Strategic Quality And System Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategic Quality And System Management - Essay Example Starbucks is a good example of an organization that undertook strategic quality change after heavy failures experienced after the 2008 recession (Miller, 2011). A new product named Sorbetto failed to meet customer expectations but the instant coffee Via, a deviation from the custom-made coffee of Starbucks, met the quality expectations and was successful and helped Starbucks emerge from the poor performance of the recession (Miller, 2011). As the costs and benefits of strategic quality change are illustrated in the case of Starbucks, organizations need to evaluate the outcomes of strategic quality change and implement steps to align strategic quality change measures with strategic objectives. Taking the example of Starbucks, the organization could have avoided the cost of failure of Sorbetto launched in 2008 if it had robust quality change evaluation systems. Smylie (2010, 144) recommends a continuous quality improvement system which balances innovation routines that promote experimentation and risk-taking with generative learning feedback systems that provide continuous feedback from the environment. The outcome of strategic quality change initiatives can be measured by setting measurable outcomes for the change and their communication across the organization. Since the former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz admits that Sorbetto was launched in haste and failed because it was too sweet for customers’ tastes (Miller, 2011), the results from a pilot study or feasibility study would have helped it to modify the product quality or defer the decision to launch it. In addition, Pickett (2010, p. 459) emphasizes the need for a quality assessment system in organizations and also states that quality change should be undertaken at the systems level as opposed to operational levels. Where the outcomes of the strategic quality change indicate a deviation from strategic objectives, the management needs to

Outraged moms, trashy daughters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Outraged moms, trashy daughters - Essay Example The author describes the generation gap between todays mothers and their teenage daughters also as a gap between how the two generations differ in terms of valuing equality and female empowerment. She also expressed her concern over "heightened sexual activity," and the "sexualization of young girls" but also mentions the lack of depth and reflection among teenagers today. The above observations are a feminist concern and in this reaction paper, I agree with the observations of the author. Feminists earlier opposed the vulgar representation of female images in magazines and advertisements because of their strong protest in visualizing females as a commercial object rather than an individual. On the other hand, current female teenagers like to see people enjoying their sexy bodies. In fact, they are doing everything possible to wear dresses, which expose their body maximum. This is not because of their inherent traits, as we all know that their mothers strongly protested against the f emale objectification, but because of the changing life styles and philosophy of life. The teenage girls are made to dress in this manner because it is the norm of the society. Female teenagers of the current generation are witnessing the enormous publicity of celebrities like Naomi Campbell, Angelina Julie, and Salma Hayek etc. They know that these people enjoy great publicity not because of their talents alone, but because of their beautiful bodies also.

Pros And Cons Of The Cruise Industry

Pros And Cons Of The Cruise Industry It is important to appreciate the size and scope of the cruise industry before discussing the issues and challenges associated with it. This paper provides an overview of the cruise industry, key players, growth, recent trends and developments and informs on the key impacts and effects that this fast growing cruise industry has on its destinations, communities, the waterways, passengers and the environment., It further analyzes the economic, social, cultural, health, safety, environment and taxation attributes of the cruise business and discusses both the positive and as well as the negative aspects of cruise tourism. The cruise industry provides economic and other benefits to the destinations, from the tourists expenditures and ships operational purchases to the taxation benefits for the communities in those destinations. It gives satisfaction and relaxation to the cruise passengers which results in profits for the cruise companies. At the same time, there are many negatives and a n umber of which are significant and seriously damaging to those same destinations, communities and the environment. This paper will as well provide a balanced snapshot of the industry and highlight several key concerns and provide recommendations towards reducing their negative impact and with a future of more controlled and sustainable cruise operations. It should be noted that there is not one single cure-it-all solution to what is a very complex problem, but it is believed that more assertive international policies and legislations that can be enforced are a big part of the answer. Cruise Industry Overview The cruise ship industry is the fastest growing segment in the travel industry and has had an annual growth rate of 8.0% since 1980. Just imagine about 339 active cruise ships with well over 10.9 million gross tons and about 296,000 beds.  [1]  In 2007, the worldwide cruise passengers grew to 12.9 million. According to the Cruise Industry Report 2012 by the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association  [2]  , the 2011 passenger number was over 16 million, of which 11.2 million originated in North America. The forecasted numbers for 2012 forecast was 17.0 million worldwide, with the preferred destination being the Caribbean. The cruise lines continue to add new ships and exciting options to ensure continued growth. Todays ships offer a new generation of dizzying onboard innovations, including surf pools, planetariums, on-deck LED movie screens, golf simulators, water parks, self-leveling billiard tables, multi-room villas with private pools and in-suite Jacuzzis, ice skating rinks, ro ck climbing walls, bungees and trampolines. With all of this luxury and increase in passengers numbers, the impact and the challenges in such areas as economic, socio-cultural, environmental, safety and security and taxation are a major concern. Economic Effects These economic benefits arise from five principal sources: 1) spending by cruise passengers and crew; 2) the shore-side staffing for their local offices, marketing and tour operations 3) expenditures for goods and services necessary for cruise operations; 4) spending by the cruise lines for port services; and 5) expenditures for the maintenance. According to CLIA, the economic impact of the U.S cruise industry from 2005 to 2006 resulted in expenditures of $35.7 billion in gross output, a 10% increase, which generated 348,000 jobs and paid out $14.7 billion in salaries. It should be noted that accommodation of large cruise ships in ports require a great deal of initial capital investment in infrastructure and maintenance costs, which is absorbed eagerly by the host port, not by the cruise line. It is recommended that to create a more balanced port development the cruise companies should contribute financially towards the local infrastructure costs, and also put a pause on increasing t he size of new ships to allow the existing ports to still welcome new ships without incurring additional rebuild costs. Impact of Powerful Cruise Companies Three main cruise lines, Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Star/NCL control around 35% of cruise vessels, with Carnival controlling 22% of that 35% alone.  [3]  If one adds to it the growth rate of 8% annually, the net result is that the above three cruise companies exert a lot of power globally. Cruise business has become a revenue and profit churning machine and this is often with the exclusion or restriction of local providers. Arguably, cruise lines benefit the most from the activities associated with the passengers both onboard and off-board. There are minimal profits for the providers of local tourism services as cruise lines obtain all income from items sold on board such as souvenirs, rental of aquatic equipment, food and beverages, leaving the local tour operator with little profit. Tourism service providers also have to pay for promotion on board; videos, brochures and booths. A booth can costs up to U.S. $16,500.  [4]  Other income comes from dream islands, cruise line s private island property and once again reducing the economic benefit to impacted communities. The cruise industry also has a strong lobbying group to push for policy and legal decisions in their favor and during the period from1997 to 2007, the Cruise Line International Association spent US$10 million on lobbying the U.S Congress. They try their hardest to avoid or minimize paying local taxes. For example, many of their ships go under the flags of convenience, Liberia, Bahamas and Panama and cross international borders, where they are exempted from paying certain destination taxes and pollution fees, and where it is difficult for the local jurisdictions to enforce these payments. This causes the local hotels to get angry as they are obligated to pay such taxes and it makes them less competitive and profitable than the cruise lines. One suggestion is for a new international standard where cruise ships are obligated to pay a local port tax and economic development contribution based on the size of the ship and number of passengers, payable while in port. Environmental Effects Cruise ships generate a number of waste streams that affect the marine environment, for example, sewage, graywater, hazardous wastes, oily bilge water, ballast water, solid waste and also emits air pollutants to the air and water. These environmental costs are significant but incalculable given that the cruise ship industry is largely unregulated. As an example, blackwater and graywater generate 15,000 to 30,000 gallons per day for a ship with 3,000 passengers, and 24% of vessel solid waste worldwide comes from cruise ships. Unfortunately, the few regulations that are there are not always successful enforced. In 1999 Royal Caribbean paid a fine of US$18million for discharging oily bilge water in Alaska, the same amount was paid by Carnival Cruise Line in 2002 for dumping oily waste from five ships, and still not much has changed. Cruise ships have a positive image of glamour, even though they only represent a small percentage of the entire shipping industry worldwide, and because of this their environmental impacts are tolerated and continue to be unregulated. LeAna B. Gloors article on cruise tourism impact on Hilo in Hawaii  [5]  illustrates the social, physical and environmental concerns. She states that while Hawaii is benefiting economically at unprecedented levels, it is also being impacted negatively on the environmental side of things at