Antitrust practices Essay Example for Free

Antitrust practices EssayAntitrust practices are practices carried on by businesses that end up destroying perfect competition in the market. Antitrust righteousnesss are laws prepared to seek and promote healthy market competition by preventing anti-competitive practices by companies. Some of the illegal practices that constitute to antitrust conduct include corporate mergers, monopolies and price fixing conspiracies (Bailey, 2010). The Clayton Act of 1914 was passed by the U.S Congress. It was an antitrust law that was amended to stop and prevent practices that led to unhealthy competition in the market. The Clayton Act was amended in order to complement an earlier version of the antitrust law referred to as the Sherman antitrust Act of 1980. This was a federal law that sought to prevent practices that were harmful to consumers such as cartels, monopolies and other unfair business practices (California Association of REALTORS, 2005).Google Company genius of the recent firms to be investigated for antitrust demeanour is Google Company that leads the online searching manufacturing. According to Weiss (2014), the firm recently was being investigated by Competition Commission of India (CCI) for claims that it abused its dominance in the online search engine industry by mainly promoting its own services over those of its rivals. This reason is considered to create unhealthy competition in the business as the search engine companionship dominates its rivals in what is considered almost a monopolistic market. Antitrust behavior brings about both pecuniary and non-pecuniary costs. Since it damages healthy competition in the market, monopolies throw out gist and this has adverse effects to the prices of commodities. The products end up becoming costly and expensive for the customers and, therefore, affecting the society negatively (Bailey, 2010). On the other hand, antitrust behavior leads to the production of products falling below the market competitive level and this is mainly witnessed in monopolistic markets. Then again, the antitrust practices groundwork be costly for any troupe that has engaged in them since if investigations prove that the company is guilty of the said acts then heavy penalties can be imposed on them. Furthermore, this can ruin the write up of any company and, therefore, ending up losing its customers (Bailey, 2010).Monopolies andOligopoliesMonopolies and oligopolies are not always good for the society. Their presence in any market simply means they film all the power to control the prices of their products and services. This is not favorable to the customers since prices can always go up any time especially when the demand for certain commodities is high. One good example of an oligopoly is the Coca Cola and Pepsi Companies. These are the worlds largest beverage companies and demand for their products is never decreasing. However, these two companies represent a market with some suppliers while the cons umers are many. They have all the power to dictate their products prices and the consumers have no power whatsoever (Hovenkamp, 2011). On the other hand, some government monopolies can be considered beneficial to the members of the society. Many governments in the current world control the production and supply of electricity and other forms of energy. This is useful because the governments aim at providing such services to the citizens at affordable prices and across the countries. It is the responsibility of the government to enhance infrastructure development in the country and, therefore, running such sectors of the economy can be beneficial to consumers.ConclusionIn conclusion, it is important to point out that antitrust practices are unwanted behaviors since they destroy healthy competition among businesses. However, the law is stark on companies that engage in these practices and heavy penalties can be imposed on them. Antitrust practices include price fixing, corporate merg ers and creation of monopolies (Reeves, 2010).

Project Recommendation Email Essay Example for Free

Project Recommendation Email EssayWe have three final cause proposals to consider in next weeks Project Management Offices (PMO) Review. Piper Industries Corp. needs the gives to be complete and to be generating reexamine within 12 months of next weeks PMO Review. Wendell Deirelein, our vice-president, has assigned your team to analyze the three projects below and make a recommendation on which project the company should invest in. The recommendation must include your team description of the five phases of the project and the key deliverables (project result date and cost) for each project. Project compute Name JuniperThis is an enhancement of a current widget being offered by our company. Risk of completion of this project on time is low. growth designing shows the critical path to be 6 months at a cost of $325,000 to bring the product to grocery. Product is forecasted to have a ROI of $250,000 for a period of 2 to 3 years. The third year is forecasted to be the end of l ife for this product attract due to advances projected in technology. This is a standard product line that marketing believes many nodes will want to purchase. Project Code Name PalominoThis is a new line of widget products including enhancements using existing technology. Risk for completion of this project on time is medium. Production plan shows the critical path to be 9 months at a cost of $655,000 to bring the product to market. Product is forecasted to have a ROI of $450,000 for a period of 5 years. This product will be a custom part for one of your strategic customershistorically the forecasts from this customer have a 5% margin of error. The seventh year is forecasted to be the end of life for this product by the customer. Project Code Name astronomerResearch and development has already started on our new widgets. The company has spent $450,000 on this product so far and the estimate to bring this product to market is $575,000. Risk of completing this project on time is h igh.Product is forecasted to have ROI of $300,000 first year $550,000 the second year and $750,000 the third year. The product life is forecasted to be 7 years for this product. (This forecast included derivative product which will cost more). By delivering such an innovative product to the market place first, your establishment will be seen as a leader in this industry. Your sales and marketing teams have discussed this type of product with a few of your strategic customers duration some are interested, there are many questions about the business.Sincerely,Ray GritschPiper Industries Corporation

Mental Health Issues among University Students

Mental Health Issues among University StudentsIntroductionMental wellness issue among university students is a major emergence wellness concern. Research conducted in recent years has established that cases of students diagnosed with amiable health issues atomic number 18 on the rise. A study conducted by the National confederacy on Mental Illness (NAMI) found out that one in tetrad students in the US assumes from a genial-related health issue. In the UK, university counselors guard describe change magnitude cases of students dealings with mental-related issues. A survey conducted by NUS in 2014 established that 75% of the students suffered from a mental health issues (Winrow, 2017). There argon also increased cases of university students dropping out of school because of being overwhelmed by mental health issues. Mental health status of a university student is of uttermost importance because it plays a critical role in shaping the education life.In the UK, about15,000 f irst year students circulateed dealing with mental health issues (Burns,2017). The figures are a sharp contrast to about 3000 students in 2006 that werediagnosed with mental health issues. Surveys conducted by different companies prepare also established that females are more likely to report a mental healthissue than males.Mental health issues necessitateing university studentsThere are numerous mental health issues that affect university students. Depression is among the familiar mental health issues among students. A survey conducted by YouGov found that 77% of students with mental health issue had depression (Aronin and Smith, 2016). Anxiety is another mental health issue facing university students. Anxiety is largely caused by divergent issues like exam fear and experiencing difficulties while studying. University education is quite motiveing and may prove a high-energy consuming activity for some students. Students are also expected to attain a certain score to guarantee them a pass in a certain class. Resultantly, some students may become anxious about their performance, which may affect their mental status. Stress among university students is another major mental health issue. Stress among university students is influenced by different factors. The highly demanding university studies are a leading cause of stress among the university students. Other causes of stress include examinations, deadlines, managing debts and demand coursework. Other mental health issues facing university students in the UK include self-harm, suicidal thoughts, eating disorders, and addiction.Causes of mental healthissuesThere are numerousand divergent students pressures that may cause mental health issues. TheyincludeLiving independently for the first timeSome university students are compelled to live