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Praxis Writing Test OnlineIf you're struggling with the idea of writing an essay for college and have some writing experience, you should consider taking Praxis writing test, one of the well known writing tutoring programs that aims to train its tutors in multiple types of writing. The program consists of five modules - essay samples, research samples, academic writing samples, presentations and dialogue.Each module is designed to allow a good tutor to quickly teach students how to apply their academic skills in different kinds of essay. Even better, it also enables a student to familiarize himself with his writing skills. The tutor will use a multiple choice format on the test, which should give a student ample opportunities to choose the answer he or she wants.The training program was developed as a combination of three other similar programs: Praxis Writing Test and Writing Practice. Both the Praxis writing test and Praxis writing practice include online practice tests. There are various Praxis writing practice and Praxis writing tests available online.In the Praxis writing practice course, the first module of the tutorial course, Essay samples, provides examples of essays written by students who took the program. Each essay sample consists of some basic information about the writing topic. After all, an essay sample is essentially a condensed version of the essay itself.The second module of the Praxis writing test and the corresponding module in the Praxis writing practice course is research samples. The research samples are given in the form of a few paragraphs describing a particular research project. This part is intended to help students examine how to select and complete their own research papers.The third module of the tutorial program is the exam module. This is basically a long-form examination with multiple choice questions.The fourth module is an academic writing sample module. This is a portion of the program where students are given several essa y topics to choose from and they are expected to write an essay on each topic.The fifth module is a dialogue module where students are asked to express their opinions about a particular topic. They are asked to choose between two different opinions and to convince readers that their opinion is correct.

Exploitation of Copyrights, Trademarks and Intellectual Property Rights in Modern Day Business An Examination of Adverse Practices in an Internet Dominated Era

The Internet and Intellectual Property Right Infringement Intellectual property rights are broadly defined as â€Å"exclusive rights pertaining to distinct intangible creations of the mind which range from music, designs and various artistic works to broad categories such as inventions, literature and even phrases† (Woker, 2006).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Exploitation of Copyrights, Trademarks and Intellectual Property Rights in Modern Day Business: An Examination of Adverse Practices in an Internet Dominated Era specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The basis for intellectual property rights is to protect the creators of unique inventions, concepts, or ideas from having their work arbitrarily utilized without their permission for the profit of other individuals/ companies. Without IPRs (Intellectual Property Rights) various artists, writers and inventors would be reluctant to release any of their work to the general public due to the possibility of their ideas being subsequently stolen and claimed by others as their work. Companies apply IPR law as a method of protecting their patented and copyrighted products from being subsequently copied and sold by other companies. It is through this method of business law implementation that various corporations have been able to maintain their positions in the global market place due to their protection and control of their patented processes, products and designs. It is rather interesting to note though that within the past 12 years as a direct result of trends in the digitization of products and services as well as the prolific use of the internet many digital products such as software, music and images (taken or created) are increasingly being utilized, shared and distributed online without the aforementioned consent of the holds of their copyright (Jameson, 2011). Sites such as the Piratebay.org, Megaupload and Rapidshare contain millions of music, video and software files that were â€Å"ripped† illegally from legal sources and then subsequently shared online for free (Bhattacharjee, Gopal, Lertwachara, Marsden, 2006). This has resulted in significant losses in sales for hundreds of companies with estimates placing the amount lost in the hundreds of billions of dollars within a given year. On the other end of the spectrum billions of intellectual property right infringements are also done on a single day by the sheer amount of videos and images shared on social network sites such as YouTube and Facebook (Bhattacharjee, Gopal, Lertwachara, Marsden, 2006).Advertising Looking for essay on intellectual property? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Users arbitrarily share images taken from official websites and magazines as well as post videos online containing copyrighted songs, labels, symbols and images resulting in practically millions of people being gui lty of intellectual property right infringement. Yet for the past 12 years companies have been unable to successfully combat this problem due to its sheer scale and the inherent limits of business law in actually being able address the issue. What must be understood is that there are inherent differences between violations of intellectual property rights between a company and an online internet user (Bhattacharjee, Gopal, Lertwachara, Marsden, 2006). When a company commits a violation of intellectual property rights business law becomes more enforceable since the affected party is dealing with a single entity. In the case of online internet users, there are just far too many individuals, too many cases and not enough enforceable evidence of an intentional violation to actually implement a successful means of deterring IPR violation in the scale it is seen today. One of the means in which companies have attempted to combat this issue has been to lobby for stricter laws regarding dig ital good and services. The result was the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) which in effect criminalized the production and distribution of various technologies, services or even devices which allowed individuals/groups to illegally access copyrighted works or circumvent the process that prevents digital distribution (Grosso, 2002). In effect, this law in the U.S. made it illegal to circumvent copyright protection on digital software for online distribution and made methods associated with intentional violation of such laws punishable by heavy fines or jail time. It must be noted though that the limitations of this particular type of business law is evident in the fact that despite its implementation in 1998 online piracy has continued unabated and has in fact increased within the past decade (Grosso, 2002). One of the reasons behind is the sheer size of the internet with quite literally billions of websites and trillions of pages devoted to all manner of digital content.Adve rtising We will write a custom essay sample on Exploitation of Copyrights, Trademarks and Intellectual Property Rights in Modern Day Business: An Examination of Adverse Practices in an Internet Dominated Era specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Despite the best efforts of any company or government agency it would be quite literally impossible to police all known sites. Not only that, even if a company or government agency was to take down a website based on its supposed distribution of pirated content the fact remains that website addresses can be changed resulting in the site being transferred to some other corner of the internet where it would take months if not years for it to be found by piracy regulators. Another problem in sufficiently implementing IPR law is the fact that when it comes to laws regulating the online distribution of digital content each country has a different application of IPRs (Miller Bove, 2011). For exampl e, though the DMCA is enforceable within the U.S., it is still a U.S. based