The Pros And Cons Of Video Games Media Essay

The Pros And Cons Of Video Games Media Essay The world of electronic gaming has undergone radical transformation since it was conceived more than two decades ago. At the beginning, games like Super Mario Brothers, and Pong were just childish, enjoyable, and essentially harmless. However, today, video gaming has become a thriving industry that has a wide range of customers, spanning various ages, genders, nationalities, and moral beliefs. Just like books, television, and movies, some video games are aiming at the older audience through the use of violence, sex, and adult content. Despite the existence of a rating system and recognition for people wishing to purchase adult video games, some politicians and parents claim that video games have a hugely negative impact on the young generation. In efforts to locate the blame about the content of video games, politicians and developers alike seem to have forgotten that parents have a responsibility to make decisions on the type of material that is suitable for their children. Farrales observes that Video game content appears to have become an issue for the first time when Mortal Kombat was released in 1993 (12). Many parents complained the high degree of violence evident in the graphic depictions of blood, fighting, and death. The ESRB (Electronic Software Ratings Board) was formed by the Entertainment Software Association with the aim of coming up with a rating system for monitoring the content of video games. Fernandez indicates that video games stand accused of bringing about violence, obesity, and lousy grades (3). However, some people beg to differ, pointing out that the games are ideal for childrens mental well being. Video games are not just hard, they are adaptively hard. The games tend to challenge the players at the edge of their mental abilities. As players become better and score higher points, they are challenged to move up the ladder of more demanding play levels. This adaptive challenge can be stunningly powerful in the case of entertaining video games. Scientists point out to the importance of video games in ascertaining the extent to which the human brain is malleable. In this regard, fast-paced video games that are action-packed have been proven, in different studies, to boost spatial perception, visual acuity and the ability to pick out objects easily in a scene. Complex games that are strategy-based can significantly improve many cognitive skills, including reasoning and memory. These findings fit in well with the scientists increasing understanding of the malleability of the human brain. Researchers are now aware of the way in which practicing and learning an extremely challenging task can change the human brain. The question of generalizing gaming situations to non-game situations remains one of the main issues that surround many emerging game software being marketed as a way of keeping the human neurons spry as we continue to age. It is still unclear whether these games are helpful in situations that are outside the context of the game. However, in a promising study carried out in 2008, senior citizens who began playing Rise of Nations, a game devoted to nation building and acquisition of territory, started improving on many cognitive abilities, thereby performing impressively on various subsequent tests of memory, multitasking, and reasoning. The tests were administered after training was carried out for eight months. Unfortunately, no follow-up testing was carried out to determine whether the gains lasted or not. There are attempts by researchers to concentrate on the most crucial aspects of off-the-shelf games, potentially allowing designers to come up with many new games that can boost the human brain power. In the same light, there has also been some focus on determining how video games can be used to promote socially acceptable behaviors, particularly actions that can be of help to other people. Unlike, say books and movies, video games do not just have content, they are also defined by rules that are clearly stipulated. In every video game, certain actions are rewarded while others are punished. For this reason, they contain an immense potential to train children about values and ethics. However, the same games could also be used to reward antisocial behavior just as easily as the pro social behavior. A significant number of off-the-shelf games contain strong pro-social themes, for instance, the Oregon Trail or The Sims. These two video games make the players fully responsible for the well being of each other. A big challenge for developers of new games will be to figure out ways of wrapping virtuous features into a highly engaging package. Ultimately, quips Gallagher, every video game should be an entertaining experience (2). On the other hand, it is true that some of the most popular video games are the violent ones. The reason why the market is flooded with violent games is that violence sells. People enjoy action-packed violent games most. It is rarely a matter of contention whether a game is violent or not. The contention arises regarding how violent the games actually are. In an interview with Dr. Craig Anderson, a leader in the current research on the various effects of prolonged exposure to violent computer and video games on aggressive behavior, the General Aggression Model was discussed at length. Dr. Anderson pointed out that he was motivated to research about aggression in video games by the work he did on the model as well as on media violence literature. Dr. Anderson pointed out that although there were hundreds of studies on aggression and violent video games, many questions remained unanswered. Students were looking for compelling and publishable research topics, and in this way, they were able to come up with many gaps in the literature. In the beginning, Dr. Anderson looked at priming issues in the context of media violence effects. However, after debating with cognitive psychologists, the researcher thought about modifying the Stroop test, although he chose to adopt reading reaction time tasks among participants. Dr. Anderson pointed out that many researchers in the media violence generally think that everyone who is high on trait aggression is influenced more by exposure to media violence than by anything else. In other words, the conviction among many scholars is that highly aggressive people are the ones who are most susceptible to the video games harmful effects. In the early years of video gaming, violence used to be cartoonish. In games such as Space Invaders and Wonder Boy, when a player killed an enemy, this would be shown by the unfortunate subject disappearing in a small explosion or a cloud of smoke and debris. At the time and with the technology that was current, these games were considered violent. Today, with improvements in technology, people no longer disappear in a cloud of smoke and debris. Today, enemies have to bleed before they die. The grotesque image of the corpse also has to appear, complete with a gunshot wound. A game such as Metal Gear Solid 2 portrays enemies performing elaborate maneuvers when a player shoots them. It is always thoroughly entertaining to shoot them at the limbs and to see them go limp, or to shoot at their radio, rendering it useless. Some people say that what has increased is the level of realism and not violence, since the aim has always been to shoot and kill anything that comes in ones way. However, this very aspect of realism makes some forms of violence appear acceptable, for example, in Wonder Boy, and others unacceptable, for example, in Metal Gear Solid 2. Yet others do not