The Elevator And Escalator Industry In Sri Lanka Economics Essay

The Elevator And Escalator Industry In Sri Lanka Economics Essay I am employed at ETA MELCO ENGINEERING (PTE) LTD for the past one year and Im currently working as the Human Resource Executive. My company is a fully owned subsidiary of ETE MELCO Elevator Co. L.L.C. and has its head office in Dubai, U.A.E. which belongs to the ETA STAR GROUP OF COMPANIES. We represent Mitsubishi Elevators and Escalators in Sri Lanka and our activities cover the marketing, supply, installation and maintenance of all types of Mitsubishi Elevators, Escalators, Moving Walks and Vertical transportation equipment. Mitsubishi Escalators and Elevators has earned a reputation as one of the most advanced Elevator and Escalator manufactures in the world, offering firsts in technology. Let analyze in detail the Elevator and Escalator Industry in Sri Lanka and the market my company belongs in relation to the economic context. About the Group Company ETA STAR Group was established in the early 1973 and is involved with expertise ranging from Civil Construction to Electro Mechanical, Facilities Management and Elevator Engineering. Today the ETA STAR group involves in activities that cover 16 broad industry verticals. Namely: Construction and Engineering, Trading, Shipping, Manufacturing and Assembly, Facilities Management, Auto Mobile, Real Estate, Retail, Services, Travel and Leisure, Health Care, Aviation, Learning and Education, Insurance, Hospitality, Oil and Natural Gas. The group has a network of 140 entities and offices in 22 countries. As a group we provide employment to over 72000 people. All group companies are guided through the group companys vision, Quality is our single-minded pursuit in the application of new technologies. In our wide ranging diversity, we innovate continuously as we strive to provide complete satisfaction to our customers and shareholders. We have emerged as one of the largest corporate houses duri ng the last 37 years of operations achieving excellence. A look at the Industry The Elevator and Escalator industry in Sri Lanka is highly depended on the construction industry. The construction industry in Sri Lanka comprises of building, highway, bridge, water supply and drainage, irrigation and land drainage, dredging and reclamation and other constructions. According to the annual survey carried out by construction industries, the total value of estimated work done by all types of construction activities in Sri Lanka was Rs. 56,496 million in 2007. The building construction sector was the highest contributor to the total value of work done contributing 64.1%. This contribution to the building construction sector was made by the private and public sector. The second largest contributor to the total value of work done in the construction industry was the highway construction amounting to 25.2% of the total value of work done. The highest value of work done was reported from Colombo district amounting to 37.2% of the total output. Hambanthota and Kaluthara Dist ricts contributed 11.3% and 6.2% accordingly. Jafna District reported the lowest value of work done amounting to 0.3% of the total output. A detail breakup constriction industry for the year 2007 is as follows: Source: Annual Survey of Construction Industries 2008 To evaluate on the industry of Elevator and Escalator lets analyze the detail break up of the building construction industry. Source: Annual Survey of Construction Industries 2008 Elevators and Escalators are mainly used in Sri Lanka for high and medium rise buildings that has being developed for residential apartments, hotels, shopping complexes and hospital buildings. The demand for elevator is based on the infra structure development in the above mentioned areas. Based on the interview I had with the Sales Manager he told me that the demand for elevators and escalators have being 238, 243, 219 and 171 for the years 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively. This clearly helps us to understand the sudden drop in the demand for elevators was due to the economic crisis that affected the constriction industry in our country in the mid 2008 and 2009. The estimated annual demand for elevators for the year 2010 is predicted to be 260 units. However the rapid development in the northern and southern province in the country after the 30 years of civil was is contributing favorably to the elevator and escalator market in Sri Lanka as many infra structure development programmes are presently taking place. Many of these projects are government owned. Population growth on the other hand too contributes immensely to the building construction industries. Due to scare resources such as land developers are compelled to put up high rise apartment buildings and complexes. Today even in the rural sector there are plans to up such building. Tourist industry too positively contributes to the elevator and escalator market as we need to develop many hotels and hotel apartments to keep up to the demand. Sri Lanka tourist board is presently focusing on areas such as Trincomalee and Puthalam in order to promote Dolphin, Wale watching and Surfing. Also areas such as Hambanthota, Jaffna, Baticalo are given preference. The Health care sector too in Sri Lanka gives high priority to the elevators and this is seeing as a sector that has been having a continual growth over the last decade. Overview of the Organization Taking into account the initial success achieved in the U.A.E. market in the early 1980s the ETA MELCO Elevator Co. L.L.C. set up branch office in Sri Lanka in the name ETA MELCO ENGINEERING (PTE) LTD and 20 other countries. The Sri Lankan construction industry proved to be during very well in the early 1980s and this influenced the management to set up operations in Sri Lanka to provide vertical transportation facilities as there was a huge demand for products such as elevators, escalators and moving walks and other related products for high rising buildings, hotels, hospitals, commercial buildings, residential apartments etc. These products are supplied by Mitsubishi Corporation. Popularly known as the Elevator People of Sri Lanka we have grown to be the biggest elevator specialist in the region enjoying a very high market share. We as a company are singularly focus on growth by keeping up with modern technological changes and advances. We have a fully fledge research and development team in Japan that keeps us updated with trends that suites the industry tomorrow. The phrase that brands our products, Quality in Motion is not just a catchy slogan but a statement of fact. We are driven by the continual evolution