Legalizing Marijuana, An Ethical Perspective

In today’s society, many ethical concerns arise on a daily basis, especially when it comes to the topic of legalizing marijuana. Many individuals have relied on the fact that marijuana was illegal, when determining whether smoking it should be considered unethical.However, many studies have shown that the effects of marijuana are not as detrimental as they were once made out to be. Legalizing marijuana can be an extremely controversial topic because several people have strong beliefs concerning why it should not be legalized, while a significant amount of people have stronger arguments, as to why it should be legalized.When it comes to looking at the ethical standpoint of legalizing marijuana, everyone has a different interpretation as to why marijuana should or should not be legalized. This is because everyone’s sense of morals and values differ from one another.Legalizing marijuana for medicinal and recreational use would be beneficial for large amounts of people for many reasons. The theory of utilitarianism implies that the proper course of action should be the one, which benefits the greatest number of people.Many aspects of legalizing marijuana should be considered when determining if the benefits outweigh the risks. Several states have passed laws, which govern the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. In fact, over twenty states, as well as the District of Columbia have enacted laws that govern the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes only. The increasing number of physicians implying that they would use marijuana medicinally for their patients shows that there are many benefits, which could derive from using the substance.A study conducted by American herbalist showed, â€Å"79. 5 percent of professional members stated that if there were not legal prohibitions they would use cannabis clinically† (Romm & Romm, 2010, p. 25).This study also implies that the top reasons for prescribing marijuana include appetite loss, cancer, pai n, glaucoma, insomnia, and it is also said that it helps with relaxation. Considering the increasing number of patients suffering from such diagnosis, the utilitarian approach shows that legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes would benefit the greatest number of people.When considering the harmful and destructive nature of alcohol and tobacco, it is hard to interpret why and how these substances became legalized. While at the same time, people are curious as to how a substance, such as marijuana, that controversially could result in more advantages than disadvantages, has yet to become legal. Marijuana is significantly less destructive than alcohol and tobacco and is used to treat medical conditions. State legislatures have ignored the signs of potential advantages of legalizing marijuana for years.However, legislatures have previously legalized substances, including alcohol and tobacco, without the advantage of the substances advancing or improving medical care. Therefore, the main ethical argument against legalizing marijuana comes down to the fact that of the legalities governing it's use. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), is an organization that serves as an information center for issues concerning marijuana use and legalization. The NORML Organization also serves as the voice for American's opposing the current marijuana prohibition.This organization presents the fact that if people are using this substance for enjoyment, those people should not be subjected to civil penalties or criminal injustices. A recent government study has shown that over 14 million American's use marijuana on a regular basis, despite legalities (NORML, 1996, para. 1). The NORML organization has compiled a list of principles of responsible use, which could reduce the amount of ethical concerns and legalities associated with using marijuana for recreational and medicinal purposes.One of which include the use of marijuana being restricted only t o adults. This is important because, just like alcohol and tobacco, it is unethical, immoral, and irresponsible to provide such substances to children.Another principle includes restrictions on driving while under the influence of marijuana. NORML stated, â€Å"Although cannabis is said by most experts to be safer than alcohol and many prescription drugs with motorists, responsible cannabis consumers never operate motor vehicles in an impaired condition† (NORML, 1996, para, 6). Therefore, the no driving principle is implied.These are two of the most significant principles presented by NORML. The next principle is described as set and setting. The NORML organization states, â€Å"The responsible cannabis user will carefully consider his/her set and setting, regulating use accordingly† (NORML, 1996, para. 7).Meaning, adults should be responsible enough, when using marijuana, to take into consideration several different aspects of one's life. For instance, it is important for marijuana users to consider his or her â€Å"set,† meaning the individual's attitude, personality, and experience.The term â€Å"setting† refers to an individual's physical and social condition or circumstances (NORML, 1996, para. 8). Therefore, individuals should consider and analyze a number of factors before choosing to smoke or just choosing to just say no. Two other principles presented by NORML include resisting abuse and respecting the rights of others. Therefore, individuals should steer clear of any sign of abuse and should not violate the rights of others when using marijuana.Decriminalizing marijuana would aid America's next generation in becoming more successful with the ability to prosper. By reducing the amount of young people being penalized and/or institutionalized for using or possessing marijuana, less lives will be destroyed as a result of the war on pot.Former President Jimmy Carter once said, â€Å"Penalties against drug use should not be mor e damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against the possession of marijuana in private for personal use† (NORML, 1996, para. 14).Therefore, even our former President considered legalizing marijuana to benefit the greatest number of people, due to the high volume of individual's lives being subjected to destruction as a result of using and/or possessing this substance. The former President also implied that the penalties governing drug use should not be more destructive than the actual drug itself. It has been proven and will continue to be proven throughout this paper, that there are ways to avoid possible ethical concerns raised in reference to legalizing marijuana.For instance, a recent study showed, â€Å" .  . . in the 16 states where medical marijuana is legal, there has been a drop of nearly 9% in traffic deaths since the laws took effect and a 5% drop in beer sales† (Crowe, 2012, para. 1). This st udy does not prove that driving while under the influence of marijuana is any less dangerous than driving while intoxicated. However, the results of the study do imply the fact that since alcohol is sold in bars and restaurants, it is more typical for higher rates of those driving drunk to have life threatening accidents than those under the influence of marijuana.Especially considering most marijuana users consume the substance in the privacy of their own homes. Whereas, individuals who choose to drink alcohol at a bar or restaurant, also choose to risk driving home while intoxicated. The author's of this study also imply that individual's driving while intoxicated are more likely to misjudge their perception and ability to drive, while those under the influence of marijuana typically tend to avoid taking risks on the road (Crowe, 2012, para. 11).However, individual's who choose to drive while impaired or intoxicated in any form are subject to being charged with driving under the i nfluence, which imposes severe penalties and will result in loosing driving privileges. Some may argue that marijuana is a gateway drug to harder drugs.However, the NORML Organization argues that, â€Å"For those minority of marijuana smokers who do graduate to harder substances, it is marijuana prohibition — which forces users to associate with the illicit drug black market — rather than the use of marijuana itself, that often serves as a doorway to the world of hard drugs† (NORML, 1996, para.  20).With that being said, it is not the use of marijuana that opens the doors for harder illicit drug use, it is being subjected to the underground market of marijuana that opens the doors for individuals to become familiar with other drugs. There are many ethical concerns when it comes to legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes. So far, two states have legalized marijuana for multiple reasons including medicinal purposes and recreational purposes.Washington and Colorado have implemented state laws governing the use of marijuana for recreational use. The Obama Administration and the Justice Department concluded in a recent announcement that federal agents will not intervene in Washington and Colorado’s new found marijuana laws and regulations as long as the states are, â€Å"preventing distribution to minors, stopping marijuana from being used as a cover for trafficking other drugs,  and enforcing laws against driving under the influence of drugs† (Dinan, 2013, para, 20).Therefore, as long as the states regulate the use and possession of marijuana, according to the previously stated guidelines, the federal government will not intervene with the state’s policies concerning the legalization of marijuana. The laws passed in Washington and Colorado are the first steps in the direction of decriminalizing marijuana.Those who are caught with an ounce of marijuana or less will not be subject to pay fines nor will they be ins titutionalized because citizens may legally possess anything less than an ounce. In recent years, the war on drugs has ruined thousands of young lives of those who were caught possessing or using marijuana. Decriminalizing anything less than an ounce of marijuana, when it is being used for recreational purposes, will ensure the judicial systems within the United States are reserved for more serious and/or violent crimes.The authors of Marijuana Legalization stated, â€Å"According to the FBI, there were 758,000 marijuana arrests nationwide in 2011, the vast majority for possession† (Sullum, 2013, para. 17). Therefore, most of the individuals who were arrested for marijuana in 2011 were actually arrested on possession charges, which most likely would not even be considered a crime in Washington or Colorado. Studies have shown that over fifty percent of American’s now believe marijuana should be legalized for recreational use because of the benefits outweighing the risks .Paul Armentano, the director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws recently stated, â€Å"Today, a majority of Americans espouse ending America's nearly century-long, failed experiment with cannabis prohibition and replacing it with a system of limited legalization and regulation† (PR Newswire, 2012, para. 5). By utilizing limited legalization and regulations on marijuana, less people would be put away for what would normally be considered a crime. In doing so, the future of many young people would be protected against being victims of the war against cannabis.From an ethical utilitarian perspective, it would be more beneficial for the greatest number of people, to legalize marijuana. Those who chose to possess and use marijuana are overcrowding prison systems and judicial systems within the United States. Implementing and utilizing methods of distributing marijuana, legally would decrease the amount of people being institutionalized for such crimes a nd could result in billions of dollars of tax revenue, which could strengthen the economy.The Seattle Times recently implied, â€Å"State financial experts estimate the new legalization could raise nearly $2 billion in tax revenue over the next five years, with the money going toward education, health care, substance abuse prevention and basic government services† (PR Newswire, 2012, para. 7). Herein lies, yet another ethical concept as to why marijuana should be legalized. An ethical egoist could argue that a person should have the right to use marijuana if that person sees using marijuana as being in his or her best interest.If not, the ethical egoist could argue that if that person does not see smoking marijuana as being in their best interest, they should not do it. No matter the direction the individual chooses to approach this situation, the ethical egoist would support the person’s right to make the determination for his or her self. Our textbook indicates, â₠¬Å"The egoist simply says that you should do what makes you happiest, or, again, maximizes your utility† (Mosser, 2010, sec. 1. 8, para. 22). With that being said, the utilitarian approach implies, the right thing to do is what benefits the largest number of people.However, the ethical egoist could possibly interpret, restricting one’s use of marijuana as being in his or her best interest. Based on the material presented and the information obtained while conducting research on the topic of legalizing marijuana, the logical notion would be to legalize marijuana. Having the ability to regulate and control the use and possession of marijuana among U. S. citizens, will provide the government with the ability to control its distribution Therefore, making availability to minors just as regulated and controlled as alcohol and tobacco, which would be in compliance with the Justice Department’s regulations.Almost half of our nation’s population previously voted to legalize marijuana. The government is beginning to realize, just like the use of alcohol and tobacco, the use of marijuana will continue legally or illegally. Legalizing marijuana for medicinal and recreational use would be beneficial for a significant amount of people for many reasons. Why not just develop regulations, apply taxes to it, and maintain control over it rather than continuing the â€Å"war on pot† which has failed tremendously over the years.

