The Use of Scientific Games in Teaching Science Essay Example for Free

The Use of Scientific Games in Teaching Science Essay The study of science is essential. Science is the study of the world around us. Everything around us concerns science. Without it, it is impossible to get into medicine, engineering, architecture and other fields requiring technical expertise. Every sector recognizes an increasing contribution of the discipline to the progress of the modern world as well as its traditional standing as an element of humanistic and scientific education. Its importance as the key subject is common knowledge. Science has been recognized as a patent means of sharpening our competitive edge. Thus, science holds a dominating place in the curriculum. As mandated in the Philippine Constitution, it is the duty of the schools to develop scientific and technology efficiency among the pupils and the students. Thus, it is necessary to evolve a strong science program in all levels. So, the teaching of science should be effectively earned out so as to satisfy the National Development Goals. Science is a multifaceted subject, limitless in extent and depth, vital for science and technology, and rich in the cultural import. It offers a lot of challenges to an individual. In school, however, some students find the subject dull and difficult. More so, science in general, is even considered by many as uninteresting or boring subject if not difficult or not applicable into their daily lives. The performance of the pupils depends largely on quality of the teaching competencies of their teacher. A competent teacher learns to build effective learning situation and to select teaching methods/strategies to guarantee maximum retention and application of the earning that are achieved. According to Wikipedia, strategy refers to all techniques by which the teachers structure the learning environment so that the students are led to discover what they are supposed to discover. Teachers use a wide variety of techniques to elicit information from the students. In view of this, the teacher must determine effective strategies that would suit to the interest, abilities and needs of the students. The researcher believes that the games could be an effective strategy in teaching science in elementary schools. Statement of the Problem The study aims to find out the effectiveness of using games in teaching selected topics in Science to Grade VI pupils of Matanao Central Elementary School for the incoming School Year 2012-2013. Moreover, it seeks to answer the following research questions: 1.) Is there a significant difference on the pre-test scores of the control group and the experimental group? 2.) Is there a significant difference on the post-test scores of the control group and the experimental group? 3.) Is there a difference between the pre-test and post-test scores of pupils in both control and experimental group? Hypotheses Null Hypothesis 1.) There is no significant difference on the pre-test scores of the control group and the experimental group. 2.) There is no significant difference on the post-test scores of the control group and the experimental group. 3.) There is no significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores of pupils in both control and experimental group. Alternative Hypothesis 1.) There is a significant difference on the pre-test scores of the control group and the experimental group. 2.) There is a significant difference on the post-test scores of the control group and the experimental group. 3.) There is a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores of pupils in both control and experimental group. Significance of the Study This study would like to help elementary grade pupils to develop better understanding of the abstract concepts and ideas in science as they prepare for higher learning in science. The findings of this study may likewise motivate and challenge science teachers in their determination to help majority of the grade VI pupils who experience learning block in science primarily due to less effective in teaching science concepts, with the use of various learning strategies, students may develop a deeper understanding of the concepts and process to science that will consequently lead to higher achievement. Lastly for educators, the useful and relevant information acquired from this study may provide insights on how they can promote higher academic achievement using effective strategy in teaching abstract concepts and ideas in science. Moreover, this study would like to help them achieve their long sought goal of development of effective understanding of the science processes and concepts. Limitations of the Study This research will be limited and will be conducted only at Matanao Central Elementary School for the incoming School Year 2012-2013. The respondents of the study will be the Grade VI pilot class. The instrument which is going to be used will be an achievement test which will serve both as a pre-test and a post-test. This will be used to classify the pupils’ performance and learning outcomes. Different scientific games will be used to motivate and arouse the interests and attention of each pupil. The class will be divided into two groups, namely, the control group and the experimental group. The experimental group will be subjected to scientific games used as motivation in teaching science, while the control group will be exposed to the traditional method. Broadly speaking, the social scientific approach has concerned itself with the question of â€Å"What do games do to students?†. Using tools and methods such as surveys and controlled laboratory experiments, researchers have investigated both the positive and negative impact that using games in teaching could have on students learning. Among the possible effects of game play, perhaps the one most commonly raised by media and general public has to do with violence in games. What are the possible effects that playing videogames, in particular those that feature aggressive or violent elements might have on children and youth? Social learning theory (Bandura,1986) suggests that playing aggressive videogames would stimulate aggressive behaviour in players in particular because the player is an active participant (as opposed to passive observer as the case of aggression in film and television). On the other hand, catharsis theory ( Feshback and Singer, 1971) implies that playing aggressive videogames would have the opposite effect by channelling latent aggression resulting in positive effects on players. Numerous reviews of existing literature have been written and there is not a clear picture of the effects of playing violent videogames might have (Griffiths, 1999; Sherry, 2001). As for positive effects, educators and learning scientists sed as motivation have also debated how to leverage the motivation students had for playing games as well as exploring th e medium of videogames for educational and pedagogical purposes. Malone explored the intrinsically motivating qualities that games have and how they might be useful in designing educational games (Malone, 1980; Malone 1981) while Kafai utilized the design of games by schoolchildren as the context for them to learn computer programming concepts and mathematics (Kafai, 1995; Kafai 1996). Similarly, Squire has explored the use of commercial games as means for engaging disenfranchised students in school (Squire,2005). In addition to their motivational factors, Gee and Shaffer have argued that certain qualities present in the medium of videogames provide valuable opportunities for learning (Gee, 2003; Shaffer, 2006). In her book, Life on the Screen, Sherry Turkle explored how people that participated in online multiplayer games such as MUDs used their experiences with the game to explore personal issues of identity (Turkle, 1995). In her book Play Between Worlds, T.L. Taylor recounts her experiences playing the massively multiplayer online game Everquest. In doing so, she seek to understand â€Å"the nuanced border relationship that exists between MMOG players and the worlds they inhabit† (Taylor, 2006). Swiss educator Johannes Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746-1827) agree with the view that a school should be adapted in an atmosphere of general permissive where physical experience, play activities and nature study walk should be part of the learning experiences against the dullness deadening memorization and recitation. German educator and philosopher, Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852) also a naturalist, believes that the teacher must become an active instructor instead a taskmaster and hearer of active recitations. He introduced the school for early childhood education, the kindergarten or child garden that emphasized games, play, songs and crafts. He urged teachers to look back of their childhood days that could help them understand the needs of the child. Other significant studies that relate the games to improved achievement is in the hand of biology (Bleitan, 1989) and in Genetics concepts (Garcia, 1993). Nueva Espana et al (1990) stated that our country depends on Science and Technology. A great number of its problem can be solved by developing its greatest resource: people. Our people must develop skills in Science and Technology. Sufficiency in scientific and technological expertise is a characteristic of countries that have become progressive and rich no matter how small they are. Our country still has a long, long way to become self-sustaining. Knowledge of Science and the efficient use of its principle can help a lot toward making our society self-sufficient in turn making us masters of our own science and technology and not servants of society. (Philippine Graphics, May 19, 1997 p.8). Senator Ernesto Maceda made alarming news about the results of our students performance in mathematics and science competence in the elementary, high school and even college levels that the Philippines is in the bottom ranked 37 out of 39 countries in Asia. He said that we have to respond to the t ruth which tells us with greater sense of urgency to help our students in several dimensions of the educational process: retraining our teachers, lengthening classroom work, improving classroom facilities, reviewing the textbooks now in use and supplementing the resources available in our school libraries. Allan C. Ornstein (Strategies for Effective Teaching, New York: Harper-Collins publishers 1990 p.213) said that â€Å"to understand why and how to use instructional objectives result should be obtained in more effective teaching and testing. The use of instructional objectives helps the teachers focus on what students know at the end of the lesson. Likewise, it helps students know what is expected of them. On the international scene, a number of educational research projects have investigated science teachers’ classroom practices. One of the established projects is the large scale National: The Survey of science and Mathematics Education, conducted in the USA over a number of years to gauge the status of science and mathematics education in the USA. Reports from these studies written by Weiss (1987, 1988, 1994), Weiss, Banilower, McMahon, Kelly Smith (2001) and Weiss, Pasley, Smith, Banilower Heck (2003) have attempted to answer the following questions using data from questionnaires distributed to stratified random samples of teachers from all states in the USA : 1) How well prepared re science and mathematics teachers in terms of both content and pedagogy? 2) What are teachers trying to accomplish in their science and mathematics instruction, and what activities do they use to meet these objectives? 3) To what extent do teachers support reform notions embodied in the National Research Council’s National Education Standards and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ Principles and Standards for School Mathematics ? And 4) What are the barriers to effective and equitable science and mathematics education? It is worth noting that no classroom observations were conducted in these studies and all data sources were based on teachers’ self-reports. Analysis of the trends between 1993 and 2000 in the above studies showed that science teachers’ classroom practices have seen some changes. These changes include the reduction in the amount of time spent on reading about science during class and doing textbook/worksheet problems. Approximately 50% of teachers at all grade levels reported in 2000 that their students completed textbook/worksheet problems in the most recent lesson, representing a small decrease from 1993. Moreover, while there was some increase in the use of hands-on activities at the Grade 1-4 level (from 41% to 50% of classes), the percentage of classes in which hands-on and laboratory activities took place have remained stable and amounted to approximately two thirds of the classes. There does not seem to be a change in the percentage of classes in which computers were used: teachers reported that 10% or fewer science lessons included students using computers in 1993 and 2000. However, many more teachers reported using other instructional technologies such as CD-ROMs in 2000 than in 1993. Another international project that has investigated science and mathematics teachers classroom practices in science and mathematics is the TIMSS 1999 video study, the science result of which were released in 2006 ( Roth, Druker, Garnier, Lemmens, Chen,Kawanaka, Okamoto, Rasmussen, Trubacova, Warvi, Gonzales, Stigler, Gallimore,2006). This study examined patterns of science and mathematics teaching practices in 439 videotapes of eighth grade science lessons in five countries: Australia, the Czech Republic, Japan, the Netherlands, and the United