notice any difference in various types of violence, insisting that violence of whatever nature brings about the same effect on society. Farrales highlights the views of General Everett Koop, a U.S. surgeon, who once claimed that home and arcade video games are among the top three reasons where there is family violence (4). There are many instances that would perfectly make Koops statement on the negative impact violent video games on behavior agreeable. However, there are also many instances that portray violence as having little or no any negative effects on the individuals playing them. Some kids play video games and end up becoming violent people. Others play them but do not become increasingly aggressive. These varying outcomes make it difficult for the effects of video violence on all players to be determined accurately. Meanwhile, the most undesirable aspects of violence in video games include lack of punishment for killing, constant killing and hurting of other people, and perpetual justification for killing other people. This situation makes players to start accepting killing as an acceptable means of solving problems. They are also made to believe that there is nothing wrong with violence. In other words, violence is desensitized, and players start seeing human beings as mere objects rather than human beings, thus drastically lowering their empathy levels. Of course older players can differentiate between fantasy and reality, but children cannot. Surprisingly, argues Anthes, these older people are affected by video games as well, though not in the same way as kids. Among kids, the violence contained in video games leads to increase in aggression. A common effect of video games is to make players developed abnormally high adrenaline rates, which may result to hyper-aggressiveness together with the symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder. Increase in adrenaline rates leads to stimulus addiction, a common response among children who are often immersed in violent video games. People who suffer from stimulus addiction require stimulation that is increasingly strong in order to attain the same emotional experience. Sometimes, this search for stimulation leads them so go looking for more violent video games. Meanwhile, the question of whether video games result in violence in the real world remains unanswered. Many parents are worried that violent games will not only bring about restlessness in their children, they will make them more violent their behavior as well. Farrales points out to the research that was done in 1998 on a group of children aged between 5 and 7 years (9). In this study, the children were observed to imitate during free play whatever they had experienced in video games. Children who had played games with violent themes were aggressive, while those who played active, nonviolent games reflected their experiences in their play. The level of stimulation in both cases appeared to be more profound in girls than in boys. This could be because, generally, males are exposed to violence more, making a significant increase in aggression to be more profound in females. Unlike TV or movies, which present a predominantly passive viewing experience, violent video games require an individual to shoot, stab, rob, and kill enemies actively. With a movie, even if one was to watch it several times, some additional details may be obtained but it is fundamentally about the same thing. With a video game, many things can be changed according to ones way of thinking, level of play, and dexterity in pressing the control buttons. Fernandez points out that Cho Seung-Hui, a student who killed 32 people at the Virginia Tech Campus back in 2007, is reported to have been played video games obsessively, and many commentators have been instinctively linking game violence with the killings in the campus. Claims of Cho Seung-Huis stint with obsessive video games were debunked by the campus panel that investigated the killings. The obvious problem with the desensitization claim made on video games after the Virginia Tec incident is that millions of adults and kids play violent video games every day and they never engage in any violent behavior. In fact, during the past decade when video games have surged in popularity, violence by youth has declined. According to a study that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention released, the number of school killings reduced considerably between 1992 and 2006. However, this is not where the debate ends. Although video games may not directly result in school shootings, it is undoubtedly strongly linked with aggressive feelings. Those who are opposed to computer and video games would want to see them censored. These people cite many reasons for their stance. They insist that over-dependence on video games fosters social isolation, since in some cases the games are played alone. They also point out that women are portrayed as the weaker sex, sexually provocative and always helpless. Moreover, game environments are always based on gender bias, aggression and plots of violence. Additionally, video games have inspired criticism because of the way in which they fail to provide actions that require creativity and independent thought. Instead, they confuse fantasy with reality. In most of these games, there is no alternative route to winning other than being a violent player. Furthermore, not surprisingly, academic achievement tends to be negatively related to the overall time that is spent playing computer and video games. Anand indicates that there is a correlation between use of video games and academic performance, if the grade-point average (GPA) and scholastic aptitude tests (SAT) on students who use video game are anything to go by (555). According to Anands study, there is a negative correlation between the time spent by student playing video games and the students SAT and GPA scores. The research findings presented by Anand suggest that video and computer games could be having a detrimental effect on the GPA of the individual, and possibly, on SAT scores as well. Although the results portray statistical dependence, it still remains rather difficult to prove a cause-and-effect relationship. This difficulty arises from the complex nature of academic performance as well as student life. In a New York Times article published on the November 15, 2010 edition, the question of whether stores should sell violent video games to minors was raised. Indeed, the question was not of the article writers own making, it was being debated by the Supreme Court in an attempt to determine what the writers of the Bill of Rights would have thought about a violent video game like Postal 2. In the New York Times Article, Adam Liptak wrote that the justices struggled to define the manner in which the First Amendment ought to apply to video games. A suggestion was made on the imposition of a $1,000 fine on all stores that continue to sell violent video comes to minors. The violence in the computer games, according to the Supreme Court, is characterized by acts of killing, dismembering, maiming, and sexually assaulting a human beings image, in a manner that is patently offensive, lacks serious artistic, scientific, political or literary value, and appeals to the deviant and morbid interests of minors. In summary, the cons of video games by far outweigh the pros. There is a need for these games to be regulated, particularly with regard to access by minors. The regulation standards imposed by the ESRB should be revised to reflect the need to protect children and students from being lured into the world of aggressive video games.