Animal Shelters

Animal Shelters For The Win! Did you know that there are about 4 to 6 thousand animal shelters in the United States? Also did you know that there are between 8 to 12 million animals in those animal shelters? Unfortunately each year between 4 to 6 million of those animals are euthanized due to not being able to find a home. That’s almost half of the animals that enter a shelter yearly! But what If I told you that you can make change for those animals, if you can take euthanization completely off the table and that you’d be doing something good for you at the same time.You would do it right? Well then you should go adopt a pet at your local shelter. Not only will you be helping the animals but you would also benefit greatly from this. You would help save lives and also gain a new best friend. Studies have shown that more animals are euthanized than adopted at an animal shelter! So it is time for people to step up and make a difference in the world! It’s not like th e workers at an animal shelter want the animals to be euthanized, but they have no choice because many new animals come in everyday to the animal shelters all throughout the United States.I am going to convince all of you guys to adopt an animal at a local animal shelter and not at a pet store. Buying an animal at a pet store may seem like a good option, but in reality there is a better option! That option is adopting an animal at an animal shelter! Do you know what Puppy Mills are? How about Commercial Kennels? Well this is important to know because many of the animals from those pet stores are from these Puppy Mills and large commercial kennels. Puppy Mills are dog breeding facilities that put profits ahead of the welfare of dogs. Those breeders do not care about filth, disease, socialization, and overcrowding.They don't care about inbreeding or genetic defects either. They don't care about who in the world buy the puppies and also they do not care about wearing out the breeding m oms. They just care about making money. Yes I said it. Money, money, and more money. It’s a sad truth but it's the truth. On the other hand, the animals at an animal shelter are well cared for and are not forcefully bred. The people there actually care for the animals and help treat the animals who were once abused, left behind, and not cared for. Many of those working at an animal shelter usually do not get paid much or do not get paid at all.Most volunteer their time to help the animals in desperate need! They do it because they have a passion for animals. They do not care about the money, they care about the animals health, well being, and most importantly, helping the animals find a new home. There is a myth that animal shelters do not have purebred animals but that is completely untrue! That is just a rumor. If you just take time to go to your local animal shelter, I know that you can find a purebred animal. Of course it would be harder to find purebred animals, but it i s definitely not impossible.Another reason why I think adopting is a better option is that not only is there a variety of animals there, but it is also much more affordable. Did you really think that buying a pet at a pet store was cheaper? Well you are wrong! Adoption fees at an animal shelter are much lower than buying from a pet store. Adoption fees can vary by location and animal shelters, but the prices can range from being free to 250 dollars. Comparing to the prices at a pet store, many animals like dogs and cats are being sold for almost triple the price! Some are even sold for 1000 dollars! That is really expensive!This shows how the animal shelters put the animals before the money. Imagine yourself in a world, where there were no animal shelters. Only those puppy mills and large commercial kennels. Life would suck right? The population of animals would decrease tremendously and also there would be so many more animals with illnesses, diseases, and defects. Also the animals would have to continue to live life sad and suffer in pain, the rest of their life. Now, Imagine the world where everyone only adopted animals at a shelter! The world would be so much happier for the animals and the people!There would no longer be any more of those Puppy mills or large commercial kennels and there would be no more of those heartless people who forcefully breed animals for money. Life would be so much better and if the animals could talk, I know they would say something like this†¦ â€Å"I love you,† and â€Å"Thank you for saving my life. † So the next time you want to have a new pet, just remember and think back about how adopting at an animal shelter is a better option than buying from a pet store. Think about how the animals from a pet store come from puppy mills and commercial kennels.Think about how poorly the animals are treated, and how this results in the animals having serious illnesses, diseases, and genetic defects. There is a simple s olution to this problem. All you have to do is adopt from an animal shelter and not buy from a pet store! Don't forget that those people from those puppy mills and commercial kennels just breed for quantity not quality. Not persuasive enough? Be Quiet! Then you better read my persuasive speech paper again. Haha I’m just kidding. But seriously adopt your new best friend from your local shelter!