of technological improvement. The professionals of our company and through out the worlds practice Quality in Motion everyday. We not only pay emphasis to operational efficiency but also safety and comfort. We are embodied by our mantra Number one for Quality to ensure we exceed out customer requirements. The policies of Mitsubishi Electric has made all these possible while fostering the values necessary to harmonize our products and activities with the environment and local communities. These will vary based on customers requirement for capacity, speed, purpose, number of persons, number of stops (floors) etc. Refer appendix for more details on our product range. Market Share The industry leader in the Sri Lankan Elevator market is ETA MELCO ENGINEERING (PTE) LTD the agent for Mitsubishi Elevators in the country. We import Mitsubishi Elevators and Escalators under the HS code 84281010 Lifts and skip hoists. According to the import statistics details obtained from Data One Company our sales team analyzed the market share for the year 2009 based on the number of units ETA MELCO (Mitsubishi) secured as against its competitors. The data is as follows: With reference to the analysis carried out it could be said with much certainly that this industry belongs to the Oligopoly (Imperfect) Market Structure as it has a relatively small number of large firms. They sell differentiated products and comprise of significant entry barriers. Thus we have a few key industry players like Otis, Sanyo, Sigma, Dipra, Schindler, Johnson, Kone and Local Fabrications who deal with Elevators and Escalators in Sri Lanka. Hence we export only three types of products Elevators, Escalators and Moving Walks. We are the only local company that exports these products from Mitsubishi we have better access to architects, clients, contractors, government authorities and other developers due to the good name we maintain in safety, comfort, efficiency and superior quality. Nevertheless this industry is highly competitive as all the few players on average have to meet a demand of 175 200 elevators for a year. This leads to sever competition. We have to keep a breast of the ever changing technological advances and we need to convince our customer base on the modern products and modifications needed to existing products from time to time to avoid our products being modernized or serviced by out competitor companies. Taking in to account the over all market in to consideration ETA MELCO has grown from strength to strength enjoying the highest market share in this segment when compared to its competitors. The company has to now focus on promoting vertical transportation products such as Elevators, Escalators and Moving walkers by moving in to the northern and southern geographical areas of the country to remain as the market leader as many developments are taking place. The product alone is a luxury item and today the demand for Home elevators our becoming popular. The company also has it focus in coming up with more customized products to cater to the market. In Sri Lanka alone we have Home Elevators. Market Structures My findings indicate that this organization belongs to the Oligopoly (Imperfect) market structure since it highlights the following characteristics; Major industry players amounts to 9 competitors while there are few other mushroom companies that deals with maintenance of elevators and escalators. The firm is relatively large compared to the overall market and has a substantial degree of market control. In short there are small numbers of large firms. Firms in oligopolistic industries produce either identical or differentiated products. Identical product oligopolies also knows as perfect oligopolies produce tend to process raw materials or intermediate goods that are used as inputs in other industries. Notable examples are petroleum, steel and aluminum. On the other hand elevator and escalator falls into differentiated product oligopolies also knows as imperfect oligopolies focuses on consumer goods (mostly luxury) to satisfy the wide variety of consumer needs and wants. Barriers to entry prevail as the firm attain and retain market control. Patents, brand names, recognition, resource ownership, start-up cost, decreasing average cost are the most common barriers and the make it extremely difficult or impossible for potential firms to enter the industry. Oligopolistic firms are diverse and they posses several behavioral tendencies. The following behavioral characteristics were highlighted in my findings: Interdependency among firms as it takes in to account relative size and market control. This means that the actions of one firm will depend and make an influence on the actions of another firm. The firm keeps a close eye on the activities of the other firms in the industry. As a result the decisions made by one firm invariably affect others and are invariably affected by others. Thus a firms success will not only depend on its own action but also those of the competitor. A Rigid price strategy is followed by the firm that helps to keep the price relatively constant as the firm prefers to compete in other ways that does not involve changing the price. This is mainly because if price decreases the competitor will try to match the same and will not take in to consideration the increases in prices as the firms do not gain much from price changes. As the firm does not gain much from price competition they tend to follow non-price methods of competition which includes entry barriers, product differentiation and advertising, continuous improvement in quality, after sale services, effective distribution, guarantees as the firms objective is to get more buyers and simultaneously increase the market share while holding the line on price. Taking all firms in the industry I wish to emphasize that the firms operate in cooperation through collusion in an oligopoly market. The factories of the companies that manufacture elevator and escalators secretly agree on prices, production and other aspects in the market and behave like they are operating as one firm a monopoly. A formal method of collusion is cartel which is found among international produces. Operating in an Oligopoly (imperfect) market brings in two important advantages to the firm. It could be elaborated as follows: The firm tends to be a prime source for innovations that promotes advances in technology and economic growth. This leads to higher living standards. These firms have the motive and opportunity for innovation. Interdependent competition results in motive and access to abundant resuorses bring about opportunity. The firm is in a position to enjoy economies