independentlydepending on the location of the university they study. Living away from theirhomes may result to loneliness. Students living alone may feel overwhelmed byrespo nsibilities, which they are expected to do on their own. At times, theymay also feel scared. such situations may lead to mental health issues.Managing an increased workloadStudents are expected to go through a large amount of workloadduring their university education. Students are expected to bear the amount ofworkload expected in a university. However, some students find it a tall order,which may make them uncomfortable and unhappy. flunk to manage increasedworkload can result in poor performance. Such students may fail to completeassignment and fail to meet deadlines square up for different academic activities. Asa result, such students may develop stress, which affects their mental healthstatus.Additional work responsibilitiesSome students may be in engaged in other responsibilities likeworking on a part-time basis. They may engage in such activities to raiseincome that will uphold them to sustain their university education. Balancingbetween education and part-time job is at times a challenge that may bringhealth mental issues. kitchen-gardening shock, language barriers, and homesicknessInternational students studying in different UK universities sufferfrom culture shock, language barrier, and homesickness. These students arecompelled to leave their families and countries and embark on education in theUK. They are compelled to go through adifficult period of learning a new culture feel like strangers. Culturaldifferences may at times feel strange and difficult to adopt. Internationalstudents also experience language barrier, which may make it difficult for themto comprehend what the professors are saying. Language barrier may also make itdifficult for such students to interact with local students. Internationalstudents experience homesickness because they are separated from their familyand loved ones. Such issues lead to substantial levels of stress, which affecttheir mental health status.Increased study costsThe cost of funding university education is on the rise.Resultantly, students are increasing a difficult situation of dealing with thesoaring expenses to fund their education. A research conducted among 2000students by NUS established that a third of them report of having mental healthissues because of financial problems (Minsky, 2016). The students stated credit separate and payday loans as some of the financial problems that contributed tomental health issues. Maintenance loans given to students results in increasedstress because students are worried about their debts.Increasingly combative job marketThe job market is getting increasingly competitive, which results inincreased pressure among university students. New grads looking for jobs arecompelled to cope with increased competition. Employers have increased thecompetitiveness of the job market because they are looking for grads thatpossess hard and STEM skills. Universities are churning out students, who donot have employability skills that can match the fast-changing skills thatcharacterize the competitive job market.Curbinghealth mental issuesBesides relying on health authorities to monitor mental health issuesamong students, universities need to increase support work that should lookafter their own students to help them deal with mental health issues. Thealready established support services that deal with mental health issues areoverwhelmed by the increasing number of students affected. A study conducted byIPPR found out that one in four students is using or waiting to use counselingservices. In Leeds University, the study found out that there was a 50%increase in demand of mental health services, while the University ofBirmingham there has been an annual increase of 5-6% for the past 10 years inneed of the services (Burns, 2017). Universities need to prioritize mental healthissues and channel more resources and effort towards curbing the issues.Additionally, universities need to improve students access to National HealthService (NHS)In summ ary, it is evident from the above discourse that mentalhealth issues among university is a major concern that should be taken moreseriously given the rising cases of the affected students. Mental health issues shank from different student pressures like living independently for the first time,managing an increased workload, additional work responsibilities, and soaringuniversity cost. Students may experience different mental health issues likedepression, stress, anxiety, and eating disorders. Universities need toincrease their efforts towards establishing the right support services tohandle increasing cases of students experiencing mental health issues.ReferencesAronin, S. and Smith, M. (2016). YouGov One in four students suffer from mental health problems. online YouGov What the world thinks. Available athttps//yougov.co.uk/ intelligence agency/2016/08/09/quarter-britains-students-are-afflicted-mental-hea/Accessed 15 Feb. 2018.Burns, J. (2017). Sharprise in student mental illness . online BBC News. Available at http//www.bbc.com/news/education-41148704Accessed 15 Feb. 2018.Minsky, C. (2016). UKstudents mental health affected by financial worries. online Times HigherEducation (THE). Available athttps//www.timeshighereducation.com/student/news/uk-students-mental-health-affected-financial-worriesAccessed 15 Feb. 2018.Winrow, L. (2017). more(prenominal)students are dropping out of university because of mental health. online TheIndependent. Available athttp//www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/more-students-are-dropping-out-of-university-because-of-mental-health-problems-a7788901.htmlAccessed 15 Feb. 2018.

Case Study Workplace Learning Analysis Education Essay

Case Study Workplace instruction Analysis Education studyIn recent years pastureplace learnedness has gone from being largely unnoticed to attracting unprecedented rice beer among employers, questioners and policy makers. This interest trick be attri saveed to globalisation, technological and cordial changes, economic shifts and organisational developments. The ideas of skill linked to engagement roles and cultivation glide byring at survive be not modern yet concepts such as lifelong scholarship, the reading society and the knowledge economy sustain contributed to the development of oeuvre acquire as a distinctive field of enquiry (Lee et al., 20042). The acquaintance of piece of contrive cultivation as a source of sustainable competitive advantage for souls and organizations alike have as well as attracted a great deal of interest to ensure that oeuvre education is effective. David Boud (19995) goes on to assert that in this sceneWorkplace breeding is concerned not only with immediate work competencies, but about future competencies. It is about investment in the general capabilities of employees as well as the specific and technical. And it is about the utilisation of theirknowledge and capabilities wherever they capacity be take awayed in place and time. more scholars agree that the oeuvre provides a rich purlieu for learning (Hager, 2004 Billet, 2001, Boud, 1999). In the changing context of work and new competence demands there is widespread consensus about the importance of body of works as signifi senst sites for learning new skills and knowledge. Indeed, the workplace is now even named by nigh as the Learning Organisation which is defined by Pedler et al (1998) as an organisation which facilitates the learning of all its members and continually transforms itself (Thompson, 20062). Workplace learning includes a contour of models like formal, non-formal, informal and sequent. On the contrary to the wide availability of various types of learning, relatively little is known about its effects at individual and/or organisational level (Felstead et al, 2009). The lack of such information whitethorn involve a low degree of intentional exploit at individual and organisational level to hone take up and effectiveness of workplace learning (Felstead et al, 2009).Literature substantiates the claim that workplaces differ in preconditions of the opportunities they provide for employees to engage in learning activities and personal development (Billett, 2001). Workplaces excessively differ in terms of their complexity, their polish, their power and the nature of their boundaries with contexts of learning and knowledge production (Clarke, 2005). Research shows that workplace learning is a socially situated process where the context, in terms of its structures, activities and relationships take shape the learning environment and learning opportunities in the workplace (Lee et al, 2004). As Marsick and Watkins comment, the mankind of a learning environment goes far beyond the design of learning itself. It involves the design of work, work environments, engine room, reward systems, structures and policies (199044). Awareness and understanding of these factors is a pre-condition to foster an effective workplace learning at organisational level as well as at policy level. In fact, Felstead (2009193) has suggested that there is some show up in the larger field of human resourcefulness development that a focus on the learning of individuals is less significant than a focus on the organisation as a context for learning Increasingly, the importance of developing an appropriate learning environment in order to foster workplace learning is