Carr and the Thesis

Edward Carr begins What is History? By saying what he thinks history is not†¦by being negative. In Carr’s words, what history is not, or should not be, is a way of constructing historical accounts that are obsessed with both the facts and the documents which are said to contain them. Carr believes that by doing this the profoundly important shaping power of the historian will surely be downplayed. Carr goes on to argue – in his first chapter- that this downgrading of historiography arose because mainstream historians combined three things: first, a simple but very strong assertion that the proper function of the historian was to show the past as ‘it really was’; second, a positivist stress on inductive method, where you first get the facts and then draw conclusions from them; and third – and this especially in Great Britain – a dominant empiricist rationale. Together, these constituted for Carr what still stood for the ‘commonsenseà ¢â‚¬â„¢ view of history: The empirical theory of knowledge presupposes a complete separation between subject and object. Facts, like sense-impressions, impinge on the observer from outside and are independent of his consciousness. The process of reception is passive: having received the data, he then acts on them†¦This consists of a corpus of ascertained facts†¦First get your facts straight, then plunge at your peril into the shifting sands of interpretation – that is the ultimate wisdom of the empirical, commonsense school of history. 2 Clearly, however, commonsense doesn’t work for Mr.Carr. For he sees this as precisely the view one has to reject. Unfortunately things begin to get a little complicated when Carr tries to show the light, since while it seems he has three philosophical ways of going about his studies one being epistemological and two ideological his prioritizing of the epistemological over the ideological makes history a science too complex for comprehension to anyone other than himself. Carr’s epistemological argument states that not all the ‘facts of the past’ are actually ‘historical facts. Furthermore, there are vital distinctions to be drawn between the ‘events’ of the past, the ‘facts’ of the past and the ‘historical’ facts. That ‘historical facts’ only become this way is by being branded so by recognized historians. Carr develops this argument as follows: What is a historical fact? †¦According to the commonsense view, there are certain basic facts which are the same for all historians and which form, so to speak, the backbone of history the fact, for example, that the battle of Hastings was fought in 1066. But this view calls for two observations. In the first place, it is not with facts like these that the historian is primarily concerned. It is no doubt important to know that the great battle was fought in 1066 and not 1065 or 1067†¦The historian must not get these things wrong. But when points of this kind are raised, I am reminded of Housman’s remark that ‘accuracy is a duty, not a virtue’. To praise a historian for his accuracy is like praising an architect for using well-seasoned timber. It is a necessary condition of his work, but not his essential function. It is precisely for matters of this kind that the historian is entitled to rely on what have been called the ‘auxiliary sciences’ of history archaeology, epigraphy, numismatics, chronology, and so-forth. 3 Carr thinks that the insertion of such facts into a historical account, and the significance which they will have relative to other selected facts, depends not on any quality intrinsic to the facts ‘in and for themselves,’ but on the reading of events the historian chooses to give: It used to be said that facts speak for themselves. This is, of course, untrue. The facts speak only when the historian calls on them: it is he who decides to which facts to give the floor, and in what order or context†¦The only reason why we are interested to know that the battle was fought at Hastings in 1066 is that historians regard it as a major historical event. It is the historian who has decided for his own reasons that Caesar’s crossing of that petty stream, the Rubicon, is a fact of history, whereas the crossings of the Rubicon by millions of other people†¦interests nobody at all†¦The historian is [therefore] necessarily selective. The belief in a hard core of historical facts existing objectively and independently of the historian is a preposterous fallacy, but one which it is very hard to eradicate. 4 Following on from this, Carr ends his argument with an illustration of the process by which a slight event from the past is transformed into a ‘historical fact’. At Stalybridge Wakes, in 1850, Carr tells us about a gingerbread seller being beaten to death by an angry mob; this is a well documented and authentic ‘fact from the past. But for it to become a ‘historical fact,’ Carr argues that it needed to be taken up by historians and inserted by them into their interpretations, thence becoming part of our historical memory. In other words concludes Carr: Its status as a historical fact will turn on a question of interpretation. This element of interpretation enters into every fact of history. 5 This is the substance of Carr’s first argument and the first ‘positionâ€⠄¢ that is easily taken away after a quick read his work. Thereby initially surmising that Carr thinks that all history is just interpretation and there are really no such things as facts. This could be an easily mislead conclusion if one ceases to read any further. If the interpretation of Carr stops at this point, then not only are we left with a strong impression that his whole argument about the nature of history, and the status of historical knowledge, is effectively epistemological and skeptical, but we are also not in a good position to see why. It’s not until a few pages past the Stalybridge example that Carr rejects that there was too skeptical a relativism of Collingwood, and begins a few pages after that to reinstate ‘the facts’ in a rather unproblematical way, which eventually leads him towards his own version of objectivity. Carr’s other two arguments are therefore crucial to follow, and not because they are explicitly ideological. The first of the two arguments is a perfectly reasonable one, in which Carr is opposed to the obsession of facts, because of the resulting common sense view of history that turns into an ideological expression of liberalism. Carr’s argument runs as follows. The classical, liberal idea of progress was that individuals would, in exercising their freedom in ways which took ‘account’ of the competing claims of others somehow and without too much intervention, move towards a harmony of interests resulting in a greater, freer harmony for all. Carr thinks that this idea was then extended into the argument for a sort of general intellectual laissez-faire, and then more particularly into history. For Carr, the fundamental idea supporting liberal historiography was that historians, all going about their work in different ways but mindful of the ways of others, would be able to collect the facts and allow the ‘free-play’ of such facts, thereby securing that they were in harmony with the events of the past which were now truthfully represented. As Carr puts this: The nineteenth century was, for the intellectuals of Western Europe, a comfortable period exuding confidence and optimism. The facts were on the whole satisfactory; and the inclination to ask and answer awkward questions about them correspondingly weak†¦The liberal†¦view of history had a close affinity with the economic doctrine of laissez-faire – also the product of a serene and self-confident outlook on the world. Let everyone get on with his particular job, and the hidden hand would take care of the universal harmony. The facts of history were themselves a demonstration of the supreme fact of a beneficent and apparently infinite progress towards higher things. 6 Carr’s second argument is therefore both straightforward and ideological. His point is that the idea of the freedom of the facts to speak for themselves arose from the happy coincidence that they just happened to speak liberal. But of course Carr did not. Thereby knowing that in the history he wrote the facts had to be made to speak in a way other than liberal (i. e. in a Marxist type of way) then his own experience of making ‘the facts’, his facts, is universalized to become everyone’s experience. Historians, including liberals, have to transform the ‘facts of the past’ into ‘historical facts’ by their positioned intervention. And so, Carr’s second argument against ‘commonsense’ history is ideological. For that matter, so is the third. But if the second of Carr’s arguments is easy to see, his third and final one is not. This argument needs a little ironing out. In the first two critiques of ‘commonsense’ history, Carr has effectively argued that the facts have no ‘intrinsic’ value, but that they’ve only gained their ‘relative’ value when historians put them into their accounts after all the other facts were under consideration. The conclusion Carr drew is that the facts only speak when the historian calls upon them to do so. However, it was part of Carr’s position that liberals had not recognized the shaping power of the historian because of the ‘cult of the fact’ and that, because of the dominance of liberal ideology, their view had become commonsense, not only for themselves, but for practically all historiography. It appeared to Carr that historians seemed to subscribe to the position that they ought to act as the channel through which ‘the facts of the past for their own sake’ were allowed self-expression. But Carr, not wanting to go the route of his fellow historians, nor wanting to succumb to the intellectual complaints about the demise of the experience of originality, says: In the following pages I shall try to distance myself from prevailing trends among Western intellectuals†¦to show how and why I think they have gone astray and to stake out a claim, if not for an optimistic, at any rate for a saner and more balanced outlook on the future. 7 It is therefore this very pointed position which stands behind and gives most, if not all, of the reason for Carr’s writing What is History? Carr himself seems to be quite clear that the real motive behind his text was the ideological necessity to re-think and re-articulate the idea of continued historical progress among the ‘conditions’ and the doubters of his own ‘skeptical days’. Carr’s ‘real’ concern was ‘the fact’ that he thought the future of the whole modern world was at stake. Carr’s own optimism cannot be supported by ‘the facts’, so that his own position is just his opinion, as equally without foundation as those held by optimistic liberals. Consequently, the only conclusion that can arguably be drawn is that ‘the past’ doesn’t actually enter into historiography, except rhetorically. In actuality there should be no nostalgia for the loss of a ‘real’ past, no sentimental memory of a more certain time, nor a panic that there are no foundations for knowledge other than rhetorical conversation.