law and thus cannot be enforced in other countries that have a different version and interpretation of what constitutes enforceable action regarding intellectual property rights. (Miller Bove, 2011) One way of seeing the overall lack of international enforceability can be seen in the case of the Piratebay.org which is the internet’s largest and most well-known site for finding and downloading pirated content ranging from movies, music and games to movies and software applications (Morton Koufteros, 2008). Over the past six years, the Pirate Bay has been able to resist various moves by companies such as Microsoft, EA, Universal Studios and even Apple Incorporated to shut it down due to the presence of pirated copies of the movies, software and games of these companies on the website. The reason it has been able to stay in operation for so long is not only due to the inapplicability of the DMCA since the Piratebay.org’s servers were based in Sweden but the fact is the site took advantage of a loophole in online IPR protection wherein technically the files weren’t stored on the website itself but rather what was present on the site were torrents in which people could use to download the pirated content from the computers of other people (Morton Koufteros, 2008).Advertising Looking for essay on intellectual property? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Torrents are a method of online file sharing wherein individual files are broken up into smaller aggregates which can be downloaded and uploaded from multiple sources (Norton Freedmart, 2006). In effect, this technology allows thousands of users to download from other users that are uploading the file from a background process on their computer (Norton Freedmart, 2006). As such â€Å"technically† the files aren’t present on the Piratebay.org itself and it merely acts as a collection of torrent files that can be used to download the content from elsewhere. While it may be true that international pressure on the Swedish government did in fact hamper the Pirate bays servers in 2010 with several of its owners being arrested the fact remains that the site was able to go back online within a matter of hours as soon as it transferred from its servers based in Sweden to other servers based in other countries (possibly China). Based on this particular outcome, wherein despite the best efforts of the application of business law no satisfactory outcome was created, this calls into question whether business law involving IPR of digitized content can still be considered effective when taking into consideration the flexibility the internet grants illegal online content distributors. IPR Violations and E-commerce One of the current trends in E-commerce has been the digitization and sale of EBooks via Amazon, iTunes and various online stores. As seen in the article of Miller (2011), EBooks have gained considerable ground in terms of market penetration and popularity among different age groups due to the proliferation of EBook readers such as the iPad and the Amazon Kindle as well as their considerably lower prices since they easy replicable digital content that costs distributors next to nothing to reproduce and sell (Miller, 2001). The inherent problem though with this particular method of sale and distribution is that unlike hardcopy version of novels, short stories or textbooks EBooks can be easily copied, transferred and even distributed freely online by the thousands. The same digitization that allows companies to sell EBooks also allows other people to use the same methods for their gains. A brief Google.com search shows that there are quite literally dozens of sites where EBooks can be illegally downloaded for free. (Growth of Internet Piracy, 2011). The main question that must be asked in this particular case is what can business law do about? When examining the possible resources of the law in this particular case, it becomes quite obvious that in the age of digital content distribution and consumption business law has in effect been rendered impotent in terms of its ability to limit illegal IPR violations. Domain Names and Trademark Violations Going back to the example mentioned in the previous section involving the illegal distribution of digitized content by the Piratebay.org it can be seen that such a trend in online piracy is not limited to merely movies, music, software and games but extends to other aspects related to digital content (Szuskin, de Ruyter Doucleff, 2009). What must be understood is that the internet is now considered one of the best platforms for mass sales and content consumption and as such an online E-commerce site such as Amazon can now be compared to the previous generation of traditional superstores in New York such as Macy’s and Bloomingdales or the equivalent of Dubai’s â€Å"Mall of Dubai†. While there are quite literally thousands of other examples that can be mentioned what all of them have in common is a proprietary trademark. This trademark is an essential aspect of a store or company’s brand image and as such, is protected by various business laws against illegal or unsanctioned reproduction. In the case of online E-commerce stores such as Amazon, eBay and Alibaba their proprietary trademarks come in the form of their domain name. A domain na me is the name of the website with the prefix â€Å"www.† and the suffix â€Å".com†; this is the primary method in which sites are visited and searched for on search engines such as Google and as such can be considered the online equivalent of a trademark. When it comes to business law, what must be understood is that there are inherent differences and limitations to the application of business law in traditional market environments and the application of business law on the internet. Domain name â€Å"copying† is actually a proliferate and frowned upon practice today wherein variations of the suffix or in the name itself are done so as to imitate the trademark of a particular site. For example, the trademark Amazon.com can use the suffix Amazon.biz, Amazon.net, Amazon.xxx, Amazon.cc as well as a sheer plethora of possible suffixes. Variations to the name itself can result in the following examples as well: â€Å"TheAmazon†, â€Å"AmazonShop†, â⠂¬Å"AmazonStore†, etc. All of these techniques are utilized in order to draw consumers away from the original owners of the trademark to other E-commerce stores that utilize the same site design but are in no way connected to the original trademark owners. While the traditional response of business has been to sue other companies who have obvious trademark infringements the same cannot be applied to cases of internet domain names since while such names are considered part of the trademarks of companies business law is not applicable to their use or creation unless in particular cases. For example, misleading domain names which direct users to pornographic sites are in violation of the U.S. Truth in Domain Names Act which was created in 2003 to prevent such actions from continuing. Domain name seizures also occur when the use of a particular domain has been proven to be connected to a specific form of criminal activity (Joe, N.D.). As seen though, in the case of the Piratebay.o rg, there are limits to the application of this particular form of the law since U.S. law is not applicable to domain names registered, applied or transferred to companies outside the U.S. In fact there is an underground business currently booming online wherein domain names are held â€Å"hostage† so to speak. This practice is done by buying and registering a domain name which has the same name as that of a company, organization, or brand. Since such institutions would want to create their own online presence, they would need to subsequently purchase the domain name in order to ensure proper online brand recognition. This usually leads to the company paying several thousand dollars (more than 300 times the worth of the domain) in order to acquire it from the person that had â€Å"legally† acquired the company’s online trademark by being the first to purchase it. Based on this it must be questioned whether there need to be subsequent changes in business law in o rder in order to mitigate the apparent problems related to online practices that are in clear violation of not only a company’s IPR but their trademarks as well. While it may be true that domain name providers do give companies