Big business affects ethics in promotion Essay Example for Free

Big business affects ethics in promotion Essay Ethics in marketing and promotion activities has been disregarded in the business world today. The reason again is the big profit at stake. Because big business entails big amount of profit, promotional ethics has been undermined. This gives birth to the deterioration of promotional ethics. History has shown many promotional activities that have evolved in style as well as in form while safeguarding the basic interest of promotions which is to profit just like in the lottery form of promotions. â€Å"In the 1960s, lottery-like contests designed to publicize products through sweepstakes competitions spread rapidly. In the 19th century, every state banned lotteries—defined as competitions in which chances to win prizes were sold—to protect citizens. In 1868, Congress prohibited the distribution of lottery materials through the mail. The mid-20th century sweepstakes, however, did not require contestants to purchase tickets or products to win prizes and were thus considered legal. † (Congress, 1970) In promoting a product, it is of a general rule that one must be honest. But looking at the business world today, honesty has vanished. The promotions in the business world have been characterized by deception. Majority of the companies promoting their products are only deceiving clients for earning purposes. They want a fast disposal of their products so that their capital and profit will soon be seen. They don’t care if the product is falsely advertised, all they care about is the people buying it. This absence of honesty and truthfulness plagues the business world. A product of such untruthfulness most of the time are discussed in court where a lot of clients give their complaints. Dishonesty can also be seen in instances like a company is telling the public that the product weighs like and the product gives vitamins such as these. But in reality, all they are saying are false and untruthful. This reality is very prevalent that sometimes people see it as just normal in marketing. Being dishonest sometimes is already accepted as part of the business world. In promotions, companies never look at the quality of their products. They just focus on promoting it and deceiving the public just again for profit. Promotions then become just words of manipulating the people. They do away from the criteria that what is said regarding a product must coincide with the truth about it. But in reality, truth about the product and the quality of the product diverge in two different directions. In promotion ethics, welfare of the clients must be first and foremost bannered. The clients are the ones giving life to the business world and they are the ones using the products. Again, with the prevalence of deception, businesses view the people as only tools for a desired end. They forget that the reason they indulge in business is not only for profit but for the service to the people. The people must experience good quality service from the business world. People must be given an honest and sincere service by businesses. The glamour for money of the people makes the promotional ethics deteriorate. This is a sad reality that we face. Now, it is true that it is very hard to overcome this because most people are very much inclined with money and the power in it. The constant desire of people to gain and assimilate material things brings about all the disease in promotional ethics. These are diseases that eat every persons’ being and not only deteriorates the promotional world but also the dignity of people inside it. SUMMARY While big business becomes bigger, media will continually be challenged to hold on to their ethical standards while balancing itself on the persuasive power of business to control media decisions of what to communicate and what information to keep away from public scrutiny. As these two forces contend with each other, using each other as leverage to further one’s own interests, balancers are needed. Social responsibility and media ethics are needed to strike the balance between these two forces from using each other’s strengths in order for the other to become bigger monsters that they are. â€Å"Big business has changed the world. The global growth of corporate culture has brought with it the spread of democratic systems, increased wealth and education, and diversified local economies. But it has also created extreme degrees of exploitation, greed, and environmental destruction. † (Enlightennext, 2006) It is a matter of time when consumers finally realize that they have the power to tip the scales between big business and media and forge these two giants to adhere to their social responsibility, ethical standards in a global setting. REFERENCES: American Advertising Federation Board of Directors, March 2, 1984, San Antonio, Texas.Berlau, John. March 18, 2002. Is big business ethically bankrupt? Insight on the News Blohowiak, Donald W. 1987. No Comment! An Executives Essential Guide to the News Media. Praeger Publishers Bowers, Chris. 2004. Media Conglomerate Will Attempt to Swing Election For Bush http://www. mydd. com/story/2004/10/9/153537/663 Congress, House, Select Committee on Small Business, Investigation of iPreselected Winnersi Sweepstakes Promotions: Hearings before the Subcommittee on Activities of Regulatory Agencies Relating to Small Business of the Select Committee on Small Business , House of Representatives, 91st Cong., 1st sess. , Washington, D. C. , November 12, 13, and 14, 1969 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1970). DuBrin, J. , Andrew, (February 2004). Fundamentals of Organizational Behavior. South- Wester Publication, 2004 Donaldson, T (1988). Broadcasters Seek to Clean Up the Industry and Hope to Regulated Commercial Activities on the Air, â€Å"Ethical Dilemnas†. Chicago, 1988 Evans, Fred J. 1987. Managing the Media: Proactive Strategy for Better Business-Press Relations. Quorum Books. Ethics and Television. November 21, 2006 from http://www. museum. tv/archives/etv/E/htmlE/ethicsandte/ethicsandte. htm Enligthennext. 2006. Can Big Business Save the World? Retrieved November 21, 2006 from http://www. wie. org/business/ Gardner, Howard and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, William Damon 2001. Good Work: When Excellence and Ethics Meet. Basic Books Glover, JD. 1954. The Attack on Big Business. Harvard University Press How Much Do Television Ads Cost? November 21, 2006 From http://www. gaebler. com/Television-Advertising-Costs. htm Liebert, R. M., Sprafkin, J. (1988). The Early Window (3rd ed. )New York: Pergamon. McGuire, William J, 1986. The Myth of Massive Media Impact: Savaging and Salvaging. in C. Comstock (ed) Public Communication Campaigns. 2nd edition. Newbury Park CA: Sage. NBC. National Broadcasters Meet at Chicago and Adopt Code of Ethics New York Times (New York), March 26, 1929. Perse, Elizabeth M. 2001. Media Effects and Society. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Smith. J. W. 1994. The Worlds Wasted Wealth II, (Institute for Economic Democracy, 1994), p. 224.