BBA Communication 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

BBA Communication 2 - Essay Example It is beautiful and it’s wonderful if it’s a product of a careful planning. Today’s life is full of opportunities, covering everyone from shoe menders to business investors. If one has some sort of skill it is easier to market them on sale, provided one knows where to and how to. However, there stands a difference between living a life and living it beautifully. Life becomes beautiful only when one could live up to see their dreams come true. Those dreams only come true if one acts to turn them into realities. I had always dream to study and practice my religion with grounds of inner beliefs considering no better profession other than this as purification of one’s soul. However, my family especially my parents had it altogether planned differently since the very beginning. Brief Background As a child, I had always been a quite friendly kid although I always had groups of kids to play with at school; I never had any one at home to share my feelings with. My mother was a drama actress; she had inculcated such profession even before marrying dad. She met dad who was one of the stage show organizer whom she later felt in love with and got married. I therefore belong to a family of showbiz people. This basically was the root cause of me and my sister’s subjects had nothing but arts in it. I watched time and noticed that my grandmother had already sign up her mom’s older sister for many extracurricular activities that she however subsequently dropped out of. As, mom became of age to sign up and was then willing to join such groups, her demands were refuse with statements by her parents, such as, â€Å"No, we don’t want to spend more funds to go wasted just the way your sister did.† My mother tried convincing her parents, but they didn’t agree. She always felt cheated for a chance to participate and an opportunity for lifetime. The consequences of this are what I today have to live up with such as pressuri ze over choosing any career but in the field of arts, music or drama. There was no freedom of choice what I wanted to do. No one ever felt the need to inquire my subject area of interest. Earlier Education – Age 4 and onwards Ever since I was a baby, I was made to listen to music and to catch the beat or copy the dance moves. There was a weekly dance contest between my sister and I, which I always used to lose. My sister used to imitate the best dancers; I would witness her pre-planning the dance routines with her friend or cousin and putting them then at family gatherings on a dance show. As was evident sooner my sister became one of leading artist of school plays. When I was finally old enough to sign up for dance and drama lessons, my mom jumped over, certain that I would love to be a part of it and perform like a star pupil due to her obvious budding talent and enthusiasm. The first class I burst into tears when the time came to go into the studio, I didn’t wanted to. The second class I braved going in but tried leaving room for a variety of reasons. Wishing that mom would sense my desire not to attain this education. But, nothing seems to work and the classes continued over a month and although I tried to show much lack of enthusiasm and interest I was still forced to join the group and participate. Parents Role –