a certain degree of preferential treatment when it comes to purchasing specific domain names related to their company when new suffixes are created (such as the recent.xxx suffix) the fact remains that this does not bode well for companies that will be created in the future that find their online presence hijacked by an unscrupulous individual looking to make a profit. Copyright Infringement in Website Posting and Development Copyrights are defined as â€Å"laws which give the creator of a certain work exclusive rights towards sale, distribution or development over a predetermined period of time†. This can encompass various literary works, artistic works and even film or music. What a copyright does is that it in effect, allows the creator of a particular piece of work the right to profit over what he/she created. Without sufficient copyright protections in place artists, writers and moviemakers would be unwilling to create any new work since they wouldn’t be able to profit from it in the long term due to alternative channels of sales and distribution that other individuals or groups would utilize in order to tell the created work themselves. While this paper has so far delved into the topic of illegally downloading copyrighted content from websites what hasn’t been discussed is how the process behind the creation of websites can actually fall under various aspects of copyright violation as well. Ever since the implementation of Web 2.0 which transitioned websites from the static domain of the solitary programmer to the dynamic world of the normal user the creation of sites through the use of numerous types of online and offline website making software has made copyright infringement a norm rather than rarity (Kahandawaarachchi, 2007). Thousands of websites utilize â€Å"borrowed† content from other sites in the form of pictures, banners and even written information. Not only that, online services such as Photobucket allow users to store copied copyright content from other websites to utilize on their sites and blogs (Kahandawaarachchi, 2007). When attempting to examine the sheer proliferation of copyright infringement and the ability of business law to resolve this issue it becomes evident that there is actually no way to stop it. Just as there are hundreds of websites which allow users to illegally download ripped content, there are millions if not billions of sites where copyrighted content has been utilized in order to add some â€Å"pizzazz† to the site (Kahandawaarachchi, 2007). There are just far too many sites, too many internet users and internet technology have become too accessible resulting in no possible way to even make a small dent in the degree of infringem ent. It must also be noted that the general anonymity connected to the internet helps to proliferate the practice of copyright infringement online. Studies such as those by Hinduja Ingram (2009) indicate that while internet users are aware that their activities are a form of copyright violation some users still post copyrighted images online since they are under the apparent assumption that their anonymity grants them a certain degree of immunity from direct prosecution, they are unfortunately right in this case due to the fact that it is quite literally impossible to examine all aspects related to what individual users are doing online (Hinduja Ingram, 2009). Internet Anonymity and the Application of Business Law One of the current problems in the application of business law in online cases of IPR infringement is the level of anonymity granted by the internet which not only makes methods of prosecution against violators difficult but also encourages criminal behavior. As seen in the study of Hinduja Ingram (2009) which attempted to explain the reason behind the popularity of online IPR infringement it was seen through numerous interviews and accounts that anonymity played a massive role in encouraging the behavior. As Hinduja Ingram (2009) notes, social identity plays a huge factor in limiting criminal or anti-social behavior yet when the concept of social identity and thus accountability is taken away people are more likely to commit acts related to IPR infringement as they otherwise would have done if there was a distinct level of identity and accountability related to their online presence (Hinduja Ingram, 2009). In other words, the Hinduja Ingram (2009) study showed that people were more likely to commit acts of online copyright infringement and the promotion of online piracy since they knew that the level of anonymity afforded to them by the internet allowed them to act without negative consequences. This, in turn, explains the depth and proliferat ion of online piracy and copyright infringement and shows how the problem cannot be so quickly resolved merely by applying laws which state that a particular action is illegal. Another way of looking at this concept is to look at it from a prosecutor’s point of view. While there are many instances where users download illegal IPR content there is no way to prosecute them for the act since there is no way of knowing who they are. Not only that, services such as Rapidshare, Megaupload and Torrent technologies enable users to anonymously upload content and distribute it to millions of other users which further complicates the problem. The sheer number of users and the amount of available online services which allows illegal IPR violations to continue shows just how impotent business law is at the present in actually resolving this issue. It must be noted though that one way in which companies have attempted to fight back against online piracy has been to directly attack the site s themselves through their ISP (Internet Service Providers) however just as the Piratebay.com has been able to say operational by shifting ISPs and servers other websites have done the say which makes any attempt at even trying to resolve the issue a losing battle for companies due to the sheer number of servers available that are not under the jurisdiction of IPR law (Nelson, 2010). Selling Counterfeit Goods online One of the more interesting developments regarding online violations of IPR, copyright and trademarks has been the use of E-commerce platforms as a way in which counterfeit goods are sold and distributed to international customers in bulk shipments (Internet IP: Review of UDRP begins, 2011). While the IPR, copyright and trademark violations in this particular case are quite obvious the audacity in which the products themselves are sold is indicative of the limitations of the reach of business law in such cases. For example, numerous websites utilizing the name â€Å"Chi naPortal†, â€Å"importfromChina† or a variation thereof utilize online advertisements seen in prominent sites such as YouTube in order to convince online consumers to go to their website and purchase counterfeit goods online (Internet IP: Review of UDRP begins, 2011). The reason why businesses haven’t be able to shut these websites down is due to the fact that their servers, domain names and ISP providers are all based in China and as such becomes yet another example of the limits of business law in combating IPR violations (Internet IP: Review of UDRP begins, 2011). It is actually quite interesting to note that there is currently an ongoing trend wherein services that engage in online IPR violations are increasingly transferring their domains and servers to China as a direct result of U.S. and European based legislation that seeks to prevent such websites from going online in the first place. This is particularly interesting to note since the study of Johnson ( 2008) indicates that nearly 40 to 50 percent of all counterfeit goods sold in markets today actually come from factories based in China (Johnsonn, 2008). As such, not only is China becoming a harbor for the production of counterfeit goods, but it has also become a refuge for illegal online services that distribute copyrighted content (Johnsonn, 2008). It now becomes a question of why businesses haven’t been able to do anything regarding China’s actions which in effect cost them billions of dollars a year in lost revenue. One way of explaining this particular situation is to examine it from the Realist theory of international relations which specifically explains that â€Å"States are the primary actors in international relations and as such, there is no entity above a state† (Hall, 2011). Foreign