market structure f a Pet Day Care service. Each division represents a different market structure. I learned about perfect competition part day care, full day care, and in home pet day care. The changes depended on the type f pet care the pet owner went with. It was interesting to see how the changes and decisions that are made in the different types f care can affect the results f the prices and the cost/profits for the service. Microeconomics Price Elasticity f Demand 1.) If the price elasticity f demand for heroin is estimated to be about 0.4 this means that the demand is mostly inelastic because the elasticity demand is less than one. Being mostly inelastic means a percent change in price leads to a less than proportional percent change in quantity demanded. So if there is a 10% increase in price, it will lead to a 4% decrease in quantity demanded. 2.) If the price f heroin increases, given its inelastic demand, the suppliers' income will increase. This is proved to be true because mostly inelastic demand and total revenue are directly related. When the price is raised on heroin the percentage changed f quantity demanded is less than the percentage changed for the price in turn raising the total revenue f the heroin dealers. This policy has

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Personal portfolio application for an overseas leadership position Essay

Personal portfolio application for an overseas leadership position - Essay Example This emotional intelligence competency, along with maintaining a well-educated background in sociology and psychology, will assist in developing meaningful relationships with diverse foreign workers and managers that is crucial to maintaining competitive edge through human capital development. In today’s business world, a company requires establishment of a cohesive and dedicated organizational culture. To develop culture successfully, individual competencies that must contribute include inspiring through mission and vision iteration, opening lines of communication, and being prepared to serve as a transformational teacher (Fairholm, 2009). Knowledge of how to build a diversity-focused organizational culture is one of my most valued and vital competencies that has prepared me well for a role as expatriate. The Philippines The Philippines is considered to be a collectivist country, one in which group membership and group loyalty are paramount social characteristics. Citizens in collectivist countries help to mold their personal identities through consideration of the thoughts and opinions of peer networks and, oftentimes, loss of face (reputation) is a major concern (Cheung, Cheung, Zhang, Leung & Yeh, 2008). Though much of these values differ from my own personal values as it relates to identity formation and personal social needs, having an understanding of the collectivist mindset will assist in developing appropriate human resources policies to gain commitment and dedication through organizational culture development. I will be able to effectively create reward policies linked with transactional management philosophy that consider group affiliation and group contribution rather than attempting to use Western models of individual reward that work sufficiently in the United States. Since the establishment of a performance management system often leads to better worker productivity in which regular appraisals are conducted, understanding how to develop g roup-minded HR policies will lead to more loyalty and trust in the organization. The Philippines culture is also one that is risk tolerant, scoring moderately low in the dimension of culture known as uncertainty avoidance (Hofstede Centre, 2013). This is very similar to my own home culture and my own set of personal values. In today’s business world, entrepreneurship in many executive managers and employees is a critical dimension to attaining a positive business reputation and finding competitive advantage. Entrepreneurial behaviors include being willing to take risks and trying new strategies in order to outperform competition. These cultural similarities maintain many opportunities for creating not only a cohesive culture within the business, but also coming up with multiple baskets of ideas about how to find absolute advantages over competing firms. Recognizing that both the United States and The Philippines share similar propensity to gamble on innovative strategic objec tives will also assist in developing appropriate policies that will meet with unified dedication throug

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation (SBAR) Coursework

Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation (SBAR) - Coursework Example This paper illustrates that P.J is a young man living with his father in the countryside. His two brothers are living and working in New York. According to P.J, his living situation has not been very pleasant as stated in the â€Å"Health History and Screening†. He lacks company while at home and his father is alcoholic. His mother died when he was only 13 years of age. Two years later after this death, his younger sister passed away. All the above-stated health problems in the â€Å"situation† section have different genesis in origin and time. The problem of duodenal ulcers began in the year 2007 when the client was still in high school. The stomach problem started as a mild upset that later turned into the ulcer. He was put on medication for close to two weeks. The situation slightly improved but he still occasionally feels the ulcers to date. Food intolerance and allergy began in at the early stages of his childhood. The client cannot even remember when and how this problem started. He cannot comfortably eat red meat and milk since they give him severe stomach ache and nausea. When he was diagnosed with ulcers, he became intolerant to more foods such as beans, tea, oily food, green vegetables, sugary foods, spices and others that he could not recall. However, he has learned to assimilate some of these foods with time but the childhood food intolerance not gone away. Besides, he has not made any attempt to find the cure for the intolerance. He believes the intolerance helps him cut the cost of living by eating only a few simple meals. The problem of depression began when P.J was still in high school. As a child, he never knew what stress was, even though he grew up in a family of a humble background. His mother had just died when he was taken to a boarding school far away from home. It was while in school that he started to experience frequent stress and anxiety that led to a long-term depression. The urinary system problem, though not very seve re, started at the age of about 8 years. He could feel a burning sensation while urinating with a thin stream. However, this condition was not frequently felt.