unprecedented levels. She advocates for a stronger legislation, more aggressive enforcement and more bills such as the Clean Cruise Ship Act. Social and Cultural Effects Interactions between resident and cruise passengers can have positive effects but at the same time, high frequency and density of cruise activities can restrict the available space for local residents and push them to adopt different moral and cultural standards. There are often negative reactions from the residents triggered by the cruise tourism in small ports, where the ratio of cruise tourists to inhabitants is high, in places such as Aruba, Antigua, Barbuda or Dominica. This leads to local resentment, overcrowding and lack of services such as taxis, beach space and available seats in restaurants on the cruise days, or lack of demand, and no work on the days when cruise ships are not in port. This differs for ports such as Miami, Barcelona and European destinations, where the number of cruise visitors ratio is small compared to other tourists and local residents. Another negative is that ships with flags of convenience have questionable labour and work safety standards and with n o legal minimum wage enforced. Past efforts to have this changed by organizations such as the ITWF have failed. It is recommended that standard minimum wage, work hours and days of rest for cruise ship workers are established and enforced internationally. Health and Diseases A number of recent studies have focused on the health risks and disease directly attributable to cruise ships with their high concentration of people from different countries. One such study  [6]  looked at the risks and diseases caused by contaminated water and it showed that their water supply is very different from the water supplies on land. . The risks of contamination were much higher due to the way it was sourced during loading and also the dispersal on the cruise ship. The authors reviewed 21 documented outbreaks of waterborne diseases from various vessels and it was discovered that the bulk of the outbreaks were on cruise ships. Some other risk factors involved already contaminated water from the port to the ship and contamination in their storage tanks, which could be a result of poor maintenance and lack of disinfectants. The recommendations include the need for hygienic and a better comprehensive system to handling of their water supply from source to consumption. Thi s may be achieved in the future by the adoption of improved Water Safety Plans that cover the overall design of the water storage tanks, better internal operations and regular inspection and maintenance. Another study  [7]  of waterborne diseases on cruise ships concluded that the overall decrease of gastroenteritis over a 10 year period prior to 1986 was directly attributable to the improved enforcement of the Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Another study  [8]  from 2006 involved 43 outbreaks of Norovirus on 13 vessels. It is a known fact that cruise ship holidays create an environment where Norovirus spreads easily, so it was recommended that an active reporting system could function as an early warning sign, but more importantly steps must be taken to implement internationally accepted rules and guidelines for reporting, investigating, and controlling Norovirus and other diseases on cruise ships. A Los Angeles Times headl ine, February 4, 2012 stated: Florida cruise ships riddled with Norovirus. Anyone surprised? Safety and Security After the terrorist attacks on New Yorks World Trade Center, cruise related tourism became one of the safest ways to experience foreign travel. Yet, as P. Tarlow indicates in his rather somber study on cruise risks  [9]  , that cruising is not immune to dangers ranging from virus outbreaks to terrorism to accidents. He lists a number of major disasters, terrorist attacks, robberies and on-board assaults to demonstrate his point. Cruise tourism can as well lead to incidents where the ship can become a trap, as the recent examples of the Costa Concordia grounding and Carnivals ship engine fire and subsequent stranding of passengers for several days at sea. Taxation There are no common standards in the application of port taxes to cruises. Some ports charge levy that is reasonable, some excessive. Some ships pay, some do not. Another unresolved situation is that the cruise lines are continually allowed to operate under the flags of convenience (FAO), usually, Panama, Bahamas and Liberia. This allows them to be exempt from multiple tax responsibilities, it is easier for them to have lenient standards of safety, they undergo few environmental inspections, their operating costs are lower, and they recruit staff without adhering to international regulations. The most obvious is Panama, where the ship pays for each passenger landing in Panama, which further encourages the use the Panama FAO.  [10]  A good recommendation would be to adopt an internationally binding comprehensive policy and standards related to taxes, fees, and as well address key areas of staff, passenger safety, and the ships environmental responsibilities. Only then can we have a more sustainable, controlled development and operations of cruise lines where rules are adhered to rather than avoided. Conclusion There is no question that cruise ships bring money to local businesses and to the operators. However, ensuring the sustainable development of a cruise destination and the environment comes with very high cost which the cruise lines must be a part of. The major players in this highly consolidated cruise industry have to take a more proactive and self- policing measures to ensure a sustainable future for cruise tourism while preserving cruise destinations and cruise waterways. The onus as well needs to be on the port communities, as on one hand, there are some decision makers that pressure for more cruise tourism, but there is frequently no policy at the local government level to control the impacts of such activity. The cruise industry will not be going away anytime soon, so it is more important to improve the situation that is not balanced or sustainable. Ports need the cruise ships as much as the cruise ships need the ports, the waterways need to be maintained in a more sustainable way, the cruise workers need fair employment standards and the local population needs to have a voice in the local planning for the impacts of tourism. With the continued growth of the cruise industry now is the time to create new set of international policies and rules that are binding for all participants. This essay discussed some of the key pros and cons of cruising and offered some recommendations for improvement towards a more balanced, sustainable growth. More research needs to be done, more data needs to be collected, and more engagement from all involved parties is needed. There is much to do. Work Cited Brida, J., Zapata-Aguirre, S. (2008). The impacts of the cruise industry on tourism destinations. Retrieved from http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1298403 Brida, J., Zapata-Aguirre, S. (2009). Cruise tourism: Economic, socio-cultural and environmental impacts. nternational Journal of Leisure and Tourism Marketing, 1, Retrieved from http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1332619 Chin, C. (2008). Cruising in the global economy. Retrieved from http://books.google.ca/books?hl=enlr=id=pw3GGaY84akCoi=fndpg=PR9dq=related:JzINeoWcSTMJ:scholar.google.com/ots=29X-WtBHnHsig=ivsupSeYhJmVT5hTOROibMm8EVo Daniels, N., Karpati, A. (2000). Travelers diarrhea at sea: Three outbreaks of waterborne enterotoxigenic escherichia coli on cruise ships. 4, Retrieved from http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/181/4/1491.short Dowling, R. Cruise ship tourism. Retrieved from http://books.google.ca/books?hl=enlr=id=gZ3_28wi_UkCoi=fndpg=PA3dq=cruise Ebersold, W. (2004). Cruise industry in figures. Business Briefing: Global Cruise, Retrieved from http://www.touchbriefings.com/pdf/858/ACF7B5.pdf Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (2012). Cruise Industry Overview 2012: State of the Cruise Industry. Pembroke Pines, Florida. Gloor, L. (2005). Riding tourisms new wave: Evaluating the cruise industrys impact in hilo . Retrieved from http://hilo.hawaii.edu/academics/hohonu/documents/Vol04x14RidingTourismsNewWave.pdf Roon, R. (2004). A review of outbreaks of waterbourne disease associated with ships. 119, Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1497646/pdf/15219801.pdf Tarlow, P. (2012). Cruise risks, threats and dangers: A theory. 1, Retrieved from http://wscholars.com/index.php/ajtr/article/view/107 Verhoef, L., Boxman, I. (2008). Emergence of new norovirus variants on spring cruise ships and prediction of winter epidemics. 14, Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2600213 Wu , B. (2005). The world cruise industry: A profile of the global labour market. Retrieved from http://www.sirc.cf.ac.uk/uploads/publications/WorldCruiseIndustry.pdf

Ebonics :: essays research papers

The use of Ebonics in rap lyrics is becoming more and more apparaent in today's society because there are so many more people of all cultures and age groups beginning to listen to rap. More and more of the younger generations today are imitating the style of their favorite rapper; for example, today there are kids all around the world dressing up with baggy clothes, wearing their hats real low, and changing the way they speak so they can sound like their favorite rappers. The way that the use of Ebonics in rap has effected not only the American culture, but cultures all around the world shows just how popular Ebonics has become in today's society. The lyrics from the rap by Jay-Z entitled "99 problems but a b*tch ain't one" has great lyrics showing the way rap and Ebonics has effected the way African Americans are viewed as today in both a positive and negative aspect. In the first verse Jay-Z gives us a good example how rap with the use of Ebonics has made him rich when he says, "Rap mags try and use my black a** So advertisers can give 'em more cash for ads...f**kers I don't know what you take me as or understand the intelligence that Jay-Z has I'm from rags to ritches n***as i ain't dumb..." However, Jay-Z also shows how rap and Ebonics also shines a negative light when he says, "The year is '94 and my trunk is raw In my rear view mirror is the mother fuckin' law I got two choices y'all pull over the car or (hmmm) Bounce on the devil put the pedal to the floor Now i ain't tryin' to see no highway chase for Jay Plus i got a few dollars i can fight the case So i...pull over to the side of the road i heard "Son do you know what i'm stoppin' you for?" Cause i'm young and i'm black and my hats real low But do i look like a mind reader sir, i don't know Am i under arrest or should i guess some mo'? "Well you was doin fifty-five in a fifty-four"

Promoting learning and development in the early years Essay