of scale as it leads to a reduction in the cost of production and prices. The firm can mass produce at a low average cost. Elevators and escalators will be more significantly expensive if they were produced by a large number of small firms that small number of large firms. Graphical Illustration of the Market Equilibrium A kinked demand curve is used to illustrate the short run production activity of an oligopolistic firm. To explain the price rigidity in an oligopolistic firm the kinked demand curve is used. The kink of the demand curve exists at the current quantity (Qpm) and current price (Ppm). This is because competitor firms will not match the increases in price as it will loose its customer base and market share. It is evident that a small increase in price will lead to a relatively large decrease in quantity demanded. Similarly any price decreases will be matched by competitor firms and the firms is unlikely to gain customers or market share. If a firm is to gain a small increase in quantity demanded a large decrease in price needs to take place. (This is not feasible to many firms) Conclusion With reference to my study on my organization ETA MELCO ENGINEERING (PTE) LTD I could state that we fall into Imperfect Oligopoly Market Structure. Hence I will use the following findings to justify my answer; There are small numbers of large firms (09 major industry players) in the elevator and escalator industry. The company sells a range of differentiated products to suit customer, client, architect, developers requirements and specifications taking in to account type of building, type of elevator/escalator, number of stops (floors), travel speed, capacity, and usage thus falling in to imperfect oligopoly without any doubt. Significant barriers to entry prevail due to brand name, recognition, start up cost, decreasing average cost, patent and resource ownership. Interdependency among firms exists. A rigid price structure is followed to keep price relatively constant. As any decrease in price will lead towards the same action from competitor thus affecting the companies customer base and market share. Also any price increases will lead to a reduction in quantity demanded thus affecting the customer base and market share. Due to the above reason the company follows non-price methods of competitions by promoting its brand image and reputation, quality products, customized products, guarantees, cost effective after sales services and product differentiation. The firm balances competition among others through cooperation. We can identify collusion as a method used in the elevator/escalator industry. Price cartels are experienced in the factories that produce elevator/ escalators. The company is heavily involved in innovations that promote advances in technology and economic growth. The main factory of the company enjoys economies of scale through mass production thus leading to low average cost. Finally giving all reasons, arguments and justification above like to conclude that ETA MELCO ENGINEERIN (PTE) LTD is operating in an Imperfect Oligopolistic Market Structure.

Term Paper on Computer Games

Intelligence and Dexterity are beneficial gift that God has endowed us. Hence, Man has the ability to tinker with nature. It is factual and concluded. We have the greatest opportunity to manipulate things like: The Development of Medicine; Swift Transportation; Rapid Communications and the Aggrandizement of Technology. One of this is COMPUTER GAMES. Computer Games is one of the vital issues in our society to be focused on. Why? Because they say that Computer Games are one of the vices that the teenagers are been addicted, attached with.They could spend all day just to play various online or downloaded games. Seemingly, it is there cravings for them to be satisfied. Just like there days wouldn’t complete if not played just even one game. According to Surveys, Computer Games has indeed a great effect on everybody. Because, we can visualize myriad teenagers seated in front of computer set playing, enjoying, and cussing with each other. YES, CUSSING. When been fond of it, teenager s are gradually adapting the nature of a maniac player. Now, they know how to use vulgar words to express their feelings, a volcano that would about to erupt.Another thing is that, we can no longer more to see youth who plays basketball, volleyball and the rest of the Sports Games that can really helped a lot in our health and physical attributes. That’s why they also added that Computer Games is gradually defeating sports. This is why the Government should take its action to give remedy to this epidemic issue concerns our youth of today. Today, parents still worry about the effects of violent computer games and of course it also remains a popular topic for the media.However, with a growing number of children and teens spending excessive time playing computer games, perhaps parents should be more worried about teenagers addicted to computer games than the effects of violent Computer Games. An examination of the literature reveals that those who study video game addiction some times disagree on the proportion of children and teenagers addicted to computer games. However, the majority of studies suggest that approximately 5 to 10% of youth who play computer games become addicted.Compared to other psychological difficulties (such as depression and anxiety), teenage computer game addiction is obviously a relatively new problem faced by families. As such, parents may lack accurate and/or helpful information on the signs of computer game addiction, the risk factors for video game addiction, and strategies for helping teenagers addicted to computer games after the problem develops. BACKGROUND The debate on whether Computer Games have social effects and cause violence among the players, especially children, can be traced back to 1976 when a video game entitled Death Race was released on the market.The main aim of the game was to run over screaming gremlins using a car which would then turn into tombstones. The pace of the game was pedestrian and the gremlins res embled human figures. There was a public outcry over this video game and eventually its production ceased. There were other violent Computer Games that were produced later in 1993, such as Night Trap and Mortal Combat, that were followed by public outcry. In the same year, a board was established in the United States to look into Computer Games and rate them according to their content (Siwek, 2007).The board is known as the entertainment software rating board (ESRB). The other video game that attracted media attention was Rapelay, produced in 2006 (Siwek, 2007). The video