States. Results of the study showed that there were variations across the five countries in the organization of science lessons, development of science content for students, and student involvement in doing science. For example, the study results showed that students in Czech Republic were required to master challenging and theoretical science content and that classes were mostly focused on talking about science in whole class settings. In Japan, the focus was on presenting science in conceptually coherent ways while stressing the identification of patterns, making connections among ideas, and the interplay between evidence and ideas in an inquiry-oriented approach to teaching. Australian students were mostly involved in making connections between ideas, evidence, and real-life situations using inquiry approaches to teaching similar to those used in Japan. Students in the Netherlands were held accountable for independent learning of science content with emphasis on homework and independent seatwork. Finally, in the United States, students experienced variety in instructional approaches, organizational structures, content, and activities with less emphasis on developing coherent science ideas and content. The focus of the activities was on engaging and motivating students rather than on developing challenging content knowledge. As evident from the above, there is important research on classroom practices being conducted worldwide; research that has the potential to provide useful recommendations for improving science teaching and learning. In the Philippines, a related study on the use of games as learning in mathematics was conducted by Aragon (1991). She discovered the greater attention of students to the lesson and there is interest where enhanced. She also found the strategy as a very effective motivational learning material that makes recreational and learning objectives easily attainable. Letting the study of grade V, Aragon agreed that the games are useful in assisting the learning process by providing opportunity to see familiar materials in new setting; that makes them excellent motivation tools in acquiring new skills that breaks the classroom routine in a pleasant way, making uninterested students become a part of the chase in permanent learning. Aragon also found that games enables students to appreciate the value of sportsmanship, fair play, how to follow rules, team work, cooperation, respect for authorities and selflessness, sharing of skills for the success of the group. Salandahan G.G. (1985), The Teaching of Science, Quezon City Phoenix Publishing House. Many science educators recognize the positive outcomes of inquiry teaching despite the limited experimental evidence as to its effectiveness in leading children to acquire a deeper understanding of science knowledge, encouraging children to learn by such a method insures the attainment of one of the most s ignificant outcomes of science developing a scientific mind as well as desirable social values. Cognitive Development and Achievement in Science Through Traditional and Inquiry Approaches Of Teaching General Chemistry by Rosalinda T. Agton (1991). Most of the students in today’s colleges and universities have to be exposed to a method of teaching which is best described as exposition, or the formal, or the commonly called traditional method in which the teacher tells the students what they are expected to know. The assumption is made by curriculum planners that if the student are to learn the concepts from the content, they have to rely on printed materials. Traditional procedures in the classroom are those that used to present in a logical sequence, facts, principle, and data needed thoroughly to expose the students to concepts. The other various classroom procedures that could be used in the traditional method are oral explanation sessions, demonstrations, motion picture and film strips, textbooks, supervised studies or boardworks.

Sports And Active Lifestyles Children And Young People Essay

Sports And Active Lifestyles Children And Young People Essay Unfortunately, youth sport has for a long time, and still is, being organised, run and taught by persons who draw on their personal philosophies in their approaches. i)Discuss the dangers of this. ii)Which are the main areas within youth sport which need to be considered to shape such philosophical standpoints of people working with youth in sport? Introduction In many aspects of our life we find people who, either directly or indirectly, influence the path we follow to achieve growth towards reaching our future goals. Such influencing people could be parents, teachers, mentors, coaches, nursery leaders, policy makers and any other role model position we may encounter. They do so in line with their philosophy on that particular aspect of life, for which they are responsible to guide us through the path of success. Their philosophy is built from the theoretical knowledge they acquired in their own educational phase of life as well as through their practical experience in the area they are assigned to lead. This applies in particular to people who are trusted to work with our children in various sports disciplines. Parents still insist that their children should engage in organized sport for several reasons. Since six decades ago, there has been a growing belief that leaving child activities under the informal control of children themselves may lead to antisocial behaviour when they grow up. (Coakley, 2009) argues that many adults believe that this lack of control is eliminated by organised sports through which they constructively control their childrens activities. However it is of utmost importance that those who work in youth sport and policymakers adopt the right philosophy that encourages sport participation of youths in the long term. Individuals who are involved into such youth programmes ought to be aware about researched material that may be used to adjust the programmes to better serve the child interest, even when this goes against their philosophy. Negative Outcomes Participation is unlikely to persist when stubbornly sticking to the point of view of the adult whose way of thinking may be in conflict with that of the youth. One has to keep in mind the interest of the child; the fun aspect of the sport itself. Children tend to stray away from adult invasion into their sport. They like to create their own games, their own worlds, therefore forcing them to participate into organised activities might lead them into a path they do not want. (Gill, 2007) mentions several arguments in favour of exposing our children to environments where a degree of risks is involved, as opposed to institutionalised sports. We actually do children a disservice by trying to eliminate risks from their lives as they grow up (Gill, 2012). When children are allowed to experience risky situations, they learn practical skills, such as swimming, cycling and road safety, that help them manage similar situations and protect themselves in the outside world. In addition, if not allowed to experience risks, children tend to seek out situations that may potentially be too dangerous. In other words, children like the challenges present in risky situations. Parents usually fear the fact that the environment outside of home has become such a dangerous place for children. They feel more security by trusting their children to coaching methods that are sometimes found to be counterproductive. This ideology may sometimes expose our children to occasional high injury rates from organised youth sport such as stress fractures and other injuries caused by overuse. (Micheli, 1990) suggests certification of coaches as a part of the solution. In a study on US youth sports, (Seefeldt Ewing, 1992) found that there was a drop from 25% to 3% in sport participation from the ages of 10 to 18 respectively. This huge withdrawal was attributed to the competitive nature of sports in males. (Biddle, et al., 2005) drew similar conclusions for females. (Cotà ¨ Wall, 2007) postulate that children who do not experience fun in sport at their early ages, tend to drop out from the activity because they lack the intrinsic motivation to keep on participating. This hinders the higher level skills they would have obtained later on in their sports career. (Abbott Collins, 2002) propose that if youths do not engage successfully into sport activities at the participative phase (up to eight years of age) they will most likely lack self-efficacy beliefs which are necessary to persist in being physically active through life. (Coakley, 2009) mentions ample literature from critics of adult-organised sports that argues on many shortcomings of this approach. The presence of parents watching their child playing an organised, competitive game that is customised for adults is counterproductive both mentally and physically to the child. Some children make it clear that they feel most parents come to see them playing just to criticise them both during and after a game, making them feel embarrassed. Even worse, this sends the wrong message to children that physical activity and sport is there only for the young, given that their parents are always sitting there as spectators. Children are not to be treated as miniature adults; some youth sports organisations expose children to too little practice and too many competitions when studies show it should be the other way round. Equipment and rules are sometimes not suitable to the age and ability levels of children. Main Areas to be Considered Up to the young age of two years, children look for pleasure from discovering and mastering attempts. Up to around six years of age children exhibit an egocentric character. Starting from the age of five youngsters enter the social comparison phase in which they start to compare what they have and what they do with their peers. This is usually interpreted as a sign of the childs interest in competition. This phase continues to strengthen until the age of twelve. Children younger than twelve may find it difficult to get the full understanding of their role in a competition. To encourage participation the rules of the game must be modified to suit their developmental capabilities (Richardson, 2007). It is also suggested that children in this age range are  exposed to a variety of sports as well as different positional variations in each sport. To be ready for competitive sports, young individuals need to fully develop their physical, cognitive and social abilities. Several studies suggest that children start to develop their cognitive and social abilities at around the age of eight and these abilities are expected to reach their required levels at the age of twelve (Coakley, 2009). In fact literature shows that the ideal age of introducing competitive strategies is at the ages of twelve to fifteen, also known as the transitional phase, and children under eight years of age should not be put into competitive roles. Research consistently shows the attraction of children to freedom in whatever they do (Gill, 2007). The traditional sports organised by adults tend to focus more on rules as opposed to informal sports that emphasise action, an approach that shows more positive outcomes (Coakley, 2009). One of the benefits of rules is to allow for safety. However, (Mullarkey) maintains that We must try to make life as safe as necessary, not as safe as possible. Rules from organised games should be modified in such a way to allow for more action and personal involvement and to keep the difference in scores as low as possible. On the other hand, action must meet the requirements to strengthen personal involvement, excitement, decision making and interpersonal relationships between participants. When working with children one should not assume that the social and cognitive abilities are already fully developed in sports. (Bandura, 1997) stresses the importance of both perceived and actual competence in an individuals decision to both engage in and maintain involvement in an activity. Actual competence widens the choice of sport for the individual while perceived competence provides the drive to persist in the sport even when difficulties are met. Therefore, if a broad range of psychomotor skills have been successfully developed from a young age, the literature suggests these will act as a basis for subsequent involvement as well as equipping individuals with the ability to make appropriate participation choices. In informal sports, one must be careful not to allow any form of bullying, patronising of girls when playing with boys and exclusion. The role of the adults should be that of a guide who ensures safety, encourages participation, mediates disputes and not to impose organised sports rules. Sometimes informal games may require more play space, but this can be overcome by creativity from the coach. Creativity is also a quality that is strengthened on the child when exposed to an informal setup. Children get the message that in life they have make decisions and not always follow repetitive rules. Conclusion The above review suggests that in todays society, coaches, organisations and parents should be well aware of questions and issues which need to be addressed when involving themselves into organised youth sport programmes. People who work in youth sports must keep their mind open to new ideas and they should educate themselves to keep their knowledge up to date on the current studies in the field. To the contrary of adult sports, when dealing with youths, in particular at the participative level coaches need to emphasise less on structure and more on variety to keep motivation at high levels. Rather than early specialisation the ultimate goal is to make the child physically literate.

