Challenging Alzheimers Disease Behaviors A Study

Challenging Alzheimer’s disease patient behaviors are becoming more and more common. Unfortunately, traditional management of patients with Alzheimer’s disease in nursing homes exhibiting inappropriate or challenging behaviors often results in physical or chemical restraint. Agitated behaviors often interfere with daily living, and according to Witzke, Rhone, Backhaus, and Shaver (2008), may escalate from restlessness, pacing, and disrobing to hitting, kicking, and yelling. Agitation is described as inappropriate verbal or motor activity unrelated to needs or confusion (Witzke, Rhone, Backhaus, Shaver, 2008). These behaviors put a massive burden on the caregivers. A study by Kwak, Bae, and Jang (2013) revealed that agitation†¦show more content†¦Music can be a backdoor into their mind and a melody or a beat can transport them somewhere; back to their past, a place, event, or a relationship, thus provoking a sentiment, stimulating a memory or a feeling (Morgan, 2015). Music therapy is easy to incorporate into daily care and is inexpensive compared to the use of pharmaceuticals. Music therapy is best done on an individual basis, so the use of headphones is important. The volume of the music should also be adjusted to the patient’s hearing ability, as this will help ensure the desired effect is reached. For a number of patients, the effects of the music continued after the music therapy had concluded. The responsiveness of patients with Alzheimer’s disease to music is a remarkable phenomenon. One possible explanation for preserved musical processing in patients with Alzheimer’s disease is that the areas of the brain associated with music cognition are preferentially spared. As asserted by Aldridge (1993), this may be because the fundamentals of language itself are musical. Music provides a form of therapy for patients with Alzheimer’s disease, which may stimulate cognitive activities such that areas subject to progressive failure are maintained. 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Intro to Public Relations Notes Free Essays