A Rammstein Concert Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A Rammstein Concert - Essay Example The concert was organized in Roy Wilkins Auditotium in plain air, and I remember we had bought tickets man days ago to be able to attend. Hundreds, not say thousand people were gathered, to attend something of modern German culture. I remember I rather had good surprise; nothing was unexpectedly in a bad way, and the concert was given at Roy Wilkins Auditorium. Then I had a seat for the whole time. The concert was generally as I had expected, but much more intensive and lively. So, it was the first 20th of June 2009, when I really got to know from close the modern German culture, by a band that had set up all electronic instruments perfectly: Guitars, drums etc, and they were all dressed in shiny leather costumes, that matched to the light on the stage and made them more ‘’bright’, and impressive in terms of appearance But when also they started playing, they gave the impression of true professionals, reproducing German culture in the best way possible. The lights on the stage had flash, and some tricks that enhanced the attention of the crowd more, by really enhancing the quality of the concert as a whole. It was a splendid concert that day: Exactly same scenery as one would expect, from a band of beginning of 21st century. Lovers of the past decades also, such as 60’s and 70’s, could equally get satisfied, since the whole atmosphere included something of that era indeed! There were too many people gathered over there, and the stadium was full. Same pictures as that time, thus many little children with their parents had joined, and also may adults, who wanted to experience something new and exceptional!. The team was wonderful, not just a live band but indeed an Alive band in all means. The singers were singing too lively... This "A Rammstein Concert" essay gives a full and bright review on one of the concerts of this band. It was a splendid concert that day: Exactly same scenery as one would expect, from a band of beginning of 21st century. Lovers of the past decades also, such as 60’s and 70’s, could equally get satisfied, since the whole atmosphere included something of that era indeed! There were too many people gathered over there, and the stadium was full. Same pictures as that time, thus many little children with their parents had joined, and also may adults, who wanted to experience something new and exceptional!. The team was wonderful, not just a live band but indeed an Alive band in all means. The singers were singing too lively and in a very good mood, as this kind of cheerful music requires. The whole band was in harmony, and managed to imitate many other well known teams of music of the last decade, or the last two decades! The band was well organized, giving out and offering t real German music, of quality! It was homophone in all terms; all members seemed to participate in equal terms thus make a perfect symphony, and coordination. When the singer sang on his own, it seemed that all the rest of members were singing also, while they were just playing. The public was enthusiastic! Little by little all people participated in their own way, and everybody, was paying too much attention, by looking constantly towards the band, although this kind of music does not require such thing, like theater and cinema.

Criminal Court Visit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Criminal Court Visit - Essay Example The general majority believe that crime is on a constant rise, although statistics show offenses are at their lowest since the early 1990s. Criminologists blame news coverage for the unwarranted increase f the public's awareness f crime versus actual crime. Politicians exploit the sensationalized crime as a way to relate to the public's perception that the increased crime needs special attention, so they manipulate the reports by the media. Although the television has been harmful in it's' distortion f reality, it is useful in keeping people informed on criminal information and warnings when there is a real concern. Criminal procedure is generally based on the idea f obtaining balance in the system. Criminal procedure is composed f the rules governing the series f proceedings through which the substantive criminal law is enforced. (Law about Criminal Procedures) The public perceives that there are not enough rules regulating police and that police have too much discretion in obtaining information and evidence in charging and individual with a crime. Unfortunately, when you make it easier to prove guilt, then it becomes harder to establish innocence. (Overview f Criminal Procedure) The public may perceive that the ends justify the means and that the criminal procedure as it is written today may violate or deprive an individual f the constitutional rights. An example f one court case; U.S. vs. Dunnock, 295 f.3d 431 (4th Cir. 2002) Defendant, "by virtue f the fact he was standing outside his home in the presence f police as they were about to execute a valid search warrant, had all the benefits f the protections afforded by the knock and announce. There are basic guidelines governing criminal procedures, such as; reasonable suspicion is used in stopping or frisking an individual, and probable cause is used to arrest, sear, or detain a suspect. Criminal procedure must balance the defendant's right and the state's interest in a speedy and efficient trial with the desire for justice Court Procedures The public perception f the courts is either the jurors are not fully informed as to the ramifications or what their specific duties are pertaining to the case at hand. Many time juries will not be informed that their decision will pass down an extremely harsh sentence for fear that they will not find guilt because they do not like the sentencing guidelines for the criminal activity. For example; the jury foreperson in the Waco massacre case wept openly when she discovered how much prison time the federal government gave those defendants. She further stated, if the jury had known the accused were going to receive such severe sentences, that even though they were guilty f the crimes, they would have never been convicted (Jury Nullification). The statement that was made by the foreperson f that jury would have nullified the jury. If a juror disagrees with the law and court instructions a judge can remove the juror. The perception from the public on this matter is if the juror disagrees with the majority f the jurors the judge can remove that particular one. The judges and prosecutors not only blame the mishandling f many criminal court cases and appeals on the increased case loads, but they fault political agendas and the pendulum swing f what the public perceives as criminal

The Innovation of the iPod Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Innovation of the iPod - Case Study Example "Timing and execution are everything. Being first in an emerging market is neither as important nor can be as lucrative as designing the right products and services to cater to second- and third-stage growth .A smart company commands a premium for successfully blending off-the-shelf technologies into a new and useful product. Essentially, the iPod is a portable hard drive (in the Shuffle and Nano models, a flash drive) hidden inside a simple and beautiful enclosure, accessed through intuitive menus, buttons and a scroll wheel .separately, these parts were forgettable, but together they became unforgettable, Instead of creating a good product and knocking down the price until everyone could afford it, Apple has sold stripped-down versions at lower price points and hoped demand would follow. This strategy helped create Apple's bestselling music player, the bipod Mini." The development of the iPod is well reminiscent of the complex task of an entrepreneur who has to take all the monetary and intrinsic risks which will ultimately bring him success or failure in the cruel world of technology and innovation. (CNN Money 2005,Collingwood, H. 2005)As far back as in the year 2005 financial forecasters were predicting that the stock price of Apple Computer, Inc.had witnessed an increase of almost 6 times its original size . (CNN Money 2005,Collingwood, H. 2005) All this success can be attributed to the iPod digital music player which was introduced only a few years ago and has met unmatched success than any of its contemporary products and thus is an excellent study model in the field of entrepreneurship and innovation.The product itself has accelerated the growth of Apples digital music player market in the USA and has helped Apple increase its third-quarter sales to increase by 75 per cent within a single year. (CNN Money 2005,Collingwood, H. 2005)This success is puzzling for most critics in the sense that when originally introduced the iPod was neither the first digital music player, nor initially compatible with the majority of personal computers ( it was only compatible with Apple's own Macintosh computers, which only had a 4% market share of US computer sales). (CNN Money 2005,Collingwood, H. 2005) Before going on to discuss the success story of the iPod entrepreneurship it is worth reviewing what Product innovation entails for the entrepreneurial success. The concept of product innovation pertains to the whole process of bringing a new product or service to the market and which include the stages of product conceptualization, design and development. (Dyson, J.1997) More importantly there will be a need to improve upon the conceptions of production and distribution of the new product. (Dyson, J.1997) As the name suggests that the "innovation" pertains to the something new in terms technology and creativity .The innovation process will involve the activity of people and organisations who will be able to change themselves and the environment. (Dyson, J.1997).One of the most brilliant examples of product innovation comes from IBM which has become popular for successfully transforming itself from a provider of hardware-based products to more software-based services .