Social Media And Gender

Social Media And Gender As the social media and the related activities are rapidly developing, the number of involved women users are more than the number of men now. Due to this fact, there are many possible changes that could be experienced within the future media. Advertising and media Companies have been said to use the same and outdate forms of ideology to understand their audiences. However, it becomes more and more challenging to keep using these outdate patterns. Due to the increasing trend of social media usage by women, social media such as newspapers, movies, magazines, social networking sites, would have a huge impact on the shaping of social patterns.(Thompson 2011) It is necessary to analyze some of the quotes that are related to the social media and the aspect of gender when viewing the issue of social media and how the gender influences media. It is also necessary to analyze the aspect of women taking charge of the media, the increasing popularity of social media, and the relationship between age, gender, and the social media. (Thompson 2011) In order to complete analyzing the influences between social media activities and the aspect of gender, it is helpful to not only consider the number of the social media users and the length of the time they spent on social media but also compare the modern social media with the previous media. As mentioned before, social media communication patterns has been shaping the ideology of audiences and also been shaped by the gender of users. Many media communication methods have very deep connection to the aspect of gender in different cultures. (Donald A. MacKenzie 1985) A reliable research study which is completed by Claude S. Fisher indicates that the telephone has for long had some gendered forms of connections, people widely held belief that females talk more as compared to men. Therefore, most of people believe the employers of telephone industry would prefer to choose women as their operators in this industry. What is more, the research study also indicates that young women were closely related to the trivial and extensive phone usage for pure social purposes. The research further indicates that, the usage of women and influence on computer development has actually been trivialized while there some of computers are designed to be masculine. (Fisher 1994) However, this res earch study does not explain for the large number of women who use the social networking sites through these masculine computers. In our previous review for these relates research studies, we believe the research studies which evaluate the aspect of gender group that dominated the social media and we also analyzed the factors behind that domination. There is another research study by the TIME group which evaluates the factors behind the fact that Pinterest belongs to women and Google belongs to men. This research study indicates that around 83% of the users of Pinterest were actually women, and approximate two-thirds of Google+ users are men.(Wagstaff 2012) This research study raises a question on whether this fact means the female users dominated the social media and male users have less impact on the media. (Dines 2002) According to the results of the this research study, the reason behind this surprising fact is that google+ has less female friendly form of content than Pinterest, and its functions are more focus on academic using purpose instead of social networking. Consider another research study conducted in the year 2006. The research study indicated that, there was a historic and also a contemporary form of evidence, which indicated current fears on online safety of the young girls, had historical antecedents, such as media tools that included phones. The research also indicated that, in many cases, the historic reactions eventually resulted into some form of restrictions for the usage of technology towards protection of girls from harm and the threat that could harm their innocence. The research study, however, did not indicate the level into which the same media platform was used to protect the vulnerable boy child from effects of threats, harm, predators, criminals, and molestation over the social media or any other technological platform. Men and women usually use the social networking services in different ways, purposes, and with different frequencies. Many of research studies have indicated that, a specific gender group tends to use the social networks more than others with different purpose. Therefore, it is advisable to understand the target users better and make the development of efforts toward the diversity group of gender users with various purposes. As been mentioned in the article The Social Media Gender Gap, been compared with male users most of female users usually make more purchasing decisions and spend longer time on the on-line shopping. Women seem to be more likely to tell their friends about their purchases. (Hoffman 2008) Due to this fact the female users is the major group where the advertisers could get more benefits from. A majority of these researchers still indicate that although both users group of gender use social media frequently, women still the ones that hold down the fort. (Hoffman 2008 ) A majority of experts indicate that the internet is certainly going to look pink in the future. This means that, the entire future of the social media and its relative activities are going to be all about gender-based. In the other words, the future social media will be women oriented. Some of these experts in the web development field encouraged the upcoming web developers to take women as their main target if these web developer have the desire to get more benefits from their upcoming business. It is very interesting to notice that different gender members always act differently when they are using online services to do their activities in their daily life, which are part of the social media tools such as on-line shopping, blogging, posting and sharing pictures etc. According to this fact, the Website could be considered as an extremely important and essential form of social medium. Hence, a successful Website design is actually all about how to succeeds to be fit into the diversity social groups and dynamic social ideology. Although men were traditionally viewed as the earlier main target of the technological development, women have became the group which stands at the forefront of the social media related activities. Another study thirteen million people and were trying to find out the actual way in which a majority of them were using the social media. As the results indicates that members of both gender were participants in the field of social media, it was very clear that women have the larger number of members than the male gender so far. As a result of the same, the next wave of innovative ideas that are linked to the social media is likely to target a greater number of women than that of men (Hoffman 2008). This will widen the gender gap of social media. The research study also indicates that young women are more likely to be active on the social sites such as My Space, Twitter, Facebook, and Flixster which are very significant forms to connect to and interact with these social media sites, which is more than young men. It is very obvious that men who are above age thirty years old and men who are married usually do not have time for social media, and most of those men who are under age thir ty show they are not willing to do so after they attain that age. With the exception of the LinkedIn users who have to friend everyone on the social sites for business and job hunting purpose, these men are never willing to hang out the social networking sites. However, in contrast to the same age and married women, joining the social networks one after another. In fact, the fastest growing division, is identified as the age groups between thirty five and fifty, especially the users on My Space. (Hoffman 2008) The future researchers could evaluate the new form of gender difference that exist, and the reasons of why these forms of difference exist. According to the Rapleaf study, it is very clear that young men usually spend more of their time on computers and have plenty of free time. However, there are many competitions for drawing attentions from them, especially from the online games like Legend and first person action games. It is evident that, a majority of these men who like playing such online or computer games, usually tend to play other casual games like gambling. Although most of gambling games are banned by these social networks, the majority men would tend to seek for substitution game which allow them to play and bet at same time. This is a factor that makes young men keep off the interaction with the social media. In contrast to the same age group, women group are actually a big supporters of the casual games, as well as the social media networks. Another fact is that, a majo rity of these young women actually spend massive times when they making efforts towards decorating their profiles on the social network sitesà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ pages. This study points out that although young men have the desire to participant in these games, they naturally tend to prohibit themselves to spend too much time on the games and feel they have the responsibility to going out and have social life in the real life. These nautically self-discipline come from their social ideology which has the potential to shape their lifestyle and behaviors. It is also worth noting that, whenever these men get married, they attach significantly less value to these social networking sites, while women still continue using these sites as a part of their daily life where they could share their moment of life with others. It can be concluded as men actually tend to view things in a more transactional manner as compared to women. (Hoffman 2008) That is the reason why a majority of married men dominated some of sites like linkeldln and google+ which are two of transactional forms of social media network sites. Men usually can only be attracted to media sites that assist them in either gathering more intelligence, making introductions, or do some gambling. It is expected that men want to keep on gravitating to the transactional sites including those that enable them gain the interaction with the world of sports, news, as well; as financial information. However, their disadvantage are some of those that are not attracting much efforts of expertise from the website developers, hence they are declining in terms of content, and then keeping men away from the media sites. As the result, the gap which is based on the transactional aspect tends to be wider gradually. Meanwhile, this would make female gender users to be in the forefront of using, and managing the social sites. Womenà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s behavior within the media suites is less transactional while it is more of relationship driven. Relationship building over the media network has been linked to certain a given category of the gender parity. Married women spend so much time over the media making new friends, sharing pictures with friends and relatives, communicating to their former friends, as well as treating their social network profiles as the home page for their entire families. We might experience massive jobs and hire of women to the social media world. Considering the significant importance that women serve to the social media industry, then it is absolutely amazing to see how a few female executives who exist in the companies and the different venture capital firms tend to dominate in term of performance. Since the social media have been identified to be too much into tune with the women, a majority of the male audiences will have to be increasingly seen as significantly less valuable as compared to the female ones. It is widely known that women normally spend more and also make more of purchasing decisions as compared to men. Women are also likely to tell their friends about the purchases, hence advertisers will always get some double benefits form the female consumers. The media, as well as a wide range of the adverting forms that are part of the social media, are becoming increasingly motivated to hire women to be in charge of the management processes in these firms due to their potential influence. Due to the various research studies that indicate that women are the most vibrant members in the usage of tools of mass media, there is a possibility that the very next wave of innovation is likely to target more women as compared to men. This should be done because of the fact that the gender gap that already exist on the social network and increasingly within all the social media is continuously widening. It is, however, advisable to have it in mind that male adoption is also growing as well. It wonà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t keep pace with expanding engagement amongst the female users. It is notable that since a majority of women use the media network in socializing, a single dollar spent marketing towards acquiring any female user happens to go a lot further as compared on a male user.

Essay --

1. The development of the astrolabe was an important invention that helped measure altitude. Maps were also very important in determining location. The sailors understanding of wind patterns allowed them to determine route and the most prompt way to reach their destinations. The improvement of the Spanish and Portuguese caravel sailing ship allowed them to be quicker on their expeditions. Combined, these technical developments allowed transoceanic trade and travel to be possible. 2. The Ming dynasty, in 1644 was taken over by the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Hongwu was the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty in 1368, when he drove out the mongols he then brought back the sholar-gentry. The Chinese society began to be strict on education. They began giving the youth exam questions which was a reflection of what the Chinese values had become. 3. Columbian Exchange Intentional effects Unintentional effects Brought in domesticated animals Brought diseases Brought in crops Contaminated land Weeds Wild animals 4. Mining in Spain was the foundation of its power in the indies. Latin America was b...