The Challenge of Public Relations PR is multifaceted ?A public relations professional must have skills in ?Written and interpersonal communication ?Research ?Negotiation ?Creativity ?Logistics ?Facilitation ?Problem solving Global Scope The public relations industry is growing in many nations ?Almost $8 billion spent each year in the US ?Expected growth of 23% in Asian revenue in the next five years ?Annual spending of $2. 2 billion in China A Variety of Definitions A number of definitions have been formulated over the years Cutlip, Center, and Broom, Effective Public Relations ?Public relations is the management function that identifies, establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the various publics on whom its success or failure depends. ?Glen Cameron, University of Missouri ?Public relations is the â€Å"strategic management of competition and conflict for the benefit of one’s own organization-and when possible-also for the mutual benefit of the organization and its various stakeholders or publics. We will write a custom essay sample on Intro to Public Relations Notes or any similar topic only for you Order Now † ?Public Relations Society of America (2012) Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics ?Kevin Trowbridge (2012) ?Public relations is the communication management function through which organizations build and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with the public on whom the organization’s success or failure depends. Public Relations – Key Terms †¢Communication †¢Management †¢Build and Maintain †¢Mutually Beneficial †¢Relationships †¢Organization †¢Publics RPIE †¢Research †¢Planning †¢Implementation †¢Evaluation Differences between Journalism and PR Journalists|PR Professionals| Use only two components (writing and media relations) |†¢ Use many components | †¢ Are objective observers |†¢ Are advocates | †¢ Focus on a mass audience |†¢ Focus on defined publics | †¢ Use only one channel |†¢ Use a variety of channels Differences between Advertising and PR Advertising|Public Relations | †¢ Works through mass media |†¢ Relies on a variety of communication tools | †¢ Addresses external audiences |†¢ Targets specialized audiences | †¢ Is a communications function |†¢ Is broader in scope | †¢ Is a communication tool in PR |†¢ Fills a support role | †¢ Sells goods and services |†¢ Creates a favorable environment for an organization’s survival| How PR Supports Marketing †¢Eight ways public relations supports marketing ?Develops new prospects ?Provides third party endorsements ?Generates sales leads ?Paves the way for sales calls ?Stretches dollars ?Provides inexpensive literature ?Establishes credibility ?Helps sell minor products Differences between Marketing and PR Marketing|Public Relations| †¢ Is concerned with customers and selling products or services| †¢ Is concerned with building relationships and generating goodwill| †¢ Deals with target market, consumers, and customers| †¢ Deals with publics, audiences, and stakeholders| Toward an Integrated Perspective: Strategic Communication †¢Concept of integration: ?To use a variety of strategies and tactics to convey a consistent message in a variety of forms †¢Global/Multicultural †¢Research based †¢Relationship focused †¢internet/new media oriented †¢Toolbox-driven tactics A Changing Focus in Public Relations †¢The evolution of the role of PR beyond publicity and media relations †¢Growth for PR professionals in health care, consumer goods, financial services, and technology †¢Crisis management in the larger context of strategic management of conflict Personal Qualifications and Attitudes Six Essential Abilities ?Writing skills ?Research ability ?Planning expertise ?Problem-solving ability ?Business/economics competence ?Expertise in social media 5 Emerging Trends in PR †¢Storytelling (and â€Å"story selling†) †¢Quantification †¢Visual Communications †¢Proactive and Predictive Monitoring †¢Adaptation 10 sills PR Pros will need in 2020 †¢Advertising Copywriting †¢Video Editing/Production †¢Mobile †¢Social Content Creation/Curation †¢Analytics †¢Search Engine Optimization †¢Speed to Information †¢Programming Skills †¢Managing Virtual Teams †¢Blogger Outreach What Employers Want: 10 Qualities Good writing †¢Intelligence Cultural literacy †¢The ability to recognize a good story when you see one †¢Media savvy †¢Contacts †¢Good business sense †¢Broad communications experience †¢Specialized experience †¢Fresh perspective Organizational Roles †¢Communication technician roles ?Taking photographs ?Writing brochures ?Preparing news releases ?Organizing events †¢Communication manager roles ?Making communication policy decisions ?Overseeing multiple communication strategies ?Supervising employees responsible for tactics The Value of Internships †¢Win-win situation for both the student and the organization Many major PR firms have formal internship programs ?Edelman Worldwide (Edel-U) ?Weber Shandwick (Weber University) ?Hill and knowlton ?Ketchum Salaries in Public Relations †¢The national median salary for experienced professionals ?Approximately $85,000 for practitioners with 7 to 10 years of experience ?Over $150,000 for practitioners with more than 20 years of experience †¢In general, women working in the PR field earn less than men ?Factors that could lead to gender discrepancies ?The number of years in the field ?Technician duties versus managerial responsibilities ?The nature of the industry The size of the organization ?Women’s attempts to balance work and family The Value of Public Relations †¢A service to society †¢Informative †¢Relevant †¢Earned influence through managing competition and conflict A Brief History of Public Relations †¢In the beginning†¦ ?Moses and Aaron ?800 years later – Aristotle (â€Å"Father of Rhetoric†) ?300 years later – Jesus Christ ?†No one in history, before or since, could match his skill as a storyteller, a critical skill for public relations practitioners. † ?Then – the Apostle Paul †¢Ancient beginnings ?The Rosetta Stone ?Julius Caesar ?The Church Public relations in colonial America ?Promoting settlement ?Struggle for independence ?Boston Tea Party, Thomas Paine, Federalist Papers †¢The age of the press agent ?The age of hype ?Davy Crockett, Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley ?Press agent tactics ?The master of pseudoevent: P. T. Barnum ?Tom Thumb, Jenny Lind †¢Public relations grows as America grows ?Settling the American West ?Railroad promotion techniques †¢The rise of politics and activism ?Political beginnings ?Amos Kendall ?Activists ?Abolitionists ?Prohibitionists ?Women’s rights advocates ?Environmentalists †¢Modern public relations comes of age ?Henry Ford Positioning and accessibility ?Ivy Lee ?First public relations counselor ?Rockefeller ?Colorado Fuel and Iron Company labor strike ?George Creel ?WWI ?Edward Bernays ?Father of modern PR †¢Public relations expands in postwar America ?Rapid growth in all areas of public relations along with the development of mass media ?able to capture and seize information and give it to the media/people †¢Evolving practice and philosophy ?1800s to 1920s from press agentry to public information to scientific persuasion ?centered around the wars: How effective is propaganda? How do we pursued people that what we’re doing is good? 1950s and ’60s – Relationship building ?Necessitated by activism ?What was happening was about people, giving people equality, seeing people as unique and equal beings ?1970s and ’80s – Managerial approach ?Investor relations and MBO (Management by Objective) ?MBO = Managerial approach PR adapted to ?1990s and ’00s – Relationship management ?relationship building as well as relationship maintaining Four Models of Public Relations †¢Gruing and Hunt: ?Press agentry/publicity ?age of hype associated with P. T. Barnum ?Public information ?Ivy Lee, Edward Bernays comes in at the end of public information ?Two-way asymmetric listen to the people and tailor around their wants and needs ?Two-way symmetric ?the â€Å"ideal† mode of practice ?goal is to identify policies and actions that are mutually beneficial to both parties ?collaborative ?openness for the organization to change itself based on the consumer Trends in Today’s Practice of Public Relations †¢Feminization of the field ?70% of PR practitioners are women ?Women earn less money than men ?Recent research ?PR was one of the first fields that allowed women to display their abilities †¢The importance of diversity ?Minorities constitute 36% of US citizens ?Hispanics are the fastest growing group Minority practitioners lag behind population trends ?Professional groups seek to encourage minority practitioners ?†Who do people trust? They trust people most like themselves. † ?Religious, gender, race, etc. †¢Other major trends in public relations ?Transparency ?Didn’t become a trend until two-way asymmetric/symmetric ?An ever-broadening social medial toolbox ?Increased emphasis on evaluation ?Showing ROI (return on investment); showing that what we do has results ?Managing the 24/7 news cycle ?New directions in mass media ?Outsourcing to public relations firms ?The importance of lifelong learning looking for opportunities to develop yourself professionally; learning doesn’t stop when school does A Growing Professional Practice †¢The Public Relations Society of America ?The largest national public relations organization in the world ?The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) †¢The International Association Business Communications ?The second-largest organization of communication and public relations professionals †¢The International Public Relations Association ?A London-based global organization Professionalism, Licensing, and Accreditation †¢Professionalism ?Professional practitioners should have: A sense of independence ?A sense of responsibility to society and public interests ?Concern for the competence and honor of the profession ?A higher loyalty to the profession than to an employer ?Careerist versus professional values ?Technician mentality †¢Licensing ?Advocates ?Defines PR, unifies curricula, unifies standards, protects clients, protects practitioners, raises practitioners’ credibility ?Opponents ?Violates 1st amendment, malpractice laws exist, states license but PR works nationally/internationally, ensures only minimum competence/ethics, increased credibility not ensured, expensive Accreditation ?†Certification† by professional organizations ?PRSA and IABC offer accreditation Public Relations Departments †¢Importance of PR in today’s organizations ?PR pros seen as strategic communication managers ?PR offers 184% ROI ?CEOs want communication that is strategic, research-based, and two-way †¢Organizational factors determined the role of public relations ?Large vs. small firms ?Management perceptions ?C-suite attitudes/reporting issues ?Capabilities of the public relations executive †¢How public relations departments are organized ?Leader titles ?Reporting hierarchy Size of departments †¢Common divisions found in large corporations ?Media relations, investor relations, consumer affairs, government relations, community relations, marketing communications, and employee communications Line and Staff Functions †¢Line manager ?Delegates, sets goals, hires, influences others’ work †¢Staff function ?Little direct authority ?Indirectly influence others’ work through suggestions, recommendations, advice ?PR is a staff function †¢Access to management ?PR influence is linked to access to top management ?Recommendations to management help in formulating policy Levels of Influence †¢Advisory: Management has no obligation to request or act on recommendations ?Purely advisory practitioners are often ineffective †¢Compulsory-advisory: Management is required to listen to public relations’ perspective before acting †¢Concurring authority: PR and others must agree on an action Sources of Friction †¢Legal ?Differences on public statements †¢Human Resources ?Differences regarding employee communications †¢Advertising ?Competing for resources ?Philosophical differences †¢Marketing ?Focuses on one public: current or prospective customers The Trend toward Outsourcing Almost 90% of Fortune 500 companies use outside PR counsel in varying degrees ?The need for additional â€Å"arms and legs† ?To obtain a unique perspective and market insight Global Reach †¢Firms and their offices or affiliates are situated in most of the world’s major cities and capitals †¢Substantial revenues from international operations Public Relations Firms †¢Firms have regional, national, and global reach †¢PR Firms can complement in-house expertise ?PR Firms offer diverse services †¢Rapid growth of PR firms †¢Emphasis on the counseling aspect †¢The rise of communication conglomerates Many firms are owned by communication conglomerates and thereby can offer integrated services (i. e. , PR and advertising expertise) through affiliates ?The reason for acquisition of PR firms ?Natural evolutionary step of integration ?Economic interest †¢Structure of a counseling firm ?Depends on size of firm ?Small firm may only have owner and one or two associates ?Large firms have an extended hierarchy Pros and Cons of Using a Public Relations Firm Advantages |Disadvantages| †¢ Objectivity| †¢ Part-time commitment| †¢ Skills and expertise| †¢ Need for long briefing| †¢ Extensive resources| †¢ Internal resentment| Offices throughout the country| †¢ Need for direction| †¢ Problem-solving skills| †¢ Need for information and confidence| †¢ Credibility| †¢ High costs| Fees and Charges †¢Basic hourly fee, plus out-of-pocket expenses ?Most widely used among large firms †¢Retainer fee †¢Fixed project fee †¢Pay for placement ?Seldom used Class Notes 1/28/2013 ?Ivy Lee and Edward Bernays are essential to Public Relations ?Bernays = father of modern public relations ?Public Relations Anagrams ?Crap Built On Lies ?Spout Brilliance ?Social Blueprint understand the bigger picture, map out a strategy, give instructions to people involved ?shift came with industrialization ?Ivy Lee – first pr counselor; first to say it’s not just publicity ?declaration of principles (pg 49 in book) ?Advancing the concept that business and industry†¦ ?Dealing with top executives and carrying out†¦ ?Maintaining open communication with the news media ?Emphasizing the necessity of humanizing business†¦ Class Notes 2/4/2013 †¢ Four essential steps of Public Relations †¢ Research situation – organization – publics †¢ What is Research? – What do you think of when you think of research? †¢ Science †¢ Studies †¢ Statistics †¢ So much! †¢ Searchable Background Chapter 5-6 Overview ?The four essential steps of effective public relations ?Research: The first step ?Research methods ?Planning: The second step Research: The first step ?Situation ?Organization ?Publics ?What is research? ?A form of listening ?Asking questions and looking for answers ?Essential to any public relations activity or campaign Questions to ask before research design ?What’s the problem (or opportunity? ) ?organization ?situation ?publics ?Kind of information needed? ?How will results be used? ?Public (or publics)? ?Who should do it? ?How will data be analyzed/reported/applied? ?Timetable? ?Budget? Using Research ? Ways to research ?Achieve credibility with management ?Executives want facts, not guesses and hunches. ?Define/segment publics ?Gathering detailed information about demographics, lifestyles, characteristics, and consumption patterns helps to ensure that messages reach the proper audiences ?Formulate strategy Test messages ?Research can determine which message is most salient to a target audience ?Prevent crises ?An estimated 90% of organizational crises are caused by internal operational problems rather than by unexpected natural disasters or external issues ?Professionals can prevent a conflict or crisis through environmental scanning and other research tactics ?Monitor competition ? Organizations keep track of what the competition is doing ?Research on the competition can be done with surveys, content analysis of the competition’s media coverage, and reviews of industry reports in trade journals Generate publicity ?Polls and surveys can generate publicity for an organization ?Measure Success ?The bottom line of any public relations program is whether the time and money spend accomplished the state objective Research Methods ?Types of Research ?Informal research ?Unplanned/spontaneous, Uncontrolled, Unsystematic ?Formal Research ?Planned, controlled, systematic ?Secondary research ?existing information ?Primary research ?New/original information ?Methodological Approaches ?Historical/Critical ?Rhetorical/textual/content analysis ? Qualitative Exploratory, rich data, often not generalizable ?Focus groups, in-depth interviews, observations ?Quantitative ?Descriptive/explanatory, often generalizable ?Mail surveys, telephone polls Qualitative vs. Quantitative Qualitative Research|Quantitative Research| â€Å"Soft† data|†Hard† data| Usually uses open-ended questions, unstructured|Usually uses closed-ended questions, requires forced choices, highly structured| Exploratory in nature; probing, â€Å"fishing expedition† type of research|Descriptive or explanatory type of research| Usually valid, but not reliable|Usually valid and reliable| Rarely projectable to larger audiences|Usually projectable to larger audiences| Typically uses nonrandom samples|Typically uses random samples| Examples: Focus groups; one-on-one, in-depth interviews; observation; participation; role-playing studies; convenience polling|Examples: Telephone polls; mail surveys, mail-intercept studies; face-to-face interviews; shared cost, or omnibus, studies; panel studies| Research Techniques ?Organizational materials ?read every piece of information on an organization’s website ?Library and online databases Journal of Public Relations Research ?Internet ? Any number of corporations, nonprofit organizations, trade groups, special-interest groups, foundations, universities, think tanks, and government agencies post reams of data in the Internet. ?Content analysis ?The systematic and objective counting or categorizing of content ?In public relations, content often is selected from media coverage of a topic or organization ?Interviews ?Personnel faced with solving a particular problem often â€Å"interview† other public relations professionals for ideas and suggestions ?Focus groups This technique is widely used in advertising, marketing, and public relations to help identify the attitudes and motivations of important publics ?Copy testing ?A draft of a material/message tested on a group of people before it is sent out to the public; can happen within a focus group ? Scientific sampling methods Random Sampling ?Probability Sampling ?Everyone in the target audience has an equal chance of being selected ?Nonprobability sample is not random ?Most precise random sample is selected from list naming everyone in the target audience Sample Size Usually a sample of 250 to 500 people will provide data with a 5 to 6 percent margin of error ?A sample of 100 people will provide about a 10 percent margin ?responses could go 10% either way Reaching Respondents ? Mail questionnaires ?Telephone surveys ?Personal interviews ?Piggyback surveys ?Web and e-mail surveys Research: Let’s Practice ?What’s the problem (or opportunity)? ?Kind of information needed? ?How will results be used? ?Public (or publics)? ?Who should do it? ?How will data be analyzed/reported/applied? ?Timetable? ?Budget? *Articulate the benefit, value, or need for public relations – possible quiz/test question Planning: The Second Step ?Planning must be strategic and systematic ?Planning involves the coordination of multiple methods Elements of a Public Relations Plan 1. Situation Analysis ?Public relations professionals cannot set valid objectives without a clear understanding of the situation that led to the conclusion that there was a need for a public relations program 2. Goals 3. Key Publics (or Target Audiences) ?Public relations programs should be directed toward specific and defined audiences or publics 4. Objectives ?Once the situation or problem is understood, the next step is to establish objectives for the program. 