dominating organisational agendas (Clarke, 2005).Such realisation are in evidence in the UK, where the British government through the HM Treasury report Prosperity for all in the global economy -world class skills (2006), has plume workplace learni ng in the wider context of government policy and emphasised the importance of developing effective workplace environments to turn out workplace learning in particular (HM Treasury 2006, The Leitch Review of skills). Despite ongoing government support for learning in the workplace, findings showed that there remains a significant gap between policy and use (National guidance research forum). Employers complain that despite the available government funding the costs of involvement outweigh the benefits. Further many UK workplaces are still considered as being low-skill and offering poor opportunities for learning and there are worries that significant shortages of skilled workers bequeath start to appear, unless workplace learning is heighten (CIPD, survey report 2008). Addressing the issue, findings from The Teacher and Learning Research Programme (TLRP) revealed that for workplace learning to be effective in the UK, various aspects of workplace context need to be considered than merely providing learning opportunities at work.Since learning is influenced by the workplace context, exploring the contextual factors that may influence employees learning is critical to advancing our understanding of how divers(prenominal) aspects of the workplace environment are in all probability to be classical in fostering an effective learning climate (Clarke, 2005). It has been acknowledged that workplace provides an environment for learning that either facilitates or inhibits learning, yet few research studies have examined the extremity to which the environment serves to enhance learning. A few commentators, notably Billett (2001), Fuller and Unwin (2003), and Ashton (2004), have sought-after(a) to extend this view and have pointed to workplace structure and context as significant factors within the processes of learning at work (Lee et al, 2004). In particular, Skule (2004) has acknowledged that research on assessing and measuring the contextual factors that promote or impede learning at work is under true (Skule, 2004).Therefore this study sought to investigate and discourse the influence of contextual factors that have been posited in the literature as influencing workplace learning specifically. This paper shows that by locating workplace learning in context, clearer understandings of the factors influencing the learning environment and processes can be gained. It also shows how the workplace context can provide both barriers to and opportunities for learning.Firstly, assorted forms of workplace learning are identified. Two reversal paradigms or get alonges to understanding the phenomenon of learning at work are discussed. However, the focus of the paper is not on formal programs but on informal/incidental learning which occurs in the workplace. Then the report aims to discuss appropriate context conditions for learning at the workplace.Workplace learningWorkplace learning is attracting fear for a number of different reasons. It is oft en modifyd and conceptualised as advantageous to all those involved there are benefits to employers in raising productivity and profitability, there are benefits to employees in raising employability and earnings and there are benefits to the economy in raising competitiveness and growth. Apparently, workplace learning is a term applied to various contexts and environ by different points of view. Thereby generating a myriad of different lenses through which workplace learning is viewed and unsounded. David Boud (199911) argues that, workplace learning is a site of intersecting interests, oppose ideas, three-fold forms of writing and rapidly evolving practice.There is no consistent and generally accepted definition of workplace learning (Lee et al., 2004). One definition of workplace learning was provided by Marsick and Watkins during the 1990s. Their definition focused on the way individuals learn and respond to changes in the organisational environment that in turn influences the way in which plurality shit meaning in their personal and shared organisational lives. Fuller and Unwin described workplace learning as learning in, for, and through the workplace (200623), suggesting that learning can be embedded in social relations. Beckett (1999), in relation to workplace learning, tends to focus on key HR policy choices and agues that organisations should provide mentoring and coaching and dedicated time to engage in policies for individual strategies such as appraisal, career planning, incentives to learn etc and link workplace learning strategy to evidence of learning (cited in workplace learning main themes and surveys).Not only workplace learning is represented by a variety of meanings, the literature is also informed by different views. The literature on workplace learning is rather confusing as it has been viewed from the perspective of a variety of disciplines such as sociology, cognitive psychology, policy studies, perplexity theory, learning the ory etc, each reflecting different assumptions and perspectives (Hager, 2004). However, in the field of perplexity theory (HRM), approaches to classifying types of workplace learning demonstrate two main dimensions or approaches to discussions.The dominant perspective has been the traditional perspective of learning. Many researchers work within what Beckett and Hager (2002) have called the standard paradigm of learning which assets that the best learning consists of abstract ideas that are context independent and transparent. Here learning is a process of individual acquisition of knowledge. Hence he goes on to argue that in this paradigm non-transparent learning is a second-rate kind of learning (Hager 2004244). This is important for studies of workplace learning because it takes us beyond the simplistic and restricted traditions of cognitive and behaviourist psychology and embraces the role of implicit knowledge. This learning opposes the emergent paradigm of learning which e mphasise the importance of how people make sense of their experiences at work. Hager (2004246) argues that rather then being simply a change in the properties of the learnerthe main outcome of learning is the creation of a new set of relations in an environment. This is why learning is inherently contextual, since what it does is to continually alter the context in which it occurs.Similarly, Sfard (1998) has used the notion of metaphors of learning. The first metaphor -learning as acquisition is based on the premise that knowledge exists individually of the knower but can be acquired and acted upon. The second metaphor -learning as participation emphasises learning happening in relation to separates before it is internalised by the individual. Sfard (1998) forceful that neither metaphor was adequate on its own (Sfard, 199844).A different perspective to workplace learning emerged in academic writings in the archeozoic nineties, greatly influenced by the work of Lave and Wenger ( 1991). Situated learning theories draw on concepts such as communities of practice to explore workplace learning. This new perspective emphasises the construction of knowledge within the social and cultural circumstances in which learning occur, namely the social context. Lave and Wenger (1991) who in stressing that learning is at its to the highest degree meaningful when it is situated showed how researchers should focus on the community of practice rather than on the individual as the unit of analysis. It is argued that workplace learning depends on the extent to which organisations afford employees opportunities to participate and interact with colleagues (Billet, 2001). Even though Lave and Wengers concepts of communities of practice have enjoyed widespread popularity within workplace learning theory, it has been criticised for failing to take bill of the role of formal education and not discussing that employees in a workplace may or may not have opportunities to be part of a community of practice (Fuller and Unwin, 2003).The second main dimension of learning relates to the distinctions between formal and informal learning. chunk workplace learning is typically associated with training and education. It is also conceptualised as a standard paradigm of learning or learning by acquisition. According to Marsick and Watkins (1990), formal learning occurs as part of an organised workplace-accredited programme and is embedded within the organisations structure. They argue that formal learning has a finite end point that results in a qualification to undertake specific work activity.In contrast, informal workplace learning can be thought of as a process of learning that takes place in everyday work experience (Marsick and Watkins, 1990). Informal learning involves action and reflection and includes self-directed learning, mentoring, coaching and social interaction. Informal learning is go acrossn to be integrated into daily routines (i.e. experience-based l earning), not passing conscious (i.e. implicit learning), influenced by chance and linked to learning of others (learning by communicating) (Lee et al., 2004 Marsick and Watkins, 1990). Indeed research shows that learning by doing is the most effective method of learning.The term informal learning sometimes is used interchangeably with incidental learning. Marsick