Womens Rights Versus Gods Will Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research

Women's Rights Versus God's Will It seems these days that everyone is concerned with their rights. People feel that there are certain rights that they should have regardless of their race, religion, sex, and so forth. And rightfully so – everyone is entitled to basic human rights. Many belonging to specific groups – such as women, and homosexuals - feel that these basic rights aren't enough and that they need more. They feel that their group should be granted special "rights," which aren't really rights at all. The early advocates of women's rights started out with good intentions – they were fighting for the abolition of slavery, suffrage for women and equal pay for men and women, among other similar rights. The first major turning point in the advocates' battle was on July 19th and 20th of 1848. On those dates, the Seneca Falls Convention was held in New York. The men and women at the convention created a document called the Declaration of Sentiments, which they based on the Declaration of Independence. This document created a foundation, a source of where to go, how to go about getting the government to recognize the rights to which they were entitled. As time went on, woman suffrage advocates like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton formed organizations, such as the NWSA (National Woman Suffrage Association) and the AWSA (American Woman Suffrage Association). Eventually, after the formation of other organizations and after lots of support raising within states, women were granted the right to vote on August 26, 1920. Women's groups didn't stop at getting the right to vote. They worked toward receiving equal pay, equal educational opportunities, and equal job opportunities. In 1963, Congress passed a law req... ...ww.family.org/fofmag/sl/a0010612.html, February 13, 2002. "Ms. Herstory." (Online). Available http://64.29.220.68/msherstory.asp, February 12, 2002. "National Organization for Women (NOW)". Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2001 http://encarta.msn.com (12 Feb. 2002) "Roe v. Wade". Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2001 http://encarta.msn.com (12 Feb. 2002) Wheeler, Marjorie Spruill. "The History of the Suffrage Movement." (Online). Available http://www.pbs.org/onewoman/suffrage.html, February 12, 2002. "The Path of the Women's Rights Movement." (Online). Available http://www.nwhp.org/legacy98/timeline.html, February 19, 2002. "Women's Rights". Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2001 http://encarta.msn.com (12 Feb. 2002) "Woman's Suffrage". Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2001 http://encarta.msn.com (12 Feb. 2002) Women's Rights Versus God's Will Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Women's Rights Versus God's Will It seems these days that everyone is concerned with their rights. People feel that there are certain rights that they should have regardless of their race, religion, sex, and so forth. And rightfully so – everyone is entitled to basic human rights. Many belonging to specific groups – such as women, and homosexuals - feel that these basic rights aren't enough and that they need more. They feel that their group should be granted special "rights," which aren't really rights at all. The early advocates of women's rights started out with good intentions – they were fighting for the abolition of slavery, suffrage for women and equal pay for men and women, among other similar rights. The first major turning point in the advocates' battle was on July 19th and 20th of 1848. On those dates, the Seneca Falls Convention was held in New York. The men and women at the convention created a document called the Declaration of Sentiments, which they based on the Declaration of Independence. This document created a foundation, a source of where to go, how to go about getting the government to recognize the rights to which they were entitled. As time went on, woman suffrage advocates like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton formed organizations, such as the NWSA (National Woman Suffrage Association) and the AWSA (American Woman Suffrage Association). Eventually, after the formation of other organizations and after lots of support raising within states, women were granted the right to vote on August 26, 1920. Women's groups didn't stop at getting the right to vote. They worked toward receiving equal pay, equal educational opportunities, and equal job opportunities. In 1963, Congress passed a law req... ...ww.family.org/fofmag/sl/a0010612.html, February 13, 2002. "Ms. Herstory." (Online). Available http://64.29.220.68/msherstory.asp, February 12, 2002. "National Organization for Women (NOW)". Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2001 http://encarta.msn.com (12 Feb. 2002) "Roe v. Wade". Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2001 http://encarta.msn.com (12 Feb. 2002) Wheeler, Marjorie Spruill. "The History of the Suffrage Movement." (Online). Available http://www.pbs.org/onewoman/suffrage.html, February 12, 2002. "The Path of the Women's Rights Movement." (Online). Available http://www.nwhp.org/legacy98/timeline.html, February 19, 2002. "Women's Rights". Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2001 http://encarta.msn.com (12 Feb. 2002) "Woman's Suffrage". Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2001 http://encarta.msn.com (12 Feb. 2002)

How Social Media Communities Impact Consumer Behavior Essay

Social media has increasingly become a constant in our lives. Many people reach out to friends or family through social media, sometimes on a daily basis. Through Facebook, people can view pictures and read status updates. Twitter allows others to read status updates that are limited to 140 characters. Each of these social media tools has its advantages and disadvantages but each opens up the doors to creating an online community with others that may not be possible offline. George Herbert Mead’s theory of symbolic interactionism states that our interactions with individuals and communities shape our identities and influence our actions. Is it possible that his theory could apply to the ways in which a persons’ social media community influences his or her purchase decisions? This paper will seek to find the answer. The following thesis will include an analysis of Mead’s theory of symbolic interactionism, a literature review about communities in social media, the method used to collect data, an analysis of the data, and implications from the study. Importance of the Study As a professional marketer, I have always been fascinated with social media. At the very essence of human nature is a desire to be social. Social media has provided humans an outlet to create online communities making it easier to network with others, which satisfies some of our deepest social wants and needs. Additionally, social media has allowed users to increase the amount of people included in their personal communities, as social media is both viral, which is to say that information travels rapidly between social media users, and transparent. Social media can be considered transparent as users of sites such as Facebook and Twitter post their thoughts, pictures, and locations to their followers, which often consist of people who are not close friends or family. Social media tools have become superb channels for marketers to reach consumers. The article titled, â€Å"Expand your Brand Community Online† states that social media is important for marketers because it allows them to dialogue directly with consumers, which in turn engages consumers directly with company brands (Hanlon, Patrick, Hawkins, & Josh, 2008). Many companies, such as Audi and Dunkin’ Donuts have used social media very effectively to reach consumers. According to Wasserman (2011), out of all other brands on Facebook, Audi’s fans are the most engaged of all major corporate brands on Facebook. That consumers can reach out to companies and their personal communities via social media has created a power shift between companies and consumers. Lee (2010) contends that social media has become vastly popular for â€Å"normal people† because it allows anyone to interact with content or deliver it (p. 112). This model of communication is vastly superior to the traditional format of one-way communication between major media and its intended audience (Lee, p. 112). A company that uses social media is more likely to create relationships with members of its target demographic rather than traditional media where conversations between the medium and the audience are unlikely. Now, social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter have made it easy for consumers to post product reviews and reach out to other like-minded individuals in their communities. As social media infiltrates our lives as consumers, before people make purchases, they are increasingly reaching out to their social media communities for opinions (Drell, 2011). Goal Consumers often want others’ opinions about items before they make a commitment to purchase. For example, they may ask about the color of a shirt, or if they should purchase a large or small purse. Social media communities provide an outlet for consumers to seek opinions, but how often and at what point in the purchase process do consumers reach out to their online communities for advice? Do the opinions provided by social media communities actually impact consumers’ purchases? These are among the key questions I will seek to answer in this thesis, including the overarching question of whether social media communities impact consumers’ purchase behavior. An exploration of Mead’s concept of the â€Å"self† reveals how it can help a company realize its brand identity and ensure the â€Å"self† portrayed on Facebook remains consistent with its understanding, and the public’s understanding of the brand. In Mead’s theory of symbolic interaction he suggested we create our â€Å"self† by figuratively peering through a looking glass to see ourselves as others do, which leads to the creation of an identity (Griffin, 2009, p. 63). As we interact with others, the â€Å"self† is constantly changing and adapting to further shape our identities, which, Mead contends, are ultimately based on how others view our â€Å"self† (Griffin, p. 63). Mead’s concept of the â€Å"self† is an apt metaphor for the process in which a Facebook profile is created and refined through communicative engagement with consumers in a digital marketplace. Using Mead’s theory of symbolic interactionism, this thesis will attempt to identify how social media communities affect consumers’ online purchasing behavior. To help answer the question of how people’s social media communities affect their online purchases, I will use numerous research methods to gather data relevant to my thesis topic. For the collection of literary sources, I will use two primary sources. First is the online databases offered through the Foley Center Library at Gonzaga. There, I will discover and collect academic peer-reviewed journal articles about the history of social media, the psychology behind the creation of personal communities and how people interact with them, and current trends in consumer purchase behavior. Another resource I will use is the online magazine Advertising Age, a primary resource for marketing professionals that includes articles about trends in digital marketing. From Advertising Age, I will search for articles about new technologies that help consumers more efficiently reach out to their social network communities. ProQuest will be my main literature database source as it contains a wide variety of academic journals suited for a thesis. Advertising Age will be a complementary source while the databases Business Source Complete and Communication & Mass Media Complete will likely serve as complementary sources. I will employ survey research to help collect data. I will create a survey instrument with a list of questions that pertain to people social media communities and how these communities affect their purchases. The survey will include a Likert-like scale of 1-3, and will allow for collection of data regarding people’s rankings of the influence their social media communities have over their purchases. Additionally, the survey will include situational questions, i.e., â€Å"If you were to buy a large purchase, would opinions from your Facebook friends impact your purchase?