Bio Sketch Eminem

Phase 5 Individual Final Project Case Study of Marshall Bruce Mathers III (aka Eminem) Colorado Technical University Online Abstract Marshall Bruce Mathers III also known as Enimem is not only a rapper, record producer, actor, and Grammy award winner but also one of the most controversial and bestselling artists of the 21st century. (Eminem 2012) In this paper I have included a bio-sketch of his life from birth to his current day success. I have also provided a psychological explanation, in my opinion, of his behaviors using the behaviorist perspective as well as a comparison of those behaviors utilizing the humanistic theory.Additionally I have included a detailed outlook on Eminem’s upbringing using Erik Erikson’s human development theory, Lawrence Kohlberg’s foundational theory, Abraham Maslow’s theory of motivation-hierarchy of needs, and David McClelland’s three needs theory. To conclude this paper I will discuss how understanding human behavio r through the use of psychological behaviors is very useful. Biosketch of Marshall Mathers â€Å"Eminem† Marshall Bruce Mathers III later known as Eminem was born October 17, 1972 in St. Joseph Missouri. His mother, Deborah Mathers was only 15 at the time he was born.Deborah raised Marshall alone due to his father Marshal Mathers Jr. abandoning the family when Eminem was eighteen months old. (Eminem) Deborah rarely maintained employment for longer than a few months at a time. Deborah’s lack of stable employment caused the family to move multiple times between Missouri and Michigan. Due to the constant relocation and instability in his life Marshall spent much of his childhood living in subsidized housing projects In his biography Marshal states â€Å"I would change schools two or three times a year.That was probably the roughest part of it all,† (Eminem) The lifestyle he was forced to live left him feeling like an outcast, having no friends, keeping to himself, and constantly being beaten up at school. The abuse by his school mates along with his own mother abusing him left a large negative impact on his life. At age seventeen Eminem attended Lincoln High School in Warren Michigan. (Eminem) Even with his wide vocabulary range and habit of reading the dictionary for fun he struggled with the educational atmosphere and dropped out of school.Eminem stated, â€Å"I don’t feel that I am stupid but school just wasn’t for me. † ( Reece2012) His passion for rap started at the young age of four, beginning with rhyming words and battling his schoolmates in the lunch room. However he did not become serious about rapping until he was fourteen and later when making a name for him-self at the age of seventeen. (Reece 2012)Eminem explains that his biggest challenge was the constant rejection from the other rappers because of the color of his skin. This rejection caused even more anger to build up and eventually flow through his music later on in his career.Despite his reoccurring failure at rap battles and poor radio show appearances Eminem released his first album titled Infinite in 1999. (Reece 2012) The album sold less than 1,000 copies and did not make a profit. However, this was still the first hugely important step needed for the millions of dollars he would make during his career. After selling his first record the next life changing event occurred. On December 25, 1995 Eminem and his longtime girlfriend Kim Scott welcomed their daughter into the world naming her Hailey Jade Scott. Reece 2012) Despite Eminem’s new daughter being born he kept pushing his rapping career. During this time in his life he made many attempts to make a name for himself, but he continuously failed and eventually had nothing. The trials and tribulations he went through revealed themselves t loudly in the form of outrage during a rap battle in 1997. Eminem lasted an hour in this battle, throwing down every race card he was given earning him second place losing only because of one minor slip up.Furious at the feeling of failure once again he failed to notice that in the audience there were producers from Interscope Records. Producer Dr. Dre from Intersope eventually caught up with Eminem and signed him on the spot. (Eminem) In 1999 Eminem released The Slim Shady LP album making him an instant success and selling over three million copies. His music was comprised of childish humor, energy, profanity, and violence. Eminem’s lyrics often referenced his personal views on life and his with other people including his mother and wife Kim Mathers, which he later divorced.Even though many people view his music as profane, violent, drug promoting, and homophobic Eminem went on to release his next album titled The Mashall Mather’s LP released May 2000. This album went on to sale over 19 million copies and earned him a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in 2001. Along with a Grammy this album is conside red to be among the greatest rap albums of all time. (Eminem) In 2007 after years of success Eminem nearly died from a drug overdose. Family problems, drugs, alcohol, and the loss of his daughter in a custody battle kept him from recording music until 2009.In late 2009 he announced that he had gone to rehab and produced the album Relapse. In 2010 Eminem released an album called Recovery. Both of these albums were auto-biographical albums relating to his addiction experiences bringing him back to mainstream rap. (Eminem) Eminem recently stated, â€Å"I started learning how to not be angry about things, learning to count my fucking blessings instead. By doing that, I’ve become a happier person. † (Eminem) I have chosen to focus on and investigate why Eminem focused on negative concepts throughout his music career.I think that he is an excellent example to why behavioristic perspective makes since. As I mentioned in the biographic sketch Eminem was constantly bounced arou nd, never having stability because he was raised by an abusive mother. He was placed into many situations where he was beaten, cussed at, and ridiculed for reasons beyond his control. Eminem was also forced to grow up in mostly poverty ridden housing projects that ran rampant with drugs, guns, and violence. I believe that because he grew up pretty much with the previously mentioned issues the behavior and norm for him was learned and often times came through in his music.In a lot of his songs he discusses that he is angry with his mother often times referring to her in a vulgar manner. In his song Puke he refers to his ex-wife and not wanting to be around her because she is disgusting and ridicules her. In the song I’m Sorry Mama he references to his childhood and being a failure and later talks as though he is happy his mother is dead. The second behavior I feel is learned is his addiction problem. Through song lyrics Eminem accuses his mother of being addicted to prescripti on drugs.He was raised in poverty ridden areas where drugs were very prevalent. He grew up seeing drugs as a way to cope and deal with life, and this environment made a lasting impression on him. In 2006 his career tapered down and he went through a divorce. At this point he reverted back to the behavior that he learned growing up; using drugs and alcohol are acceptable ways to cope. His music after his overdose reflects his new learned behavior and ideas from rehab. The next part of my case study focuses on Eminem’s motivations and development throughout his life.This is analyzed using Erik Erikson’s human development theory, Lawrence Kohlberg’s foundational theory, Abraham Maslow’s theory of motivation-hierarchy of needs, and David McClelland’s three needs theory. According to Erik Erikson’s psychosocial stages of development stage one is: Trust Versus Mistrust. This stage lasts from birth until eighteen months of age and is the crucial ti me frame that a child