and Watkins drew distinction between informal and incidental learning. They described informal learning as focusing on experiential forms of learning and incidental learning as focusing on unwilling or unplanned learning (cited in affordances and constraints on informal learning in the workplace). In this context, learning is assumed to be an action arising from experience that may enable the learner to develop and acquire new skills. Incidental learning can be described as a social process and can be conceptualised using Lave and Wenger (1991) notion of a community of practice.Research indicates that about two-thirds of workplace learning may be informal or incidental (Marsick and Watkins, 1990 Skule, 2004). There is also patent consensus that informal learning is becoming increasingly the preferred option for developing employees. One of the most important issues here is the realisation that much of the knowledge that individuals need and use in organisations is based upon their experience and often cant easily be found in any written form. For example, Billett (2001) conducted several studies of coal miners and workers in industries, concluding that in the informal learning setting of the workplace, effective learning resulted from learners engagement in authentic activities, guided by experts and by interacting with other co-workers. Although learning was unique to each co-worker, it was also shaped by the workplace culture. His study revealed that the quality of learning depended on the kind of activities engaged in, access to support, guidance, and how co-workers constructed their knowledge of different situations. According to Billett (200121)..these factors influence the process of learning and what is learnt. In doing so, they reflect the interdependence between work and learning, providing a basis to consider not only the contributions of the workplace as a learning environment, but also how the workplace might be organised to improve learningInformal learning suggests that the social and cultural environment has the authority to influence how learning occurs. Furthermore few studies have investigated how the sociocultural context has facilitated and constrained informal learning at work. This is a critical area of investigation because of the growing reliance on informal learning as a means of developing the knowledge and skills required in the workplace (Felstead, et al, 2009). Although informal workplace learning is the most prevalent form of learning in organisation, it is also the least well supported (Eraut, 2004).A central argument of this paper is that the workplace can be understood to foster or stymie particular types of learning environment. Drawing on Lave and Wengers (1991) situated learning theory, Fuller and Unwin (2003) developed an loquacious- constrictive framework that provides a conceptual and analytical tool for evaluating the quality of learning environments and for analysing an organisations approach to workforce development (Lee et al, 2004). Expansive learning environments include opportunities to engage with sixfold communities of practice, gain broad experience across the organisation, learn off and on-the-job and extend job roles. Restrictive environments on the other end are characterised by workplaces with restrict opportunities to acquire formal qualifications and much narrower approach to work design (Fuller and Unwin 2003 2004a). In their study, they identified three participatory dimensions. Firstly opportunities for engaging in multiple communities of practice at and beyond the workplace. Secondly, acce ss to a multidimensional approach to the acquisition of expertise through the organisation of work and job design and ultimately the opportunity to pursue knowledge-based courses related to work (Clarke, 2005). The findings further revealed that organisations with expansive approach foster a wide range of formal, non-formal and informal approaches to and opportunities for learning whereas a restrictive approach impose many limitations on learning. Within organisations adopting an expansive approach, learning is likely to take place horizontally as well as vertically, and the culture is likely to be less hierarchical. Individual employees are also likely to vary as to whether their approach to learning is expansive or restrictive, and their attitudes may be in harmony with or in opposition to the culture of the organisation in which they work. Fuller and Unwin (2003) and Billett (2001) stress the importance of persons dispositions towards workplace learning. Those personal dispositi ons influence what and how an individual learn at work. Fuller and Unwin research was contested by some authors, notably Young (2001) who pointed out that not all workplace learning will take place across teams or in social circumstances. Young further argues that the emphasis that expansive learning places upon transformation could potentially lead to the creation a new learning binary mirroring that of formal/informal learning (Lee et al, 2004, cited in workplace learning main themes and perspectives).This brief introduction has highlighted that learning in the workplace can be formal, informal and incidental and that workplace can foster or hinder particular types of learning environment. The various definitions of workplace learning explain that the all encompassing nature of the term makes it difficult to establish how far there has been a shift in human resource management towards making more effective use of the workplace as a source of learning (Stern Sommerland 1999 cited in workplace learning main themes and perspectives). Arguably the differing dimensions of workplace learning within these literatures examine the influence of the workplace context at different levels of analysis and more importantly influence learning differently (Clarke, 2005). Organisations can play a major role in facilitating their employees learning by providing an environment that is conducive to a positive attitude to learning.Conditions for effective Workplace LearningThe effectiveness of learning activities at the workplace is dependant on a variety of factors. Scholars such as Fuller and Unwin (2003), Billett (2001), and Skule (2004) have identified various factors that act workplace learning, either directly or indirectly in a large number of contexts. Research shows that organisational structure, workplace context and social-cultural conditions at work shape the learning environment and learning opportunities in the workplace (Ashton, 2004). Besides, there are also ind ividual factors such as individual dispositions, psychological learning potential, job status and educational background which affects individuals learning at work. This section focuses on analysing briefly the workplace context and social-cultural conditions influencing workplace learning. Based upon a review of the literature, a range of factors were identified that were considered aspects of workplace environment for facilitating or constraining workplace learning outcomes (Clarke, 20058).Environmental factorsThe rapid changes in the economic and social conditions means organisations have to constantly adapt in order to survive. This adaption involves the acquisition of new skills and competences at the workplace and job level, thus inevitably influencing the degree and quality of learning in the work context (Skule, 2004). This relationship is empirically confirmed by Skule (2004) who identify a positive correlation between exposure to competition of the organisation and learni ng-intensity of jobs. nevertheless diversification of technologies and advanced information are becoming increasingly pivotal to the success of organisations and professional practices, irrespective of their size or industry sector. This is because information engine room not only automates, it also informates information technology can create an environment for thinking and problem solving (Schuck 19961999). Thus the successful integration of technology into the organisations functioning can have dramatic impact on the learning opportunities.Organisation structure and cultureHow motivate individuals are to learn and how encouraged they odor in learning all depend in large part on the organisation, its culture and how it is managed. In short, when it comes to learning, an organisation can facilitate or hinder workplace learning.Ashton (2004) through his empirical studies identifies the following workplace practices that have major influence on workplace learning (1) Tasks variat ion in the job. Placing employees into different functions or departments so that they gain skills and knowledge in different contexts and able to shadow other employees. Secondments and job rotation constitutes an appropriate instrument in this respect. (2) Autonomy vs standardization of tasks and work processes. Task with a high degree of autonomy facilitates developmental learning, whereas a task with a high degree of standardization facilitates reproductive learning. (3) Cross- functional teams. Many organisations are starting to see the potential of cross-functional teams as an effective means of supporting workplace learning. One benefit of employee working in cross functional team is that knowledge and skills from other team members is transferred directly and formally. (4) Organisational decisions about learning and its importance. This underpinned the support available for learner from all levels (Lee at al, 2004). Whilst Ashton