game required players to rape and stalk a woman and her two girls. Such Computer Games are said to cause behavioral change among children. There are several incidents that are linked to Computer Games, such as the massacre at Columbine High School that claimed 13 lives. Laws have been enacted to ban or control the sale of Computer Games.For example, on the 27th of June 2007, the Supreme Court of the United States o verturned the law in California that banned the sale of Computer Games to minors (Siwek, 2007). The court ruled that the law violated the freedom of speech even though the state has an obligation to protect kids from harm. Another aspect that should be noted regarding Computer Games is that boys spend more time playing than girls. Not many girls are interested in playing Computer Games, hence they are not affected as much as boys of a similar age (Anderson & Bushman, 2001).The Drawbacks of Children Playing Computer Games Most of the negative effects as a result of playing Computer Games among children can be blamed on the violent scenes contained in these games. When a child spends an extended amount of time playing such Computer Games, they becomes socially isolated. This means that a child does not have enough time to interact with other members of society (Anderson & Bushman, 2001). The child who spends many hours a day playing Computer Games will have no time to meet and make ne w friends. They may in turn become more depressed and lonelier in their homes.Children will also spend little time on other activities such as sports, reading, and doing homework. The child becomes socially inactive since they do not get involved in social activities. Some Computer Games teach children wrong values (Gunter, 1998). Most of the children who spend much of their time playing Computer Games are likely to perform poorly in school. A solid number of Computer Games are addictive. Rather than studying or completing homework, a child spends time playing Computer Games. As a result, poor performance will be seen at schools. Computer Games reduce a child’s imaginative thinking as well.This means that a child who ends up spending most of their time playing Computer Games does not get a chance to think creatively or independently. Imaginative thinking is crucial in developing a child’s creativity. By fostering isolation, Computer Games may also affect a childâ€℠¢s health. Since they do not get enough bodily exercise, children who spend the majority of their time playing Computer Games are likely to suffer from video-induced seizures, obesity and skeletal, muscular and postural disorders like tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, among others.Computer Games promote children to associate happiness and pleasure with the capability to cause pain to others. They develop the feeling that in order to be happy, one has to make other people suffer. Children who play Computer Games tend to develop selfish behavior (Anderson & Bushman, 2001). Computer Games teach the player to be dependent and since the child is left alone while playing the game, they can develop selfish behavior. A certain study that was done at the Minneapolis-based national institute for media indicated that kids can get addicted to Computer Games and exhibit social phobias.The interactive quality of Computer Games is quite different from passively viewing movies or television. The games allow players to be active participants in the script. The players who are able to benefit from acts of violence are then able to proceed to the next level (Sherry, 2001). As a negative result of playing Computer Games, violence in children has shown an increase. â€Å"Anderson and Dill found that males who were high in aggression and irritability, showed the strongest association between video game play and aggressive behavior (Lillian Bensely & Juliet Van Eenwyk, 2001)†.There are many incidents of violent behavior among children who play violent Computer Games worldwide (Gunter, 1998). One of the high-profile incidents is the Columbine High School massacre that was caused by 17 year-old Dylan Klebold, and 18 year-old Harris Eric. The massacre happened on the 20th of April, 1999, at Columbine High School, located in Jefferson County. 12 pupils and a teacher were killed by two pupils. It was later revealed that the two shooters in the massacre were frequent players of w eapon-based combat games.It was also noted that the two shooters used to play Wolfeinstein 3D and Doom, games which are violent. After the incident, many newspaper articles claimed that the key cause of that incident was violent Computer Games. Another incident occurred in April, 2000 when Jose Rabadan, a sixteen year-old Spaniard, killed his parents and his sister using a katana sword, claiming that he was Squall Leonhart, the main character in the video game titled ‘Final Fantasy V111,’ on a mission to avenge. This was a consequence of playing the game too much and fantasizing about what he saw in the video game (Williams, & Marko, 2005).In 1997, there was the case of a thirteen year-old Wilson Noah, who was killed by his friend using a kitchen knife. The mother of the deceased claimed that Noah was stabbed because of the obsession his friend had with the video game known as Mortal Combat. She alleged that the child who killed Noah was obsessed with the game, and thou ght he was one of the characters in the game named ‘Cyrax’. In the game, Cyrax is using a finishing move whereby he grabs the opponent and stabs him in the chest. It was alleged that this was the move that motivated the killing of that child.There are many other incidents that were caused by the effects of playing Computer Games. A report that was compiled by the FBI in the year 2006 showed that the playing of Computer Games among children was one of the behavioral traits linked to school shootings. The report outlined several factors behind school shootings of which playing violent Computer Games was the most obvious (Anderson & Bushman, 2001). According to Gentile and Anderson, playing Computer Games increases the aggressive behavior of the player, since the acts of violence are continually repeated during the game (Gentile, & Anderson, 2003).