develops an attachment to a caregiver. (Editorial 95-97)I believe that Eminem did not have his needs met in this stage. His father was in and out of his life for most of this time period.Because of his absence Eminem did not develop a connection or attachment with his father. Although Eminem was living with and being raised by his mother there was a lack of trust/ attachment with her as well. At the time of Eminem’s birth Deborah was fifteen years old and using drugs. (Eminem) I believe that Deborah was stuck in Erikson’s fifth stage which is Identity versus Role Confusion. Being stuck in this stage made it difficult for her to give Eminem the tools necessary to have trust and an attachment to her. As Eminem got a little older he fell into Erikson’s third stage of Initiative versus which is Guilt.During this stage children begin to develop mental and physical activities that develop self-confidence. (Editorial 95-97) Eminem struggled with t his stage. He moved from school to school and he was picked on and abused. At this time he was also living in an abusive home. The abuse from school and home injured Eminem’s confidence and often made him feel alone and like an outcast. (Eminem) According to Eminem the only way he had of showing he had some confidence was by challenging rap battles starting at the age of four in the lunch room at school. Reece 2012) Although the battles in the lunch room may not have been the most appropriate way to obtain confidence it was how Eminem managed to make his way through this stage. Stage four is Competence versus Inferiority, also known as Industry versus Inferiority. This stage is when children develop social and intellectual skills, and become confident in their talents and competencies. (Editorial 95-97) Eminem excelled in this stage. It was during this stage that Eminem failed out of school and began focusing on his rapping career. Eminem endured the feeling of excessive fail ure and was often criticized for being white.His relationship with his mother during this stage was poor because of her constant ridicule of him for dropping out of school and pursuing a career in rap music. (Reece 2012) Even with the lack of support he pushed through and eventually he was recognized in 1977 by producer Dr. Dre. This recognition was a large part of why Eminem was able to complete this stage. Eminem had finally made a name for him-self and began to recognize and embrace who he actually was. This occurred in stage five of Erikson’s theory which is Identity versus Role Confusion.Eminem utilized this time to recognize what he had gone through in his life growing up. During this stage he raps about his life in many of his songs and is able to understand and explain why he is the way he is. It was also during this time that the role in life he played as â€Å"Marshall Mathers† was now non-existent. Eminem was now identified as a leading musician; and he was comfortable with this life and persona he had created for himself. According to Lawrence Kohlberg his theory of Moral development can be broken down into three levels and seven stages.Kohlberg believed that people functioning at lower levels of his theory are motivated by self-interest. (Editorial100-101) While Eminem is a smart individual the behaviors that he displayed for much of his life would have placed him in the first level of Kohlberg’s theory. Kohlberg believes that level one stage one is that children base decisions on seeking pleasure and avoiding pain or getting caught. Stage two is the cost benefit stage in which one acts out morally to get an award. (Editorial 100-101) Eminem is known as one of the most controversial artists in the 21st century.He seeks out pleasures by pushing limits in his songs that are against most people’s moral beliefs. He often acts in a manner that may not be acceptable, but often times got him rewarded. Eminem does not meet the criteria for level two or three of Kohlberg’s theory. Eminem doesn’t behave morally. He embraces and works off criticism rather than trying to avoid it. Eminem is far from meeting the stage three requirements of Kohlberg’s theory. He is still promoting violence, drugs, and alcohol; and his morals are not even close to what modern day society accepts as appropriate.Finishing up with Eminem’s adulthood it is best described by Erikson’s sixth stage which is Intimacy versus Isolation. By age thirty-five Eminem had been married and divorced twice to the same woman. Eminem lives the typical party life of sex with multiple women, drugs, alcohol, and, not much concern for other individuals or relationships. Even though Eminem has not led the perfect life he has remained proud of his daughter and career. Eminem was still releasing music as recent as 2010 and currently working in studios for a new album that he will be releasing later at no specific date.He continues to be just as widely known by today’s youth as he was when he originally debuted. Eminem clearly had some type of motivation which leads me to Abraham Maslow’s theory of motivation. I believe that Eminem strived to reach the Esteem Needs of Maslow’s pyramid. The Esteem Needs level he is in causes him to feel that he belongs and has a degree of importance. Recognition, attention, social status, and accomplishment are all motivators to reach this point. (Maslow) Eminem lacked a lot of these characteristics as a child and now he has fame from billions of fans.He is recognized by all races as being a brilliant rap artist and has accomplished his dream of being a musician. I believe that he made gaining recognition and fame so important that he skipped the safety needs stage. He used what little money he had on recording songs and going to rap battles instead of using it on food and a safe place to live. According to David McCelland’s theory of three needs Eminem’s motivations become clearer. Eminem had a huge need and want to succeed in rapping. Rapping was something he wanted bad enough that he pushed through a lot of hardships to obtain.The second part of McClelland’s theory is affiliation. Affiliation according to McCelland is the need for human interaction and positive relationships with others. (Editorial 184) This was not a motivation for Eminem; Eminem’s relationships were damaged as his career grew. For example, putting his mom’s past behaviors out for the public to hear or talking poorly about his daughter’s mom in the lyrics he raps. The third motivation which was power was definitely one of Eminem’s biggest motivations. Eminem uses his music to impact others with his bizarre lyrics and tales of a terrible life.He also had established the power to make people understand that just because he was white he still lived in poverty and became a rap star, and most importantly he got his life story told. Reflecting back on the behavioristic perspective I still find it to be true that most of his behaviors were learned. Eminem’s mother was undereducated and addicted to drugs. Because she was undereducated she like Eminem did not progress through the important stages of Erikson’s theory. How can it be expected for Eminem to go through all the stages when he was raised in a fashion of where the proper guidance was non-existent?Secondly in Maslow’s theory of Hierarchy needs a person should have their physiological needs met first, then safety, and then social needs. (Maslow) Eminem’s mother fell short in this area as well. Her concern to keep him safe and have a since of security were less than her need to socialize and be accepted by others. This seems to be the path that Eminem followed her example with. In phase one I focused on the behavioral perspective and analyzed Eminem’s need to have negative concepts throughout his music , and his addiction to drugs and alcohol.In this section of my case study I will analyze these same two behaviors. However