For a child to develop and learn there are seven areas of learning and development located in the EYFS which are divided into two groups, prime and specific areas of learning. Personal and emotional development, physical development and communication and language. The prime areas are important as they lay the foundations for a child’s success in the specific areas of learning. He specific areas are learning are Literacy, Mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts and design, which provide a range of opportunities for children to broaden their knowledge and skills. Personal and emotional development means a child developing skills to be able to make relationships and bonds, having self confidence and self awareness, understanding that actions may affect others and be able to learn positive dispositions such as empathy. Physical development means a child moving, running, crawling, minor and major motor skills, health and self care. For a child to communicate effectively he/she will be able to sustain attentive listening and use language appropriate. For a child to use literacy effectively he/she will learn to read, write and listen to instructions. For a child to understand the world, he/she will understand that people have different beliefs, colour skin and religion, the world and technology. A child will also learn other children’s names, talk about family and friends. Expressive arts and design means a child learning to make things, being imaginative and use different materials. Maths will enable a child to use numbers, counting, shapes and measurements. Each of the areas of learning and development are interdependent on each other because if a child lacked the skills needed in one of the areas the he/she would consequently struggle in the others. Personal, social and emotional development supports physical development as if a child who feels secure and safe will then be confident and motivated to move and test physical capacities. It also supports communication and language as it establishes turn talking, joint activities, a desire to communicate and express feels to others. Physical development promotes understanding the world as when a child takes a risk he/she will learn, for example gravity. It also promotes communication and language as a child will be able to use heir body language as well as words to express feelings or thoughts. Mathematics closely supports communication and language, literacy and personal, social and emotional development as if a child cannot read or write they will find it difficult to complete tasks, and if a child cannot communicate then they wouldn’t be able to ask for help. This would then have a knock on affect to a child’s confidence and emotional development. When a child is placed in setting, they follow the EYFS which illustrates different outcomes for child at different ages. These are called the early learning goals, the EYFS profile and the two year assessment. A early years learning goal is a target that a child should be achieving by the age of 5. Practitioners will also observe if a child is exceeding levels or not yet reaching them, meaning they can then give them the required support. The early learning goals are found within the EYFS. A two year assessment is carried out between the ages of two and three. Parents/carers/guardians are provided with a short written summary of the child’s development in the prime areas. Within the progress check it focuses on the prime areas and identifies the child’s strengths and any areas where the child is struggling or where progress is less than expected. An action plan will be made to address any concerns and the practitioner may include other relevant information in addition to the prime areas. The two year assessment must be provided in time to inform the health child programme, this will enable the health visitor to identify a Childs indicial needs accurately and fully at the health review. A EYFS profile provides the reception leader with a detailed picture of the child’s knowledge, understanding and their abilities. All early years providers must complete the EYFS profile for each child until they reach 5 years old as The profile describes the Childs level of attainment at the end of the EYFS and identifies their leaning needs for next stage of school. A copy of the EYFS profile is given to the parents of the child so they are also aware of their child’s progress and so the school can work with the parents to overcome any problematic areas. While in setting a child or young person development is monitored by assessors and recorded. Information about the child must be completed by observations on the child, which means 80% of these observations must be carried out during child initiated activities, this mean that if a practitioner has set up the sand pit for child to play in and one child then decides to take a car and by using his/her imagination to make the sand into a track and race the other cars this would be child initiated activates as the child has decided what he/she wanted to do without being prompted into doing so. Within the EYFS a child’s learning and development are reviewed and documented using the early years foundation stage profile, this document provides a record of the Childs progress in each of the seven areas of learning. This will include all the outcomes from the two year assessment, the EYFS profile and the early learning goals so parents/carers/guardians, practitioners and teachers will be able to see what progress a child has made. As all child sometimes do not complete all the outcomes at the expected times for various reasons, change of nursery, family problems, disabilities, illnesses, communication barriers or age, this must be taken into account and were necessary give a child extra support to enable them to be ready to start school.