empirical study reveals that workplace pract ices can and do influence learning and access to learning, it also draws attention to the significance of learning culture. It follows that a very effective way of improving workplace learning is to improve the learning culture. This entails making changes to existing working conditions and day-to-day practice of management (Skule, 2004). Skule (2004) identifies, in a quantitative study that conductorial beliefs, attitudes and behaviours unitedly with leadership issues (like feedback, support and reward) were the most conducive factors to learning at work. While approaches to management development normally emphasise motivation, productivity and appraisal, relatively little attention is given to creating a climate which promotes learning (Thompson, 2006). More specifically managing should be comparable to coaching, education and skills of managers have to be adapted towards pedagogy and teaching methods to support and structure learning processed in workplaces. To appoint managers and develop them for this new role of facilitating learning would be a highly significant move. According to Schuck (1996207)The beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours of the manager are at the heart of the environment of inquiry. Within pedagogy for meaning, a manager creates opportunities for learning and becomes an active participant in it. The manager of inquiry encourages people to ask questions and creates an environment in which intellectual play and socially mediated learning are necessary and legitimate components of work.Research shows that the most effective learning cultures are best when a learning culture is expansive (Fuller and Unwin, 2003). Fuller and Unwin study on apprenticeships revealed that quality of learning varied significantly between expansive and restricted firms despite the fact that all were part of the same government scheme. Furthermore, they state that expansive learning environments, which encourage access to diverse forms of participation, were more li kely to facilitate integration of personal and organizational development. Billett (2001) shares Fuller and Unwin (2003) view on co-participation but adds that learning is more likely to be effective if there is synergism between the factors and forces that contribute to the learning -e.g workplace affordances (race, gender, personal relations etc), supportive management and learn part of the culture (Clarke, 2005)Socio-cultural contextWhile the organisational context of learning is clearly important, we should also note the significance of the socio-cultural context of learning. Socio-cultural perspective on learning can be traced back to the work of Vygotsky (1978) who suggested that learning cannot be understood without considering the social and cultural context in which learning takes place. Echoing Vygotsky, Lave and Wenger (1991) have conceptualised learning in the workplace as participation in social practice. From this perspective, workplace learning is seen as arising as a result of a complex interaction between knowledge acquisition based within the work and social activities or practices of groups within organisations (Lave Wenger, 1991).Workplace leaning is not isolated from social practice. This is clearly an important consideration in understanding the consequences of learning in workplaces (Billett, 2001). This can be seen to apply in a number of ways The social circumstances in the learning situation can play a significant part in how learning experiences proceed for example a disable learner may be held back in his or her learning because of disadvantages within the organisations concerned. Moreover, factors such as race, gender can have a significant influence on learning. For example gender stereotyping can shape peoples attitudes and approach to learning (Felstead et al, 2009). Billett (2001) highlighted that workplace learning is social and cultural in nature. In his research on skill formation in coal mines, Billett argued that workpla ce activities are structured by historical, cultural and situational factors that influence the kind of learning that occurs through work (Clarke, 2005).From the sociocultural perspective, learning is experienced as a social practice where it is highly dependent upon the social situation and cultural context in which it takes place. In order for workplace learning to be effective then, such insights recognise learning not as an isolated individual activity but deeply rooted with networks of social relationships (Clarke, 2005).The point was made earlier that workplace conditions can either foster or hinder workplace learning, but it is not just these factors that can play such pivotal role. There are other barriers within the workplace that hinder workplace learning, these will be discussed next.Workplace learning is not only dependent on workplace conditions but also on personal factors. Smith (2000) has criticised the literature on workplace learning for assuming that all learners in the workplace are generally self-directed and motivated (Clarke, 200515). However many employees do no have these skills. Learning readiness should be apparent in individual. Willingness to learn can also be limited if the specific needs and potential benefits are not apparent such as time made available during working hours. Moreover an understanding of the different types of learning strategies used by individuals within organisations is crucial to foster an effective workplace learning.It is often claimed that employee learning is essential to the success of a firm, but the evidence in UK says otherwise. It is important to note that not all employees are provided with the same opportunities for learning in the workplace. Survey from CIPD shows that unskilled workers are the least to receive opportunities for learning, more often than not female part time employee. Further findings revealed that three-quarters of organisations reported that their manual staff had no formally appointed mentor and half admitted that they had no structured on the job training. The lack of awareness of learning needs for organisations and the reluctance by managers to guide and provide support to learners may inhibit the outcome of workplace learning. Managers may be reluctant about sharing knowledge for fear of loss of status and power (Lave Wenger 1991). For example in Japanese corporations, where workplace learning is astray accepted, managers roles include training subordinates. Yet these managers are secure because promotion is based on seniority, therefore, they will not be displaced. In Australia however industrial connexion results in particular jobs being undertaken by particular groups of workers (Owen 1995, cited in current issues and agendas in workplace learning). Lack of awareness of learning needs is also committed to uncertainty regarding the incentives to employees. In many UK organisations pay and status are rarely linked to the attainment of qualificat ion and thus provide little incentive to see further training (Owen 1995, cited in current issues and agendas in workplace learning).ConclusionThis paper explores and discusses the influence of workplace context on workplace learning specifically. Attempts to characterise workplace learning have generated a myriad of terms and hence, seen as a complex and multifarious concept within the literature (Lee et al, 2004). One of the reasons for the apparent ambiguity is because the term is applied to many different contexts and activities.This paper has also provided an overview of the two dominant perspectives of learning with the emphasis on the participation as an important learning process. To summarise the two perspectives the standard paradigm of learning and learning as acquisition perspectives are rooted in traditional understandings of learning shake up by cognitive psychology and behaviourism. These perspectives tend to focus primarily on how individuals acquire knowledge withi n and across different psychological processes and levels. In contrast, the emerging paradigm and learning as participation perspectives understand the process of learning to be collectively generated. These perspectives are rooted in social understandings of learning where this is seen to occur through the social relations and participatory practices of individuals within communities of practice (Lave and Wenger, 2001). The second main dimension in discussion is the distinctions between formal and informal learning. Formal learning is planned and provided by the organisation in an effort to increase employees effectiveness. Workplace learning can also be informal learning that is unintentional and result from interaction with other employees.Workplace learning is embedded within, takes its shape from and can be impeded or facilitated by the workplace context (Fuller et al, 200347). As mentioned in the paper workplace learning is a socially situated process where the context, in ter ms of its structures, activities and relationships shape the learning environment and learning opportunities in the workplace (Fuller and Unwin, 2003). All learning in the workplace is influenced by a range of factors and is shaped by external as well as internal imperatives. Factors namely environmental factor, organisational structure, workplace culture and social context were discussed. This paper e

Reviewing The Problems Of Music Piracy Media Essay