† Lastly, the survey also will gather information that could have an impact on the thesis question, including respondents’ age, other demographic data, and item amounts purchased online vs. offline. Organization of Remaining Chapters The following thesis will be organized into the following chapters. The second chapter will be the literature review. This chapter will cover Mead’s theory of symbolic interactionism and its relation to the creation of online communities. The literature review will also review the theory of hyper-symbolic interactionism as well as the benefits to online communities, how social media has transformed the power dynamic between companies and consumers, the differences in millennials’ and non-millennials’ use of the Internet, and gender differences in relation to Facebook. The third chapter of this thesis will introduce the scope and the methodology used to gather data. The scope of the project will be limited to people who live in Western Washington, use social media, and purchase products online. The methodology will be a Likert-like survey distributed through the survey tool Surveymonkey.com. The fourth chapter will analyze the data gathered from the survey. Lastly, the fifth chapter will conclude the thesis. It will contain method limitations as well as future studies that should be considered. How Social Media Communities Impact Consumer Behavior, 10 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Introduction Symbolic interactionism theory was created by Mead to describe how humans form their identity and construct a reality of social norms through interactions with others. Although human interaction methods have changed over time, most recently with the digital age, Mead’s theory remains relevant in today’s world. Applying the theory of symbolic interactionism to online networks, it can be hypothesized that online communities shape individuals’ identity and reality, and provide a vast network with which to create relationships. This literature review will further explore Mead’s theory of symbolic interactionism and its application to online communities within social networks. It will also explore how social network users create relationships that can influence their online purchasing decisions. Overview of Symbolic Interactionism Theory The theory of symbolic interactionism includes three core principles that describe how humans interact with each other through meaning, language, and thought to create our â€Å"self† (Griffin, 2009, p. 60). Mead believed that interactions are â€Å"central to the development of one’s social identity and functioning according to shared norms and values† (Tormey, 2007). Meaning is found in how a person constructs a social reality (Griffin, p. 60). The way one interacts with others, verbally or nonverbally, derives from the meaning one assigns to various interactions (Griffin, p. 60) For example, a person may see a protestor on the street picketing very loudly. This person may view the protestor as obnoxious and intrusive, whereas another person may view this person as progressive and inspirational. Each of these people has assigned a meaning to the protestor, which in return constructs a reality. The protestor’s true meaning, however, cannot be concretely defined, for each person will assign a different meaning to the protestor and interact based on the meaning he or she has constructed. The meanings one assigns to another is created through the use of language (Griffin, 2009, p. 60). When the first person sees the protestor, he or she uses language to assign a certain meaning to the protestor. Calling the protestor obnoxious assigns a negative meaning to the protestor through language. To Mead, â€Å"naming is the basis for human society† (Griffin, p. 61). Lastly, thought occurs when we refer to our inner dialogue to interpret symbols and their meaning (Griffin, p. 62). According to Mead, a person needs language to create this inner dialogue (Griffin, p. 62). Without symbolically interacting, one cannot think and create this inner dialogue, which in turn allows a person to assign meaning to others (Griffin, p. 62). When the three principles of meaning, language, and thought occur, the idea of a â€Å"self† begins to emerge (Griffin, p. 63). Mead believed we had to look outwardly to truly understand our inner selves (Griffin, 2009, p. 63). This occurred when the concept of the looking glass self was used (Griffin, p. 63). When the looking glass self is applied, people construct their identity based on how others view them (Griffin, p. 63). One’s â€Å"self† is created through interactions with others involving the use of language (Griffin, p. 63). Thus with each new interaction, a person’s self can change, which is how we evolve and create our identities. When we interact on a one-to-one basis with another we create a self based on how another views us, but when people interact within an entire community, their self is created based on the expectations and responses of the community (Griffin, p. 65). When interacting with a community, a person creates a â€Å"generalized other† based on what expectations and responses the community is perceived to have, Mead noted (Griffin, 2009, p. 65). This generalized other is our guide to behavior when interacting with community members (Griffin, p. 65). It helps a person assign meaning to actions, and to act based on the meaning one wants to assume within the community (Griffin, p. 65). As interactions become more frequent within communities, norms and boundaries are created (Lynch & McConatha, 2006, p. 89). To Mead, a community consists of, â€Å"individual actors who make their own choices. Yet they align their actions with what others are doing to form healthcare systems, legal systems, and economic systems† (Griffin, p. 65). Although Mead formed this theory long before the Internet was created, it also applies to online social network interactions. Using Mead’s concept of the lookingglass, one can see how a Facebook page is actually a creation of our â€Å"self.† Symbolic interactionism theory plays an important role in the creation of Facebook profiles and how individuals identify themselves through engaging in online communication. â€Å"When Facebook users communicate ‘what’s on their mind’ or update their status, they are offering a representation of the ‘self,’ which is based on their social interactions with others† (Ellis, 2010, p. 39). According to Ellis, there is a three-step process in which a Facebook profile reflects one’s identity in light of Mead’s theory of symbolic interactionism (p. 39). First, a Facebook user, through actions, allows other Facebook users to become aware of his or her intentions. These intentions are made clear in a person’s Facebook profile picture and profile name (Ellis, p. 39). Secondly, communication occurs, as the profile picture becomes the user’s â€Å"self.† This image is what they would like others to perceive to be their identity (Ellis, p. 39). For example, if a How Socil Media Communities Impact Consumer Behavior, 13 veterinarian laboratory chose a picture of a smiling veterinarian and a happy dog, this lab is portraying to the world via Facebook that the company is not only a veterinarian laboratory with happy veterinarians, but one that caters to dogs, and in return, the dogs will be happy. Lastly, in the three-step process the profile picture means something to Facebook users who use it to decide what their identity will be (Ellis, p. 39). The user has created a â€Å"self† through this profile picture as it brings about an identity utilizing the symbolic act of communication (Ellis, p. 39). Hyper-symbolic Interactionism Theory Hyper-symbolic interactionism is a revised theory of symbolic interactionism for online networks (Lynch & McConatha, 2006). Theorists like Mead who used symbolic interactionism to describe socially constructed worlds did so before the invention of the Internet. The classic application of symbolic interactionism theory needs to adapt and evolve to fit today’s digital society (Lynch & McConatha, p. 88). Additionally, advancements in sciences require symbolic interactionism theory to be re-analyzed (Lynch and McConatha, p. 88). Advancements in such subjects as neuroscience and psychology have allowed us to learn more about the human mind than Mead knew when he created symbolic interactionism theory (p. 88). The generalized other, as Mead explained, forms when one creates his or her â€Å"self† based on a community’s expectations and responses (Griffin, 2009, p. 65). Thus, the â€Å"self† one creates is constantly changing and evolving based on interactions with others (Griffin, p. 65). One can assume that the creation of online communities, which use different means of interaction, allows one’s â€Å"self† to evolve even more than Mead ever thought one could (Lynch & McConatha, 2006, p. 89). Lynch and McConatha propose that the creation of a generalized other still exists, but exists differently online vs. offline (p. 89). While the generalized other still helps one form a â€Å"self,† the generalized other in the digital space is different than the one Mead described (Lynch and McConatha, p. 89). Lynch and McContha (2006) claim that the generalized other humans perceive today is different than Mead’s because of technology (p. 90). Due to the decrease in varying methods of human interaction, such as phone calls and verbal communication, and an increase in similar digital interactions, we are creating our self based on a different generalized other than Mead described (Lynch & McConatha, p. 90). The generalized other that impacts one’s self in the digital age is based more on consumerism than the generalized other described in the classic theory of symbolic interactionism (Lynch &McConatha, 2006, p. 90). Hyper-symbolic interaction is Lynch and McConatha’s (2006) solution to the immediacy of the Internet (p. 91). Hyper-symbolic interaction theory explains the creation of a new type of reality based on symbols found digitally. The theory â€Å"comprises the smallest symbols such as the l’s and O’s of computer language and the tiny pixels of digital imagery, as well as the complex contemporary imagery of advertisements and commercials produced daily† (Lynch & McConatha, p. 91). The larger symbols and imagery that these details create lead to new values and norms different than other nondigital communities (Lynch & McConatha, p. 91). This digital community is filled with marketers and advertisers, which in turn affect the reality humans’ construct, including the norms and values we abide by, as well as the meaning we give to symbols. We socialize very differently in digital reality than we do in real life (Lynch & McConatha, p. 91). Additionally, the increase in digital advertising causes us to perceive marketers and ads as reality (Lynch & McConatha, p. 92). Neuromarketing is a new term to describe marketing that has emerged from this shift in reality. Neuromarketing involves the study of how consumers react to marketing messages and is based on the idea that we have three brains, the new brain, the middle brain, and the old brain (Lynch & McConatha, 2006, p. 93). There are claims that neuromarketing actually drives consumers to purchase more products through a process of discovering consumers’ needs and then integrating them within their reality (Lynch & McConatha, p. 94). Neuromarketing also taps into what is believed to be a human’s old brain, the decision-maker that makes choices based on what will help one survive (Lynch & McConatha, p. 94). A human’s reaction to the decisions made by the old brain creates a constructed reality of what we essentially need and should react to (Lynch & McConatha, p. 94). Recently, Delta Airlines used neuroscience marketing to create a budget airline called â€Å"song.