in this section of my paper I will be using the humanistic theory. The humanistic theory explains the human behavior as based on the basic goodness of the person, rather than more biologically or socially mechanistic models. The humanistic theory explains that behaviors are a combination of here and now responsibility, worth and self-improvement. (Editorial 202) First I want to address Eminem’s constant use of negative lyrics that often refer to his past.As part of the humanistic approach Abraham Maslow created the hierarchy of needs theory. Maslow explains that the lowest level of needs is the physiological needs category. Eminem struggled with having his basic needs met as a child mainly because of the poor living conditions and because his mother did not provide for him. Eminem struggled with the next two levels of Maslow’s hierarchy safety need s and sense of belonging as well because the lack of safety and protection and sense of being loved during his childhood. Eminem managed to make it through his life and eventually made it to the fourth level of needs.The fourth level is his self-esteem; although he was now famous his self-esteem was is still pretty low. He valued the need to have self-worth and often got self-worth by building himself up and by using other’s flaws such as his mother’s to make himself look and feel better. He also did this to make it more obvious to others that he was forced to overcome obstacles in his life. This theory when applied to Eminem’s life is much different than the behavioristic theory outcome which showed his behaviors were learned from being in the environment he was raised in.However, the humanistic approach shows that he chose these behaviors because of the events that occurred in his life. His anger was not learned but was an outcome of the things he has gone thr ough throughout his life. The second behavior to look at is his drug and alcohol addiction. The humanistic theory explains the drug and alcohol addiction as a way for Eminem to increase his self-esteem. He could have also used his addictions to replace the lack of love and sense of belonging he felt throughout his life. He essentially used his addiction as a way to cope with the basic essential needs that were never met in his life.The humanistic approach explains his addiction as a filler in the needs hierarchy, something to give him what he lacks. He didn’t have love or the feeling of being needed; the alcohol took away that feeling and replaced it with another happy or high feeling. This is also very different from the behavioral aspect that showed he gained this behavior from learning it from is mom and or environment he grew up in. Either way you look at it from the behavioral approach or the humanistic approach you will get the same result. Eminem’s behaviors occ ur directly from events in his past.This is very helpful when explaining why he is the way he is, because it gives concrete reasons and not excuses for his behaviors. Psychological theories don’t leave much room for assumption which cuts out misunderstandings. Without the theories one may simply think that Eminem is controversial for the simple sake of wanting attention. I have learned a lot by breaking down Eminems’s life story and analyzing it. I learned that some of the behaviors we learn as children are instilled in us whether we realize it or not. I used to think that the saying,† It’s all I know† was an excuse.Looking further into the behaviors and matching them with different stages of Eminem’s life has given me a better understanding. This is definitely something that I can use while working with troubled youth at my current job. I also have learned that even if your life doesn’t follow the correct stages or theories motivations can make the world of difference. Eminem did not live the perfect life and did a lot of things out of order but he was motivated enough to succeed in what he wanted. All the theories are very helpful but still leave room for alterations.I guess it is life’s learning manual as best as you can get Now to reflect back on all of Eminem’s behaviors and the different theories I have used to break down his life and personality I will discuss whether his behaviors are normal or abnormal. Normal behaviors are defined as the behaviors, attitudes, and approaches to life expected for a given society. Abnormal behaviors are defined as the thoughts and behaviors that stand outside of what is expected for a given society. (Editorial 2011) Eminem clearly displays abnormal behaviors. Eminem shows behaviors that we as an American society tend to frown upon.He is very vulgar and publicly projects his thoughts of encouraging violence and alcohol through the use of his music. Eminem also tends to represent the â€Å"thug life† mentality dancing around sagging his pants, swearing, and promoting the use of drugs and violence during his concerts. Proper normal American behavior is very much against how Eminem behaves. Normal behaviors for American culture are hardworking, respectful, polite, and dignified conversation. Society often associates behaviors like Eminem’s as a representation of an under educated criminal.I believe that Eminem’s behaviors can be attributed to his past. According to the Psychoanalytic Perspective a person’s psychological disorders stem from unresolved childhood issues pertaining to sex drive and aggression; deals with subconscious impulses and influences on conscious thought and behavior. (Editoral 2011) Eminem has multiple childhood issues that deal with aggression, his impulses, influences and sex drive. He was abused and built the aggression towards others. He was very impulsive which I feel he learned from his mother constantly moving them around at the spur of the moment.He also growing up had a huge lack of love from his mother and very little female attention which can contribute to his need for affection as an adult creating a very unhealthy sex drive. My feelings on the use of case studies are still split. One of the big advantages of case studies is that you can determine a person’s personality, behaviors and social acceptance based off of theories that have already been made all you have to do is analyze and place them where you see fit. A disadvantage of the case study method would be that it is based off of one’s own thoughts and perspective hich leaves a lot of room questions and speculation. As I have been working week to week and reviewing the different theories I have learned a lot. I learned that that has been an influence from somewhere whether it be from a person’s environment or by simply having being born to a particular family (genetics) that a pers on’s behaviors can usually be directly linked. I have truly learned that the best way to understand someone is to put your-self into their shoes. Look at where they were brought up, family characteristics and traits they inherited. Psychology plays a massive part especially in my workplace.I work in an environment that is meant to help troubled youth become productive members of society. We focus on helping them obtain normal behaviors to make it in society. Now that I have a better understanding of why these youth make the choices that they do I have the necessary tools to help them in a more direct manner instead of guessing. For example, if I know that a kid has been moved from foster home to foster home because their mother or father was on drugs I can place them into one of the theories such as Maslow’s hierarchy and break down the behaviors and life events that they need to work through.I have also learned that there is probably a reason for the kids to act out s imply out of the thrill of being bad. I will continue to study psychology so that I may further my career with a better understanding. I also just simply find it to be very interesting to