Reviewing The Problems Of Music Piracy Media EssayMusic meshwork buccaneering is causing serious tasks within the spheric society, especially the medicine intentness. Music profit plagiarisation itself has headed in big medicine companies such as Sony, in losing cardinals of dollars e very year and is progressively growing. There break been many institutions and strategies that have been adopt by the symphony industry to beset harmony plagiarisation which have addressed unison plagiarization but have not had the ability to stop it.In this essay, I will be investigating The effect of Peer-to-Peer cyberspace piracy on the medicine industry. I will be doing so by breaking up my essay into different divisions. These include an introductory section on harmony publishing and procure infringements this will give some background in formation as to the whole concept of medicament rights. Then I would be investigating The Global Music Industry and to follow this, a section on why unison piracy has been so successful. Straight subsequently this I will look at the industrys response to combat music piracy and finally a section on the in store(predicate) tense of the music industryThis topic is worthy of study because it surfacelines the bear on of music piracy on the music industry. This should educate you think twice before downloading a song or album because you will witness the effect it is having on the artists, producers, singers, and companies if you consistently download music. If music piracy continues, it will have an effect on people unveiling the music industry because they be existence denied of the money they deserve.Music Publishment and Copyright InfringementMusic piracy is defined as the illegal duplication and dissemination of adept transcriptions.1Each time an album or single is purchased a faction of that sale goes to the artist or band that made the song. This money is called a royalty payment. This is where musicians ea rn most of their income. If people continually download music or masters from the Internet without paying for them, the musicians receive no royalties.2This is a serious problem because if singers argon not payed, this will threaten the futurity of music copyright as they might leave the industry collectable to the decreased return.Music copyright is the legal right to publish and sell copies of an artists, singers, or writers work.3In the music industry, the copyright to a song is usually sh bed by the singer and their recording company under the condition that the recording company pays the singer for a share in their copyright, which gives the company the right to prevent any other judicature from selling the songs. The consequence of another company being found selling copies of the song is that the singer or their recording company has the right to sue and vex charges against that company for breaking copyright laws.4The artists have this right to micturate sure that only their companies can sell their songs, which would result in only that company receiving the money. just today when the music is downloaded from the Internet, the companies do not get money out of it as it is a free transition to the downloader.The Global Music IndustryThe global music industry was quite successful during the 1990s. According to the International Federation of the Phono graphic industry (IFPI), album gross revenue grew from US$24.1 billion to US$38.6 billion during the decade.5Those days are well over now and the industry is struggling and sales have been falling quite rapidly. The Institute for Policy Innovation said music piracy is costing the U.S. economy $12.5 billion every year. 71,060 U.S. jobs lost, a loss of $2.7 billion in workers earnings, and a loss of $422 million in tax revenues, $291 million in somebodyal income tax and $131 million in lost corporate income and production taxes.6So not only is music piracy threatening the future of music copyright, it is also threatening the global society in terms of jobs, taxes and salaries.This problem has arisen from the online music point sharing programs that are now available to use with the internet. The most commonly used read sharing is Peer to Peer (P2P) net work, which was used by Napster. Napster was created in June 1999 and made the work of many artists available for free. Napsters popularity was neighboring(a) and according to Mediametrix, a company that provides internet rankings and measurement, Napster was the fastest software adoption in history7and 2.8 billion music files were downloaded each month.8Napster is a different direction to distribute MP3 files. Instead of storing the songs on a central computer, the songs live on users machines. When you want to download a song using Napster, you are downloading it from another persons machine, and that person could be your next-door neighbour or someone halfway more or less the world.9Napster also used a centralized dire ctory that facilitated efficient searches for songs, albums and artists,10which made it very user-friendly that helped it mystify more popular and widely used around the world.Given the impact on the music industry, the Recording Music of America (RIAA) soon filed a racing shell against Napster in the U.S. District Court of San Francisco for engaging in or enabling, facilitating or assisting others in the copying, downloading, uploading, transmission, or scattering of copyrighted musical work or sound recordings protected by copyright or state law without the express permission of the rights owners.11Napster was then shut down February 2001. This did not see the end of file sharing on the internet though many other peer-to-peer alternatives to exchange music over the internet remained available such as Freenet, Gnutella, Gnarly, Wired satellite12and KaZaA. For instance, KaZaA, is currently holding the new record of most downloaded software with more than 230 million users worldw ide.13In all the countries listed by the Yahoo Buzz Index, which is an index that measures internet search sing the Yahoo search engine, KaZaA was the number one and most popular search term on the internet in many weeks during 2003.14 15The graph above demonstrates the increasing sales of music from 1991 to 1998, but due to the introduction of Napster in 1999, music sales have decreased rapidly from 2000 onwards and are still decreasing. The graph also indicates that it is projected that in 2012, there would be an increase in the amount of digital format spending on music and less CD sales compared to the sales in 2006.File sharing has been growing ever since it started. In June 2001, IFPI estimated there were 3 million simultaneous global users and 500 million files available for copying at any stage in time. In 2002, the IFPI estimate went up to 5 million simultaneous users and 900 million files.16Clearly we can see now that file sharing is increasing rapidly every year and is g etting more popular with more users and files being put up to download. In 2002, NetPD, a company that provides protection function to copyright owners whose material is being pirated with the internet, reported that 3.6 billion files were downloaded monthly, of which around 60% and 70% were music files.17The most popular albums are suffering the most. The most popular albums are available for downloading almost immediately after release and in some cases before release. Popular artist Eminems album was available for download even before it was released.18So it is fair to say that copyright protection applied science has been ineffective in preventing music from being downloaded and threatens the future of music copyright.Not only are the producers and artists losing money, the top five recording distributors are also sense of touch the effect of music piracy. The five recording distributors or record labels combine to distribute over 80% of all sales in the coupled States in b oth 2002 and 2003.19These Big Five companies are , Universal Music Group (IMG), Warner/Elektra/Atlantic (WEA), Sony, Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG), and Electric and Musical Industries (EMI). These companies have tremendous merchandise power in the signing of artists, the release of new albums and the distribution of the albums. If music piracy continues, it will threaten the rights of these big companies sales and music copyright20and impact on their commitment to sign and develop new artists. 21Table above presents aggregate market share data for total album sales in 2002 and 2003, the two old age in the data sample.22Reasons That Contribute to Music Piracys SuccessionFile sharing and music piracy over the internet has been successful due to many aspects that are changing within the society. Back in the 90s there was no technology around to assist in file sharing. That is why the music sales were so successful in those days. But now society has stupendously fast broadband spee ds and new computer technology that assist to make file sharing and music piracy possible and simple to do. In this section of the essay I will be underlining all the aspects that have been introduced in the society that have made it easier for music pirates (pirates being a person who downloads music or uploads music on the Internet), to make file sharing and music piracy so successful.The first reason for music piracys success is the development of broadband and cable internet which has facilitated music swapping. A soundtrack that take ups more than 12 proceedings to download with a dial-up connection can be downloaded to your computer in as fast as 20 seconds with a high speed connection.23Napster enjoyed the super fast speed of the internet in Universities and used it effectively until they were banned because file swapping was consuming much of the bandwidth available. In the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, file sharing had amounted to 75% of the total bandwidth. 