Research Response Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Response - Research Paper Example In-depths into Global Climate Change There have been increased concentrations of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere following different human activities. Scientific evidence points out that this has seen the average Earth surface temperature rising by approximately 0.80C. About two thirds of this temperature increase was recorded in the year 1980 (Emmanuel 689). Scientists link these changes to increased combustion of fossil fuels as well as high rates of deforestation across the globe. The main contributors are industrialized nations as they emit a greater percentage of greenhouse gases which further translate into adverse changes in the global climate. This has mainly been boosted by increased human activities. Kiehl and Trenberthnotes that â€Å"Atmospheric concentrations of some of the gases that produce the greenhouse effect are increasing due to human activity and most of the world's climate scientists consider that this is a significant part of the cause of observed climate change† (203). The effects are however, felt worldwide. ... Therefore, a greater portion of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere is linked to anthropogenic sources and the effects are felt fromradiation of gases through the atmosphere. Moreover, most sources of human emissions are able to be identified in specific nations, but the impacts are felt in all areas of the Earth. Greenhouse effects occur and are felt when solar radiation heats the Earth surface after which the heat is radiated into the atmosphere in long wavelength radiations (Emmanuel 688). From scientific view, the radiation is captured by atmospheric carbon dioxide and water vapour then reradiated. This causes heating of land, atmosphere and sea surfaces which then results into intense temperature levels worldwide. This is mainly attributed to the fact that warming effect of the land, oceans and atmosphere affect the global climate by increasing temperature levels across the entire globe. There is enough scientific proof of greenhouse composition and changes in levels in water bodies, land surface and in the atmosphere. This rates carbon dioxide as the most steady greenhouse gas with a consistent increase especially in concentration. Other greenhouse gases have also been observed to substantially increase both in the concentration and volume thereby contributing to increased levels of temperature worldwide. Regarding all these, Kiehl and Trenberth point out that â€Å"these atmospheric concentrations to emissions sources and sinks are a steadily evolving sphere of scientific inquiry; certain inputs to the climate could be observed and promptly quantified† (198). Electricity generation has been responsible for a higher contribution of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as compared to other greenhouse gases emitted. Even though

Oxfam. Outline Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Oxfam. Outline - Assignment Example Oxfam’s mission is with thousands of local partner organizations and people living in poverty who strive to exercise their human rights as well as assert their dignity as full citizens and take control of their lives (Oxfam). The organization’s values are the rights to; be heard, life and security, basic social services, sustainable livelihood, and an identity (Oxfam). A close look at Oxfam’s background history, structure, and activities reveals how its mission and values are achieved. Oxfam as an NGO can be defined by both its level of orientation and level of operation. By its level of orientation, Oxfam has tasked defined itself as a multi-faceted organization. The organization is defined through its service, charity, empowerment, and participatory orientation towards its target population (ECBP 64). Through its level of operation, Oxfam can be defined as an international NGO that is responsible for funding projects, institutions, local NGO’s, and also implementing projects. Founded in 1942, Oxfam’s initial primary concern was to provide food to famine hit populations (Lang 56). The organization has greatly diversified and shifted its focus from simply delivering emergency relief but rather focused on implementation of long-term developmental programs in vulnerable populations across the globe. As an amalgamation of a group of independent non-governmental organizations, Oxfam international got born in 1995. The organization has 17 affiliates in va rious countries that assist it to carry out its mandate according to its vision and mission (Oxfam). The organization carries its operation through its member affiliates in over 90 countries across the globe. As an NGO, Oxfam works in various fields but its main task gets associated with overseeing social transformation and the uplifting of quality of life. Oxfam can get defined as both a developmental and humanitarian emergency organization (Rugendyke 100). The