understand how a person’s brain works and affects their everyday life. Also by studying psychology I have a better understanding of myself. I see what my personality profile is and am more aware of how other people may perceive me.It also has opened my mind to be able to understand others in a more efficient way. I will apply the knowledge I have learned in this course and have already begun to do so in my career. I have a better understanding of the clientele I work with and will continue to expand on what I have learned. The final part of my paper focuses on the statement â€Å"You can’t understand others unless you understand yourself. † I still struggle with completely understanding myself and why I may or may not be the way I am. Although I an place myself into different t heories and it makes since there are still some open questions I have. I used the MBTI test and it made it a little clearer as to why I tend to gravitate to some other personality types. Since I know why I get along better with some people it also opened my eyes to understand why others may get along with each other for example bully kids and scape goat kids tend to stick to others that are like them. I see it in my particular workplace that quite often as a team builder amongst staff where we are required to learn each other’s personality.As adults in a working environment it helps us focus on learning each other better and lowers the amount of personal issues that we as a company have. I also feel that understanding other’s behaviors and personalities is helpful because you better understand who may be more suitable for a particular duty that needs done. I think that this course would be a valuable learning tool to everyone that works in the environment I work in. As a life skills trainer to troubled youth we are supposed to help them understand why they do what they do.How are we supposed to really be able to completely and fully help them if we can’t clearly explain it to them or ourselves why the behaviors they have are fixable or why they have them in the first place. As an addition to what training responsibilities I already have with staff at work I will be implementing that they learn some of these theories we explored. I also have already begun to use the personality type test to bring staff together as a starting learning experience for them to understand who they work with and the benefits of utilizing each other’s strong personality attributes.References Eminem. (2012) Biography. com. Retrieved 03:12, August 23, 2012 from http://www. biography. com/people/eminem-9542093 Eminem. Reece, Rod. (2012) Retrieved 03:25, August 23, 2012 from http://www. imdb. com/name/nm0004896/bio Editorial Board(2011) Introduction to Psycholo gy, Electronic Version. Pgs 95-97,100-101,184. Words of Wisdom LLC. Retrieved from course smart solutions database. Maslow’s Theory of Motivation(2012) Retrieved 01:51, August 30,2012. From http:www. envisionsoftware. com/articles/Masolw_Needs_Hierarchy

The Biggest Myth About Writing 5th Grade English Essay Samples Exposed

The Biggest Myth About Writing 5th Grade English Essay Samples Exposed Consider what your life would be like, the way that it would differ living more than 200 decades ago. Dogs are also a great supply of protection. Dogs and cats can bring a great deal of happy times to a family, and they may be excellent companions for someone who lives alone or somebody who has lost a loved one. My Family Alphabet Use letters to show the qualities of your loved ones. Special attention needs to be paid to the price of either avenue. Imagine you had a time machine you could take just to the past. When you realise that the time isn't enough, you start to work more productively. You decide to improve the period of time spent exercising. The Start of Writing 5th Grade English Essay Samples Dedicate an idea to a single paragraph only, therefore it is simpler to perceive. An important, or strongest, arguments it's ideal to place in the start of the essay major physique or save for the last paragraph as a consequence of they are likely to earn a main impression and type a positive aftertaste. The subject-verb agreement is a must for a sentence. This part should comprise the majority of the paragraph. Why Almost Everything You've Learned About Writing 5th Grade English Essay Samples Is Wrong Hopefully you have located a few suggestions to make narrative writing easier for your students. Frequently, students are confused about how to structure their essay. Indiana university creative with it also. An essay has to be broken into paragraphs to ensure it is readable. Every essay followed the exact standard structure. Essay plans instantly offer an essay structure, they keep you from forgetting to incorporate any vital points, and they block you from losing your way as you write. An essay plan does not need to be a huge thing. You can't concentrate on all assignments simultaneously, but it is a whole lot simpler and faster to compose an essay when you experience an illustration of the way that it ought to be done. Try to remember, you'll need to support this thesis throughout the entire paper. Essay outline is a skeletal outline that provides a platform on which you are able to build your private writing and supply you with your personal thoughts. After you've got restated the topic of the research, you want to restate your thesis statement Make sure that you rewrite it, as a consequence of it shouldn't sound exactly like in the introduction. You may even opt for an available writer to communication panel, which delivers an immediate communication between the author and the customer. To begin with, you've got to set the scene and pull in the readers' interest. Also keep an eye on where each bit of information is found so it is simple to cite your sources in the event the teacher requires it. Studen ts are trained to compose a story for a narrator who has experienced a circumstance. So learning cursive is basically up to your kid's teacher. At JumpStart, an individual can come across worksheets devoted to individual topics, giving children the liberty to practice depending on their requirements. The kids who want help will get it and the remainder of your class will obtain a refresher. While teachers ought to be there to support your child, he should do the job. For example, a controversial thesis assertion might be one thing like, The drinking age has to be diminished to 18 within america. The very last thing that's different is about my pals. Write a story about something fun which you did with friends and family during the summertime. Invent a new type of sandwich. The 30-Second Trick for Writing 5th Grade English Essay Samples Choosing our service, you are going to understand that studying can be simple if you gain from the help of capable experts. Together with the UK Essay Help undergraduates cannot be worried about the time but delight in a complete life. Finding a hold of previous exams and using them to practise is a significant idea. A seasoned professional will make an error-free assignment very quickly and can help you boost your grades. This experience isn't simple to master for beginners. Before making your final decision, however, you ought to take a good look at the beneficial and negative aspects of both situations. Our customer support will gladly tell you whether there are any special offers at the present time, together with make sure you are getting the very best service our company may deliver. It is possible to also acquire several discounts on our site which will help you to save some more money for future orders or anything you want to spend them on. Click the image below to get to the join page. You do not have a thing to be worried about when ordering from our internet site. Think of a few of the particulars.