† The word â€Å"song† had no meaning to the airlines, but they used neuroscience marketing to discover the word â€Å"song† produces a pleasant feeling for consumers (Lynch & McConatha, p. 94). Delta Airlines is tapping into meaning consumers associate with symbols. Do consumers realize this or is it so engrained within our newly digitally created realities? Social Network Communities The article â€Å"Consumer Behaviour in Social Networking Sites: Implications for Marketers†(2011) identifies how humans use social media and how marketers should approach users of social media (Diffley, Kearns, Bennett, & Kawalek, p. 47). Its authors assert there are two methods marketers can use to reach consumers via social media: push THE STUDY Introduction For a week, I collected survey results through Surveymonkey.com. After asking co-workers in Seattle, people on Facebook and Twitter, and others in the Gonzaga community to take the survey, I amassed 154 responses. The survey responses came from Western Washington residents who use social media, and purchase items online. Survey questions asked were specific to Facebook and/or Twitter to gain more insight into how the two social media tools affect consumer behavior online (Appendix A). Data Analysis Of the 154 total individuals who answered the survey, the majority of people were 30-39 years of age (34%), 64% were female, 57% used both Facebook and Twitter, 55% used Facebook daily and 53% never used Twitter. The majority of individuals had 200299 Facebook friends (24%) and 52% of individuals had met all of their Facebook friends. In comparison, 40% had 1-99 Twitter followers and 40% had never met their followers in person. From these data it can be deduced that those who use Facebook typically â€Å"friend† others (meaning they are added as friends in their Facebook profiles) they also know offline while those who use Twitter tend to follow or be followed by strangers. Of all Facebook and Twitter respondents, 60% responded they purchase items online and offline at the same rate. These respondents noted they typically purchased clothing and accessories online (70%). Additionally, 68% of respondents bought travel accommodations online, 50% bought housewares, 32% buy electronics, and 10% buy insurance online. When asked if they would be more likely to listen to a stranger’s online review over that of a friend, 65% said they would be somewhat more likely while 30% said they would not be likely. To determine whether a person’s Facebook or Twitter community impacts their likelihood of online purchases, I asked a series of questions in the survey regarding Facebook and Twitter. From the results of these questions, I was able to gather enough data to indicate that Facebook communities have a higher impact on how consumers purchase products online than Twitter users. These results vary slightly from my hypothesis, which posited both social media tools would influence consumer behavior. Fifty-four percent of Facebook users said that they sometimes reach out to their Facebook communities before purchasing a product. This is a large percentage of Facebook users who view their Facebook communities as a trusted source for product opinions. Overall, How Social Media Communities Impact Consumer Behavior, based on the survey results, the majority of Facebook users sampled in this study said they are open at times to the influence and opinions of their Facebook communities, while Twitter users say their communities rarely influence their purchase decisions. When asked how often they reach out to members in their social media communities for opinions about products before they purchase them, 47% of respondents said they never reach out to Facebook friends before purchasing an item. Ninety percent said that they never reach out to Twitter followers before purchasing an item. Two sets of questions asked in the survey reveal the point in the purchase funnel in which people reach out to others on Facebook or Twitter. Fifty-two percent of individuals never gather opinions from Facebook friends at any point during the purchase funnel. However, 20% reach out to Facebook friends before researching products to buy, 26% while they are comparing products after the initial research phase, and 2% directly before purchasing a product. How Social Media Communities Impact Consumer Behavior, 30 Ninety-two percent of Twitter users never reach out to followers during the purchase process. Only 2% of Twitter users reach out to followers before researching products to buy, 5% before comparing products after the initial phase and 0% directly before making a purchase. When asked how likely it was that Facebook friends would influence one’s online purchases, 48% said that it is not likely, while 51% said that it is sometimes likely. Only 1% said that it is always likely. How Social Media Communities Impact Consumer Behavior, 31 Twitter appears to have significantly less of an effect on one’s online purchasing behavior as 92% said that Twitter is not likely to affect their purchase decisions. Six percent of Twitter users said that other Twitter followers will sometimes influence their purchase decisions and 1% said that other Twitter followers almost always have an influence. How Social Media Communities Impact Consumer Behavior, 32 Fifty-seven percent of Facebook users said that they have later purchased an item they heard about on Facebook, while only 17% of Twitter users said the same. The majority of Facebook users (54%) believe that Facebook is sometimes useful when looking for opinions about what products to purchase while 41% said it is not useful. Twitter is even less useful according to respondents as 79% said Twitter was never useful when looking for opinions about what products to purchase and only 19% said it is sometimes useful. When filtering the data to discern the difference in millennials (younger than 30 years of age) and non- millennials (30 years of age and older) it appeared that millennials were more open to influence from Facebook communities than non-millennials. The majority of non-millennial respondents used Facebook everyday but never used Twitter. Sixty-four percent of millennials used Facebook every day and 27% also used Twitter on a daily basis. Millennials were more likely than non-millennials to have both a Facebook and Twitter account (61% of millennials have both compared to 53% of nonmillennial). Sixty-one percent of non-millennials purchase about the same amount of products online as they do offline and 73% of their purchases are for travel accommodations. In comparison, 57% of millennials purchase about the same amount of products online as they do offline and the majority of their purchases (77%) are for clothing and accessories. Fifty-four percent of non-millennials say that they never reach out to Facebook friends for opinions before they purchase products online, while 51% of millennials said they sometimes reach out to Facebook friends for opinions. A large majority of both millennials and non-millennials said that they never reach out to Twitter followers for How Social Media Communities Impact Consumer Behavior, opinions before purchasing a product. Millennials were more likely than non-millennials to reach out to Facebook friends before researching products to buy. Additionally, 24% of non-millennials stated that they reach out to Facebook friends to compare products after the initial research phase, and this was around the same amount for millennials (29%). Seventy-eight percent of millennials said they hear about products on Facebook that they later buy 51% of non-millennials said the same. Forty-eight percent of nonmillennials believe that Facebook is not useful when looking for opinions about products to purchase online while only 35% of millennials believed that it is not useful. The majority of millennials (61%) believe that Facebook is sometimes useful when looking for opinions about what products to purchase. Both millennials and non- millennials agreed that Twitter is not useful when looking for opinions about what products to purchase. The majority of male and female respondents who took the survey were 30-39 years of age. Sixty percent of males used both Facebook and Twitter while 36% only used Facebook. In comparison, 54% of women used both Facebook and Twitter while 43% used only Facebook. Forty-seven percent of males used Facebook daily while a large percentage (50%) never use Twitter. Women tend to use Facebook and Twitter more often. Sixty-two percent of women use Facebook daily while, like males, a large majority never use Twitter. When asked the question, â€Å"About how many of your â€Å"friends† on Facebook have you met in person?† Forty-four percent of men responded that they knew all of them, whereas 53% of females stated that they knew all of their Facebook friends offline. How Social Media Communities Impact Consumer Behavior, Sixty-four percent of men said that they typically purchase the same amount of items in store and offline with 65% of purchases being travel accommodations. On the other hand, 59% of women typically purchase the same amount of items in store and offline with 73% of purchases being clothes and accessories. When asked how often they reach out to Facebook friends to provide opinions about products they may purchase online, 57% of men and 51% of women said they never do. Fifty percent of men also said that it is sometimes likely their Facebook friends will influence their purchases and 53% said that they often hear about products that they later purchase on Facebook.. Whereas, only 47% of women said that it is sometimes likely their Facebook friends will influence their purchase decisions but 59% said that they hear about products on Facebook that they later purchase. Both genders saw Twitter followers as having only a small influence on their purchase decisions if any at all. Results of the Study Mead’s theory of symbolic interactionism states humans are influenced by community members (Griffin, 2009, p. 65). Using Mead’s idea that communities impact our perception of what is a norm, I hypothesized that social media communities would impact consumer online behavior. My belief was, that if Mead believed that communities impact our perception of reality and what is normal, then by default social media communities should influence what one purchases online. One would purchase based on what the community believes to be the best purchase. The survey results showed that Twitter communities tend to not significantly impact social media users’ online purchase behavior, but Facebook communities typically do and have the potential to become even more of influencers for consumers. How Social Media Communities Impact Consumer Behavior, Facebook results seem to fall right in line with Mead’s idea of communities as influencers. While for Twitter, the survey results indicate that Twitter communities behave differently than offline communities and Facebook communities. As the majority of Twitter users stated that their followers are strangers, they may not feel the same type of intimacy and companionship as those who use Facebook feel. This is something Lynch and McConatha (2006) touch on when introducing the theory of hyper-symbolic interactionism. Lynch and McConatha believe that due to the marketing-based reality constructed on the Internet, we no longer have the same type of community interactions as we do offline (2006). If this is so, then it is plausible that one’s Twitter community has less of an influence, especially for those who are avid Twitter users. For marketers, this study can be interpreted in two ways. First, it implies that marketers who focus on the sharing of products among social media communities to boost sales should rethink their strategy, especially if they use Twitter more than Facebook. Second, the results of the survey should inspire marketers to find a marketing method that will increase the influence online communities have on other social media users. My study showed that Facebook communities typically influence some users and have the potential to influence even more in the future. Many Facebook users surveyed seemed to value their Facebook friends’ opinions when it came to purchasing items online, and sometimes these opinions impacted their purchases. Marketers should use community influence on Facebook users as a way to increase sales and/or brand awareness. Another takeaway for marketers is the difference between Facebook and Twitter. Most of the respondents use Facebook on a daily basis and Twitter was not used nearly as How Social Media Communities Impact Consumer Behavior,   much, if at all. Out of the two social media platforms, Facebook communities are more of a community than Twitter. More people on Facebook know their Facebook friends offline, while many Twitter users did not know most of their Twitter followers offline. When comparing all of the questions pertaining to Facebook and those pertaining to Twitter, it is apparent that those who use Facebook have more