policy, according to Professor Daniel W. Drezner of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, â€Å"is conventionally defined as the means by which a nation-state advances and protects its interests in the world. It includes fashioning alliances, establishing trade relationships, negotiating treaties, shoring up domestic support for international policies, bargaining with international organizations, crafting military doctrines, and waging war†. From this, it can be seen that foreign policy is the manner with which a state interacts and relates to other countries and actors with the aim of protecting and securing a state’s national interests. Moreover, foreign policy is â€Å"something that a state and its machinery produce on behalf of a nation using all the instruments they can muster in competition with other similar actors in a world that is dominated by the logic of Realpolitik†. Taking this into consideration it now becomes obvious that the reason why businesses cannot do anything to resolve this particular situation is due to the fact that they don’t have the right or the capability to activel y force the domestic policy of a foreign state towards their ends (Hall, 2011). While it may be true that in the case of the U.S., lobbyists within Congress are able to influence the decisions and laws implemented the fact remains that such a system does not exist in China and as such companies have next to no ability to actually prevent the current server and domain transfer towards Chinese based services in order to perpetuate the release of illegal copyrighted content. Furthermore, this also prevents companies from actively targeting websites that sell counterfeit goods since they are not located within countries that have strict IPR regulations. Discussion Based on the facts presented in this paper so far it becomes quite obvious that necessary changes in the application of business law need to be implemented in order for it to apply to the challenges described so far. In response to this particular situation two new proposed acts of Congress by the U.S. namely PIPA (Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011) and SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) are currently being deliberated and should they go into effect would resolve many of the problems described in this paper. The first act, SOPA, allows copyright holders to utilize a court-ordered agreement which would in effect ban U.S. based advertising networks from advertising on such sites, would prevent online payment transaction services such as PayPal from processing payments on behalf of that site and it also prevents search engines from displaying the site during an online search as well as requires ISPs to in effect block the website from being accessed by anyone within the U.S. or if the site is based within the U.S. allow all users to visit the site (Nagesh, 2011). The Stop Online Piracy Act effectively neutralizes all possible avenues by which a sight with either pirated or IPR violating content from continuing to exist by strangling all means by which it could derive an income or attract users (Nagesh, 2011). This proposed act is the culmination of all the various facts presented in this paper regarding the inadequacies of business law thus far regarding violations of IPR and as such resolves many of the problems indicated in this paper. What must be understood is that a vast majority of online internet users are from the U.S. and as such by blocking their ability to access to create sites with infringing content this could possibly create a cascading effect where due to reductions in income due to a lack of visitors, sites with illegal copyrighted content would in effect have to shut down (The Internet, 2011). As such, this particular application of business law not only affects violators within the U.S. but violators on an international scale as well since it limits their ability to conduct business. On the other hand, SOPA has continued to receive widespread derision and contempt from a vast majority of internet users du e to the limits it imposes on the consumption of online content (The Internet, 2011). What must be understood is that many of today’s users have grown used to various websites having infringing content in the form of photos, graphics, music and files and as such have considered their presence as an ubiquitous right to online internet usage. What must be understood is that the broad definitions of the act itself could possibly result in thousands of sites being shut down as a direct result of copyright infringement. This involved not only illegal sites but legitimate sites such as Facebook where users share copyrighted images by the thousands on a daily basis. Not only that the implementation of the bill itself has numerous pundits concerned on how it would effect the ability of internet-based entrepreneurial businesses to operate due to the increased liability that may have to face due to the exposure to possibly copyrighted content. The best way of examining this particular issue is from the words of blogger James Alworth, who works at the Harvard Business Review. He states the following quote which reverberates throughout all the problems and concepts presented in this paper: â€Å"Is this really what we want to do to the internet, shut it down every time it doesn’t fit someone’s business model?† (The Internet, 2011). This very statement actually calls into question business law itself as it is applied on the internet today. What must be understood is that the internet is widely acknowledged as the single greatest innovations within the past century due to its ability to not only encourage communication but information sharing on a massive scale. Implementing solutions to the problem of applying business law solutions to the cases presented in this paper unfortunately has the effect of stifling the ability of the internet to continue to be an effective platform of communication and the sharing of ideas since as seen in the case of SOPA the implementation of the most effective solution prevents the proper functioning of the open and freestyle of communication and collaboration the internet is known for. It can even be argued that copyrights and IPRs actually constrain innovation and the subsequent application of new methods to use old technologies. With copyrights and IPRs securely in the hands of companies that want to keep them in order to perpetuate the success of their business models they in effect stifle potential new applications of the technologies they so religiously guard. Evidence of this can be seen in the way in which open-source software projects such as Linux, Mozilla and Google’s Android software application have practically done leaps and bounds in their ability to not only rival but exceed the capabilities of proprietary based systems. While it may be true that under business law companies have a right to profit from the copyrighted and trademarked content that they created it is at t imes questionable whether the perpetuation of practices which allow old business models to continue to operate is truly the most effective path to pursue. In fact, it was stated by the director of Valve (one of the largest computer game companies in the world) that the popularity of online IPR violation isn’t an issue that involved business law but is rather a service issue. Examining the Concept of IPR Violations as a â€Å"Service† Issue When the head of Valve mentioned that IPR violations are a service issue he meant that certain licensed content whether in the form of media, games, software or pictures were either unavailable in a particular region or unaffordable by people that wish to utilize the copyrighted content. What must be understood is that a vast majority of IPR violations done today through the illegal consumption and use of copyrighted content is actually done by individuals who can’t afford to get the software or media in another fashion (Khouj a Park, 2007). As such, they turn towards IPR violation as the only recourse they have in order to gain the content the need. In the case of Valve, they resolved the problem of IPR violations being a service issue by establishing a service that both addressed the issue of availability and affordability of video games. Through their proprietary â€Å"Steam† portal, players from all around the world were able to find the games they