Case Study on Management Information Systems

Abstract This article presents a discussion on the importance of management information systems in Bistro Cuisine, a restaurant operating in the city of Nairobi, Kenya. It will explain the role of information systems in the managerial function of planning, staffing, directing, and monitoring functions of management. It will describe management information system as a system of processes that provide information necessary to manage an organization effectively. Modern technology has further made the result to management information systems in management imperative because of the changing environmental and circumstances. Finally, the article will make recommendations to public and private institutions on the importance of running management information system units. Background information The history of Bistro Cuisine dates back into the 1960’s, the independence days in Kenya. Its founder Allan Bobbes opened the little bistro in 1962 in Nairobi, Kenya. Having been a renowned radio presenter for the British colonialists, he was popularly known. One of the most famous shows that rocked the airwaves, what’s cooking where he shared his passion for gastronomy, his listeners later implored him to open up his eating joint and stop drooling over the air waves. His bistro became an instant success. Its reputation as the premier restaurant in Nairobi has attracted the custom of many internationally renowned personalities; key among them includes Bing Crosby, Jack Kennedy, David Lean, Pele, Sydney pallack and recently, the United States president, Barack Obama. Andrew apartments offer state of the art facility with such a great ambience, fully catered for by the Allan bistro, the best French restaurant in Nairobi. The journey to the success of this establishment has been long and bumpy. Attaining such world class recognition in a country that is home from other international trade names in the hospitality industry such as Hilton, Serena, the Stanley’s among others has taken a lot of effort, innovativeness, and uniqueness and quality services. At the forefront in the achievement of this key success is the successful implementation of management information systems at all the levels of management.. Bistro Cuisine employs top notch technology, management information systems and other information systems that have created a lot of efficiency and effectiveness in all the business functions in the restaurant (Buick, 2003). Management is been defined as the process of planning, organizing, coordinating, staffing directing and controlling resources with the aim of attaining optimal results in the business. A system is defined as a combination or arrangement of parts to form an integrated whole. Management information systems thus, are a set of tools that provide information necessary to assist management in effective decision making in the execution of its functions. Bistro Cuisine has a set of management information systems that provide timely and accurate information that is necessary for the achievement of the organizations goals, objectives, mission and vision (Tony, 2007). In analyzing the importance of management information systems in this company, we shall illustrate the individual information systems and how they have been helpful and how they have assisted the organization to meet its goals and live within its vision of becoming the restaurant of choice in Kenya and beyond. There are several management information systems employed by the bistro cuisine. They include financial information systems, human resource information system, quality management information system, marketing information system, customer relations management systems, enterprise information systems among many others. Financial information systems Accounting system Bistro Cuisine uses computerized accounting system to analyze and compute financial information. Oracle, an accounting system developed by the Oracle Company is used in this restaurant.   This system is capable of tracking all the monetary transactions and to help management to track the profitability of the restaurant. Such an accounting system generates reports, helps in computation of profits and losses in the organization, reconciliation, computation of tax returns, timely posting of balances etc. This software has been, reduces wastages and generates timely information. This information is useful to management to be able to make decisions on what areas need improvements in the organization. From the results of the profits and loss analysis, management is enlightened on what segment of the company needs to be improved. Point of sale This is an information system that tracks all sales transactions in the restaurant. For instance, it tracks the sale of products, description, amount charged, discounts if any, and modes of payments whether cheques, or credit cards. This system is quite important to the Bistro cuisine. From this system, management is able to identify products that are slow moving, those that need to be replenished. This helps management to make informed choices on what to purchase, when and from whom. Human resource management information systems Human resource information system helps management in deciding the skills and competencies required in business. It captures information such as number of employees required in the business, the available staff, designations, skills and competencies, etc. A human resource information system helps in human resource planning, which determines the present and future human resource requirements of the organization. It also captures information on compensation plans, succession planning, training requirements, job analysis, recruitment, selection, performance appraisal and staff information. The software used by this company is the people software, software that is able to capture data on all the employees in the organization, their qualifications, designation, and experience etc. This information system helps management to decide on which area of the restaurant requires extra staff, the staff performance, areas that require training and development, performance appraisal among other important employee information. Quality management information system Bistro Cuisine is one of the most preferred restaurants in Nairobi. It serves a wide range of customers from individual clients to corporate clients. Bistro cuisine is also the sole caterer of Andrew apartments. This restaurant is renowned for its quality products and services that are widely accepted in the region and beyond. To attain these standards, this company has instituted very strict quality control information systems to ensure quality of all the products and services in the company meet regional and international standards. There are several systems that are available in this company. There is a system that ensures that all the products supplies meet the required standards, the process of preparing dishes and serving drinks in this restaurant is   thoroughly checked for quality and improvements made. There is a quality control department charged with the sole responsibility of ensuring quality of products and services in the restaurant. This department ensures that any supplies into the restaurant are form credible sources, and have been checked for quality by the kentia bureau of standards where applicable. This system also helps in ensuring that all the products and