of a relationship with their friends than Twitter users do with their followers. For marketers, this information is beneficial when deciding what channel would be the best to focus their attention on. CÄÆ'rtÄÆ'rescu (2010) stated that online communities create places for members to â€Å"share a sense of belonging, have a specific culture, a specific set of norms (‘netiquette’), affective ties that bind them together and a sense of shared history† (p. 82). These elements appear to be lacking in Twitter as most respondents to the survey answered that their Twitter communities were typically comprised of strangers who did not impact their purchasing decisions. Based on CÄÆ'rtÄÆ'rescu’s definition of an online community, and the lack of survey participants that use Twitter, it is questionable if Twitter constitutes a community, especially one that influences. Rather, it can be identified as a communication tool to reach out and converse with strangers but probably is not able to build relationships like Facebook does. In my opinion, Facebook feels more like a community than Twitter. Answers from the survey support this notion, as many of the respondents stated that they knew Facebook friends offline, while Twitter followers are comprised mostly of strangers. Based on Mead’s concept of a community as an influencer, I assumed that people would reach out to their Facebook communities to help shape their opinions, more than they would on Twitter. What my survey discovered was a good portion of Facebook users felt How Social Media Communities Impact Consumer Behavior, like Facebook was a good method of gathering opinions before purchasing a product, as 50% of survey respondents used Facebook communities this way. Respondents seemed to regard Facebook as a community full of influences, which could help shape not only the Facebook users’ identities, but their purchasing opinions. Greenleigh (2010) found that 84% of millennials turn to online communities before purchasing an item. The survey results from my study found the opposite. On average, 50% of millennials who responded to my survey said that Facebook influenced their purchasing decisions. In particular, when asked how often they turn to Facebook communities before purchasing an item, only 51% of millennials said that they sometimes do and 47% said that they never do. Greenleigh also found that millennials were 51% more likely to trust strangers when purchasing products, over family and friends. Again, my study contradicts Greenleigh’s notion. Sixty-five percent of millennials said that they would sometimes listen to a stranger’s online review of products over their friends. While 29% said they would not be likely to and a small margin of 6% said they would always listen to a stranger’s online review. According to Thompson and Lougheed (2012), women are on Facebook more often than men and due to this have increased anxiety. While my study did not measure the amount of anxiety one feels from social media, it did find that women tend to spend more time on Facebook than men much like Thompson and Lougheed stated. Forty-seven percent of males used Facebook daily while 62% of women use Facebook on a daily basis. What is surprising about the results when comparing men and women’s Facebook tendencies, is the smaller influence Facebook communities have on women than men. Although women said that they used Facebook more often than men on a daily basis, they How Social Media Communities Impact Consumer Behavior, were less likely to be influenced by Facebook communities when purchasing a product online than their male counterparts. However, women tend to contradict this statement when they are later asked how often they purchase items after hearing about it on Facebook and 59% say that they sometimes do. In comparison, a smaller percentage of men say the same. How Social Media Communities Impact Consumer Behavior, SUMMARIES AND CONCLUSIONS Limitations of the Study While my study produced interesting results, I believe there is room for my improvement within my study that would have produced better results and more reliable data. One such issue that I would have changed was my desire to limit the location of participants in the survey. My study focused solely on Western Washington individuals with the belief that they would believe an adequate sample size to study. While my sample size provided reliable data and provocative insights, I am curious whether a larger sample size would have impacted the results I received. Would people in Eastern states view Facebook and Twitter differently than people in Western Washington? I think my sample size was drawn too narrowly to make a conclusive statement. A second problem with my study is due to time constraints. I was only able to gather data using one method. With more time, I would have implemented an additional method. Another data source would have provided more insights on how social media communities impact consumer behavior online. While my survey, provided adequate enough data to analyze and make a prediction, a method, such as an in-person user research study, would have provided additional results to analyze. Further Studies or Recommendations For further evaluation of how social media impacts consumer behavior online, other studies should be explored. While my thesis only looked at the impact of social media communities on consumer behavior online, another avenue I would have liked to pursue would have been the impact of a company’s Facebook page on consumer behavior How Social Media Communities Impact Consumer Behavior, online. For instance, if an online consumer likes or interacts with the Nordstrom Facebook page, are they then more likely to purchase from Nordstrom online? Additionally, another study that could provide interesting results would be how Facebook advertisements impact consumer behavior online. Many companies purchase these ads hoping that they will entice Facebook users to visit their company page, purchase their product, or recommend the product to others. While data are available on these advertisements to the companies that purchase them, such as number of clicks on ads, a study could help indicate if they actually influence Facebook users to perform the wanted action. The data only show numbers, but a study could help identify the psychology behind the numbers and why a person may click on one company’s Facebook ad over another. Conclusions Social media continues to play a role in many people’s lives. From finding information about friends to perusing a company’s Facebook page to gain insight into their products, many of us use social media constantly. While our purposes for using social media may vary, we all have created communities we interact with within our social networks. According to Mead’s theory of symbolic interactionism, the way we interact with individuals shapes our identity. Thus, it can be thought that how we interact with others on social media also can shape our identity. Mead also described the importance of a community’s influence. My thesis seeks to understand if a social media user valued their social media communities’ influence when it came to purchasing products online. I hypothesized, based on Mead’s rationale, that if offline communities How Social Media Communities Impact Consumer Behavior, 41 impact our identities and actions, then social media communities should perform the same way. To obtain this information I distributed a survey to respondents in Western Washington who use Facebook and Twitter as well as purchase items online. When analyzing the results, many interesting insights were noticed. The respondents of the survey interacted more with friends and family on Facebook than they did on Twitter. The majority of Twitter followers one had were strangers. Thus it can be deduced that Facebook is more like an offline community that Mead describes than Twitter. When it came to answering my overall thesis question of whether or not social media affected consumer online behavior the survey showed surprising results. It was found that Twitter had very little influence on consumers and more than likely they never reached out to Twitter followers at any point during the purchase process for opinions. Facebook friends, on the other hand, had more of an influence on Facebook users. Around 50% of Facebook users reach out to their Facebook communities before purchasing an item. Thus, results for Facebook align with Mead’s theory of symbolic interactionism. In conclusion, the survey I distributed found that social media communities in general, do have an influence on what products social media users purchase online, with Twitter having a very minimal amount of influence and Facebook communities having a relatively high level of influence. How Social Media Communities Impact Consumer Behavior, 42 References Budzanowska-Drzewiecka, M. (2011). Social conditioning of purchasing decisions of 9-11 year-old consumers. Journal Of Customer Behaviour, 10(2), 143-160. doi:10.1362/147539211X589555 CÄÆ'rtÄÆ'rescu, I. (2010). Utility of online communities — ways one can benefit from one’s online life. Journal Of Comparative Research In Anthropology & Sociology, 1(2), 79-91. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.foley.gonzaga.edu/ehost/detail?vid=54&hid=110 &sid=9a83f789-ffbb-4d09-ad3369f906fba08e%40sessionmgr14&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d# db=sih&AN=55558221 Dellarocas, C., Gao, G., & Narayan, R. (2010). Are consumers more likely to contribute online reviews for hit or niche products?. Journal Of Management Information Systems, 27(2), 127-157. doi:10.2753/MIS0742-1222270204 Diffley, S., Kearns, J., Bennett, W., & Kawalek, P. (2011). Consumer behaviour in social networking sites: implications for marketers. Irish Journal Of Management, 30(2), 47-65. Drell, L. (October 25, 2011). Social consumers and the science of sharing. Mashable. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2011/10/25/social-consumersharing-infographic/ Ellis, K. (2010). Be who you want to be: The philosophy of Facebook and the How Social Media Communities Impact Consumer Behavior, 43 construction of identity. Screen Education, (58), 36-41. Retrieved fromhttp://proxy.foley.gonzaga.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/l ogin.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=51533387&site=ehost-live Garfield, Bob and Levy, Doug. (January 2, 2012). Ignore the human element of marketing at your own peril. AdvertisingAge. Retrieved from http://adage.com/article/news/dawn-relationship-era-marketing/231792/?page=1 Greenleigh, Ian. (January 24, 2012. Talking to strangers. How social influences millennials shopping decisions. Retrieved from ‘ http://www.bazaarvoice.com/blog/2012/01/24/infographic-millennials-willchange-the-way-you-sell/ Griffin, Em. (2009). A First Look at Communication Theory. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Hanlon, P., & Hawkins, J. (2008). Expand you brand community online. Advertising Age, 79(1), 14-15. Retrieved http://proxy.foley.gonzaga.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login. aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=28225980&site=ehost-live Lee, D. (2010). Growing popularity of social media and business strategy. SERI Quarterly, 3(4), 112-117. Ligas, M., & Cotte, J. (1999). The process of negotiating brand meaning: a symbolic interactionist perspective. Advances in Consumer Research, 26(1), 609-614. Retrieved from http://proxy.foley.gonzaga.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login. aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=6686384&site=ehost-live How Social Media Communities Impact Consumer Behavior, 44 Lynch, M. and McConatha, D., (2006). Hyper-symbolic interactionism: prelude to a refurbished theory of symbolic interaction or just old wine? Sociological Viewpoints, Spring 2006, Vol. 22, p87-96, 10. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.foley.gonzaga.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?si d=9a83f789-ffbb-4d09-ad33-69f906fba08e%40sessionmgr14&vid=44&hid=110 Tormey, P. (2007). The thursday speeches: how coach don james used words and mental images to build a college football powerhouse. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA. Wasserman, T. (2011). Audi has the most engaged fans on Facebook. Mashable. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2011/04/22/audis-facebook-bieber/.