5. Strategies ?A strategy statement describes how, in concept, a campaign will achieve objectives; it provides guidelines and themes for the overall program 6. Tactics ?Tactics describe, in sequence, the specific activities that put strategies into operation and achieve the stated objectives 7. Materials 8. Activities Calendar/Timeline/Responsibilities (WBS) ?The three aspects of timing in a program plan are deciding when a campaign should be conducted, determining the proper sequence of activities, and compiling a list of steps that must be completed to produce a finished product 9. Evaluation/Measurement The evaluation element of a plan relates directly back to the state objectives of the program. objectives must be measurable in some ways to show clients and employers that the program accomplished its purpose 10. Budget ? Both clients and employers inevitably ask, â€Å"How much will this program cost? † Holy GOST of Public Relations Planning ?Goals – Where you want to go ?Objectives – How you know when you get there ?Desired Result: Awareness, Acceptance or Action ?Key Public ?Measure/Level of Accomplishment ?Timeframe/Deadline ?Strategies – How are you going to get there ?Tactics – What you’ll need to get there The GOST must be aligned! Planning: Let’s Practice ?Goals ?Objectives ?Strategies ?Creative ?e. g. , themes, messages Implementation: The Third Step ?Implementation ?May be called â€Å"communication† ?Or may be referred to as â€Å"execution† ?Is the process and the means by which objectives are achieved (i. e. , strategy is implemented) ?Tactics are developed to implement the plan ?Logistics are managed Public relations is the communication management function through which organizations build and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with the publics on whom the organization’s success or failure depends. Communication: the systemic process of creating meaning Goals of Strategic Communication ?Awareness ?Message exposure ?Public relations personnel provide materials to the mass media and disseminate other messages through controlled media such as a newsletters and brochures ?Accurate dissemination ?The basic information, often filtered by media gatekeepers, remains intact as it is transmitted through various media ?Acceptance ?Attitude change ?the audience not only believes the message but also makes a verbal or mental commitment to change behavior as a result of the message ? Action ?Behavior change Members of the audience actually change their current behavior or purchase the product and use it Making Sure the Audience Receives the Message ?Schramm’s model ?Source Encoder Signal Decoder Destination ?Expanded reflects two-way communication ?Grunig’s model of symmetrical communication ?Understanding is the principle objective of public relations rather than persuasion Making Sure the Audience Pays Attention to the Message ?Theoretical perspectives ?Lasswell’s definition of communication ?†Who says what, ?in which channel, ?to whom, ?with what effect? † ? Media uses and gratification ?Passive audiences Active audiences Making Sure the Audience Understands the Message ?Importance of language ?Understand cultural differences ?Check writing for simplicity and clarity ?Readability formulas: Flesch, Cloze ?Use symbols, acronyms, easy-to-remember slogans ?Avoid jargon, cliche, hype, euphemisms, discriminatory language Making the Message Credible ?Source credibility ?The problem of source credibility is the main reason that organizations, whenever possible, use respected outside experts or celebrities as representatives to convey their messages ? Context of the message ?Action (performance) speaks louder than a stack of news releases Involvement ?Involvement is interest in or concern about an issue or a product Making the Message Memorable ?Repetition ?Necessary because all members of a target audience don’t see or hear the message at the same time ?Reminds the audience, so there is less chance of failure to remember the message ?Remember the message ?Can lead to Improved Learning and increase the chance of penetrating audience indifference or resistance ?Offsets the noise surrounding the message ?Contributes to credibility ? Delivering information in a variety of ways via multiple communication channels Communication Channels ?Face to Face Mediated ?Owned Media ?Paid Media ?Earned Media ?Shared Media Making Sure the Audience Acts on the Message ?Everett Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations ?A process by which any innovation is diffused through certain channels and then adopted over time among members of a social system Innovation: Anything New (e. g. , Idea, Method, Product, Service, etc. ) ?Relative Advantage ?The degree to which an innovation is perceived as better than the idea it replaces ?Compatibility ?The degree to which an innovation is perceived as being consistent with the existing values, experiences, and needs of potential adopters Complexity ?Degree to which an innovation is perceived as being easy to adopt ?Trialability ? The degree to which an innovation may be experienced on a limited basis ?Observability ?The degree to which the results of an innovation are visible to others Stages of the Adoption Process ?Awareness ?A person becomes aware of an idea or a new product, often by means of an advertisement or a news story ?Interest ?The individual seeks more information about the idea or the product, perhaps by ordering a brochure, picking up a pamphlet, or reading an in-depth article in a newspaper or magazine ?Evaluation The potential consumer evaluates the idea or the product on the basis of how it meets specific needs and wants. Feedback from friends and family is part of this process ?Trial ?The person tries the product or the idea on an experimental basis, by using a sample, witnessing a demonstration, or making qualifying statements such as â€Å"I read†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ?Adoption ?The individual begins to use the product on a regular basis or integrates the idea into his or her belief system. â₠¬Å"I read†¦Ã¢â‚¬  becomes â€Å"I think†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Evaluation: The Fourth Step ?Evaluation is the measurement of results against agreed-upon objectives established during planning Evaluation improves the public relations process Three Kinds of Evaluation ?Ongoing ?Summative ?Formative (Research? ) Basic Evaluation Questions ?Adequately planned? ?Message(s) understood? ?How could strategy have been more effective? ?Audiences reached? ?Objectives achieved? ?What was unforeseen? ?Budget met? ?Future improvements? Objectives: Prerequisites for Measurement ?Develop a clearly established set of measurable objectives ?Outcome ?Awareness ?Acceptance ?Action ?Output Measurement and Evaluation Status ?3 Levels of Measurement ?Basic ?Measuring ?Targeted Audiences Impressions ? Media Placements ?Intermediate ?Retention ?Comprehension ?Awareness ?Reception ?Advanced ?Behavior Change ?Attitude Change ?Opinion Change Measurement of Message Exposure ?Compile clippings/mentions ?Most widely used metric ?Media Impressions ?Placement x circulation/viewership/listenership ?Internet hits ?Advertising equivalency ?Space/time x advertising rate ?Systematic tracking ?Analyze volume and content of media placements ?Information requests ?Cost per person ?Audience attendance Measurement of Audience Awareness, Attitudes, and Action ?Audience awareness ?survey day-after recall ?Audience attitude ?related to awareness ?baseline/benchmark studies ?Audience action ?the ultimate objective of any public relations effort ?measure desired behaviors Chapter 7 – Public Opinion and Persuasion Overview ?What is public opinion? ?Opinion leaders as catalysts ?The role of mass media ?The role of conflict ?Persuasion in public opinion ?Factors in persuasive communication ?The limits of persuasion What is public opinion? ?Three aspects about public opinion formation ?Society is passive Psychologists have found that the public by and large tends to be passive ?Society is segmented ?One issue may engage the attention of a part of the population with a particular vested interest, whereas another issue arouses the interest of another segment ?Society is divided ? People have some opinions that may conflict or compete with others’ opinions about the same issue. People also sometimes hold contradictory opinions or attitudes ?Public Opinion is powerful ?Activate public through public opinion ?Identify key publics through analysis of public opinion What do you think? What is the role of opinion leaders in the formation of public opinion? Opinion Leaders as Catalysts ?Opinion leaders can be formal or informal ?Interested in a particular issue ?Knowledgeable on a given topic ?They help frame and define issues that often have their roots in individuals’ self-interests ?It is through the influence of opinion leaders that public opinion often crystallizes into a measurable entity ?The flow of opinion ? Multiple-Step Flow ?Opinion makers derive large amounts of information from the mass media and other sources and share that information with people The attentive public is interested in the issue but rely on opinion leaders to synthesize and interpret information ?The inattentive public are unaware of or uninterested in the issue and remain outside the opinion-formation process ?N-Step Theory ?N-step theory states that individuals are seldom influenced by only one opinion leader but actually interact with different leaders ?Diffusion Theory ?Individuals adopt new ideas or products in five stages: awareness, interest, trial, evaluation, and adoption. Individuals are influenced by media in the first two steps and by friends and family members in the third and fourth steps. Each individual is a decision maker who adopts a new idea or product when they reach the final step The Role of Mass Media ?Agenda setting ?media tell the public what to think about, albeit not necessarily what to think ?Framing ?media and PR both have role in how issues are â€Å"framed,† which parts are emphasized The role of Conflict ?Conflict inherent in news frames ?Use of media for strategic agenda-building Persuasion in Public Opinion ?Persuasion is used to†¦ ?change or neutralize hostile opinions ?crystalize latent opinions and positive attitudes ?maintain favorable opinions Persuasion and Negotiation Persuasion is comparable to negotiation ?Public relations can be used as a tool leading to the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process Factors in Persuasive Communication ?Audience Analysis ? Knowledge of audience characteristics such as beliefs, attitudes, values, concerns, and lifestyles is an essential part of persuasion. It helps communicators tailor messages that are salient, answer a perceived need, and provide a logical course of action. ?Appeals to Self-Interest ?People become involved in issues or pay attention to messages that appeal to their psychological, economic, or situational needs. Audience Participation ?Attitude or beliefs are changed or enhanced by audience involvement and participation. ?Suggestions for Action ?A key principle of persuasion is that people endorse ideas and take actions only if they are accompanied by a proposed action from the sponsor. ?Source Credibility ? A message is more believable to an intended audience if the source has credibility with that audience. ?Clarity of Message ?Many messages fail because the audience finds them unnecessarily complex in content or language ?Content and Structure of Messages ?Channels Different media with different features can be used for diverse public relations purposes. ?Timing and Contexts ?A message tends to be more persuasive if environmental factors support the message or if the message is received within the context of other messages and situations with which the individual is familiar ?Reinforcement ?People tend to ignore or react negatively to messages that conflict with their value or belief systems Appeals to Self-interest ?Appeal to psychological, economic, or situational needs ?Maslow’s hierarchy of needs Audience Participation ?Workers involving in the problem solving Distribution of samples ?The act of participation encouraged by activist groups Suggestions for Action ? Recommendations for action must be clear to follow Source Credibility ?Expertise ?Sincerity ?Charisma Clarity of Message ?Public relations practitioners should ask two questions ?Will the audience understand the message? ?What do I want the audience to do with the message? Content and structure of messages ?Drama and stories ?Surveys and polls ?Statistics ?Examples ?Endorsements ?Causes and rationales ?Emotional appeals Channels ?Different media can be used for diverse public relations purposes television ?newspaper ?radio ?social networking sites ?face-to-face communication Timing and Context ?Timing and context should be considered for achieving publicity in the mass media as well as for being persuasive Reinforcement ?A public relations campaign should be in sync with an audience’s core value or belief system Limits of persuasion ?Lack of message penetration ?Competing or conflict messages ?Self-selection ?Self perception Chapter 8: Managing competition and conflict Overview ?A new way of thinking: conflict and competition ?the role of public relations in managing conflict it depends: factors that affect conflict management ?the conflict management life cycle ?managing the life cycle of a conflict A New Way of Thinking: Conflict and Competition ?Public relations can be defined as the strategic management of competition and conflict ?Competition ?Conflict Role of public relations in managing conflict ?Strategic conflict management ?Conflict is inherent in public relations process ?PR professionals must develop communication strategies to manage the conflict What do you think? ?What are some real world examples of conflict management? Is conflict always bad for organizations? Why or why not? It Depends: Factors that Affect Conflict Management ?Stance-drive approach in managing conflict and competition ?External and internal variables stance strategy The Threat Appraisal Model ?PR professionals monitor for threats, assess those threats, arrive at a desirable stance for the organization, and then begin communications efforts from that stance ?situational demands ?resources Contingency theory ?Contingency factors ?a matrix of factors drive the stance ?The contingency continuum ?The stance is dynamic; it changes as events unfold The Conflict Management Life Cycle Proactive – to prevent a conflict from arising ?environmental scanning ?issues tracking ?issues management ?crisis planning ? Strategic – emerging conflict is identified as needing action ?risk communication ?conflict positioning ?crisis management ?Reactive – must react when conflict reaches a critical level of impact ?crisis communication ?litigation pr ?conflict resolutions ?Recovery – strategies employed aftermath to bolster or repair reputation ?reputation management ?image restoration Managing the Life Cycle of a Conflict ?Four systematic processes ?Issues management A proactive approach to ?predict problems ?anticipate threats ?minimize surprises ?resolve issues ?prevent crises ?Strategic positioning and risk communication ? Strategic positioning ?communication efforts to position the organization favorably regarding competition and conflict ?Risk communication ?an attempt to communicate risks to the public that impact health, safety, and the envorinment ?Crisis management ?Smoldering crises ?a study but the institute for crisis management found that 86% of business crises were â€Å"smoldering crises. † ?How various organizations respond to crises Coombs’ crisis communication strategies ?attack the accuser ?denial ?excuse ?justification ?ingratiation ?corrective action ?full apology ?Reputation management ?The three foundations of reputation ?economic performance ?social responsiveness ?the ability to deliver valuable outcomes to stakeholders ?Image restoration ?denial ?evade responsibility ?reduce offensiveness ?corrective action ?apology Deja Vu – All over again ?Conflict management is like deja vu all over again by starting once again with tasks such as environmental scanning and issues tracking Chapter 9: Ethics and the Law Overview ?What is ethics? ?Professional guidelines ?Dealing with the news media ?Public relations and the law ?Employee communications ?Copyright law ?Fair use versus infringement ?Trademark law ?Regulations by government agencies ?Liability for sponsored events ?Working with lawyers What is Ethics? ?Value system by which a person determines what is right or wrong What Do You Think? ?How can a public relations practitioner play the role of an â€Å"ethical advocate? † The Ethical Advocate ?The ethical advocate is operating within an assigned role ?Ethical decisions are made based on the public interest ?the interests of employer/client ?professional organization code of ethics ?personal values Professional Guidelines ?PRSA Code of Ethics ?Values ?Advocacy ?Serving the public interest by acting as responsible advocates for clients or employers ?Honesty ? Adhering to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in advancing the interest of clients and employers ?Expertise ?Advancing the profession through continued professional development, research, and education ?Independence ?Providing objective counsel and being accountable for individual actions ?Loyality Being faithful to clients and employers, but also honoring an obligation to serve the public interest ?Fairness ?Respecting all opinions and supporting the right of free expression ?Provisions ?Free flow of information ?Competition ?Disclosure of information ?Safeguarding confidence ?Conflicts of interest ?Enhancing the profession Codes of Conduct ?The role of professional organizations ?public relations society of america (PRSA) and international association of business communicators (IABC) ?to set the standards and ethical behavior of the public relations profession Ethics in Individual Practice Ethics in public relations begins with the individual, and is directly related to h is or her own value system as well as to the good of society Dealing With the News Media ?Trust ?Gift giving undermines the relationship between public relations professionals and the media ? Transparency Public Relations and the Law ?Defamation ?libel (printed), slander (oral) ?making a false statement about a person or organization that creates public hatred, contempt or ridicule, or inflicts injury on reputation ?Avoiding libel suites ?four requirements for filing a libel suit ?false statement ?identified or identifiable actual injury ?negligence Employee Communications ?Product publicity and advertising ?written permission required ?Employee free speech ?freedom of expression ?employees are limited in expressing opinions within the corporate environment ?privacy vs monitoring ?FOIA and government officials ?whistle-blowing Copyright Law ?Copyright is the protection of creative work from unauthorized use ?registration is not a condition of copyright protection, but it is a prerequisite to an infringement action against unauthorized use by others ? What organizational materials should be copyrighted? How can you use the copyrighted materials of others? Fair Use Versus Infringement ?Fair use allows partial use of copyrighted material with attribution ?Permission is required if used in advertisements or promotional items ?New copyright issues on the internet have been raised ?Rule of thumb: ?get permission ?give credit The Rights of Photographers and Artists ?Freelance and commercial photographers retain ownership of their work ?The rights of freelance writers ?unless a company has a specific contract with a freelance writer to produce work that will be exclusively owned by that company, the freelancer owns his or her work Trademark Law ?Trademarks are registered words, names, symbols, or devices used to identify a product ?The protection of trademarks ?always capitalized never used as nouns (Kleenex tissues, Xerox copies) ?Trademark infringement ?the downside for a corporation who trademark becomes too commonly used Misappropriation of Personality ?A form of trademark infringement ?Unauthorized use of well-known entertainers, professional athletes, and other public figures in an organization’s publicity and advertising materials Regulations by Government Agencies ?The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ?The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ?Other regulatory agencies ?The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ?The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms ?The Federal Communications Commission Liability for Sponsored Events ?Plant tours and open houses ?Considerations ?logistics ?work disruptions ?safety ?staffing Working with Lawyers ?A cooperative relationship must exist between public relations personnel and legal counsel How to cite Intro to Public Relations Notes, Papers