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Adult Education Essay Example for Free

Adult Education Essay Adults dont learn in the same way as children do because their personality structure is almost fully developed at that stage in their lives, along with a series of habits and practices that have been acquired during their lifetime. Therefore, the learning process must take into account how an adult perceives not only what is being taught, but also themselves; this includes, but is not limited to: considering their previous learning experiences, considering their temporal perspective especially when it comes to short term application of what is being taught, and matching education to their problems, needs, interests and expectations. The principles of adult education are: 1)Adults will only learn when they want to. Simply put, no adult will learn under pressure. They must be motivated to want to acquire new knowledge or skills that will help them in their work or day-to-day life. Thus, their desire to learn can decrease or increase depending on the approach and methodology that is being used. 2)Adults only really want to learn that which will help them in the short term. Adults will only learn when they feel they need to. Basically, any attained knowledge will only make sense if the adult can see the applicability of what is being learned 3)Adults learn by doing. No adult enjoys being fed vast amounts of theory with little or no practice. As we grow older, we much prefer a hands-on approach to things. The learning will be much more effective if we can take an active role in the learning process. Thus its important to encourage objective discussion both in analyzing the problem and coming up with a solution. 4)Adults will only learn by solving problems they can associate with their reality. They focus on real world problems and practical assimilation of what is being taught. 5)Experience will interfere in adult education. Thus, any new information being presented must be integrated with their own experience. 6)Adults learn better in an informal environment. They require a more relaxed atmosphere; one that will stimulate them to participate, 7)Adults need feedback. its important that learning process provide adults with constructive feedback, through self-evaluation questionnaires and activities. 8)Adults require a variety of teaching methods. The use of audiovisual materials is highly recommended with use of interactive activities such as role-playing, mock classes and presentations from the students.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Power Of Advergaming And Its Impacts On Consumers Marketing Essay

Power Of Advergaming And Its Impacts On Consumers Marketing Essay Within the concept of social media, the mass media marketing strategy is one of the crucial tools of product placement on the commercial persuasion and entertainment. Thesis: Assessment of advergaming with respect to its development process, impacts and usage; how usage of advergaming changes as product type differs and; what are the advantages/strengths and disadvantages/weaknesses of advergaming. INTRODUCTION TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTERS 1. ADVERAGAMING AS MASS MEDIA MARKETING STRATEGY 1.1. DEFINITION OF ADVERGAMING 1.2. DEVELOPING AN ADVERGAME /ADVERGAMING AS A FUTURE TOOL 2. USAGE OF ADVERGAMING BY BRANDS 2.1. THE INTERNET EFFECT 2.2. IN GAME ADVEISING VIRAL MARKETING 3. THE IMPACT OF ADVERGAMING 3.1. INFLUENCE ON PLAYER 3.2. RESEARCH ON CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR 4. DIFFERENCE THAN OTHER ADVERTISING TOOLS 4.1. ADVANTAGES/STRENGTHS 4.2. DISADVANTAGES/WEAKNESSES 5. USAGE OF ADVERGAMING IN TURKEY ***EXAMPLES 6. HOW USAGE OF ADVERGAMING CHANGES AS PRODUCT TYPE DIFFERS CONCLUSION REFERENCES ADVERAGAMING AS MASS MEDIA MARKETING STRATEGY Definition of Advergaming The question of what advergaming is can be approximated in diffrent ways. In the manner of linguistic portmanteau it is of advertising and gaming. Techniquely, it is the practice of using video games to advertise a product, organization or viewpoint. [2] As a term, it was coined in January 2000 by Anthony Giallourakis. Later on it was mentioned by Wireds Jargon Watch column in 2001. [2] An advergame is an online video game that has brand related images and/or themes embedded within it. As marketers have begun to catch on to the idea, Websites containing advergames have been published by a diverse variety of corporations and non-profit organizations. [1] Besides the usages of product placement within a game, a more effective and innovative way of designing a game only for the purpose of advertising a brand or a product is recently being used by advertiser in order to reach to targets on an online platform. Advergames are such video games which are funded directly by an advertiser. Also, they usually are distributed free of charge to the consumers. The differences between the product placement and advergaming was clearly determined in the book Changing the Game, by David Edery and Ethan Mollic like highly integrated product placement, well-designed advergames