24Now that the internet speeds are faster and more efficient, downloading music is much easier and makes life much easier for the pirate. If this continues and technology keeps on improving, then this will sure threaten the future of music copyright because as mentioned before it is quicker to download and easier.Another change in technology that has the ability to threaten the future of music copyright is that it is getting easier to use such digital formats. The development of digital compression formats has had a major influence on the illegal distribution of music. Online delivery is possible in Motion Picture Expert Group-1 Audio layer 3 format (MP3).25MP3 is a digital compression method that reduces a piece of recorded music to one-tenth of its original size.26This is the format used in the online sharing of pirate copies. MP3 is the most popular and productive format of data compression. MP3 compresses the data without significantly compromising sound quality which is what t he pirates want. Also, the ease of trading songs using MP3 format will discourage consumers from buying legal copies of albums or songs,27which potentially does have the ability to threaten music copyright as it has become very easy to download and store music with minimal hassle, due to the MP3 format.MP3 files are more productive to use than CDs. A 5 minute soundtrack that would take more than 50 megabytes in CD compression format would only take a file of 5 megabytes to store without noticeably affecting the sound quality. This 5 megabyte compressed file takes 12 minutes to download with a dial-up internet connection (56Kbps modem downstream), 1 minute and 20 seconds with a regular digital subscriber line or cable connection (512Kbps downstream) and 20 seconds with a fast DSL connection (2000Kbps downstream).28So now that faster internet assists with faster downloads, many people buy fast speed broadband to download compressed MP3 files expeditiously and effectively.The developme nt a myriad of takeout MP3 players ranging from top of the range IPods to inexpensive pocket sized MP3 players has also had an impact and will further threaten the future of music copyright. People can upload (rip) CDs to their PCs hard drives and hark to music on their computer. The computer then has the ability to compress the files to a suitable MP3 format to reduce the storage memory on the hard drive and to facilitate the sharing of the files over the internet, and convert the files back to a CD format and sheer CDs that can be played by any MP3 player. So the portability of the music is now more convenient, as now the music can be carried in a MP3 player device. MP3 players and IPods are the most popular sources of listening to music, so now if everybodys downloading music files off the internet, they will find it more convenient to listen to music from a little device such as an MP3 player. So if there is a growing number of MP3 users, there would also be a growing number of music downloaders, which has the impact to threaten the future of licensed and copyrighted music.The Industrys Response in Combating Music PiracyThe music industry has adopted many strategies, punishments and policies to combat and prevent music piracy from continuing. In this section of the essay I will analyse the responses that the industry have implement to combat music piracy.The first response that the music industry implemented was that the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) individually sued participants in file sharing network. On June, 25, 2003, the RIAA announced in public that it would be monitoring file sharing networks and taking legal action against users of these networks. This announcement had the effect of reducing file sharing activity across the gore because many consumers became concerned about the risk of being sued for thousands of dollars. The RIAA focused their attention on the major offenders who were averaging more than 1, 000 copyright ed music files each.29Doing this reveals that as a result of the lawsuit strategy, album sales increased by 2.9% over the 23 weeks in the data sample after the strategy was announced. During this period, actual record sales in the U.S. were an average of 11,470,652 albums per week, based on national level data reported by Billboard magazine (2003) each week, and thus would have been 11,147,378 per week in the absence of the reduction in file sharing caused by the lawsuit strategy.30As you can see this lawsuit strategy was effective in combating music piracy. It increased the music sales and helped overcome the issue of music piracy. RIAA continued with this for 23 weeks and stopped it. Because RIAA had focused only on the major offenders, this gave the rule for many casual users who initially abandoned file sharing for fear of being sued to return to the music piracy networks.Another successful strategy that was implemented by the music industry that has eased music piracy was that it put up legal digital music online. some companies and organisation are now allowing music to be downloaded with a cost attached to it. The most popular and prominent organisation is ITunes. ITunes charges their customers $0.99 per track downloaded. As of April 7, 2009, and onwards, ITunes is charging $1.29 per track to the most popular songs and $0.69 per track to the least popular songs.31The ITunes store has sold 8 billion tracks since its launch in mid-2003. It has been confirmed that recent months have seen music sales climb very high to four billion projected track sales each year.32Between January 6, 2009 and July 21, 2009 the military service sold 2 billion songs.33This compared to the sales between April 28 2003 and January 10, 2007 to sell the first two billion songs. ITunes has also been running extensive programmes of live events in London, hosting great and packed crowds and some of the worlds popular and successful artists.34So we can tell by this information tha t ITunes is a successful implementation by the industry and is continuing to grow rapidly. It is getting so popular that ITunes is now extending its stores to new European markets during this year. 35This graph shows a rapid increase of music sales of ITunes from 2002 to 2009.Another strategy that the industry has been implemented is that the major labels such as, Pressplay, possess by Sony and Universal AOL MusicNet, owned by the other 3 big labels (EMI, AOL Time Warner and BMG) and by RealNetworks, are set to begin offering consumers digital-music subscription packages.36Most services offer unlimited downloads, for a fixed charge from US$10 to US$20 per month and the possibility to do permanent burnable downloads for around US$1.37These digital- music subscription packs contain their own library of music and customers are admitted to download the licensed music that is on display and available for downloading. This proved to be a successful strategy as well. It gave consumers max imum downloads for a fixed price, the consumers were happy to use it because they were secured when downloading songs as they were legal to download.The music industry decided to simulate CDs from CD companies in Italy, Greece and Spain due to the fact that these companies are producing more CDs to store downloaded music and distribute them illegally. Total seizures of CD-R discs in 2001 were three times high than in 2000, at 9.6 million.38Seizures of blank discs destined for illegal CD-R labs totalled 19 million, compared to less than one million a year earlier indicating massive levels of evaluate production. There were also major actions against the mass-producing CD plants. Around 42 CD manufacturing lines, up from 20 the previous year, were put out of action by IFPI assisted police initiatives, mainly in Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines. These manufacturers have a potential annual production capacity of some 200 million CDs, roughly equivalent to the legitimize market in the UK. A further 22 manufacturers were taken out of action in the first four months of 2002.39In some places, like the United Kingdom, the Three strikes policy has been introduced to try and combat music piracy and illegal file swapping across the internet. The three strikes policy disconnect the Internet for users who have pique the copyright violation which have been promoted by the RIAA.40Hull, in the UK, has put the three strikes policy into practice to deal with the internet users caught downloading copyrighted material. Karoo, the citys only internet service provider (ISP), serving approximately 90,000 internet users has been cutting connections immediately if a user is caught downloading copyright material without warning the offender. This harsh practice of cutting the internet connection without notifying the customer, has brought controversy from customers and several digital rights group. Under the new law, Karoo will send three written warnings notices to the customer before cancelling their (ISP) connection, after the (ISP) accepted it was exceeding the expectations of copyright owners. The (ISP)s policy remains contentious as well as substantially harsher than that of other UK (ISP)s, which