wanted and pay for them at a fraction of the cost that they otherwise would have if they had bought the game through traditional methods. Based on this it can be seen that there are alternative solutions that other companies are not event attempting since they seem more concerned in perpetuating their old business models instead of attempting various methods of innovation to address the issue of IPR violations (Khouja Park, 2007). Losing Touch with their Customers It can actually be stated that based on the words of the Valve CEO that the inherent problem in this particular case is the fact that companies have in effect lost touch with their customers based as a direct result of the internet and as such have begun to rely on business law as a way of reversing an unfavorable situation. One way of looking at this is by comparing the case of Netflix and Blockbuster and how one business model was affected by changes to consumers and the effects of innovation. When examining what company has lost touch with its consumer base, the best example that can be seen at the present is the fall of Blockbuster and the subsequent rise of Netflix within the past 10 years. What is notable in this particular case is that Blockbuster originally had a dominant position in the U.S. market. It has 3,000 stores and controlled 95% of the video rental market; however, it is interesting to note that its business model did little to change over time. Blockbuster stores were notable for their large selection of movies and games; however, they tended to b e overly spacious and placed in an equally large parking lot with few surrounding stores. Such a scheme did result in high sales over a period of 15 years however it must be questioned whether the sales were a result of its business model or just the sheer proliferation of its stores and the dominant position it enjoyed in the market. When examining how Blockbuster dealt with local competition, it was obvious that they did so by offering a wider selection, lower prices and more attractive looking stores in order to gain more consumers. Not only that Blockbuster also enjoyed a rather healthy relationship with several studios which enabled it to release movie rentals faster than its competitors could have, which resulted in more consumers coming to Blockbuster as a result. The fall of Blockbuster By the late 1990s though it is obvious that Blockbuster was so competitor centered in maintaining its dominant position that it neglected to examine changes within its consumer base (Gandel, 2010). By this time, faster internet speeds were becoming available to the general public which, along with the proliferation of home computer systems, resulted in more people turning towards the internet for their needs. In fact, it was at this point that online e-commerce systems which enabled consumers to make purchases online started to proliferate which enabled new companies to enter into previously hard to enter markets due to the flexibility and low-cost nature of online sales and consumer marketing. When Netflix began its online video rental service in the latter half of the 1990s this gave consumers a faster and more convenient method of video rental which subsequently eroded away at Blockbuster’s market position till by 2005 to 2009 when Netflix released its online video streaming service this could be considered the â€Å"final nail in the coffin† so to speak resulting in the dominance of Netflix and the complete erosion of Blockbuster’s previously do minant position. Based on this example, it can be seen that companies that don’t innovate in light of subsequent changes to markets very likely could go under as a direct result of their actions. Examining the Issue The case of Blockbuster and Netflix is actually an example of the wider state of all businesses today and as such is evidence as to why the fight against online IPR infringement should not be considered one based on business law but one where companies are reluctant to innovate in light of the changes needed and are utilizing business law as a means of â€Å"resisting the change† so to speak. The reason behind this is the fact that businesses don’t operate within a vacuum and have to deal with intense competitive environment forces on an almost daily basis. What must be understood is that there are three components to market orientation that dictate how a company acts within a competitive environment; these are: customer orientation, competitor orien tation, and inter-functional coordination. In the case of customer orientation, a company spends what resources it has in gathering data on the needs and behaviors of various consumers, the same can be said for competitor orientation however it focuses on competitors instead. What must be understood is that either method has a distinct weakness. Focusing too much on consumer orientation can actually blind a company to changes in the market or may actually stifle innovation since the company focuses too much on consumer satisfaction rather than changing based on trends. Focusing too much on competitor orientation on the other hand results in too much time and capital being placed on competitive activities which results in companies at times neglecting their consumer bases and focusing too much on getting ahead of the competition. On the other hand, both methods also have their own respective strengths, such as the customer orientation strategy being more effective in uncertain market s, whereas competitor oriented strategies become effective in fast-growing markets. The best way to maintain a balance between the orientations is to first create a market intelligence mechanism that gathers consumer information and disseminates it within the company and secondly is to encourage the free flow of information within the organization. What must be understood is that market orientations tend to become ineffective when organizations are mired in bureaucratic nuances which prevent information from being passed on quickly. This is exactly what is happening to companies at the present wherein they are mired in the bureaucratic entanglements of IPRs, copyrights and trademarks. They have become so concerned with maintaining their positions that they have neglected to take into account current market intelligence and customer orientation in order to innovate their products in such a way that it allows the company to both profit from online IPRs while at the same time allowing consumers to enjoy the current level of freedom they enjoy online. The creation of SOPA is merely evidence of this resistance and as such should not be encouraged to go into effect since it not only negatively impacts online users but also prevents companies from forcefully innovating themselves. Reference List Bhattacharjee, S, Gopal, R, Lertwachara, K, Marsden, J 2006, ‘Consumer Search and Retailer Strategies in the Presence of Online Music Sharing’, Journal Of  Management Information Systems, 23, 1, pp. 129-159, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost. Grosso, A 2002, ‘Why the Digital Millennium Copyright Act Is a Failure of Reason’,  Communications Of The ACM, 45, 2, pp. 19-23, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost. ‘Growth of Internet Piracy’ 2011, Congressional Digest, 90, 9, pp. 261-288, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost. Hall, JA 2011, ‘The nature of sophisticated realism: Raymond Aron and international relations’, Journal Of Classical Sociology, 11, 2, pp. 191-201, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost. Hinduja, S, Ingram, J 2009, ‘Social learning theory and music piracy: the differential role of online and offline peer influences’, Criminal Justice Studies, 22, 4, pp. 405-420, International Security Counter Terrorism Reference Center, EBSCOhost. ‘Internet IP: Review of UDRP begins’ 2011, Managing Intellectual Property, 207, p. 9, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost. Jameson, DA 2011, ‘Who Owns My Words? Intellectual Property Rights as a Business Issue’, Business Communication Quarterly, 74, 2, pp. 210-215, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost. Johnsonn, E 2008, ‘Buyer Beware’, Golf World, 61, 27, p. 33, MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost. Joe P n.d., ‘Rep. pitts backs truth in domain names act legislation bans porn sites that lure children’, FDCH Press Releases, Military Government