Ethical Concepts in Counselling

Ethical Concepts in Counselling Ethics pertains to beliefs we hold about what constitutes right conduct. They are moral principles adopted by an individual or group to provide rules for right conduct and represent aspirational goals or the maximum standards which are set and enforced by professional associations. The American Counseling Associations (2005) Code of Ethics states that when counselors encounter an ethical dilemma they are expected to carefully consider an ethical decision making process. While counseling a client, the counselor is presented with countless challenges to recognize when and where a specific ethical concept, standard and guideline might be crucial. Ethical standards and guidelines inform our judgment as they help us recognize, think through and find or create path to deal with a dilemma. The way we respond to a dilemma has a great deal to do with our sense of what is valuable and right. In this perspective, the response is seen as being fair and judicious for the client or perhaps is in t he client’s best interest for continued development. When counselors operate from this highly personal and subjective position, they call upon a sense of morality. Morality is concerned with perspectives of right and proper conduct and involves an evaluation of actions on the basis of some broader cultural context or religious standard. Morality serves as a foundation to ethical practice and decision making. To decide ethically is to first decide morally. (Values and Ethics in Counselling: Real –Life Ethical Decision Making, Dana Heller Levit) Values pertains to beliefs and attitudes that provide direction to everyday living. Clients ethical issues becomes a dilemma when they pit ethical, legal or organizational requirements against each other or when the ethical codes become silent on the clients issues. With respect to these , finding occasional inconsistencies among resources are inevitable. As a result, to select a preferred course of action from among the conflicting guidelines, counselors use a decision making model that allows them to weigh the relative importance of the information obtained. A structured method of information collection and review can facilitate the ethical decision making process. The application of this model may help counselors to avoid ethical misconduct and to pursue ethical ideals. The counselor essentially needs to be inquisitive at the beginning phase of an ethical decision making process. The initial step is to identify the problem or the dilemma based ethical, moral and legal dimensions by gathering all relevant information that illuminates the situation. In other words, counselors need to obtain a clear description of the nature of the problem through the usage of effective counseling skills such as reflexive questions. The second step involves a careful evaluation of the most critical issues abstracted from all the information gathered previously. At this point, attempts should be made to review the rights, responsibilities and the welfare of clients and other stakeholders concerned with the dilemma. This review extends to the point of considering the cultural aspects of the situation influencing the clients welfare. Furthermore, the use moral principles of autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice and fidelity to address the situation is inevitable here. With regard to autonomy, the counselor should allow clients the right to choose and act according to their preference. Nonmaleficence is a primary concern that emphasizes on refraining from actions that may risk harming clients. An example would be inappropriately labeling clients with diag nostic terms that may denote abnormality, which could pose serious consequences to the welfare of the client. Beneficence is applied when counselors respect clients dignity and promote the welfare of clients. The principle of justice refers to being fair and nondiscriminatory towards clients. Fidelity deals with faithfulness to promises made and to the truth. There lies a problem in upholding fidelity when a counselor works with a minor client and is obligated to be loyal to the client, while the principle of beneficence may suggests that disclosure may be best for the whole family. In such circumstances, when counselors are left between the conflicting principles, they may need to prioritize certain principles over others as required by the situation. The third step is to review the ethical codes that are relevant to the problem situation. Ethical codes prompt, guide and inform significant values and concerns regarding ethical behaviour. Professionals sought the code of ethics and examine the particular sections relevant to the dilemma to consider if they offer possible solutions. At this point, they also consider if their values and ethics are consistent with or are in conflict with the relevant codes. In the event of an inconsistency with a particular standard, counselors seek supervisory guidance and clarify the issues. Upon rectifying the inconsistencies, they produce a rationale to support their position and document their judgment and reasoning to justify their actions to solve the dilemma. The significance of the fourth step involves keeping up to date on the relevant state and federal laws that might apply to ethical dilemmas. In order to do so, the counselor needs to be knowledgeable in the applicable laws and regulations. At the same time, interpreting these legal statutes as according to how they may relate to clients issue becomes a fundamental aspect of the decision making process. This would be pertinent in matters of