How Social Media Has Changed Our Society Media Essay

Social media has changed the way we live in many ways. It has changed everything from the way we communicate with each other to where we get our news from. It happened so fast that people hardly realized just how much their lives had changed. Personal and professional communities are now intertwined and within arm’s reach and our once small social and work networks have now expanded to proportions that were once unimaginable. Just like in any revolution or period of expansion, there are many positive and negative aspects involved in the world of social media. The world of social media is complex and nowhere near its pinnacle. It’s exciting to think of where it will take us in the years to come. Needless to say, our communication has sped up tremendously since social media was introduced. It has made it easier to keep in touch with people all over the country or all over the world for that matter. Social media has even made finding a date easier to a certain extent by mu ltiplying the size of our social circles. Social media allows people with similar interests to connect and converse. It allows professionals to network easier than ever before. Social media allows businesses to advertise for free and actually seem somewhat human to consumers. It also allows for cost effective campaigns and strategies for growing businesses. It also has the power to drive traffic to a website or even a real business. Some people think that social media is adding to human interaction while other people think that social media sites are basically replacing face-to-face interaction. see more:speech about social media Online interactions can become a substitute for actual human contact. It can encourage people to say or do things they never really would have done or meant to do, due to the fact that they feel like it’s not reality. It can lead to covert dealings and perhaps lead to infidelity. This social media frenzy has allowed bullies to spread destructive information about others and they can even bring out the nastiest conversations because people feel anonymous in some instances. Social media can ruin the image of a company due to the wrong angle or brand image. It can also have a negative impact on worker productivity. Either way you look at it, whether you like it or not, social media is changing our lives in one way or another. One aspect of society that will experience the greatest amount of social change over the next ten years is social media. Social media is going to grow larger and become more encompassing of our lives and able to capture more of our lives. Because we capture more of our  lives the people in our social circles will spend more of their time living vicariously through us. Therefore, they will spend less time learning about society and less time developing their own interpersonal relationships. Already social media encompasses several different media forms. Currently, these forms are music, writing, video, and pictures. Soon social media will include other forms of communication, such as augmented reality. Projects like Google Glass place a screen in front of your eyes all day; the glasses can recognize people’s faces and provide information. The glasses are able to listen to your conversation and provide relevant Google search results, for information you might want to know during the conversation. Therefore, interactions between people will be more fact-checked by information people make on the internet. As augmented reality projects like Google Glass become more widespread and developed, people will be constantly plugged into the internet and to the â€Å"hive-mind†. Eventually people will start dreaming their lives on the internet in part or in whole. You will become more of a public person, and in doing so more shaped by the society around you. Social media changes at the speed of which the technology that supports social media is developed and embraced. For new developments in social media to be embraced the new technological developments must be useful and intuitive. People need to have a reason to care about a new development. Society embraced the sharing of pictures because we like to capture glimpses of other people’s lives. We have embraced video because it expands upon pictures. Words were the first versions of social media, and were exchanged because they are the essence of communication. As long as people exist we will continue to seek new ways of exchanging information. What we call social media now will be but a small fraction of what social media is ten years from now. Eventually social anthropologists will look back at these times just as current social anthropologists examine cave paintings. We can ask ourselves, â€Å"What are the engines that are driving this change in our society?† For example, there are many reasons that drive people to use the site know as Facebook. Research resulted in nine ways that drive people to use Facebook; to conduct a survey, upload photos, putting your page together, posting an event, ask a question, create desktop backgrounds using images from an ev ent, and you can even post a picture of the day. The news media even use it to run a contest and give away merchandise, and posting of videos. Facebook has become an  overnight sensation for social networking, and what makes this so amazing is that Facebook did not even exist until 2004. Three college students created it to allow other students to network and meet each other, and it has caught on with people around the globe. Facebook has had many impacts on today’s technologically advanced society. It allows people who probably never would have met each other in person to communicate; it creates new relationships and friendships, and it places distance between people who could communicate in person but instead choose to communicate online. Facebook is nothing more than a medium for communication, and yet, it is so much more than that. At a glimpse, a person can learn everything from what gender a member of Facebook is, to what religion they believe in, what school he or she attends, and their likes and dislikes, with just a click of a mouse. An article in the Network Journal of Communications written by Brent Leary, compares and contrasts popular social networking sites and his recent experiences with them. He talks about being a