Collection, EBSCOhost. Kahandawaarachchi, T 2007, ‘Liabili ty of Internet Service Providers for Third Party Online Copyright Infringement: A Study of the US and Indian Laws’, Journal Of  Intellectual Property Rights, 12, 6, pp. 553-561, Library, Information Science Technology Abstracts, EBSCOhost. Khouja, M, Park, S 2007, ‘Optimal Pricing of Digital Experience Goods Under Piracy’,  Journal Of Management Information Systems, 24, 3, pp. 109-141, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost. Miller, S, Bove, C 2011, ‘Fighting intellectual property theft in the internet age: why we need a statute like the combating online infringement and counterfeits act’, Intellectual Property Technology Law Journal, 23, 4, pp. 3-11, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost. Miller, R 2011, ‘Dramatic Growth’, Library Journal, 136, 17, pp. 32-34, Literary Reference Center, EBSCOhost. Morton, N, Koufteros, X 2008, ‘Intention to Commit Online Music Piracy and Its Antecedents: An Empirical Investigation’, Struct ural Equation Modeling, 15, 3, pp. 491-512, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost. Nagesh, G 2011, ‘Tech groups warn piracy bill poses regulatory ‘nightmare†, Hill, November, MasterFILE Complete, EBSCOhost. Nelson, R 2010, †Pirating Is Now Safe.†, Publishers Weekly, 257, 8, p. 72, Literary Reference Center, EBSCOhost. Norton, P, Freedmart, A 2006, ‘Torrents. (cover story)’, PC Magazine, 25, 2, pp. 112- 116, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost. Szuskin, L, de Ruyter, S, Doucleff, J 2009, ‘Beyond Counterfeiting: The Expanding Battle Against Online Piracy’, Intellectual Property Technology Law Journal, 21, 11, pp. 1-13, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost. The Internet, S 2011, ‘Internet Society Joins Opposition to Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)’, Business Wire (English), December, Regional Business News, EBSCOhost. Woker, T 2006, ‘Principles of copyright in intellectual property law: An overview’, Critical Arts: A South-North Journal Of Cultural Media Studies, 20, 1, pp. 35-46, Literary Reference Center, EBSCOhost. This essay on Exploitation of Copyrights, Trademarks and Intellectual Property Rights in Modern Day Business: An Examination of Adverse Practices in an Internet Dominated Era was written and submitted by user Dark Wasp to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Obamas Inspiring 2004 Democratic Convention Speech

Obamas Inspiring 2004 Democratic Convention Speech On July 27, 2004, Barack Obama, then a senatorial candidate from Illinois, delivered an electrifying speech to the 2004 Democratic National Convention. As the result of the now-legendary speech (presented below), Obama rose to national prominence, and his speech is regarded as one of the great political statements of the 21st century. OUT OF MANY, ONE by Barack Obama Keynote Speech Democratic National Convention in Boston, Mass. July 27, 2004 Thank you so much. Thank you so much... On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation, Land of Lincoln, let me express my deepest gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention. Gratitude for Family Heritage Tonight is a particular honor for me because - let’s face it - my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. His father - my grandfather - was a cook, a domestic servant to the British. But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. Through hard work and perseverance my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place, America, that shone as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before. While studying here, my father met my mother. She was born in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the Depression. The day after Pearl Harbor my grandfather signed up for duty; joined Patton’s army, marched across Europe. Back home, my grandmother raised their baby and went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the G.I. Bill, bought a house through F.H.A., and later moved west all the way to Hawaii in search of opportunity. And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter. A common dream, born of two continents. My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or †blessed,† believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success. They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren’t rich, because in a generous America you don’t have to be rich to achieve your potential. They are both passed away now. And yet, I know that, on this night, they look down on me with great pride. I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents’ dreams live on in my two precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible. Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation - not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Greatness of America Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That is the true genius of America - a faith in simple dreams, an insistence on small miracles: - That we can tuck in our children at night and know that they are fed and clothed and safe from harm. - That we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door. - That we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe. - That we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will be counted at least, most of the time. This year, in this election, we are called to reaffirm our values and our commitments, to hold them against a hard reality and see how we are measuring up, to the legacy of our forbearers, and the promise of future generations. And fellow Americans, Democrats, Republicans, Independents - I say to you tonight: we have more work to do. - More work to do for the workers I met in Galesburg, Ill., who are losing their union jobs at the Maytag plant that’s moving to Mexico, and now are having to compete with their own children for jobs that pay seven bucks an hour. - More to do for the father that I met who was losing his job and choking back the tears, wondering how he would pay $4,500 a month for the drugs his son needs without the health benefits that he counted on. - More to do for the young woman in East St. Louis, and thousands more like her, who has the grades, has the drive, has the will, but doesn’t have the money to go to college. Now don’t get me wrong. The people I meet - in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks - they don’t expect government to solve all their problems. They know they have to work hard to get ahead - and they want to. Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will tell you they don’t want their tax money wasted, by a welfare agency or by the Pentagon. Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can’t teach our kids to learn - they know that parents have to teach, that children can’t achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. They know those things. People don’t expect government to solve all their problems.  But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. They know we can do better. And they want that choice. John Kerry In this election, we offer that choice. Our Party has chosen a man to lead us who embodies the best this country has to offer. And that man is John Kerry. John Kerry understands the ideals of community, faith, and service because they’ve defined his life. From his heroic service to Vietnam, to his years as a prosecutor and  lieutenant governor, through two decades in the United States Senate, he has devoted himself to this country. Again and again, we’ve seen him make tough choices when easier ones were available. His values - and his record - affirm what is best in us. John Kerry believes in an America where hard work is rewarded; so instead of offering tax breaks to companies shipping jobs overseas, he offers them to companies creating jobs here at home. John Kerry believes in an America where all Americans can afford the same health coverage our politicians in Washington have for themselves. John Kerry believes in energy independence, so we aren’t held hostage to the profits of oil companies, or the sabotage of foreign oil fields. John Kerry believes in the Constitutional freedoms that have made our country the envy of the world, and he will never sacrifice our basic liberties, nor use faith as a wedge to divide us. And John Kerry believes that in a dangerous world war must be an option sometimes, but it should never be the first option. You know, a while back, I