have the power to entertain consumers in an engaging and informative way. On the other hand, unlike product placement advergames offer business more control over the context in which the brand is experienced by consumers and saves them the possible hassle of operating within the constraints imposed by game developers. [3] To sum up, advergaming is an interactive game-product created for being more well known by the customers and increasing brand equity. The core idea of advergame is receiving information while entertaining the game. The other facilities of advergames will be examined in the following sections. Developing an Advergame / Advergaming as a future tool Advergames are still a very new research area. With the usage of simulations, advergames aims to inform the customers about what they will experience after trying the product in real life. Advergames also have the ability to create curiosity in the minds of targets which would lead a high selling rate. One o the greatest example of advergaming is the Americans Army. [8] The actual aim behind developing such a game was first by tempting the gamers being a solider, increasing the army population. Today, the game has more than 100.000 gamers. Similarly, in order to take attention to the hunger and starvation problem in the world, United Nations also developed an advergame called Food Force. These two huge projects show us how much an advergame would be powerful and influential in the log run. The benefits of advergames such as; the brand image reinforcement, databases created from the advergame can be used for demographics research, targeted markets can be reached by your advertising (when the game link is emailed), visitors may spend more time on your site, increased traffic due to viral marketing. [5] USAGE OF ADVERGAMING While the usage of advergaming being explained, firstly the question of why advergames should be used has to be answered. Most of the advertisement forms cause the customers to loose their interest and patience. So therefore, advergames which has the benefits mentioned above are very welcomed as an innovative way of both advertising and advertainment. The reason is because; the high interaction attracts consumers to join the game. In the world of Advergame, the participation of game is the participation of advertisement. [9] Interactivity, uniqueness, viality, technology are the basic content for the question of how an advergame should be. [9] Secondly, the brands should care about the following points if they want to use advergames more effectively and create powerful advergames. The steps can be sorted as first, brand and target group positioning analysis (e-marketing strategy analysis) have to be done. Later, game planning and design (Market specific game planning and project plan) is needed to be completed. Third, creative design and programming (art design and art programming development) is also necessary for a strong advergame. Then, game promotion and publication (make the website promotion plan) and collection and analysis of statistics emerges. Lastly, online evaluation and suggestions are done for a complete advergame. [9] All in all, the usage of advergames has to be considered in two perspectives which are why a company should take advantage of advergames and how should it create a more powerful one in order to reach more customers and have more profit. In the following parts the internet effect in our lives will be considered to give a wider point of view that the advergames are the most influential and powerful tools of online advertising. Further, the in-game advergaming and viral marketing concepts which are the tools of advergaming process will briefly be explained. The Internet effect Since reaching the most number of customers is the main aim of brands to increase their profits, in order to be being known by a wider mass, they first have to conquer the areas used by these customers. Internet is one of these fields since it is being used by almost everyone nowadays. In his article The Ability of Branded Online Games to Build Brand Equity: An Exploratory Study, David Deal approaches the increasing usage of internet as a growing trend toward turning off the television and tuning in to the Internet is forcing many marketers to enter a relatively unexplored advertising arena where the best methods of reaching and influencing customers are as yet unknown.[1] In the article he also argues, the studies have found that many Internet users spend their online time by playing video games. This realization, with the help of the researches leads a new mass media marketing strategy that integrates games with advertisements which is advergaming: a hybrid form of branded entertai nment. [1] The growing use and acceptance of internet in our lives, forced the marketers to use new media rich forms of online entertainment ways where they are more interactive and incorporated than previous ones. This also results with spending less time with traditional media, especially television. The rest of the leisure time is being preferred to be spent on internet. [1] Therefore, one of the best ways to include a marketing message which is needed to be reallocated by the companies, become internet. Furthermore, a greater portion of the internet population is getting used to the new forms of entertainment, especially with the available video games. [1] That is actually where advergaming takes its power from. Within the last ten years, the aim of reaching these online consumers was very crucial for advertisers. In order to discover that how much an average individual looks at a Website page, there have been several studies done. The results show less than half of all banner ads to which people were exposed, are being perceived. [5, 9] As a result, advertisements that people purposely avoid viewing simply do not have an opportunity to make an impression. [1] Then the idea of forcing the consumers to look at these online ads became a new