â€Å"Although heightened physiological arousal (e. g. , heart rate, blood pressure, skin conductance) can be beneficial in ce rtain situations, physiological arousal produced by violent media (or by other sources), can be linked to an increase in aggressive behavior, especially when that arousal can be erroneously attributed to another provoking event, rather than to the violent media. Repetition of an act has been considered an effective teaching method, reinforcing learners patterns (Barlett, Harris, & Bruey, 2007). †The games encourage the players to role play or identify with their favorite character (Gentile & Anderson, 2003). The increase in physical bullying in many schools can also be linked to the popularity of Computer Games that contain violent content. A study done in 2008, indicated that about 60% or more of middle school boys ended up striking or beating somebody after playing at least one mature-rated video game. The research also showed that about 39% of boys who never played violent Computer Games were not involved in any form of violence.When playing Computer Games, players are rewa rded for simulating violence. This enhances the learning of violent behavior among the children who find pleasure in violent Computer Games. When violence is rewarded while playing Computer Games, players tend to develop aggressive behavior. As noted earlier, Computer Games desensitize players to real-life violence. The exposure to Computer Games causes a reduction in P300 amplitudes that are contained in the brain. The child will later experience aggressive behavior and desensitization to violence (Bartholow, Bushman & Sestir, 2006).After children experience violence while playing Computer Games, they are likely to develop a fear of becoming victims of violent acts. According to the report compiled by six leading national medical associations in 2000, children do not trust their fellow children and hence will develop violent, self-protective measures. The exposure to cruel Computer Games also leads to reduced empathy among the players. From a survey conducted by Jeanne Funk in 2004 , Computer Games are the only media linked or associated with low empathy.Empathy is described as the capacity or ability to understand other people’s feelings. The level of empathy plays a noteworthy role in evaluating a person’s morals. Empathy also controls aggressive behavior among individuals, especially children (Bartholow, Bushman & Sestir, 2006). After lacking empathy as a consequence of violent Computer Games, these children are likely to be violent. Repetition of actions when one is playing a video game affects the subconscious mind, hence a behavioral script is developed. A sound example of a behavioral script is that developed by drivers.It urges the driver to first get into a car, fasten their safety belt and then start the car. Similarly, Computer Games induce a child to develop a behavioral script that urges them to respond violently to a certain situation (Gunter, 1998). Playing Computer Games teaches children that violence is an acceptable way of solvi ng their conflicts. Those who play Computer Games, especially games with violent content, do not develop the belief that using non-violence means can solve a problem. They tend to be less forgiving when compared to those children who play non-violent Computer Games (Sherry, 2001).Children tend to confuse real-world violence with video game violence. After fantasizing about the violence in Computer Games, children are likely to fight in schools and in the streets. New Computer Games allow a lot of physical interaction with the players. Some Computer Games train players on how to be a killer. For example, in 1996, the Marine Corps in the United States authorized the release of Doom 11, which was a violent video game. The game was previously used to train marine soldiers. Such games can train children to be high-profile killers.Most Computer Games have portrayed a negative attitude towards women. Violence against women is likely to increase in a child who plays brutal Computer Games (G unter, 1998). Counter Arguments In any life situation and with any sort of problem, there are those who disagree with the majority. Likewise, there are researchers who present various counter arguments to support the idea that Computer Games can be beneficial for children. The first counter argument against the side effects of Computer Games is the fact that children are not isolated as they have online gaming communities.Children who are unable to associate with others do not feel isolated since they are left to play Computer Games. For example, a child who is not physically fit to play with others can turn to Computer Games during their free time to reduce boredom. It has been noted that violent juvenile crimes have been decreasing in the recent years, yet the popularity of Computer Games has been increasing. For the period 1995 to 2008, the rate of arrest of juvenile murderers decreased by 71. 9%, while the overall arrest cases concerning juvenile violence decreased by 49%.In the same period, the sale of cruel Computer Games increased by almost 4 times compared to the years before. From these statistics, one can conclude that there is no direct correlation between violent juvenile crimes and Computer Games. There has been no scientifically proven link between violent behavior among children and Computer Games. Most of the surveys carried out on Computer Games are affected by design flows. The surveys are done within a short duration of time and do not follow kids for any considerable period of time. After a short observation, conclusions are then drawn.The other counter argument against Computer Games is that children learn real life-skills when playing Computer Games. Players of brutal Computer Games are able to learn how to regulate their emotions when playing (Anderson, Gentile, & Buckley, 2007). The level of control developed while playing Computer Games in terms of directing actions and pace are prudent ways of regulating the emotional state of childre n. The perception of being in control of actions minimizes emotional and stressful responses to events. Aggressive and angry feelings can be relieved by playing Computer Games.When a child plays Computer Games, it is one of the best ways of relieving aggression and depression. Many children play Computer Games to relieve anger while others play Computer Games to relax their bodies. Children are given healthy and safe opportunities to virtually explore the rules and consequences of violent behavior when they play Computer Games (Bartholow, Bushman & Sestir, 2006). After playing Computer Games, especially ones that contain violence, children are able to develop ways of escaping violence. The form of violence can be affected by Computer Games, but does not necessarily lead to the occurrence of violence.Through the challenges faced while playing some Computer Games, children are able to learn how to avoid violence, or how to escape from violence. Those who hold the view that Computer Ga mes do not have negative effects on children indicate that Computer Games do not lead a child to violence, but instead, violent children are the ones who are interested in Computer Games (Anderson, Gentile & Buckley, 2007). Conclusion The argument about whether Computer Games have negative or positive effects on children is broad, and depends on one’s philosophical views.