member of over twelve differe nt social networking sites in which he has spent time using each network. One of the main interest in this article was the author’s insight into his most recent addition to his list; Facebook. He also notes that business application providers such as Yahoo, Finance, Zoho, etc. are building widgets to work with Facebook in order for Facebook to infiltrate further into the business networking field. The most appealing characteristic of Facebook is that they have been able to grow from what was once only a college based network, to a worldwide network with many different areas of interest. Most importantly they have been able to do this while staying very user friendly, professional, and private, unlike other social networks such as MySpace. This has allowed Facebook to become as financially valuable to its creators as it is socially valuable for its members. It is very interesting to see how Facebook has not only established itself in the networking world, but in the financial market as well that people use it for. Experts estimate that many people now spend at least 50 percent of their waking time online. For many, a large part of this time is spent in social networking sites like Facebook. Facebook on the surface is a socially acceptable networking site for students and others to connect, share experiences, and meet old friends. It does say some disturbing things about how our society is adjusting to the age of technology, and it brings into question how a generation of Face  bookers will deal with the challenges of the real world in person like career, family, and success. There are tons of data that show that the social media wave (hype) is going to continue and is here to stay. Take Facebook and Twitter for instance. Many large associations and companies advertise on these social media platforms like the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL to name a few. From a company stand point CBS, CNN, Wal-Mart, and Apple advertise on these social media platforms also. According to Michael A. Stelzner, â€Å"Social media marketing involves engaging people with online social networks to generate exposure, increase traffic, gather insight, improve search rankings, enhance customer relations, build strong brand advocates, generate quality leads and grow sales† (â€Å"Quickly Grow Your Business†). Social media helps businesses grow around the world. This is one major reason why social media is going to continue to prosper. Social media involves a lot of youth in today’s society. For example, social media has greatly influenced youth to vote or seek education about this year’s Presidential Election. According to Foster Web Marketing, â€Å"The younger genera tion (18 to 35 years old) is the largest group of social media users. They pretty much rely on social media and other internet sources for information. With the structure of social media, information is easily skewed as users exchange it with others. Because someone has to pass on the information to another, they can add their 2 cents along with the relevant content, meaning the end result can lean heavily toward one side or another†. It was said that in this year’s Presidential Election, the youth played a big role in the reelection of Obama. Social media played a major role this election and is projected to play a bigger role in the next Presidential Election. Social media also allow news companies and news stations to get information out to the world within minutes. Good or bad, social media has impacted the world in a major way. It has allowed long lost friends, family members, and lovers to reunite. Since its arrival, social media has changed the way the world socializes in general. Undoubtedly, social media is capable of bringing people together. They potentially create friendships and partnerships, expose users to advertisements therefore developing business endeavors, and allow individuals who would otherwise remain silent virtually shout their thoughts and opinions to a broad range of strangers, friends, and acquaintances alike. There are certainly already  acknowledgeable pros and cons to social media. With the cyber doors wide open, people are able to learn a lot about someone before they even lay their own eyes on them: name, address, looks, personal preferences, etc. It is easy to assume that many social media users are alienating themselves from true personal contact with potential friends and partners. Granted this will not always hold true, younger generations who will grow up under the direct influence of social media will come to believe that it’s okay to meet all their acquaintances through the internet which would ultimately hinder their social skills, confidence, and charisma. In order to measure the future impact of social media on society, over the next decade we will inevitably have to look to efficient research methods for accurate conclusions. Sociologists rely on surveys to gather information about both small and large populations- mostly behavioral and opinion information. â€Å"Surveys are one of the most commonly used quantitative research techniques in sociology.† This method of research is the most effective because surveys allow the sociologist to capture an opinion of a large group which will therefore give the data that is needed to site the information. This information will show the change accurately and promptly. Random sampling for the survey w ill give everyone an equal opportunity in participating in the survey. A diverse amount of people will result in finding an abundant amount of opinions about this topic. We have seen the social media change in just months since new phones have emerged such as the iPhone 5. Apple is one of the number one leading companies in technology and their Apple products are constantly updating. From the article on the apple website, it states, â€Å"We use the iPhone to log in and launch an infrastructure management client. I can screen share with senior architects and lead them through the challenges they’re facing. Being able to do that anywhere — without a computer — is a major benefit to us. We can respond to customer needs much faster and solve problems on the go.