trend. The pop-ups, interstitials, and pop-unders which were very intrusive, were found to be even more disliked than banner ads. [1] One of the imported points of this type of advertising is the amount of time that the gamers spend not only by playing the game but also by interacting with an advergame and as a result being exposed to the marketing message. There are several factors determine the time interval such as age, gender, type of game, and involvem ent with brand or product. The duration can range from 5-7 minutes (for a typical scenario) to 35 minutes (such as for Coca-Colas Live the Madness game) or longer [13, 16]. [1] In game advertising Viral Marketing Advergaming can be achieved mainly by two different ways. First, the brands can prepare thir own games and present to the customers. Second, they can also place the ad in to the games that already exist and have many players. The Sims or Second Life would be given as examples. The second is also named as in-game advertising. Moreover, beyond in-game advertising, Internet also encourages the gamers (users) to invite their friends to participate the games which could favor promotion form mouth to mouth, or viral marketing [2] where it can be defined as a marketing technique whereby information about a companys goods or services is passed electronically from one Internet user to another. In game advertising is being used very commonly since it is easier and less costly for a company than building their own online game. Also, by placing their logos, brand images, or the products as a simulation into a game, which is widely being played all around the world, companies can increase the probability to reach more and more customers. It is a huge arena so that impacts will also be quite large. THE IMPACT OF ADVERGAMING Influence on children Nutritious vs. Obesity Advergames are one of the most used marketing strategies to attract children and teenagers, creating in them an emotional link with the brand. This strategy can modify attitudes, in many occasions without applying responsible consumption, because the processes by which children purchases decisions are made are not as structured as adult decisions. [7] Its Childs Play: Advergaming and the Online Marketing of Food to Children [10] how advergames, which are online computer games developed to market a product, affect consumption of healthier and less healthy snacks by lowincome African American children.[6] Playing With Food: Content Analysis of Food Advergames [11] iyi anlamda Games with an Agenda: Entertainment for Consciousness Building [12] Researchs on customer and advergame relation Since the advergaming concept is a new format of advertising, even though it appears as promising, there have been a very little number of researches on it that scientifically prove its effectiveness. Also the adoption of the customers all around the world has not been justified yet and still unknown. [1] However, its potential cannot be underestimated. Before considering some of the researches and their results, it is necessary to mention that, since the advergaming is an internet based online advertisement form and most of the user or gamer population is composed of children and teenagers, the advergames target these two groups at most. However, the recent researches demonstrate that not only kids and teens but also many other surfers play advergames. 59% of the boys ages 13 to 17, 62% of the men ages 18 to 24 who go online, the largest group of women game players is between the ages of 45 and 54. [5] So therefore, according to that statistics it can be claimed that the advergaming is not only for kids any more. Here are some of the research examples and it will be examined that how there researches resulted in the means of advergaming. These types of researches are trying to measure the effects of online advertising on customers, by comparing interactive and non-interactive ads in order to determine their relative efficiencies across brand equity. At the end, it is concluded that visually stimulating and interactive forms of advertising are more effective at brand building in the sense of components of brand equity (aided brand awareness, online ad awareness, message association, brand favorability, and purchase intent). Indeed, highly interactive and animated advertising format could be expected to have a greater impact on brand equity than a traditional banner advertisement.[1] Some other studies are trying to figure out the emotional attachment of users to the brand. They claim that this emotional arousal generated by a brand with an interactive format of advertising increases an individuals attitude toward the advertisement positively to which they are exposed. The results show that the greater degrees of interactivity with an advertisement produced the higher levels of appreciation for the ad itself and for the Website on which it was deployed. [1] To sum up, researches have found that the less time a person that enjoys an advertisement spends thinking about the actual marketing message itself, the more they will like the advertisement [18]. [1] These studies indicate that for the advertisement the advergames could be expected to have a high level of appreciation. DIFFERENCE THAN OTHER ADVERTISING TOOLS Advantages/strengths A 2002 study comparing different ad types [12] found that advertisements that involved animations and/or interactivity were twice as effective as ordinary banner ads at generating message association, a component of brand equity. Interactive ads were compared to non-interactive ads to determine their relative merits across five different components of brand equity (aided brand awareness, online ad awareness, message association, brand favorability, and purchase intent). Disadvantages/weaknesses USAGE OF ADVERGAMING IN TURKEY Examples Rabarba.com HOW USAGE OF ADVERGAMING CHANGES AS PRODUCT TYPE DIFFERS CONLUSION Traditional product placement has taken on new meaning and force.