Sexual Harassment Case Study

Individual Case Study #1 1. Is there a case of sexual harassment in this situation or is it only fun? This is a case of sexual harassment because; the words and actions of fellow employees ultimately made Rosetta quit her job. The technical definition of harassment is when members of an organization treat an employee in a different manner due to that person’s sex, race, religion, age, and etc. Harassment also includes unwelcomed remarks or jokes which make the employee feel uncomfortable.These guys that Rosetta had been working with, as she mentioned were making remarks and asking uncomfortable questions regarding her personal relationships (asking about her boyfriend, asking intimate details and asking if she prefers Canadian men over Italian men), the guys made dirty jokes and purposely made sure that Rosetta heard them, which is another sign of harassment – its causes Rosetta to feel awkward and embarrassed at her workplace (somewhere where she should feel comfortabl e and safe).Not only, do these guys make dirty jokes, but the manager, Al also contributes and encourages these guys regardless if it’s making another employee uncomfortable. These guys make fun of Rosetta when she comes into work, with remarks like calling her â€Å"Risotto† which in Italian means rice with gravy, not only is this an unwelcomed remark, its taunting her and insulting towards her Italian culture. Another form is harassment is displaying is offensive or pornographic items in a workplace environment.According to Rosetta, these guys post centrefolds pinned on their machines, which are pictures of nude or almost nude women. This is highly inappropriate for the work environment and makes Rosetta uncomfortable. When Rosetta asked these men from refraining to asking awkward and inappropriate questions and to leave her alone, they said that â€Å"Italians are just braggarts† which is derogatory and condescending term against her race. Sexual harassment; a form of harassment, was also present in this situation.Sexual harassment has three different characteristics; the first one being that the encounters must be unwelcomed to the complainant, expressly or implicitly known by the responder to be unwelcomed. This applies to this situation because Rosetta let the guys knows that she did not like the remarks by sayings â€Å"leave me alone† and â€Å"mind your own business† and they still continue to make remarks which leads to the second characteristic; conduct must continue despite the complainant protests, finally the third characteristic is complainants cooperation must be due to employment related threats.Rosetta suffered and took the harassment for so long from the fear of the manager, and being fired from her job. 2. If you were Eva, what would-and could-you do? What are the options? What is the probability of success of each option? Rosetta faced indirect systematic discrimination, which indicates that there is no i ntention to discriminate, but the system, arrangements, or policies allow it to happen. To begin with, Eva could have talked to the Manager, which she had and it didn’t lead her to positive results.So, she could either go above the manager or go directly to the Human Resource department of that company. This is a long process, which has many steps so Eva could choose to go to the Canadian Human Rights Commission. The Canadian Human Rights Act is a federal law that permits discrimination anything under federal jurisdiction, for example banks, airlines, government agencies, radio and TV companies. Areas that are not covered but the federal jurisdiction are covered by the provincial human rights act.The Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) is there to supervise and implement any action under the Canadian Human Rights Act. Any person/group that has reasonable ground to believe that they have been discriminated against has the right to file with CHRC. For Eva to report harassme nt has taken place against Rosetta, she must first take permission from Rosetta, otherwise there is a chance that her complaint could be rejected. However, there are many things that Rosetta has to be careful with, the CHRC does not accept complaints that are over a year old, if the complaint seems trivial or made in bad faith.Eva must report this problem immediately with the correct proof so her complaint wouldn’t be dismissed. After Eva has filed the complaint, it will be further investigated. It will either be ruled as substantiated or non-substantiation, if ruled substantiated, (in support of complainant) then an attempt to make a settlement will be made. If no settlement is made, then the Human Rights Tribunal Panel can be appointed to further investigate the complaint. If they find that there was discrimination against Rosetta, then she will be compensated as seen appropriate.Eva can also file a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights laws and commission, which will inv estigate the complaint (also with the consent of Rosetta) and a settlement will be offered to satisfy both parties if no settlement is reached, then complaint will be further investigated. Both these processes are very long, but proven in favour of the complaint many times. However, there are times where there is no discrimination/harassment found in the case.Another thing Eva could do is try to implement the employment equity program within the organization. This program (usually run by employers) is used to undo past employment discrimination and prevent future discrimination and create equal employment opportunity within the company. Eva, with the help of the HR department could use this program and the example of Rosetta to prevent future situations like this by educating the employees about the laws, and diversity. It can also help undo the harassment that Rosetta faced. . What are Al’s responsibilities in this instance? Did he carry them out well? Why or why not? Employ ers, or managers have one basic responsibility towards their employees, which is to provide a safe environment for their employees and Al, as the manager failed to do so. The job of managers/supervisors is to know the law and to implement it within their organization/team. His responsibility is to be aware of what harassment is, different types of harassments and the signs of harassed workers.His responsibility as a manager was to put a stop to the harassment and discrimination Rosetta was facing, and report those employees to the Human Resources Department or to the CHRC. Not only did he fail to put a stop to the harassment, he failed to report it and was also part taking in the harassment by encouraging the jokes those guys were making that made Rosetta feel uncomfortable. Another responsibility of a manager is to have good communication not only within the team members but good employee-to-manager communication which is failed to establish with Rosetta.She did not feel comfortabl e talking to her manager about the harassment, which ultimately made her quit her job because she felt she had no one to talk to and ask for help. Al, also fails to recognize the harassment happening and blames it on Rosetta not being able to take the jokes lightly and took the accusation of Rosetta being harassed very lightly. He did not carry his responsibilities out well for the reasons stated above, he created an unsafe, uncomfortable environment for one of his employees. Sexual Harassment Case Study Individual Case Study #1 1. Is there a case of sexual harassment in this situation or is it only fun? This is a case of sexual harassment because; the words and actions of fellow employees ultimately made Rosetta quit her job. The technical definition of harassment is when members of an organization treat an employee in a different manner due to that person’s sex, race, religion, age, and etc. Harassment also includes unwelcomed remarks or jokes which make the employee feel uncomfortable.These guys that Rosetta had been working with, as she mentioned were making remarks and asking uncomfortable questions regarding her personal relationships (asking about her boyfriend, asking intimate details and asking if she prefers Canadian men over Italian men), the guys made dirty jokes and purposely made sure that Rosetta heard them, which is another sign of harassment – its causes Rosetta to feel awkward and embarrassed at her workplace (somewhere where she should feel comfortabl e and safe).Not only, do these guys make dirty jokes, but the manager, Al also contributes and encourages these guys regardless if it’s making another employee uncomfortable. These guys make fun of Rosetta when she comes into work, with remarks like calling her â€Å"Risotto† which in Italian means rice with gravy, not only is this an unwelcomed remark, its taunting her and insulting towards her Italian culture. Another form is harassment is displaying is offensive or pornographic items in a workplace environment.According to Rosetta, these guys post centrefolds pinned on their machines, which are pictures of nude or almost nude women. This is highly inappropriate for the work environment and makes Rosetta uncomfortable. When Rosetta asked these men from refraining to asking awkward and inappropriate questions and to leave her alone, they said that â€Å"Italians are just braggarts† which is derogatory and condescending term against her race. Sexual harassment; a form of harassment, was also present in this situation.Sexual harassment has three different characteristics; the first one being that the encounters must be unwelcomed to the complainant, expressly or implicitly known by the responder to be unwelcomed. This applies to this situation because Rosetta let the guys knows that she did not like the remarks by sayings â€Å"leave me alone† and â€Å"mind your own business† and they still continue to make remarks which leads to the second characteristic; conduct must continue despite the complainant protests, finally the third characteristic is complainants cooperation must be due to employment related threats.Rosetta suffered and took the harassment for so long from the fear of the manager, and being fired from her job. 2. If you were Eva, what would-and could-you do? What are the options? What is the probability of success of each option? Rosetta faced indirect systematic discrimination, which indicates that there is no i ntention to discriminate, but the system, arrangements, or policies allow it to happen. To begin with, Eva could have talked to the Manager, which she had and it didn’t lead her to positive results.So, she could either go above the manager or go directly to the Human Resource department of that company. This is a long process, which has many steps so Eva could choose to go to the Canadian Human Rights Commission. The Canadian Human Rights Act is a federal law that permits discrimination anything under federal jurisdiction, for example banks, airlines, government agencies, radio and TV companies. Areas that are not covered but the federal jurisdiction are covered by the provincial human rights act.The Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) is there to supervise and implement any action under the Canadian Human Rights Act. Any person/group that has reasonable ground to believe that they have been discriminated against has the right to file with CHRC. For Eva to report harassme nt has taken place against Rosetta, she must first take permission from Rosetta, otherwise there is a chance that her complaint could be rejected. However, there are many things that Rosetta has to be careful with, the CHRC does not accept complaints that are over a year old, if the complaint seems trivial or made in bad faith.Eva must report this problem immediately with the correct proof so her complaint wouldn’t be dismissed. After Eva has filed the complaint, it will be further investigated. It will either be ruled as substantiated or non-substantiation, if ruled substantiated, (in support of complainant) then an attempt to make a settlement will be made. If no settlement is made, then the Human Rights Tribunal Panel can be appointed to further investigate the complaint. If they find that there was discrimination against Rosetta, then she will be compensated as seen appropriate.Eva can also file a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights laws and commission, which will inv estigate the complaint (also with the consent of Rosetta) and a settlement will be offered to satisfy both parties if no settlement is reached, then complaint will be further investigated. Both these processes are very long, but proven in favour of the complaint many times. However, there are times where there is no discrimination/harassment found in the case.Another thing Eva could do is try to implement the employment equity program within the organization. This program (usually run by employers) is used to undo past employment discrimination and prevent future discrimination and create equal employment opportunity within the company. Eva, with the help of the HR department could use this program and the example of Rosetta to prevent future situations like this by educating the employees about the laws, and diversity. It can also help undo the harassment that Rosetta faced. . What are Al’s responsibilities in this instance? Did he carry them out well? Why or why not? Employ ers, or managers have one basic responsibility towards their employees, which is to provide a safe environment for their employees and Al, as the manager failed to do so. The job of managers/supervisors is to know the law and to implement it within their organization/team. His responsibility is to be aware of what harassment is, different types of harassments and the signs of harassed workers.His responsibility as a manager was to put a stop to the harassment and discrimination Rosetta was facing, and report those employees to the Human Resources Department or to the CHRC. Not only did he fail to put a stop to the harassment, he failed to report it and was also part taking in the harassment by encouraging the jokes those guys were making that made Rosetta feel uncomfortable. Another responsibility of a manager is to have good communication not only within the team members but good employee-to-manager communication which is failed to establish with Rosetta.She did not feel comfortabl e talking to her manager about the harassment, which ultimately made her quit her job because she felt she had no one to talk to and ask for help. Al, also fails to recognize the harassment happening and blames it on Rosetta not being able to take the jokes lightly and took the accusation of Rosetta being harassed very lightly. He did not carry his responsibilities out well for the reasons stated above, he created an unsafe, uncomfortable environment for one of his employees.