† As we can conclude from this quote, the change is inevitable because it’s more convenient, and convenience is what we love. Social media has undergone such a significant change since its founding. This is due to all of its possible uses. When social media first began it was for the purpose of enabling it’s users to locate and communicate with others. Now it has broadened from that into many other possible uses. There has been such a variety of benefits, for both  individuals and business, to using social media. For individuals, one of the benefits has been that they have been able to keep in touch with their friends and loved ones. They are able to see what they have going on in their lives and contact those that they have lost contact with. Individuals are able to stay abreast of the different activities and functions in both their area and other areas. They also use social media to spread the word of functions, using this as a free method of invitation. Social media has also been a beneficial tool for children as well. Kids gain confidence from interacting with others online, which has long term benefits. Online communities are very diverse and expose children to different viewpoints, technologies and ideas. In addition, this is the easiest way of communicating internationally. For businesses, they have caught hold to the trend and have acknowledged the benefits and possibilities to grow their corporations. This has become used by both large and small businesses. They use social media to both promote and survey their businesses. They have saved an abundance of money by using it as a method of free advertising. Many businesses have grown, become established, or have been saved by using social media. They also use this as a way to widen business contacts and as recruitment tools. Social media will experience more social change than a ny other in its class because as times change, need will change. Social media will adapt to meet the needs of society. There will be different and more advanced searches and possibilities for both individuals and businesses. Technology has become the forefront of advancement in today’s society and social media will be modified to meet the needs and encourage different endeavors for its users. With the already present benefits of social media, there will continue to be advancements that will add greater opportunities for growth than any other area in the next ten years. We all enjoy a little social media one way or another in today’s society. Some of us, in fact many of us can’t survive a day without updating our MySpace, Twitter, or Facebook. With the help of these social networking sites, the internet has made our lives as Americans extremely simple and easier. These sites allow their patrons to not only connect with their friends, but are very useful for things such as employment, networking and even getting your brand as an artist, whether music, drawing or any other talents that you may have, out and viewable by today’s society. But with time always comes change. Whether  good or bad, change is the one constant entity in society. The functionalist theory of social change best describes the change in social media because these sites have changed the way we as Americans live and adapt to this new phenomenon. Functionalism is a macro level of analysis, which basically describes how each level or part of society contributes to society as a whole and when something changes from the norm the ability to adapt to that change. Take this for example; milk of course comes from cows for the most part, so it would originate from a farm somewhere in Middle America. After being collected from the farms, it would be transferred via most likely an eighteen-wheeler to a factory for processing. After being deemed consumable, it would then be bottled up and placed perhaps on another eighteen-wheeler, plane or other mode of transportation to be transferred to your local market, and later delivered to your doorstep by your milkman. In this instance, the farm, the eighteen-wheeler, the factory, the market and the milkman are all parts of society working together in the milk industry. But what happens if you were to remove one part of the process. Milk delivered to your front door step isn’t very common anymore, which took the milkman out of the equation. Society didn’t just stop enjoying the great taste of milk; they simply went to the market themselves to purchase the milk. They adapted to the change that was presented to them. Social media has no doubt changed society as a whole, but have we as a society been able to adapt to that change? Without a doubt, the answer is yes. A lot of parts in certain processes that are being used in today’s society have experienced changed due to social media. Take Facebook for example and the effect it has had on the hiring process. Generally, face to face interviews were used to develop an idea of what type of person an applicant may be, but now if you throw Facebook in the mix, employers can take a look at potential employee’s page and develop an idea on that person’s character from their page. In this instance an interview may not be needed, and if you do get an interview, the employer may have developed an idea of your character and has decided whether or not you’re going to get that job. The internet changed the hiring process and we as a society have adapted. Functionalism best explains the change in social media and social networking. Our society has shown that change will always occur but it’s the ability to adapt to the change that actually brings the change to light. In conclusion, social media has forever  changed the way society works, whether it’s the sharing of an idea, the communication of news, or the availability of a product or service. Society today is on the verge of a new way of existing that it’s never experienced before. No longer will people from one side of the world be really able to say that they will never see a person or communicate with someone from the other side of the world ever in their life. No longer will people not be able to share an idea, if they really want to share it (no matter how radical it may be or no matter how many people may disagree with it). No longer will the spreading of information or the expressing of an opinion be able to be completely silenced. As long as there is a person who wishes to express their opinion, share their music or art, or simply say hello to another human being in another country or culture, social media will allow them to do so.