Oil and Gas Management

Question: Write an essay on Oil and Gas Management. Answer: Introduction: The growing nationalism in the oil producing countries has led the oil producing countrys host government gaining control over their mineral asset and taking a large economics rent from the International Oil Companies (IOC). Product Sharing Contracts (PSC) or PSA (Public Sharing Agreement) replaced the Concession type agreement due to dissatisfaction in the returns for the government. The resources are utilized by the natural resource rich country for economics and social development (Ciarreta and Nasirov 2012). The reason for the government to make a contract with the foreign oil company is to develop and sell the product. Tordo et al. (2013) mentions the government mainly has three ways of natural resource development. Firstly, there might be a development, exploration and production of the state companies like that in Oman, Iran, Mexico and Saudi Arabia. Secondly, the natural resources are developed like that of the Canada, United States and Russia. Finally, a combination of both the type of contracts mentioned above may be used in Nigeria, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. According to Blackwill and O'Sullivan (2014), the terms of the contract will help in determining the revenue of the oil producing countries from the mineral resources. Thus in this paper we will see the differences in the concession and PSA form of contract , the reason for host countries to favor PSA and reasons for extracting higher amount of profit. In order to regulate the petroleum industry, the concession regime was the first type of contract system developed and it is a form of contract is widely used globally. The concession type of arrangement is to explore oil through the exchange for payment in all costs and tax related to its operation. Under a concession agreement, there are exploration rights offered exclusively to the contract holders and production and development rights. The companies in order to enter into an agreement through concession, needs to take part in the bidding process by NAP (National Agency of Petroleum). There is a transparent criterion of bidding when the points are allotted for the local content percentage, minimum program of work and proposed signature bonus (Esteves, Coyne and Moreno 2013). The company winning the bid will be given a concession contract. All the risks and costs are considered. The companies with concession agreement are given the right for 100% production and have the right for e xporting the crude oil with some obligations like acquisition of local content and meeting national consumption (Forsyth 2014). This type of contract helps the host country to grant the oil companies the right to explore and produce hydrocarbons from an area for certain time so that payment is received in the form of tax and royalties. Royalty is paid in the first barrel of oil before the profit is earned by contractor. The contract will be helpful for the holder, as he will be protected from any changes in the legislation of the petroleum industry (Wang and Krupnick 2013). All the costs are deducted against the income from sale of gas and oil. In general, the concession contract in the oil and gas industry has given the company the status of an owner and rights to keep the hydrocarbon. Exclusive rights are gained by the company to explore, making own expenses and becoming the owner (Ghandi and Lin, 2014). This type of contract shows that in case of the concession type of regime, the state is not the owner of petroleum extracted. The Product Sharing concept was introduced in Indonesia during 1966. The concept is now used in the countries like Libya, China, Qatar, Syria, Egypt, Malaysia, Peru and many more. PSA is a contract between the oil producing country and the International Oil Companies (IOC) where in the latter bears all the risk and the cost of exploration and production of oil and gas. The IOC will have a return on the investment and production is shared so that the costs are recovered. The agreement involves dividing the oil rather than the money generated from the sale of oil (Haney and Pollitt 2013). There involves a direct participation of government in the process of decision-making. The contractor gets 100% of the production after recouping the costs. The contractor after recovering the cost is going to split the production with the government. There is a larger share earned by the government before the contractor earns profit. The main reason for favoring PSA is to attract the multinational co mpanies who are interested in risking capital and utilizing technology for the development of the Host country reserves (Kan and Tomson 2012). The strategic importance with respect to the exploration and production of hydrocarbon has helped in guaranteeing that a decent share of hydrocarbon ends up in the hands of the state. The reason for the oil producing countries to replace concession agreements with the PSAs licenses are regarded as a much straight forward agreement when considering the bidding system with some basic terms (Khatib 2014). There is a need for restructuring the bidding system in the concession agreements. The following are reasons for product sharing agreements by oil producing country: Over all mineral development: The specific feature of the mineral industry is that the development and the exploration takes place at the area where the resource is located. There is high risk involved in this type of venture, as it is difficult to decide upon the quality and existence of the reserves of minerals (Mansour and Nakhle 2016). There is no assurance of profitability and since the resources are finite, there would be continuous acquisition of more deposits. The government looks into the welfare of the country, so the government is going to decide whether the resource is to be held privately or by the state. The objectives of the host country and the MNC oil companies is seen to clash as the oil companies are maximizing profit while the host government wants to maximize revenue. The foreign company takes up the risk about investment. With the successful exploration by IOCs, the position of the government will get strong (Mikesell 2016). The increase in the marketing and geo logical knowledge will lead to improving upper hand of government. The PSA form of contract will lead to the development of the mineral sector and stimulates domestic exploration. Mineral Development and Ownership Rights: There two types of contracting methods under PSA i.e. the competitive bidding and the bilateral negotiation. During a bilateral negotiation, the MNC oil companies approaches the government for the concession regarding the exploration, development and export of the resources. This type of agreement helps the private contractor, but PSA helps the government in keeping open the payment based on the bonuses, royalties and financial incentives. Model contracts will help in publicizing and is available to the potential partners. The foreign firm and the National Oil Companies (NOC) carry out the negotiation. The reason for this is that the NOC has a more sound knowledge on the information of mineral deposits (Mitchell and Mitchell 2015). They are also less politically interfered and moreover expertise is going to get better with NOC taking the control. The resources of minerals are owned by the state who later decides whether the exploration and th e development will be given to the public or the government companies. The exception related to the owning of the oil companies is related to the state. History related to petroleum contracts: There has been increasing hostility and criticism received about the concession system, so the government introduced the PSA. In PSA, the whole risk is borne by the foreign company and the government enjoys the rewards. The ownership of the mineral resources is in the hands of the host country government. The sole bearer of risk is the IOCs, as it engaged in the development and the exploration of the mineral resources (Seelke et al. 2015). The IOCs supply the knowhow and the services. This type of contracts is also referred to as the risk service agreement. Thus, contracts are the only way through which oil can be explored. The country with large oil deposits depends on the extraction of oil. This is the reason government has increased interference in the oil sector. The Public Service Commission helps the host government to get more amount of profit as the government would be keeping a part of the profit. The model of Angola is a good example of this, which takes into consideration the rate of returns (Thomas 2013). Prior to the host country, it is the government that decides on its share so that the costs of investment are recovered (Sovacool 2016). There is completeness and autonomy in PSCs. The main motivation of the government through the contract is to increase the level of profit and attract investment in the exploration and production. The professional support and the expertise needed is less? There is no risk of losses for the host government other than the cost of negotiating the contract. There might be loss of opportunity but there is no material loss when a project fails. The government can draft the PSA contract in such a way that it can bring another oil company. The added advantage is that it can have potential profits without mak ing any type investment. When there is enactment of PSA into the law then there would be a legal security for the IOCs. The government points out that such type of approach will turn this type of agreement from a flexible to a fixed approach, which is amended through the approval of the parliament. PSA type of agreement is superior to that of the future and the present contracts with respect to the matter that is addressed. The government turns its rights to adopt the new regulation and law in the interest of the public if it affects the oil companys right under the contract of PSA. Conclusion: The government intends to maximize its revenue from the natural resources when it designs the fiscal system, but in turn provides incentives to the foreign investors. There is different type of contracts on which the oil industry depends. The PSA form of agreement is the most widespread type. Under this the IOCs receives that the share of the production in the form of rewards for the investment and work that is performed. The entire risk is borne by them along with the host government. The agreement is made prior the exploration the revenues of IOCs mainly comprise of the profit oil and the cost oil. The direct revenue sources for the government are the bonuses, profit oil, royalties, custom duties and indirect benefits. PSA tends to divide the production capacity and does not divide the profit out of the proceeds of the market. This shows that the cost is recovered when oil is produced. In theory, the operations are controlled by the state The economic theory however suggest PSAs ar e inefficient contract forms as the IOCs does not receive marginal product. References: Blackwill, R.D. and O'Sullivan, M.L., 2014. America's Energy Edge: The Geopolitical Consequences of the Shale Revolution.Foreign Aff.,93, p.102. Ciarreta, A. and Nasirov, S., 2012. Development trends in the Azerbaijan oil and gas sector: achievements and challenges.Energy Policy,40, pp.282-292. Esteves, A.M., Coyne, B. and Moreno, A., 2013. Local Content Initiatives: Enhancing the Sub-National Benefits of the Oil, Gas, and Mining Sectors.Rev. Watch Inst. Forsyth, T., 2014.International investment and climate change: energy technologies for developing countries. Routledge. Ghandi, A. and Lin, C.Y.C., 2014. Oil and gas service contracts around the world: a review.Energy Strategy Reviews,3, pp.63-71. Haney, A.B. and Pollitt, M.G., 2013. New models of public ownership in energy.International Review of Applied Economics,27(2), pp.174-192. Kan, A. and Tomson, M., 2012. Scale prediction for oil and gas production.Spe Journal,17(02), pp.362-378. Khatib, H., 2014. Oil and natural gas prospects: Middle East and North Africa.Energy Policy,64, pp.71-77. Mansour, M. and Nakhle, C., 2016.Fiscal Stabilization in Oil and Gas Contracts: Evidence and Implications. Mikesell, R.F., 2016.Petroleum company operations and agreements in the developing countries. Routledge. Mitchell, J.V. and Mitchell, B., 2015. States and Markets in the Oil Industry. InStates and Markets in Hydrocarbon Sectors(pp. 17-39). Palgrave Macmillan UK. Seelke, C.R., Villarreal, M.A., Ratner, M. and Brown, P., 2015. Mexico's Oil and Gas Sector: Background, Reform Efforts, and Implications for the United States.Current Politics and Economics of the United States, Canada and Mexico,17(1), p.199. Sovacool, B.K., 2016. Countering a corrupt oil boom: Energy justice, Natural Resource Funds, and So Tom e Prncipe's Oil Revenue Management Law.Environmental Science Policy,55, pp.196-207. Thomas, A.R., 2013. Impact of Shale Development on International and Domestic Oil and Gas Contracts, The.Global Bus. L. Rev.,4, p.1. Tordo, S., Warner, M., Manzano, O. and Anouti, Y., 2013.Local content policies in the oil and gas sector. World Bank Publications. Wang, Z. and Krupnick, A., 2013. A Retrospective Review of Shale Gas Development in the United States: What Led to the Boom?.Resources for the Future DP, pp.13-12.