â€Å"Most of the research projects that have been conducted on the authentic effects of media brutality on behavior of children have included small, often unrepresentative samples and unique examples of media violence (Dietz, 1998)†. This paper has compiled some of the negative effects of Computer Games among children. Some of the negative effects include children feeling isolated from society, becoming more violent and aggressive, as well as lacking communicative skills. When playing Computer Games, children spend extended periods of time by themselves and do not have much interaction with other chil dren, except for the virtual ones.As a result, children who play Computer Games do not develop effective communication skills with others, since hours, if not all their spare time is spent on Computer Games. There has also been a rise in violence among children who play Computer Games, the Columbine High School massacre being one such example. Injuries and fighting at home and outdoors have risen because of children playing brutal Computer Games (Anderson, Gentile, & Buckley, 2007). Some researchers however argue that Computer Games can and do have positive effects on children.They point out that children are not isolated, as they develop online gaming communities. Children are also able to learn real-life skills while playing Computer Games, as well as, learn how to escape violence. However, what both sides agree upon is that parents should guide their children on the outcomes of playing Computer Games. Personally, I think that Computer Games can be allowed when selected with cauti on and are not played frequently. As long as virtual reality does not replace a child’s real-life communication, Computer Games can become a great option for a child’s leisure.

Explain how the mechanicals bring humour into the play Essay

The mechanicals in A Midsummer Night’s Dream are the group of actors that bring most of the comedy to the play. This is done by the mechanicals resembling the more unintelligent group out of the four featured in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In the book, the mechanicals are called the Clowns. This implies that they are always fooling around; never getting any work done and maybe making people laugh. Maybe Shakespeare called them the Clowns because they convey most of the humour towards the audience in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. However, the mechanicals play near the end of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a serious play; where they do not mess around as they do in the rest of the book. This might suggest that the name Shakespeare gave to the actors (Clowns) does not imply all that it is supposed to. From the start we establish that Bottom takes his role as a leader and we notice that others look up to him as if they are respecting his authority. One of the characters names (Bottom) sounds rude now, but back when the play was first performed the word bottom meant courageous. Nick Bottom comes across in A Midsummer Night’s Dream as thunderous, friendly, and a little over-confident. He comes across to the other actors in the mechanicals as dumb or dull, insecure and irritating (e. g. when Bottom wants to play all the parts in the play – ‘And I may hide my face, let me play Thisbe too! I’ll speak in a monstrous little voice’). Bottom also says that he will play every part in their play flawlessly, and that he can act every single part. Instead, when Bottom is rehearsing his part in the play, he messes everything up (pronouncing words wrong – ‘Odious’ instead of odorous) and he forgets lines. In the end, he just plays Pyramus. The way the mechanicals bring humour into A Midsummer Night’s Dream is mainly through Nick Bottom. Bottom is the fool in the play; always getting things wrong. Bottom comes across as a little dumb; maybe eccentric. He gets his words wrong, comes up with feeble ideas, and has a spell put on him by Puck. The spell transforms Bottom’s head into an ass’s head. I think it would convey more humour to A Midsummer Night’s Dream by having Bottom transform into an ass entirely. Near the end of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, in act 5 scene 1, the mechanicals act out their play. Many things bring humour into A Midsummer Night’s Dream at this point. Peter Quince tells the audience that the lion is not a lion, but Snug the joiner. The audience would know that the lion is not a real lion, as it is just common sense. When Snug is playing the part of the lion, Snug doesn’t want to scare the audience so the actor roars as softly as he can. Snug also explains that he is not really a lion, but playing the part of a lion. This may mean that when the play was performed, being a lion was a disgrace, or an insult. The result of Snug explaining that he is not really a lion, but playing the part of, is that he will not be shamed after the play, or be booed by Theseus. After Snug is finished explaining the he is not a lion, he earns approval from Lysander, Theseus and Demetrius (the stage audience). Shakespeare uses language to create moods and atmosphere within the characters, and also make the characters think how they are feeling. The main mood created in of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is that of humour. He creates these moods by the descriptive writing he uses in his sentences. His sentences are well structured, and he chooses the places well where he makes the characters speak in prose and verse. For instance, when the mechanicals are talking casually together, they speak in verse; when acting out their play in front of the duke, they speak in prose. Some of the misunderstandings of the mechanicals are when Puck puts the spell on Bottom. Quince says ‘O monstrous! O strange! We are haunted! Pray, masters, fly, masters! Help! ‘ This shows that they are unsure of what to think of Bottom, and Bottom is oblivious to the fact that he has an asses head on him. Instead Bottom starts singing (to show that he id not afraid of what they are saying to him). This in turn wakes Titania up, who has had the love juice put on her eyes. As she wakes up, she instantly falls in love with Bottom. This is reminiscent of the fact that of A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s main mood it creates is that of humour and that it is mainly the mechanicals that are involved in, or create the humour.