have apparently been unenthusiastic to deal with illegal file sharing across their networks, and only lately agreed to send warnings notices to persistent offenders.41The Future of the Music IndustryThe future of the music industry looks grim for the years ahead. In this section of the essay I will be investigating the future of the music industry and music copyright.File sharing has made a dramatic change in the distribution process since it started causing changes in the music industry. In 1999, 51% of albums were sold in retail stores and 34% in other stores.42In 2002 and 2003 the share of sales in music stores had a dramatic drop to approximately 35%, whereas the other stores had increased to 50% of music sales. Also, by 2003, 5% of all music acquisitio n occurred through the internet and music piracy, and it is continually growing. The reason is that the industry is shifting from retail stores to sales through large electronics chains such as Best Buy and Circuit City, as well as mass merchants such as Wal-Mart.43Therefore, music piracy is effecting not only music sales music copyright, it is also effecting the business industry. Now that most of the music is electronic and can be downloaded at plate using the internet, music retailers such as Sanity have suffered due to internet file sharing and music piracy, which does have an effect on the future of the music retail industry as more music is being downloaded than sold traditionally in retail stores.Also, buying a record whitethorn be replaced with downloading a record,44which can affect the future of music industry as downloading a record eliminates the need for labels to manufacture, warehouse, and ship tangible products.45If consumers continually downloading music and ignore buying them, the industry will affect what music the public listens to and how they listen to it.46Because of this, many digital labels would be introduced. In the new web-based music industry, artists could make their own labels and record companies individually on the internet, using their own computer. This can affect the current major record labels as many indie47labels could well produce their own record labels at home, which will increase the popularity of them, resulting in some of them being as successful as past indies such as Yahoo and Microsoft, which will give way to a more dynamic free market.48CONCLUSIONIn this essay I investigated The effect of Peer-to-Peer internet piracy on the music industry. I believe I have demonstrated that music piracy does have the ability to threaten the future of music copyright. I have also analysed the implementations the music industry have implied to combat this problem within the society and evaluate how successful they were to preven t music piracy from continuing.In conclusion, music piracy is infringing copyright laws and costing the music industry millions of dollars each year. With the introduction of Napster in 1999, music sales decreased extraordinarily. In 2001, Napster was put out of business but this did not see the end of music piracy. KaZaA, a Napster successor than came in business and is now holding the record for most downloaded files. As you can see, music piracy is very hard to stop because if you shut down one distributor, many other distributors and organisations come into the illegal world of music piracy.Music piracy is getting easier due to the technologies available for the pirate to work with. Now there is super fast broadband internet speed, data compression, MP3 and portable players for the pirate to use to successfully download music efficiently and effectively. Digital music is now one of the most popular formats of music.The music industry has been working hard to combat music piracy and file swapping online. Although they did not completely stop music piracy altogether, they had certainly eased it and decreased the number of music downloads online. The most successful strategy that was introduced by the industry was to put legal music online. The music was digital, but it had a price fixed to each track. Many companies, namely ITunes, put their songs online legally and this decreased the level of music piracy over the Internet. ITunes is continually growing and is selling more and more tracks each year.A new focus that could be emerged from my study in this essay is What should the global society and music industry do in order to stop music piracy at once and for all?

Can Religion Make You Happy? Essay -- Happiness Essays

If faith Makes People Happy, Why Are So Many Dropping Out? -- Louis Tay and David G. Meyers. Throughout history, religion has helped form the basic theoretical account of society. From an early age, religion provided the answers to any unexplainable natural phenomena. The question of why the world worked in a particular way was easily answered with because name of deity made it that way. Religion was everywhere everyone had their own ideas about how the world worked and what their role was in the universe. Each likeminded group held that their ghostlike beliefs were the root cause of their comfort and general satisfaction with life. Centuries of religious dominance eventually gave birth to a widespread idea that strong religious beliefs are essential to living a happy and fulfilling life. Even today, in a society dominated by scientific advances, religion finds a niche in catering to peoples spiritual needs. Indeed, despite the societal changes that have occurred in modern times, religion has remained largely unchanged since its early days. The belief that religion factors heavily into ones life satisfaction and happiness has also remained much the same, despite todays complex and ever-changing society. The problem lies where religion is viewed as a major way to achieve happiness, and this situation can lead to blind acceptance of religion solely on the basis of its supposed universal benefits. Basically, a new way of looking at religion is needed seeing it not as the end-all happiness tool, but as a small factor in a complex tissue of happiness and well-being. Traditionally, organized religion in the Western world encouraged a melancholy outlook on life. Today, however, religion represents an image of happi... ...tz, Hans-Georg Lewis, Christopher Alan. The Relationship among Religion and Happiness Among German Students. Pastoral Psychology. 51.4 (2003) 273-281. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Web. 19 June 2015.Madigan, Timot hy J. Godless Happiness. Free Inquiry Summer 1998 32+. Student Resources in Context. Web. 19 June 2015.Moeller, Philip. Religion Makes People Happier--But Why? Chicago Tribune. N.p., 13 Apr. 2012. Web. 15 June 2015.Myers, David G. Whos Happy? Whos Not? Christianity Today. 23 Nov. 1992 23+. Gale Power Search. Web. 19 June 2015.Schumaker, John F. Can Religion Make You Happy? Free Inquiry Summer 1998 28+. Student Resources in Context. Web. 19 June 2015.Stearns, Peter N. The History of Happiness. (Cover Story). Harvard line of business Review 90.1/2 (2012) 104-109. Business Source Complete. Web. 6 June 2015.

Free Essays - A Prayer for Owen Meany :: Prayer for Owen Meany Essays

The main theme of A Prayer for Owen Meany is religious faith -- specifically, the consanguinity between faith and doubt in a world in which there is no obvious evidence for the existence of God. John writes on the premier(prenominal) page of the book that Owen Meany is the reason that he is a Christian, and ensuing story is presented as an explanation of the reason why. Though the plot of the novel is kind of complicated, the explanation for Owens effect on insurrectionists faith is extremely simple Owens life is a miracle -- he has supernatural visions and dreams, he believes that he acts as Gods instrument, and he has inspired foresight of his own death -- and offers miraculous and almost undeni qualified evidence of Gods existence. The basic thematic shape of the novel is that of a tension being lifted, kind of than a tension being resolved Johnny struggles throughout the book to resolve his religious faith with his skepticism and doubt, but at the novels end he is not requi red to make a choice between the two extremes Owens miraculous death obviates the need to make a choice, because it offers evidence that banishes doubt. Yet Johnny remains troubled, because Owens sacrificial death (he dies to save the lives of a group of Vietnamese children) seems painfully unfair. Johnny is left with the problem of accepting Gods will. In the end, he invests to a greater extent faith in Owen himself than he invests in God -- he receives two visitations from Owen beyond the grave -- and he concludes the novel by making Owen something of a Prince of Peace, ask God to allow Owens resurrection and return to Earth. Of course, the thematic development of the novel is somewhat more complicated and cluttered than that. The presentation of religion in the book is continually undercut with irony and the constant presence of sex. Further the thematic development of the book is also inconsistent and indirect, in part because we are never able to obtain a secure view or outloo k of Johnnys mind he is such a subdued narrator that it is difficult to tell simply where he stands during much of the novel, which often clouds our sense of his struggle with faith and doubt. This ambiguity underscores the important point that Irvings basic intention for his novel is not to present a philosophical meditation on the nature of God, but rather to tell a clutching story.