met a young man named Seamus in a V.F.W. Hall in East Moline, Ill.. He was a good-looking kid, six two, six three, clear eyed, with an easy smile. He told me he’d joined the Marines, and was heading to Iraq the following week. And as I listened to him explain why he’d enlisted, the absolute faith he had in our country and its leaders, his devotion to duty and service, I thought this young man was all that any of us might hope for in a child. But then I asked myself:  Are we serving Seamus as well as he is serving us? I thought of the 900 men and women - sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors, who won’t be returning to their own hometowns. I thought of the families I’ve met who were struggling to get by without a loved one’s full income, or whose loved ones had returned with a limb missing or nerves shattered, but who still lacked long-term health benefits because they were Reservists. When we send our young men and women into harm’s way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they’re going, to care for their families while they’re gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world. Now let me be clear. Let me be clear. We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued - and they must be defeated. John Kerry knows this. And just as Lieutenant Kerry did not hesitate to risk his life to protect the men who served with him in Vietnam, President Kerry will not hesitate one moment to use our military might to keep America safe and secure. John Kerry  believes in America. And he knows that it’s not enough for just some of us to prosper. For alongside our famous individualism, there’s another ingredient in the American saga. A belief that we’re all connected as one people. If there is a child on the south side of Chicago who can’t read, that matters to me, even if it’s not my child. If there’s a senior citizen somewhere who can’t pay for their prescription drugs, and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it’s not my grandparent. If there’s an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my  civil liberties. It is that fundamental belief, it is that fundamental belief, I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper that makes this country work. It’s what allows us to pursue our individual dreams and yet still come together as one American family. E Pluribus Unum. Out of Many, One. Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America - there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America - there’s the United States of America. The pundits, the pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too: We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don’t like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and yes, we’ve got some gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We Are One People We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America. In the end, that’s what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or do we participate in a politics of hope? John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to hope. I’m not talking about blind optimism here - the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don’t think about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about something more substantial. It’s the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs. The hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores. The hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta. The hope of a millworker’s son who dares to defy the odds. The hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope! In the end, that is God’s greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation. A belief in things not seen. A belief that there are better days ahead. I believe that we can give our middle class relief and provide working families with a road to opportunity. I believe we can provide jobs to the jobless, homes to the homeless, and reclaim young people in cities across America from violence and despair. I believe that we have a righteous wind at our backs and that as we stand on the crossroads of history, we can make the right choices, and meet the challenges that face us. America! Tonight, if you feel the same energy that I do, if you feel the same urgency that I do, if you feel the same passion I do, if you feel the same hopefulness that I do - if we do what we must do, then I have no doubts that all across the country, from Florida to Oregon, from Washington to Maine, the people will rise up in November, and John Kerry will be sworn in as president, and John Edwards will be sworn in as vice president, and this country will reclaim its promise, and out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come. Thank you very much everybody. God bless you. Thank you. Thank you, and God bless America.

Based on recent events, discuss whether the stock markets are Essay - 1

Based on recent events, discuss whether the stock markets are efficient according to the EMH - Essay Example The investors will gain through selling their shares at a higher price than they bought them, thereby making a profit. In addition, they benefit from dividends realized by the company, though the value of dividend earned will depend on the number of shares that a person has. It’s not always that the investors benefit, they might experience losses when the share prices decrease. Shares are traded through share exchanges, which take the form of Over The Counter (OTC) or through listed exchanges.2 Efficient Market Hypothesis Companies, for a long time have been taking advantage of Efficient Market Hypothesis, which was developed in the early 1960’s by Professor Eugene Fama. This is a theory that shows how impossible it is for a person or a company to beat the market. It shows that when making selling or purchasing decisions, the value of available information is indispensable.3 It states the importance in three forms, the weak form, semi-strong form and the strong form. In the weak form, it’s said that the history of a company can be shown by the past prices. Some academicians however dispute this and say that the past outcomes of a company can never dictate the future. In the semi-strong form, the theory states that the prices not only show all past available information but can also predict and depict what the future will be like. In the strong form, it shows that prices can depict all information about a company, including the most private information, and will definitely affect the future. Investors can thus make their investment decisions depending on the information available.4 However, this theory does not stand to state that the information available is 100% certain about the future. It goes on to show that companies cannot overprice their shares or buy undervalued shares in an attempt to beat the market. New and available information is accessed by all and, people will therefore take any available chance and opportunity.4 However, rec ent happenings and events in the stock markets shows how efficient or not, the markets use the Efficient Market Hypothesis. There are cases of world’s most known investors withdrawing and selling their shares at an alarming rate. The case of Warren Buffet is a good example. He has been known to invest millions into shares in American companies, even where others were afraid of investing, and has reaped huge benefits from the investment.5 Recently, however, Buffet sold over 19 million shares he had in Johnson and Johnson, and more in Krafter foods. Others like John Paulson have also followed suit. Canada’s greatest technology firm, Research In Motion has not been spared either5. From 2009, its value has been dwindling at a rate that is hard to avoid. In the USA, it has experienced a 12% drop, all the way from 44% in 2007. In the Toronto Stock Exchange, it has experienced a 75% drop. 6 Its investors in the stock market are no longer interested in purchasing any more shar es. To them, it is not a risk worth taking. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has seen many of these changes. Companies are experiencing changes that they had not anticipated, which results to investors pulling out and selling their shares. These stock markets have not been able to steer away or take advantage of economic anomalies.7 The stock markets have been effective in utilizing the EMH. The investors had already had past information on what was to happen.