Free Essays on Matchpaper

Matches: Made by an Illegal Alien Getting Paid a Dollar an Hour to Support His Family of 6 To a non-earth inhabitant, one might thinks it was a simple noisemaker. But upon closer inspection you would find that the puzzle like box opens and contains a very flammable material. The red coloration of the box might bring them to this conclusion or they may discover you can strike these sticks on the side and they combust. However I know it’s a box of matches, I know how the box opens and I know how to light them. The irony of the box is we humans store our flammable materials in flammable materials. Any Alien might think that funny, however and illegal alien probably wouldn’t care. All he cares about is making these match boxes so he can get his pay check and take care of his family. He might think its funny that the box says made in America, when in fact he knows the cardboard that they use to make the box is actually from China, the ink from Indonesia, and the matches from Mexico. It would make more sense to him if the box was in Spanish and read assemb led in America, or said globally produced. I would also like to point out the fact that the company that makes these boxes, Diamond Brands Incorporated clearly wasn’t thinking when they made the match striking design on the side. Diamond used a hexagon pattern when it would have made a little more sense for them to use a â€Å"Diamond† pattern. Are Americans really so stupid that they actually have to print, KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN, or is Diamond Brand Incorporated so worried that they will get sued if some small child gets a hold of these and sets his parents house on fire. If I was an outsider and had observed just how much Americans in particular love to sue any one or any company just because they were to stupid to put the matched in the cabinet where their kid couldn’t reach them, then I’d be pretty surprised. Well, what about 32 count printed on the front o... Free Essays on Matchpaper Free Essays on Matchpaper Matches: Made by an Illegal Alien Getting Paid a Dollar an Hour to Support His Family of 6 To a non-earth inhabitant, one might thinks it was a simple noisemaker. But upon closer inspection you would find that the puzzle like box opens and contains a very flammable material. The red coloration of the box might bring them to this conclusion or they may discover you can strike these sticks on the side and they combust. However I know it’s a box of matches, I know how the box opens and I know how to light them. The irony of the box is we humans store our flammable materials in flammable materials. Any Alien might think that funny, however and illegal alien probably wouldn’t care. All he cares about is making these match boxes so he can get his pay check and take care of his family. He might think its funny that the box says made in America, when in fact he knows the cardboard that they use to make the box is actually from China, the ink from Indonesia, and the matches from Mexico. It would make more sense to him if the box was in Spanish and read assemb led in America, or said globally produced. I would also like to point out the fact that the company that makes these boxes, Diamond Brands Incorporated clearly wasn’t thinking when they made the match striking design on the side. Diamond used a hexagon pattern when it would have made a little more sense for them to use a â€Å"Diamond† pattern. Are Americans really so stupid that they actually have to print, KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN, or is Diamond Brand Incorporated so worried that they will get sued if some small child gets a hold of these and sets his parents house on fire. If I was an outsider and had observed just how much Americans in particular love to sue any one or any company just because they were to stupid to put the matched in the cabinet where their kid couldn’t reach them, then I’d be pretty surprised. Well, what about 32 count printed on the front o...