services offered by the company meet the internationally recognized standards and also meet the Kenyan health and safety regulations. This also helps the company remain competitive in the hospitality industry and maintain its share of the market even with the competitive markets besides meeting its legal requirements. Risk management information system This system helps the company to identify the risks facing the organization and also suggests the risk management strategies that can be applied depending on the particular type of risk. There are several risks that face organizations operating in this industry. A risk management system helps in identifying these risks, the degree of the risks, the severity of the risks to each particular organizational functions and how the organization can mitigate the effects of these risks (David, 2005). Marketing management information systems Marketing is a critical function in any organization. It is defined as the creation of awareness of the products and services offered by the company, the rates charged and the quality of those products. It is aimed at creating awareness and attracting first and repeat purchase of the company products. Bistro cuisine has employed several marketing information system marketing tools to create awareness of its products and services. A good example is the company website. Here, clients are able to view the products and services of the company and also identify the prices charged for each product. This encourages the flow of clients from all over the world (Chung, 2003) The marketing information system helps management to reach a wide range of clients and make known the companies products and services, this has helped build business for the company. The company widely advertises its products in the local dailies. A management information system is relevant in deciding what information is relevant in the adverts and also gauging the effectiveness of the marketing plan to the organization (Emmer, 2003). Customer relations management information system This is an information system used by management to track customer information with the intention of creating repeat business. This information system is useful to management in capturing the details of all customers in the restaurant, length of time they will be staying in the premises, the employees who are tasked with the responsibility of attending to those customers among other important details. Service delivery is a key requirement in ensuring that the company attracts and retains customers. This information system helps management to design the best program for each customer, to give customized attention to the clients and attend to the customers every other need without delays. This keeps the customers satisfied and builds ion the reputation of the business (Gherissi-Labben, 2003) Hotel reservation system This is a management information system that supports multi currency, and multi language features to meet the hotel reservation system required for global operations. This system automatically converts rates from the local currency to any other currency, during the reservation process, information such as property, room description and rates can be made available in different languages. This system also supports the countries address codes. This system helps the management of bistro cuisine restaurant to determine the best rates to charge their services based on the information gathered from other industry players. It also helps this organization to avail all the required information in a timely manner for clients to make reservations in the restaurant. Information system acquisition The restaurant obtains these information systems from different sources. Most of these systems have been purchased from software vendors while others have been developed within the organization by the Information Technology department. Development of an information system follows a couple of logical steps that begin with the feasibility of the system under development through maintenance of the system. This logical process is what is commonly known as the system development life cycle. System Development Life Cycle The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a conceptual model that describes the stages necessary for the development of an information system. Several models of this life cycle have been developed to guide system developers in the development of information systems. The most common one is the waterfall model. The diagram below illustrates the waterfall model of system development. The accompanying phases of the system development and procedures are explained below.   The waterfall model for the SDLC Appendix 1 The phases are Feasibility study The feasibility study is employed to determine both the technical and economic appropriateness of the project. This is used as a bench mark on whether the project will be given a go a head by the development team. Requirement Analysis and Design The analysis of a system includes a detailed study of the business needs of the organization. Here, the system developers look at how the complete system will function and how it will interact with the other systems in the organization.   Implementation In this phase the above the designs put in translated computer codes. In this phase, the system developer sets up the system ready for testing and use. He employs different programming languages such as Pascal, Java, C and C++ coding languages.   Testing In this phase the system is tested for accuracy and consistency. Bugs are removed at this stage and testing for the harmonious integration with other systems in the organization is also done. Maintenance Maintenance of the system is critical. The system must continuously be checked for bugs, to ensure that it’s continuously meeting its target requirements. Maintenance also involves continuous improvements to the functionality of the information system. Conclusion Management information systems are important for the success of any organization. This is because the timely, accurate and up to date information generated by the management information systems helps management at all levels to make timely decisions for the benefit of the organization. It’s highly recommended that all, whether in the hospitality industry or not, organizations adopt management information systems to help their management in decision making. This has resulted from advancements in technologies that have led to both technical and economic efficiencies in organizations. Those institutions that do not adopt management information systems may find themselves left behind in terms of competitiveness and market share. Reference Buick, I. (2003). Information technology in small Scottish hotels: is it working. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 15(4): 243-247. Chung, T. and R. Law (2003). Developing a Performance Indicator for Hotel Websites. International Journal of Hospitality Management 22(1): 119-125. Emmer, R. M., C. Tauck, et al. (1993). Marketing Hotels Using Global Distribution Systems. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 34(6): 80-89. Hanson, David. (2005) Risk Management Information Systems Defined, American Society of Safety Engineer Gherissi-Labben, T., R. Schegg, et al. (2003). E-Mail Customer Service in the Tunisian Hotel Industry. Tourism Review 58(2): 18-26. Tony M. (2004). Principles of Management.Ashgate Publishing Ltd