The Bakan Peninsula Essay Example For Students

The Bakan Peninsula Essay The Balkan Peniunsula is comprised of the countries of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic ofMacedonia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Albania, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and European Turkey. Balkan history is characterized by military and political strife. Because of its crusial location between Asia and Europe it has been conquered and re-conquered by countless nations. Seeking trade routes to the middle east, many eastern European countries have set up ports there. Within the past ten years Yugoslavia has undergone major political changes. In 1991 and 1992 four Yugoslav republics, Slovenia,Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, declared their independence from Yugoslavia. Serbia and Montenegro then formed the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. After Yugoslavia began skirmishing with ethnic Albanianrebels in Kosovo at the end of 1998, NATO forces began airstrikes in late March, 1999. Caoncluding eleven weeks of bombing, the Yugoslavgovernment allowed a NATO peacekeeping force into Kososvo.Social Issues We will write a custom essay on The Bakan Peninsula specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now

attack on 911 essays

attack on 911 essays There have been many changes in the United States following the attacks of September 11th. In order to better understand the impact and resulting changes of the attacks, we must compare the mentality of citizens and political leaders now as well as during times of war previous to September 11th. We must not only look at our country's reactions but also to how other countries view our inclinations towards fear of bombs and other attacks. By looking at more than one cultures idea's on one situation, we are able to compare and make more informed decisions, and opinions about this difficult time. This is what this paper will attempt to do. At 8:45am, a plane departing from Boston was hijacked and flown into the north tower of the World Trade Center, located in New York City. The flight was later revealed to be the American Airlines Flight 11. This airline was carrying ninety-two people aboard when it crashed into the north tower. There were no survivors from this flight. At 9:03am, a second plane departing from Boston was also hijacked. This plane was flown into the south tower of the World Trade Center, in New York City. This flight, the United Airlines Flight 175, was carrying sixty-five people when it crashed into the south tower. There were also no survivors on this flight. At 9:39am, a third hijacked plane, departing from Washington, was flown into the Pentagon. This flight, the American Airlines Flight 77, was carrying sixty-four people when it crashed. There were also no survivors of this flight. At 10:10am, a fourth plane was hijacked. This plane was departing from Newark and crashed sixty miles south east of Pittsburgh. It was stated in one article that this was not the intended destination for this flight, and that it may have been meant for three possible destinations, Camp David, the White House, or the U.S. Capitol Building. This flight, the United Airlines Flight 93, was carrying forty-five people when it crashed...

Forest Surveying Methods to Find Forest Boundaries

Forest Surveying Methods to Find Forest Boundaries With the advent of public use of geographic positioning systems and the availability of aerial photographs (Google Earth) for free over the internet, forest surveyors now have extraordinary tools available to do make accurate surveys of forests. Still, along with these new tools, foresters also depend on time-tested techniques to reconstruct forest boundaries. Remember that professional surveyors have traditionally established nearly all original landlines but landowners and foresters have a need to retrace and reestablish lines which either disappear or become difficult to find as time passes. A Fundamental Unit of Horizontal Measurement: The Chain The fundamental unit of horizontal land measurement used by foresters and forest owners is the  surveyors or Gunters chain  (Buy from Ben Meadows) with a length of 66 feet. This metal tape chain is often scribed into 100 equal parts which are called links. The important thing about using the chain is that it is the preferred unit of measure on all public U.S. Government Land Survey maps (mostly west of the Mississippi River), which include millions of mapped acres charted in sections, townships and ranges. Foresters prefer using the same system and units of measure that were originally used to survey most forest boundaries on public land. A simple calculation from chained dimensions to acres is the reason the chain was used in the initial public land survey and the reason it is still so popular today. Areas expressed in square chains can be easily converted to acres by dividing by 10 - ten square chains equals one acre! Even more attractive is that if a tract of land is a mile square or 80 chains on each side you have 640 acres or a section of land. That section can be quartered again and again to 160 acres and 40 acres. One problem using the chain universally is that it was not used when land was measured and mapped in the original 13 American colonies. Metes and bounds (basically physical descriptions of trees, fences, and waterways) were used by colonial surveyors and adopted by owners before the public lands system was adopted. These have now been replaced by bearings and distances off permanent corners and monuments. Measuring Horizontal Distance There are two preferred ways foresters measure horizontal distance - either by pacing or by chaining. Pacing is a rudimentary technique that roughly estimates a distance while chaining more accurately determines distance. They both have a place when determining horizontal distance on forested tracts. Pacing is used when a quick search for survey monuments/waypoints/points of interest might be useful but when you dont have the help or time to carry and drop a chain. Pacing is more accurate on moderate terrain where a natural step can be taken but can be used in most situations with practice and the use of topographic maps or aerial photo maps. Foresters of average height and stride have a natural pace (two steps) of 12 to 13 per chain. To determine your natural two-step pace: pace the 66-foot distance enough times to determine your personal average two-step pace. Chaining is a more exact measurement using two people with a 66-foot steel tape and a compass. Pins are used to accurately determine the count of chain length drops and the rear chainman uses the compass to determine the correct bearing. In rough or sloping terrain, a chain has to be held high off the ground to level position to increase accuracy. Using a Compass to Determine Bearings and Angles Compasses come in many variations but most are either handheld or mounted on a staff or tripod. A known starting point and a bearing are necessary for beginning any land survey and finding points or corners. Knowing local sources of magnetic interference on your compass and setting the correct magnetic declination is important. The compass most used for forest surveying has a magnetized needle mounted on a pivot point and enclosed in a waterproof housing that has been graduated in degrees. The housing is attached to a sighting base with a mirrored sight. A hinged mirror lid allows you to look at the needle at the same moment you site your destination point. The graduated degrees displayed on a compass are horizontal angles called bearings or azimuths and expressed in degrees ( °). There are 360: azimuth of 240 ° bearing of S60 °W and so on. One thing to remember is that your compass needle always points to magnetic north, not true north (the north pole). Magnetic north can change as much as -20 ° in North America and can significantly affect compass accuracy if not corrected (especially in the North East and far West). This change from true north is called magnetic declination and the best survey compasses have an adjustment feature. These corrections can be found on isogonic charts provided by this U.S. Geological Survey download. On reestablishing or retracing property lines, all angles should be recorded as the true bearing and not the declination corrected bearing. You need to set the declination value where the north end of the compass needle reads true north when the line of sight points in that direction. Most compasses have a graduated degree circle that can be turned counterclockwise for east declination and clockwise for west declination. Changing magnetic bearings to true bearings is slightly more complicated as declinations must be added in two quadrants and subtracted in the other two. If there is no way to set your compass declination directly, you can mentally make an allowance in the field or record magnetic bearings and correct later in the office.