Representations of Women in Gothic Literature Essays

Representations of Women in Gothic Literature Essays Representations of Women in Gothic Literature Paper Representations of Women in Gothic Literature Paper Throughout the gothic genre, women are seemingly created on two extreme ends of the spectrum as either feeble and innocent victims or vindictive and lascivious predators. The Romantic poetry of Keats encapsulates this dualistic approach to the representation of women because on one hand he does create powerless and vulnerable women, but in order to highlight the decadence of the seventeenth century period of enlightenment, he eradicates the cold-hearted rationalism associated with patriarchy through the emergence of the Femme Fatale. Stoker wrote his epistolary novel, Dracula, amid the fin de siecle, a time period that was strictly governed by the stringent standards of the patriarchal, Victorian society. From the outset, Stoker challenges the rigid gender boundaries of society by making an explicit link between vampirism and sex, as his female characters adopt unconventional roles that appear to place them in positions of power, and in the process subvert the expectations of the Victorian society. Carter’s Bloody Chamber, written during the rebellious feminist era of the 1970’s, is arguably the most transgressive of all of the gothic texts on the basis that she does indeed explore the victimisation of women, but only does so as a means of highlighting the juxtaposing triumph of the female resurgence, as Kathleen E.B Manley asserts that her female protagonists â€Å"oscillate between passivity and action†. From the outset, each writer implies that the passivity which is traditionally associated with femininity is a direct result of the oppression from the patriarchal society. Keats conveys this idea through the objectification of women which is present in Isabella, as he notes that the brother’s plan was to â€Å"coax her by degreesTo some high noble and his olive trees†. Evidently, Keats is making reference to a proposed arranged marriage, thus exploring the way in which Isabella is a commodity to her brothers, with no active fre

Strangers to these Shores Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Strangers to these Shores - Essay Example This book feature topics pertaining to a plethora of current issues, including Afrocentrism, multiculturalism, political correctness, the glass ceiling, ethnoviolence, immigration, illegal aliens, and bilingual education apart from serving as a popular and versatile guide and informant to general educators and historians alike in the field of racial and ethnic relations. The book unfolds in the form of a story of a society determined to rise out of the dredges of the disadvantages of diversity. The basic aim that this society seems to have in mind revolves around the achievement of unity through an amalgamation of all its varied sections as it strives to retain its right to be different. Unity in Diversity seems to be the underlying message of this book. The content builds up on the all important premise that without a clear understanding of different lifestyles and ways of living, the population in general will not get the scope to enjoy a broader perspective in their own lives. This thought can be called a summation of all the ideas in this book. Strangers to these Shores goes on to give an insight into various communities and so called minorities who have the potential to transport us to unknown lands and their unknown cultures. In this book, as the title implies, the author has dealt with the migrant and his experiences in terms of arriving upon the great land called America as a stranger. The stranger here is one who has come from far away and more importantly, it implies to that person who has ventured out of his home and accepted way of life for the first time in search of greener pastures. This stranger can change his status only when he lives here and has his future generations growing up to be essentially American. But what about those religious sentiments and one basic culture that is so strongly embedded into the migrant's identity and basic attitude towards life and work Does that simply vanish This book seek to find out the facts and present these findings in a clear and precise manner. As demonstrated by the author in all his chapters, the great American mosaic is one that consists of a plethora of races and ethnicities functioning under the salad bowl syndrome. While the ethnic background of a person, irrespective of the country he is residing in, is an important feature that forms the basic make up of his identity and renders him a strong identity, we also have to acknowledge the fact that religion has a large role to play in this regard. While not necessarily staunch or conservative, the American population in general is one that takes things easy on the religious front - barring a few catholic sections. This attitude is reflected in their religious structures and way of living, which lack the excessive ornamentations that one will constantly find in Europe. A important premise on which one can conduct studies regarding such religious minorities is that in any country that boasts of rich diversity where its population is concerned, there are various factors that support its argument for the state of political and cultural affairs. While race and ethnicity are important factors, religion holds its own when it comes to identities and conflicts that erupt in the face of group interactions. In the twelfth chapter titled, Religious Minorities, the author has dealt with those groups that follow a specific religion and are a minority. These groups exist in various nooks and

Depends on the facility you'll choose Assignment

Depends on the facility you'll choose - Assignment Example autiful and greatly ornamented interior, complete with a carved white marble staircase; benches and counters of carved marble alongside bronze tellers’ windows, and hardware. Formerly the Crocker-Citizens National Bank (later absorbed by the Wells Fargo in the year 1980†²s), the building has extensively been remodeled (Hume et al., 2010).It initially housed an 11 story office tower above it and was enclosed in terra cotta. One of its very outstanding features is considered to be the rotunda entrance that is supported by granite pillars, and having coffered ceiling. The building was originally a â€Å"combination bank and an office building† it is currently considered to be one of the lavish banking interior within the city. By 1960 the building’s sandstone faà §ade was crumbling. So Milton Pflueger, redesigned the faà §ade for the upper floors. Again it was proposed that a new world headquarters tower alongside galleria further west on Post Street to be initiated, the city provided air space instead of the demolition of the upper floors of the building at 1 Montgomery (Robertson, 1879). The roof of this bank is currently a garden for the Crocker Galleria Shopping Center. There are little bats on both the interior and exterior of the window. Within the frieze are wolves, mountain lions and foxes. The animal sculptures look good but their meaning left to be interpreted by the designers. The steel frame building is architecturally clad in gray granite. Its massive pediment which is 38 feet high is held by six ionic columns. The designing and sculpturing of the building was done cities highly prolific sculptures of that time. At a particular time the front was graced using bronze doors. The doors comprised of the four panels designs that symbolized the â€Å"descriptive of the historical succession of the Californian races.† That is; Indian, Spaniard, American and the San Fransciscan. Though, today the doors have been replaced with glass. The inside of the