Critical Review of "Aggression among young adults in the social Article

Critical Review of "Aggression among young adults in the social context of the bar" by Kathryn Graham and Samantha Wells - Article Example Though a number of studies were directed to examining the connection between aggressive behaviour and intoxication little or now research were conducted in the specific places for alcohol consumption. Therefore, the authors supposed that social context of the bar has certain effects on the participants of the aggression. First the authors outline the previous research done in this sphere. And it turns out that the previous research conducted in this sphere aimed to study the following notions in the context of aggression in bars: the average number of the participants as well as the characteristics, cross-cultural differences as well as environmental factors that contribute to the aggressive behavior. The triggers of aggressive behaviour in bars were also the object of attention of different studies. The very nature of the aggression in social context of the specific environment such as a bar was the least examined phenomenon that is why Graham and Welis directed their attention to it primarily. They hypothesized that the specific environment as well the context of the incident contributed to the appearance of aggressiveness among individuals to a certain extent. The authors aimed to find out how the behaviour of all participants involved into the aggressive episode influences its course and what as pects of social interaction define the aggressive incident. Moreover, the authors aimed to outline the general course of events development during aggressive incidents: general number of participants involved, levels of aggression and intoxication of participants, the environment that influenced the incident directly and indirectly. The chosen methods of research allowed authors to define the context of the aggressive incidents and compare it to the context defined by previous research in this sphere. As the methods of the

Identification After Gender Essay Example for Free

Identification After Gender Essay Time episode Fionna and Cake and reading Berengier of the Long Ass, the expectations of genders are exposed through the reversal of roles in both of these pieces. The characters in these stories clearly demonstrate the expectations that certain males and females must negotiate in order to expose the problems when there is labeling of certain genders. Judith Butlers analysis of gender is that it is performative- meaning that nobody really is a gender from the start; after watching the video and reading the text for this exercise, t is clear that Fionna and The Knight expose the misconceptions of gender throughout societies today. In our society today there are certain notions that many people have about what are right and wrong for males and females to wear, think, and act. There are certain things that are expected out of males- a toughness about them, an attitude that declares them as the man of the house- that is unfairly labeled upon every male in our society. Females are expected to be the ones who constantly act girly and let the males do everything involving manual labor- this is an unfair label that is placed upon every female in our society. The video that Judith Butler takes part in is an example of a certain female who does not believe in conforming with the problems of the rest of our society- taking a stand against the normal ideas of the public. Judith Bakers ideas are expressed throughout Fionna and Cake and Berengier of the Long Ass, when Fionna , The Lady, and The Knight expose these misconceptions by swapping roles; The Lady and Fionna act as the males, while Prince Gumball and The Knight act as the females. The idea that Fionna and The Lady act as the males in these stories define the problem that our society has when it omes to the definition of males and females. There are certain expectations that must be fulfilled when it comes to being seen as a male or female, but in these two pieces (video and story), the main characters both reject the expectations, or try and fulfill them unsuccessfully. In the Adventure Time episode Fionna and Cake Fionna and Prince Gumball act as their opposite gender in many ways. Throughout Fionna and Cake Fionna refuses to completely fulfill these expectations that are placed among most females. Fionna goes through the majority of the video as a tomboy who would rather carry weapons in her person than make-up. However, by the end of the video she adapts to the normal expectations for females by dressing up in a dress and trying to flatter Prince Gumball. In order for Fionna to expose the expectations of certain genders, Fionna goes to the extreme limit when trying to act as a boy; for there is nothing more manly for a human-being to do than to save someones life. Fionna saves Prince Gumball, which in turn creates a relationship between the two that was not there before. It becomes evident that there is a gender swap in this video when Fionna is the one who is catching Prince Gumball when he falls from the ceiling. o infatuate Fionna, portraying the inner-man of Princess Ice, and getting the inner- woman out of Fionna. Fionna Justifies the ideas of Judith Butlers by showing the audience that it took awhile for her to find her preferred gender- switching preferences multiple times between the beginning and end of the video. Fionna proves that any female can be happy doing male-type things, but also can be happy with a man, which goes against the norm of being a tom boy. By the end of the story it is clear that Fionna chooses to give up the girly personality that is expected mong women, while consistently being herself, and attracting the Prince of her dreams. In the reading Berengier of the Long Ass, The Knight and his Lady successfully pull off an epic gender swap that The Knight would not be very proud of. Throughout the beginning of the story the Lady constantly criticizes her husband for being lazy and not being a chivalrous Knight. Because she questions the Knights manhood, the Knight forces himself to make a change. The Knight then tries to fulfill the expectations of Knights in our society by creating fake battles in the forests to impress his wife. Because he does a bad Job of faking his fatigue and injuries after these fake battles, the wife begins to catch on to his tricks. The wife then follows him to the next battle realizing that what he was saying the whole entire time was a fraud. Butlers applications to gender being performative comes into play here, because the Knight tries so hard to be a man -that his life turns upside down because of it. The Knights wife then brings back another guy to the house, knowing that because her husband is a woman in her eyes, he will not even think about doing anything to harm her. When the Knight realizes that his attempt at conforming to the publics interpretation ofa knight has failed, he feels as though he is a failure- for the only important in most knights life is the chivalrous way in which they live. A Knights expectation is to be the most brave, genuine, and honest guy of all; however, in this case the knights wife was more of a knight than he was. The Knight in this story tried to adapt to the expectations that are naturally placed on him, and instead of adapting he completely failed at his attempt. Most people are better off being their atural-selves than trying to fulfill the expectations that others place on them. After analyzing Fionna, Prince Gumball, The Knight, and his wife, it is obvious that being yourself leads to the most happiness between one and their partner. Fionna maintains her inner-boy personality and ends up being the happiest girl in the world. The Knight tries to change his personality and ends up watching his wife hang out with another man. Judith Butlers ideas really make sense after analyzing these characters because of the way in which characters can reject the expectations of their gender and be completely happy because of it.

Flight Essay examples -- essays research papers

Essay on "Flight" 	It is always hard to get separated from someone you love and with whom you have shared every moment of his life until he decides to walk on a different path than yours. You don't know how to react and confusion dominates your mind. Should you be angry at him for leaving you, or should you support and respect his decision ? In her essay "Flight," Doris Lessing illustrates the story of an old man who is learning to let go his granddaughter as she grows into an adult and is about to get married. Lessing wisely delivers this particular old man's situation to her readers through her use of literary techniques and devices. Thus, she greatly succeeded at making her readers feel and live the grandfather's difficulty to get separated from his granddaughter. 	Throughout the story, Lessing skillfully uses narration and description to catch the readers attention, making us feel the grandfather's state of emotions. Hence, in the beginning of the story, we first meet his granddaughter Lisa through his eyes that "travelled homewards along the road until his granddaughter swinging on the gate underneath a frangipani tree. Her hair fell down her back in a wave of sunlight ; and her long bare legs repeated the angles of the frangipani stems, bare, shinning brown stems among patterns of pale blossoms." We follow the movement of his eyes that see her as a shinning light that illuminates his life to which he is addicted. Moreove...