Quastions ch 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Quastions ch 5 - Essay Example It thus allows for removal of tariffs and trade barriers in the bilateral trading platform. Interventionism theory has transformed international trade since its inception. It is a theory that explores the justification of economic or political interference of another partner. Historically, the difference in capital base, technology and labor supply was used as a tool of economic coercion by powerful economies to coerce developing economies into imbalance multilateral trade policies and practice. Today, modern international ethics in business have significantly diminished this form of economic exploitation. The criteria of modern intervention are purely mutually beneficial trade ties that emphasize on mutual respect, ethical business agreements and removal of economic paternalism. The principle of interventionist theory has been significantly eroded in the wake of modern economies and expansion of liberal marketing and free trade (Ruta & Venables 2012). Free trade policy has encouraged global efficiency by allowing every countrys freedom to access international markets at equal level. Unlike in the past where there were bureaucratic bottlenecks, many multilateral trades have successful in creating a platform where a range of products from different countries can interact. In addition, it has created mutual global interest in pursuing economic depressions and crises through stabilization of prices on energy and petroleum products. Besides, through free trade, there has been tariffs reduction, less restriction on goods movements and entrepreneurs have shifted from focusing on local trade to international. In addition, it has expanded export trade leading to lower prices of commodities. Global efficiency of goods movement, bilateral and multilateral trade agreements easily executable are due to removing of international trade

Food labelling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Food labelling - Essay Example Basically, a food label is meant to inform a consumer about how a certain type of food is appropriate or otherwise into one’s overall daily diet. It contains pertinent information about the nutritional value of food. Different jurisdictions usually have different laws and regulations governing their food labeling industry, but, most of them are generally similar. For example, all food labels are required to provide useful, accurate and complete nutritional information. Genetically modified foods (GMF) are those foods whose production starts from the introduction of precise changes in the DNA of the organism that the foods originate from. This is done through a complex process called genetic engineering. The genetic structures of foods can therefore be controlled, therefore introducing new traits in foods. Genetically modified foods were first sold commercially in 1994 (Davidson, 2008). The labeling of genetically modified foods is a fairly new and controversial concept. There are jurisdictions such as England where it is mandatory for all genetically modified foods to contain food labels. However, in other jurisdictions such as the United States, food labeling is not a mandatory regulatory procedure. The controversy arises from the fact that farmers and scientists are happy about genetically modified foods because of the advantages they bring to them whereas certain consumers view them suspiciously (McCluskey, Grimsrud, Ouchi & Wahl, 2003). The labeling of genetically modified foods has a number of advantages. First, the controversy surrounding the health issues associated with genetically modified foods gives consumers the right to know the type of food they are consuming and whether it is genetically modified or non-genetically modified. Therefore, GMF labeling will relieve the fear of consumers since they will be accurately informed

African American Essay Essay Example for Free

African American Essay Essay African American literature is captivating, powerful, spiritual, and emotional. The recurring theme is slavery but there are others such as inequality among sexes and races, injustice, resentment, and the strong belief in religion. These pieces of literature have been told by the individuals who went through the experience of slavery such as Frederick Douglass and others, like Jamaica Kincaid who have a passion for writing. The writers who experienced slavery themselves had differing views of their experience and relationship with their master. These pieces of literature share the pain, strength, heartache and will to go that each of these individuals experienced. The first reading is, To My Old Master, by Jourdan Anderson. This piece of literature is Anderson’s response to a letter he has received from his old master. It is a compelling story about how terrible and bad the Whites treated the African Americans. The master want’s Anderson and his family to come back and work for him. He reminds the master about how poorly they were treated while working for him. Anderson states, â€Å"Although you shot at me twice before I left you, I did not want to hear of your being hurt, and am glad you are still living. † (1865, p. 15). Anderson tells the master that he is making money and his family is living and doing well. He even expresses that his children are receiving an education now. It is very apparent to the reader that Anderson’s wife does not want to return and work for the master. â€Å"Mandy says she would be afraid to go back without some proof that you were disposed to treat us justly and kindly; and we have concluded to test your sincerity by asking you to send us our wages for the time we served you. † (1865, p. 16). Anderson remembers how horribly the woman and girls were treated, and he will never allow his daughters to go through that experience. â€Å"I would stay here and starve- and die, if it come to that- than to have my girls brought to shame by the violence and wickedness of their young masters. † (1865, p. 16) The end of the story the reader still feels Anderson’s resentment and bitterness toward the master. The next story and the one piece I enjoyed the most is, â€Å"White Folks Treated Us Good† by Marriah Hines. Hines states, â€Å"My white people treated us decent. † (p. 32). She goes onto further explain how her master feed, dressed, and kept them well. Hines explains how terrible master’s treated other slaves. â€Å"Some unfortunate individuals practically have nothing to eat. Why, the way their owners treated them was disgraceful treated them like felines and canines† (Hines, p. 32). Hines sounds fortunate and lucky to have worked for her master. The master gave the slaves Sunday off to rest and even allowed them to attend Church. Unlike other slaves Hines was never raped, beaten, or treated in a physical horrible way. The compelling part of this piece occured when the slaves were allowed to leave; most of them choose to stay. â€Å"Most of us stayed right there and raised our own crops. † (p. 34). Hines knew of her freedom but believed in her loyalty to her master and his family. The master provided her with assistance and support. A rare occurrence to read an African American piece of literature that speaks of a master in a positive and respectful manner. This master was a different man of his time. He did not take advantage of his slaves or treat them in a horrendous manner. This master used his slaves to care and run his property but treated them with respect and dignity, they deserved. Hines went onto, marry Benjamin F. Hines and give birth to five children. The last piece of literature is, â€Å"If We Must Die† by Claude McKay. This poem is about how horribly and disgusting Whites treated African Americans. It is written about the race riots in 1919. It describes the strength of the African Americans standing up to the Whites even if it ultimately meant dying. McKay states, â€Å"Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack, pressed to the wall, dying but fighting back! † (p. 378). This poem exemplifies the bravery and the will to fight for what is right otherwise these people would have been beaten and killed for the rest of their lives. There will always be a presence of racism in the world and specifically in the United States of America. Still today African Americans are treated equally as Whites. Although we as a country have come a very long way there is still work to be done. The more we educate people the less we will experience ignorance. The hate and the idea of inferiority will slow diminish if people become educated. I can end proudly stating that I am married to a Black man and we have two beautiful daughters, and I give an enormous amount of respect to those who fought for what was right. References Anderson, J. (1865). To my old master. In I. Reed (Ed. ), African American Literature. Abrief introduction and anthology (pp. 15-16). New York: The Longman LiteraryMosaic Series. [serial online]. December 2005;36(4):299-323. Available from:Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed May 23, 2011. Hines, M. (n. d. ). My white folks treated us good. In I. Reed (Ed. ), African Americanliterature. A brief introduction and anthology (pp. 21-25). New York: TheLongman Literary Mosaic Series. [serial online]. December 2005;36(4):299-323. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed May 21,2011. McKay, C. (n. d. ). If we must die. In I. Reed (Ed. ), African American literature. Abriefintroduction and anthology (pp. 378). New York: The Longman LiterarySeries[serial online]. December 2005;36(4):299-323. Available from: AcademicSearchComplete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed Dec, 2011.

Willa Sibert Cather And His Works :: essays research papers

Willa Sibert Cather and His Works Willa Sibert Cather was an early twentieth century writer. She wrote about the qualities of courage, sensitivity, and perseverance. Most often, her novels and short stories took place in rural townships. She was born sometime in 1873, in her grandmother's house. She was named after an Aunt Willela who had died; however, she chose to believe that her name was derived from her grandparent's names. She was the first child of Charles Fectigue and Mary Cather. Willa was the oldest of the seven children. In 1877, Willa and her family moved out of Virginia to Nebraska. The Cather family had been living in Virginia for four generations. When she was nine, her father bought a ranch near Red Cloud, Nebraska. Willa was excited with this change, because she was free to roam outdoors. Willa would often listen to old ladies, and hear of their immigration from Bosnia and Sweden. There were no schools near the ranch, so Willa studied at home. A neighbor taught her Latin, and Willa would practice English skills by reading the classics to her grandmother. When Willa was in her teens, the family moved out of the ranch and into the village, where she attended Red Cloud High School. She attended the University of Nebraska, and graduated in 1895. As a student she worked as a journalist, copy editor, critic, and fiction writer. When she graduated, she moved back east to Pennsylvania. It was here where she worked on a Pittsburgh newspaper named The Library. She also taught English in a high school. Willa published "The Dance at Chevalier's," and four other short stories under a pen name of Henry Nicklemann. Another major publication for her was in April 1900, when "Eric Hermannson's Soul," was published in Cosmopolitan magazines. In 1903, The April Twilights, a collection of poems was published. In the Spring of 1905, publisher's Melbourne and Phillips brought out the Troll Garden, a collection of short stories. Willa then took time off from her writing. She took a month off to go home and visit her family in Nebraska. In 1907, Willa Cather sent Sara Jewett a letter that contained a story. This story would later appear in the April issue of Harper's. The story was entitled, "The Treasure of Car Island." It was a story of a man who comes home after an absence of 12 years, and the emotions and feelings he deals with upon returning home. Willa also continued to publish stories in McClure's magazine. In 1908 she became the magazine's managing editor. However, she resigned in 1912, because editing left her little free