Attitude, Legislation, and Litigation Essay Example for Free

Attitude, Legislation, and Litigation Essay Since the beginning of time, people with disabilities were shunned, killed, considered an embarrassment, lock away, hidden away, and sometimes even worse. This attitude slowly started changing in the past 60 years. With these changes, came groups and acts to help inform the public and support the disabled and their families. The writer is going to describe how perception has changed, how legislation and litigation have influenced the education of special needs students, a prediction of what changes may occur in special education in the future, the writer’s initial response to an individual with disability, and how the writer’s response is different now. Perception Changes Over Time With only the basic understanding of human biology, historically people with disabilities and their families were generally treated horribly. People with disabilities in the western world were considered to inferior or weak. However, some of this perception was also dependent on the type of disability. There was a time when Autism was thought to be the fault of the Mom, often referred to as refrigerator Moms. These Moms were believed to be cold and unloving to their children, causing the children to become reserved and introspective. Although the reason for Autism is not fully known at this moment, it is known that it is not due to â€Å"refrigerator Moms. As society has grown, it has gained a better understanding of human biology, and with the help of advocates, the thinking and perception towards in the disabled the western world, is changing. These changes were also occurring in the education of students with disabilities as well, starting with schools for solely the blind and deaf, moving to special education becoming a privilege and not a right, and where only separate buildings or areas of a school were dedicated to students with disabilities, now inclusion is becoming a standard for all students with disabilities (Hardman, Drew, Egan, 2011). Legislation and Litigation’s Influence Legislation and litigation took a back seat for special education, for a long while. In the early and mid 1800’s, some grants for the schooling of the blind and deaf were created. After this grant the Federal government did not get involved again until 1958. With the signing of the National Defense Education Act of 1958, the Federal government had an opening to get involved in education. In 1966, the Bureau for the Education of the Handicapped (BEH) was enacted, creating grants for the education of students with disabilities. The Federal government created an act led the way for special education becoming accepted. States then started to train teachers in special education and researched education programs. Brown v. Board of Education led the way for special education advocates to create changes for students with disabilities, such as the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Mills v. Board of Education. Mills v. Board of Education. When students with disabilities were turned away from schools, the response led to the Rehabilitation Act 1973 and the Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975, later called the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA is the basis of the entire educational system for students with disabilities today and its biggest influence today. It ensures that all students with disabilities receive a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment and that it gives all students an individual education plan (Martin, Martin, Terman, 1996). The Writer’s Prediction With what the writer currently knows about special education, as both a special needs mom and as a special needs para-professional, the writer predicts and hopes, in some cases, that first and foremost more funding become available for assistive technologies, programs, and training, because right now the writer sees a shortage of assistive technologies in the classroom. The writer has personally witnessed teachers purchasing necessary items for their students, and considering how little teachers’ incomes are, this is a sacrifice that teachers should not have to make. Education in general is increasing expectations from teachers, so the writer predicts that there will be more programs and training offered to support those expectations. This also means that the evaluation for teachers and other staff is going to be more strenuous as well as. The expectations on students’ standardized assessments are going to count more towards the teachers. The writer is aware that there is a movement towards standardizing special education standards. The writer feels that this will occur, some of the positive things will be that any state a family moves to, will know what to expect and what special needs assessment will be standardized, which is truly needed at this point. The writer hopes assessments get standardized to a portfolio. While it is not easy to standardize or grade assessements, it works really well for moderately to severely disable students, who cannot take sit down assessments. The writer feels that although there is a movement to emphasize inclusion, this emphasis is going to become greater in the future, eliminating nearly all need for special needs classrooms. This also will make important, that most general education teachers have a background in special needs, to a certain extent. Initial Response The writer grew up in a family with an aunt who was deaf and had intellectual disabilities and two uncles with intellectual disabilities, so disabilities were really nothing new. However, when the writer got a job as a one-on-one para-professional with a student who had moderate disabilities and moderate behavior issues, the writer did have some concerns about the ability to have the patience, caring, strength, and creativity required to do that job. When the writer met the student and the other students that were in the classroom, the writer knew pretty quick that the writer would be able to meet the needs of the students and the classroom. The writer had similar trepidation when moving to a severely disabled classroom and when starting to work with elementary students. The writer feels that the response it always going to be the same, knowing what the writer knows. The response is always trepidation in the writer’s ability to meet the students needs, not the student themselves, and it usually goes away quickly. Conclusion  By looking at how societal thinking and perception has changed, the ways legislation and litigation have influence special needs education, the writers predictions, the writer’s initial responses and current responses, it can be seen how in many ways that attitude, litigation, and legislation have changed toward students with disabilities. With the help of advocates and education acts for students with disabilities, positive progress has come a long way. With continued help, it will go much farther. While these changes will not eliminate the past, it will make a better and more enlighten future for all children.