Sociology of Sports – Baseball

There are several theoretical perspectives of looking at sports from the sociology of sports view including conflict, functionalist, interactions, and feminist. The most useful though, in looking at the sociology of sports is the functionalist view. Functionalist regard sports as an almost religious institution that uses ritual and ceremony to reinforce the common values of a society (Ekern, 2013). This means that functionalist view sports by the competition and patriotism of the younger generation and assist in maintaining a person’s physical condition. Not only do sports function as a safety valve for the viewers and the athletes for shedding destructive and tension energy in a way that is socially acceptable, but sports also assist in the joining of members of a community. The functionalist view seems to be the most appropriate over the other views in examining the sociology of sports. There are many reasons why the functionalist view is the most useful to use in viewing the sociology of sports. A big reason why the functionalist view is better is because many small communities spread throughout the world are built upon sports, especially in small communities that are not near any big cities. Sports are all they have in common and motivate the communities. Another reason is that the spectators and athletes always act in a different manner when they are either watching the sport or playing it, which is usually in an aggressive manner. When they are not watching the sport or discussing it they are usually completely different people. The last good reason is that it does help to maintain a person’s physical appearance, whether it is athletes staying in shape so they can be in top condition to compete or people that are ran by the idea of sports and want to stay in shape just like the athletes do. Sociology of sports, also referred to as sports sociology, is the study of the relationship between sports and society (Crossman, 2013). Aside from the functionalist view on sports sociology there other areas of study that are closely looked at, such as sports and gender, sports and media, and sports and gender and identity. Sports and gender targets man and women playing sports. Women were not even allowed to play sports until after the 1930’s because it was considered too masculine for them. Even in today’s age you never hear of women playing football or hockey, except maybe as a kid at school, and that is even very rare. Nowadays though in some sports they have a men’s team and a women’s team, such as basketball. There are even women that train in wrestling and boxing. The media is also another study of the sociology of sports that plays the games on the television. While the media will cover the men on football, basketball, baseball, hockey, boxing and pro wrestling, the sports that are usually covered for the women are figure skating, diving, gymnastics, and skiing. The media will also keep the audiences informed of player’s accomplishments and achievements. The gender identity of sports is another topic that often looked at because of sports having gender specific roles that is acceptable by society. Women are generally always treated more harshly in sports than men especially at younger ages. One reason that sports engage scholarly interests is because of the teaching of important values (Lewis, 2008). Sports sociology has studied higher education and sport and sport as a functional alternative to religion. Gender and racial discrimination in sports have also been studied, as well as social mobility on the basis of sport success that includes race and gender Another area that has been studied is the social problems of the sport that includes drugs, sports violence, and injuries. As you can see, all areas and aspects of sports, whether it was in the past or present day have been studied and as always to any debate everyone has a different view and perspective. There is no right or wrong answers to the sociology of sports, just opinions on different circumstances. The reason that people participate in sports, whether it is a fan, player, or a business is for the love of the sport and the profits. Some people just love the sport, while others try to make as big a profit as they can. Sports answer to a humans needs by providing a competitive entertaining experience. Sports can be explained from a sociological point of view as a necessity to most community’s different needs and circumstances. Baseball is a favorite pastime that dates as far back as 2000 B. C. with a ball and stick type games. However, the first rules were written by Alexander Cartwright, considered to be the Father of modern baseball (Penn, 2006). Alexander was part of the NY Knickerbockers, which was the first organization to play baseball in America that was established on September 23, 1845. In 1858, the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) were created and known as the first baseball league. It wasn’t until 1860 though, that it was commonly referred to as â€Å"the National pastime† in several publications. Baseball is one of America’s most played sports and continually competitive against other teams and between individuals, especially in today’s age of baseball. The Sociodemographic description of fans and players of baseball is simple. The average MLB player rakes in over $2,000,000 a year if they are eligible for arbitration, which could come from disparate socioeconomic groups and from different countries. The average fan has an income of 30,000 to 40,000 a year and the high up luxury seats are for professionals that are in a very high income bracket and the corporate types. Being that baseball is very popular and has a very high income potential, it is definitely a professional sport. Baseball fits in to contemporary American life by giving fans something to always talk about. This sport gives society a certain set of values that fans and players live by. There are also culture trends that have impacted the sport of baseball. In fact, look at the roster of just about any Major League Baseball team, and you’ll find many of the most talented players coming from Latin American countries (Thomas, 2007). The media constantly reports on baseball, which gives the fans something to always talk, such as if they lost or won a game. If you look at the players, most of them are younger in age and usually are not over 40. All major league players are also male, which affect the views for the fans on the sport. As a beginning sociologist, the meaning of baseball as a social institution is very clear. Baseball is talked about, whether it is off season or every game, either loss or win, that gives fans something to always talk about. Over half of America enjoys this past time and every single one of them has their own opinion, depending on their team of choice and the opposing teams. Baseball is a sport that is great to attend in person, in order to get the full effect of the national past time. The baseball game that I had the chance of observing was the Rangers versus the Angels. The setting of the baseball field was split between the Ranger fans, which was a home game and the Angels fans. The field was a big diamond shape with for bases that the players have to run after a successful hit to the ball that the pitcher is throwing at them. There were also players from the opposing team that were stationed at each base and in the field closer to the stands. I notice that the environment changed drastically after each successful hit that made it close to the stands. Most of the fans would stand with excitement and all the players would scramble to get the ball and the player that hit it would try to run to as many bases before the is taken control of. The fans that were at the game that I attended were in their mid 20s to early 40s. The fans were a majority of men, but there were women there too. It seemed like a majority of the fans also wore their favorite player shirts and got excited every time the player hit the ball. It seemed that the fans age ration compared to the players were on the same levels. Most baseball player retires by time their 40, so the age comparison was evenly matched, from what I saw. The social behaviors that stood out were most fans would purchase a hot dog and beer from the concessions. It is always tradition to purchase a hot dog†, some of the fans would say. Fans would also be in groups for supporting their favorite teams. One special language and knowledge that characterizes the sport is Home Run. One particular behavior that I witnessed at the game was that when one team is winning the fans are excited and cheering and when their favorite team is losing they are booing and unhappy. Being at th e Rangers game made me aware of people’s behavior and surroundings and was a great experience to participate in. Sports use to be a big part of my life when I was a kid. I can remember collecting the Tops baseball cards with the hard piece of gum in it. It seems that every time I got some money I would go purchase the cards. Now that I look back, I realize that was my sociology behavior of being a fan. I also played baseball in school a lot, as well as other sports, such as football and basketball. When I was playing my attitude always changed to a competitive nature and I always got the mindset of crushing the opposing team. When I look back, I was two different people when I switched from a fan to a player and vice versa. The experiences of being a fan and a player as a kid didn’t have a huge impact to my adult life. I think that maybe that I played and watched sports too much as a kid, because I don’t have much interest in sports in my adult life. I read the newspaper to learn who wins and who is playing, but that is about it. I just learn enough to hold a conversation with my coworkers and friends and that’s it. So I guess the role that it plays in my life is that I played and watched it so much that it has caused me to lose interest in it. I can see how my experiences can connect me to others who are sports fans and participants. Sports are very big for kids in school and always have been. Most kids have shared the experiences that I have growing up. I’m not sure if they still sell Tops, but nonetheless kids are easily influenced and they do what everyone else is doing. Since so many adults like to watch sports and participate, it is a good assumption to say that most kids participate in some way or another, whether it is being a fan or participating in the sport itself. References Crossman, A. (2013). Sociology of Sports. Retrieved from http://sociology.about.com/od/Disciplines/a/Sociology-Of-Sports.htm. Ekern, J. (2013). Looking at Sports from Four Theoretical Perspectives. Retrieved from Article at Colorado Technical University Online. Lewis, J. (2008). Sociology of Sports. Retrieved from Kent State University at http://www.cengage.com/custom/enrichment_modules/data/0495598127_Sociology_of_Sports-mod_watermark.pdf. Penn, F. (2006). Early History of Baseball in America. Retrieved from Favorite Traditions. Com at http://www.favoritetraditions.com/baseball.html. Thomas, W. (2007). Sports – How Culture Impacts Our Choices. Retrieved from Ezine Articles at http://ezinearticles.com/?Sports—How-Culture-Impacts-Our-Choices&id=932334.