What Are Web Analytics Information Technology Essay

What Are Web Analytics Information Technology Essay Web analytics is reporting and analysis of data on website visitor activity. It is not only a tool to measure web traffic but also can be used as a tool for business and market research. Techniques used to access and improve the contribution of e-marketing to a business, such as referrals, clickstreams, online research data, customer satisfaction surveys, leads and sales. Thus, marketers use web analytics exploring data and reports to build their knowledge on customers preference and behavior according to types of sites, which areas customers click more often when they online. It also helps marketer understand their customers better and improve their business performance. (Dykes, 2012) Marketers wanting to conduct web-analytics have to first go through the following stages. (Figure I) These are three stages that they need to concern when setting up a web analytic tool. The analysis is the ticket for them move from Steupland to Actionland. It is the isolating of meaningful and actionable insights in data and reports that when acted upon by your organization can drive business value. (Dykes, 2012) Alignment stage: At this early planning stage, it is necessary for marketer to gather their business objectives and capture stakeholders online behavior by their online measurement strategy. Clearly understand measurement strategy and well analyze visitors is critical to success. Thus, marketers have to carefully handling relevant and meaningful data which will directly affect the business in the long-term. (Dykes, 2012) Collection stage: At this point of stage, large companies may spend amount of time on technical implementation such as multiple web domains and online marketing initiatives. (Dykes, 2012) Reporting stage: This is the last stage for companies move from Setupland to Actionland. This stage is important where you create report and distribute them to organization using a manual or preferably automated approach. (Dykes, 2012) TOOLS AND METHODS USED TO HELP MARKETER There are two types of web analytics, on-site and off-site web analytics. (Figure II) ON-SITE ANALYTICS On-site web analytics is used for marketers to measure a visitors activity when he browses on your website. This includes its drivers and conversations, for example which ads on landing page encourage more people to purchase and which title of information visitors click most. This data is used to analysis visitors online behavior and can be used to improve website or marketing campaigns audience response. Simply, on-site web analytics tools are used to analysis and measure behaviors of visitors journey and actual visitor traffic arriving on your website. For example, which landing page encourage visitors to make a purchase, what links visitors clicked on (from search engine to get to the site or came there directly) to the site, and time they spent and stayed on given page. Therefore, On-site web analytics measures of website in a commercial context. For the business, website became more important than ever before, it handles more information. Companies also need to know if their marketing campaigns are working on internet-based, just like John Shumway, the global vice president of product management at Akamai says marketing people are increasingly driving the need for we analytics. (Dave Chaffey, 2003) Firms can conduct on-site web-analytics through the following ways: Analytics Software Produced by Companies Some companies such as WebTrends and Google Analytics produce web analytics software that converts data by using combination of tables and graphs. It automatically monitors your websites traffic and highlights any significant changes,  thus, managers can easily understand and analysis the effectiveness of their campaigns. And, where visitors come from and which pages retain visitors the longest, and also, track visitors progress s they click though the site. As seen on Figure II.1. (Dave Chaffey, 2003) (Figure II.1) It can be simply shows daily visit on your website, type on traffic and time on site by country. Other technologies for data collection Other technologies companies used for data collection are eye tracking system and mouse tracking analytics. It is a key method for testing visitors behavior and areas they focus more often when they on a web page, and both eye tracking and e mouse tracking analytics studies offer businesses accurate and actionable results. Therefore, the result can be used to improve a web site or marketing campaigns audience response. Eye tracking system is utilized by many top enterprises such as Google. This tracking system uses specialist software to track internet visitors where the eyes land on a webpage. As shown on Figure II.2, Heatmaps areas are visitors look on more frequent on the webpage. (Ronan de Kervenoael, 2013) (Figure II.2) Similar to eye tracking system, Mouse tracking analytics  follows the mouse movements of internet users to simulate eye movement on a webpage. As seen on Figure II.3, the denser of the area is, visitor put more attention on that area of the web page. (Figure II.3) From the research, it has shown when both methods of testing are conducted simultaneously, in the result, they find out exactly what the visitors look at on the page which contains 84%-88% accuracy. In addition, both method of tracking analytics deliver valuable information to managers about visitors involvement and engagement with your website. This is vital to work out what changes you need to make in order to benefit your visitors experience as well as improve the website. (ClickTale, 2010) OFF-SITE ANALYTICS Off-site analytics data can be obtained for any website-including your competitors and partners. Which means is analysis the internet as a whole for the websites. Thus, the key differences of off-site web analytics measures from your potential audience (opportunity), share of voice (visibility), and buzz (comments). Unlikely to on-site web analytics only captures what happens when visitors visit and engage with your website, by using various technologies to help monitor and analysis website to create meaningful actions and results. However, as social website becomes more popular and ascendant channel for internet users, and everything becomes more transparent on social web, organization information are shared, spread on it, thus, through this platform, marketers are able to measure the latest buzz about website or organization.it is important for marketers to monitor not only what happens on the website but also outside of your website. Improving from what other people are saying about the company and provide products and services match customers requires. Off-site Web Analytics solutions can help businesses stay on the leading edge of overall trends.  (Monitoring Buzz With Off-Site Web Analytics, 2010) Firms can conduct off-site web-analytics through the following available software: Alexa and Compete There are numbers of web analytics software provided service to measure your competitors how much and what type of traffic are garnering to their site. Alexa  and  Compete are two free services help marketers to find top-level information, including the top searches people used to find the site, as well as traffic comparisons versus other Websites. For more comparison capabilities and a deeper level of demographic information, marketer can just simply upgrades their account. Similar to Alexa  and  Compete system offerings monitor and aggregate a wide swath of Web traffic, paid services from  Quantcast  and  Nielsen NetRatings also provide analytics tools and research related to online audiences, as well as online ad buying and selling. As by shown example of how Alexa provide services for marketers by monitoring and aggregating a wide swath of Web traffic from multiple sources to develop estimates for overall ranking and other factors. On the table 1 below, shows top 5 sites on the web. According to off-site web analytics is measuring about your competitors and monitoring the internet as whole website, it is obvious for marketers to analysis the market, so that company can generate more sales, reduce marketing costs, enhance campaign performance, provide better user experience, and reach specific target segments. As well as on table, more specific shows competitor daily/monthly search traffic and top queries from search traffic and more other details. Thus, research on your competitors and understand their strategy, is the advantages for the company to take step forward than others in the market. (Table 1) (Table 2) Co Tweet and HootSuite There are other tools like  CoTweet  and  HootSuite  are relative newcomers to the market when they looking further out into the social web. Especially for small and medium-size business that use tools to monitoring and engaging with social web. It started as management tools Twitter, but they are now expanding their support for other social channels such as Facebook and LinkedIn. It simply for an organization tracks the effectiveness of multiple marketing efforts in multiple social channels, and also from platforms. Because social web such as Twitter and Facebook, it creates more effective buzz to a company. Therefore, this platform is critical important for for small and medium-size business to enhance awareness. CoTweet is a web-based  social media management  and  analytics  tool. With CoTweet you can not only manage clicks on content you publish within the application, but also integrate any web analytics platforms with campaign codes and shortened URLs. Just like Bobowski believes it provides closed-loop reporting and allows marketers to associate revenue and other success metrics to social media activity. (Peters, 2011) As shown table below, CoTweet also provides updates and follow-up messages to be assigned to specific social media managers. Different knowledge of social media managers can responses immediately to appropriate questions and comments from followers, which shows to followers that there are person behind responding the questions. Also, from the questions and buzz marketers will know who he is talking with if question arise for as specific tweet. It helps marketers collected more accurate data and responded visitors needs. CONCLUSION This report has shown that Web continues to have growing importance in marketing efforts, therefore on-site and off-site Web Analytics solutions will likely become more crucial tools that lead to greater business success. This is supported by the number of toolset made available to businesses of all sizes to monitor and analyze web traffic on their sites in order to determine what is happening not only throughout the rest of the Web ecosystem but also in social media. Appendix There are other different online metrics collection methods that help marketers for analysis and understand visitors and purchasers. ID Technique Strengths Weaknesses 1 Server-based logfile analysis of site activity (web analytics) Directly records customer behavior on site plus where they were referred from Low cost Doesn t directly record channel satisfaction   Undercounting and over counting   Misleading unless interpreted carefully 2 Browser-based site activity data (web analytics) Greater accuracy than server-based analysis Counts all users, unlike the panel approach Similar weaknesses to server based technique apart from accuracy 2-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Limited demographic information 3 Panels activity and demographic data Provides competitor comparisons Gives demographic profiling Avoids undercounting and over counting Depends on extrapolation from limited sample that may not be representative 4 Outcome data, e.g. enquiries, sales, customer service e-mails Records marketing outcomes Difficulty of integrating data with other methods of data collection when collected manually or in other information systems 5 Online questionnaires Customers are prompted randomly every  n  th customer or after customer activity or by e-mail Can record customer satisfaction and profiles Relatively cheap to create and analyze Difficulty of recruiting respondents who complete accurately Sample bias tend to be advocates or disgruntled customers who complete 6 Online focus groups; synchronous recording Relatively cheap to create Difficult to moderate and co-ordinate   No visual cues as from offline focus groups 7 Mystery shoppers. Example customers are recruited to evaluate the site, e.g. www.emysteryshopper.com Strstructured tests give detailed feedback Also tests integration with other channels such as e-mail and phone Relatively expensive   Sample must be representative