Facebook Financial Performance Report

Financial Performance 7. 1 Financial Statement FACEBOOK, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (In millions, except for number of shares and par value) (Unaudited) | | | | | | | | | |   Ã‚  | June   30, 2012|   |   | December  31, 2011|   | Assets|   Ã‚  | | | |   | | | | Current assets:|   Ã‚  | | | |   | | | |Cash and cash equivalents|   Ã‚  | $| 2,098|   |   | $| 1,512|   Ã‚  | Marketable securities|   Ã‚  |   | 8,090|   |   |   | 2,396|   Ã‚  | Accounts receivable, net of allowances for doubtful accounts of $17 as of June  30, 2012 and December  31, 2011|   Ã‚  |   | 578|   |   |   | 547|   Ã‚  | Income tax refundable|   Ã‚  |   | 567|   Ã‚  |   |   | 0|   Ã‚  | Prepaid expenses and other current assets|   Ã‚  |   | 634|   |   |   | 149|   Ã‚  | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |Total current assets|   Ã‚  |   | 11,967|   |   |   | 4,604|   Ã‚  | Property and equipm ent, net|   Ã‚  |   | 2,105|   |   |   | 1,475|   Ã‚  | Goodwill and intangible assets, net|   Ã‚  |   | 809|   |   |   | 162|   Ã‚  | Other assets|   Ã‚  |   | 47|   Ã‚  |   |   | 90|   Ã‚  | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Total assets|   Ã‚  | $| 14,928|   |   | $| 6,331|   Ã‚  | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Liabilities and stockholders’ equity|   Ã‚  | | | |   | | | | Current liabilities:|   Ã‚  | | | |   | | | |Accounts payable|   Ã‚  | $| 43|   |   | $| 63|   Ã‚  | Platform partners payable|   Ã‚  |   | 153|   Ã‚  |   |   | 171|   Ã‚  | Accrued expenses and other current liabilities|   Ã‚  |   | 441|   |   |   | 296|   Ã‚  | Deferred revenue and deposits|   Ã‚  |   | 85|   |   |   | 90|   Ã‚  | Current portion of capital lease obligations|   Ã‚  |   | 312|   |   |   | 279|   Ã‚  | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   | à ‚  |   |   | Total current liabilities|   Ã‚  |   | 1,034|   Ã‚  |   |   | 899|   Ã‚  | Capital lease obligations, less current portion|   Ã‚  |   | 394|   Ã‚  |   |   | 398|   Ã‚  | Other liabilities|   Ã‚  |   | 191|   |   |   | 135|   Ã‚  | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |Total liabilities|   Ã‚  |   | 1,619|   |   |   | 1,432|   Ã‚  | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Stockholders’ equity:|   Ã‚  | | | |   | | | | Convertible preferred stock, $0. 000006 par value, issuable in series; no shares and 569  million shares authorized as of June 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively, no shares and 543  million shares issued and outstanding as of June  30, 2012 and December  31, 2011, respectively|   Ã‚  |   | 0|   |   |   | 615|   Ã‚  | Common stock, $0. 00006 par value; 5,000  million and 4,141  million Class  A shares authorized as of June  30, 20 12 and December  31, 2011, respectively, 641  million and 117  million shares issued and outstanding as of June  30, 2012 and December  31, 2011, respectively, including 1  million outstanding shares subject to repurchase as of June  30, 2012 and December  31, 2011; 4,141  million Class B shares authorized, 1,501  million and 1,213  million shares issued and outstanding as of June  30, 2012 and December  31, 2011, respectively, including 2  million outstanding shares subject to repurchase, as of June  30, 2012 and December  31, 2011|   Ã‚  |   | 0|   Ã‚  |   |   | 0|   Ã‚  | Additional paid-in capital|   Ã‚  |   | 11,684|   |   |   | 2,684|   Ã‚  | Accumulated other comprehensive loss|   Ã‚  |   | (29| )  |   |   | (6| )  | Retained earnings|   Ã‚  |   | 1,654|   |   |   | 1,606|   Ã‚  | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Total stockholders’ equity|   Ã‚  |   | 13,309|   |   |   | 4,899|   Ã‚  | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity|   Ã‚  | $| 14,928|   |   | $| 6,331|   Ã‚  | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Revenue|   Ã‚  | $| 1,184|   |   | $| 895|   |   | $| 2,242|   Ã‚  |   | | 1,626|   Ã‚  | Costs and expenses:|   Ã‚  | | | |   | | | |   | | | |   | | | | Cost of revenue|   Ã‚  |   | 367|   Ã‚  |   |   | 210|   |   |   | 644|   Ã‚  |   |   | 377|   | Marketing and sales|   Ã‚  |   | 392|   Ã‚  |   |   | 96|   |   |   | 535|   Ã‚  |   |   | 158|   | Research and development|   Ã‚  |   | 705|   Ã‚  |   |   | 99|   |   |   | 858|   Ã‚  |   |   | 156|   | General and administrative|   Ã‚  |   | 463|   Ã‚  |   |   | 83|   |   |   | 567|   Ã‚  |   |   | 140|   | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Total costs and expenses|   Ã‚  |   | 1,927|   Ã‚  |   |   | 488|   |   |   | 2,604|   Ã‚  |   |   | 831|   | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | (Loss) income from operations|   Ã‚  |   | (743| )  |   |   | 407|   |   |   | (362| )  |   |   | 795|   | Interest and other income (expense), net:|   Ã‚  | | | |   | | | |   | | | |   | | | | Interest expense|   Ã‚  |   | (10| )  |   |   | (9| )  |   |   | (24| )  |   |   | (17| )  | Other income (expense), net|   Ã‚  |   | (12| )  |   |   | 1|   Ã‚  |   |   | 3|   Ã‚  |   |   | 19|   | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | (Loss) income before benefit from (provision for) income taxes|   Ã‚  |   | (765| )  |   |   | 399|   |   |   | (383| )  |   |   | 797 |   | Benefit from (provision for) income taxes|   Ã‚  |   | 608|   Ã‚  |   |   | (159| )  |   |   | 431|   Ã‚  |   |   | (326| )  | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Net (loss) income|   Ã‚  | $| (157| )  |   | $| 240|   |   | $| 48|   Ã‚  |   | $| 471|   Ã‚  | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Less: Net income attributable to participating securities|   Ã‚  |   | 0|   Ã‚  |   |   | 81|   Ã‚  |   |   | 21|   Ã‚  |   |   | 160|   Ã‚  | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Net (loss) income attributable to Class  A and Class B common stockholders|   Ã‚  | $| (157| )  |   | $| 159|   |   | $| 27|   Ã‚  |   | $| 311|   | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | (Loss) earnings per share attributable to Class  A and Class B common stockholders:|   Ã‚  | | | |   | | | |   | | | |   | | | | Basic|   Ã‚  | ($| 0. 08| )  |   | $| 0. 12|   Ã‚  |   | $| 0. 02|   Ã‚  |   | $| 0. 25|   Ã‚  | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Diluted|   Ã‚  | ($| 0. 08| )  |   | $| 0. 11|   Ã‚  |   | $| 0. 02|   Ã‚  |   | $| 0. 22|   Ã‚  | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Weighted verage shares used to compute (loss) earnings per share attributable to Class  A and Class B common stockholders:|   Ã‚  | | | |   | | | |   | | | |   | | | | Basic|   Ã‚  |   | 1,879|   Ã‚  |   |   | 1,292|   Ã‚  |   |   | 1,613|   Ã‚  |   |   | 1,267|   Ã‚  | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Dil uted|   Ã‚  |   | 1,879|   Ã‚  |   |   | 1,510|   Ã‚  |   |   | 1,792|   Ã‚  |   |   | 1,499|   Ã‚  | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Share-based compensation expense included in costs and expenses:|   Ã‚  | | | |   | | | |   | | | |   | | | | Cost of revenue|   Ã‚  | $| 66|   Ã‚  |   | $| 3|   Ã‚  |   | $| 71|   Ã‚  |   | $| 3|   Ã‚  | Marketing and sales|   Ã‚  |   | 232|   Ã‚  |   |   | 11|   Ã‚  |   |   | 251|   Ã‚  |   |   | 11|   Ã‚  | Research and development|   Ã‚  |   | 545|   Ã‚  |   |   | 35|   Ã‚  |   |   | 605|   Ã‚  |   |   | 39|   Ã‚  | General and administrative|   Ã‚  |   | 263|   Ã‚  |   |   | 15|   Ã‚  |   |   | 282|   Ã‚  |   |   | 18|   Ã‚  | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Total share-based compensation ex pense|   Ã‚  | $| 1,106|   Ã‚  |   | $| 64|   Ã‚  |   | $| 1,209|   Ã‚  |   | $| 71|   | | Three  Months  Ended June  30,|   |   Ã‚  | Six  Months   Ended June  30,|   |   Ã‚  | 2012|   |   | 2011|   |   Ã‚  | 2012|   |   | 2011|   | Net (loss) income|   Ã‚  | $| (157| )  |   | $| 240|   |   Ã‚  | $| 48|   Ã‚  |   | $|   471|   Ã‚  | Other comprehensive (loss) income:|   Ã‚  | | | |   | | | |   Ã‚  | | | |   | | | | Foreign currency translation adjustment|   Ã‚  |   | (21| )  |   |   | 0|   Ã‚  |   Ã‚  |   | (22| )  |   |   | 1|   Ã‚  | Change in unrealized gain (loss) on available-for-sale investments, net of tax|   Ã‚  |   | (1| )  |   |   | 0|   Ã‚  |   Ã‚  |   | (1| )  |   |   | 0|   Ã‚  | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Comprehensive (loss) income|   Ã‚  | $| (179| )  |   | $| 240|   Ã‚  |   Ã‚  | $| 25|   Ã‚  |   | $| 472|   Ã‚  | |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   Ã‚  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Figure #: Financial Statement (Sources: United States Securities And Exchange Commission, Form 10-Q, For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2012) Looking at the Financial Statement of Facebook Inc above we can calculate the current ratio on June 30, 2012 and compare it with December 31, 2011's ratio. We can calculate the 2011 ratio by using Total Asset of $6,331 million divided by Total Liabilities of $1,432 million equals $4. 42 million. And we can also find out the current ratio of Facebook Inc on June 30, 2012 by using the Current Assets of $11,976 million divided by Current Liabilities of $1,916 million equals $6. 25 million.Financial StatementsAs we can see the just in six months Facebook Inc's ratio increased almost by 70%. 7. 2 Active Users Figure #: Trends in Facebook User Metrics, Daily Active Users(Sour ces: United States Securities And Exchange Commission, Form 10-Q, For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2012) The graph above showed us how Facebook Inc increased their ratio almost 70% in just six months. As we can see Daily Active Users Worldwide had increased from 108 million to 552 million users. Facebook Inc define a daily active users as a registered Facebook user who logged in and visited Facebook through the Facebook website or through a device that can connect with Facebook.Facebook Inc check DAU (Daily Active Users) everyday. In Figure # we can see that the Worldwide DAUs increased 32% from 417 million users on June 2011 to 552 million users on June 2012. Most of the users now can log into Facebook through mobile device and Facebook Inc has already realized that. March 31, 2012, DAU's increased from 526 million to 552 million because of the increase of mobile users. 7. 3 Competitor The biggest competitor for Facebook is Twitter. The reason is that because many celebritie s like to use Twitter to connect with their fans. Twitter has not only become a well known social network but yet a tool for celebrities to do advertisement.In the United States presidential election of 2012, President Barack Obama used Twitter to connect with his fans. Figure #: Twitter Total Active Users, Worldwide (Source: Business Wired 2012) Even though Twitter is one of the threats for Facebook, but from the figure # we can clearly see the big difference that the two company have. On March 31, 2012 Facebook has 526 million active users worldwide, and Twitter only has 200 million active users worldwide. Facebook clearly beat Twitter. 7. 4 Facebook's Stock Markets Even though Facebook beat Twitter in the social network markets, but it has clearly not beat anyone in the stock markets. Below is the graph for Facebook's stock markets.Figure #: Facebook Stock Market graph, June 2011-December 2012 (Sources: United States Securities And Exchange Commission, Form 10-Q, For the quarterl y period ended June 30, 2012) Facebook opened its stock markets with $31 per stock on May 18, 2011 and on November 16, 2012 it has closed with $23. 56 per stock. Facebook's stock market did not increase as we can see through Facebook. Below is the graph why it has dropped dramatically. Figure #: Facebook's Revenue Makeup, 2012 (Business Insider 2012) As the graph shows that Facebook Inc spent most of their money in Advertising the market instead of using the money to pay off their Payments and Other.Although Facebook will continue to increase their active users due to mobile services, but if users growth flattens or decline, the impact of these increase have on Facebook's revenue growth will be limited for sure. Sources: Financial Statement : http://www. sec. gov/Archives/edgar/data/1326801/000119312512325997/d371464d10q. htm#tx371464_3 Daily Active Users: http://www. sec. gov/Archives/edgar/data/1326801/000119312512325997/d371464d10q. htm Twitter Active Users: http://blog. business wire. com/tag/social-media/ Facebook Stock Markets http://tmx. quotemedia. com/charting. php? qm_symbol=FB:US Facebook's Revenue Makeup: http://www. businessinsider. com/facebook-users-decline-2012-8