breaching confidentiality, reporting abuse of the vulnerable , dealing with issues that pose a danger to self or others, parental rights and record keeping. It will also suffice to seek guidance from professional bodies concerning ambiguous ethical or legal situation. After thorough assessment of all ethical, clinical and legal issues pertaining to the dilemma, counselors present their facts of the situation and obtain consultation from professional authorities in the fifth step . This is especially useful when counselors are grappling with an ambiguous ethical issue. As an ethical dilemma can be intellectually overwhelming and emotionally distressing for both the client and the counselor, objective feedback from various reliable sources such as colleagues, supervisors or inter-organizational bodies can provide a wider view of the problem or even a new focus on unconsidered facts. Besides consulting professionals who share the same viewpoints, it may also suffice to seek expertise from cross cultural entities , as required by the nature of the dilemma. With adequate information and guidance at hand, the counselor is now at a position to formulate possible solutions to the dilemma (Frame Williams, 2005). In essence, the sixth step is about contemplating the possible and probable causes of actions. Apparently, it requires an extensive exploration process that would allow counselors to lay out the possible courses of action, while at the same time accounting for the ethical obligations of such actions. As counselors review the possibilities, it may be imperative to involve clients in the exploration process before deciding on the most probable courses of action. This is to ensure that decisions are made to the best interest of the client. As it was done in earlier steps, documenting these discussions and would be helpful for counselors to justify their actions in the event of them being questioned. The seventh step entails the previous one as it informs the counselor to enumerate the consequences of various decisions that were taken after evaluating the possible courses of action. This involves considering the positive and negative consequences of each option while at the same time weighing the relative significance of each option. Clients involvement matters during this analysis to ensure that the decisions gravitate towards the best interest of the client. To achieve this the counselor may employ the five moral principles of autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice and fidelity as a framework to consider the consequences of a particular course of action. In the last step of the model the counselor decides on what appears to be the best course of action. After generating the best possible decisions and their outcomes, counselors together with clients and other supervisory consultation, would be select and implement the most appropriate course of actions. Implementation of decisions is followed by assessing the appropriateness of the outcomes of those decisions. The decision making process reaches the fin al phase when the counselor reflects on this assessments and communicates them with clients. However, a follow up may be necessary to determine if the actions taken are effective or if they require a modification. Last but not least, it is essential to document steps taken so as to clarify options, facilitate reasoning and avoid redundant efforts. More importantly, having a documentation is significant if evidence of these efforts are later requested during an investigation. In overall this ethical decision making framework serves as a deliberative and creative approach that guides counseling professionals to fulfill their ethical responsibilities amidst an elusive situation. It assist baffled counselors to think though an ethical dilemma and to arrive at an ethically appropriate decision. Moreover, the framework also helps to prevent ethical violations by enabling counselors to acknowledge the intricacies of ethical decision making as a basis on which competent, ethical and profess ional counseling can be practiced. Despite its useful aspects, the decision making model does falls short in certain areas. In evidence, Corey, Corey and Callanan (1998) indicate this model cannot be applied in an automated or generalized manner, as practitioners often find themselves confronted with a complexity of personal values, social context, as well as a prescriptive professional code. As in the model fails to correspond with this reality or address the level of complexity they confronted. For instance, the general guidelines that states the counselors responsibility to minor clients and to their parents, may provide little help to a counselor who is struggling with an adolescent client who feels alienated from his chaotic family and wants the counselor to keep his violations of curfew and experimentation with alcohol from his parents. The counselor is in a dilemma determining how much material from counseling must be shared with parents and what does that disclosure mean to the progress of the therapy. As it is, the burden of analyzing ethical issues falls squarely on the professional who obviousl y requires critical thinking and intellectual ability that allows careful reasoning to arrive at the best solution. At the same time, reviewing numerous ethical codes and standards in an attempt to abstract those that relate to the dilemma can be a painstaking as well as a time-consuming process. On the other hand, after checking on all ethical and legal obligations, considering the available courses of actions can be again challenging as it may require the clients and the counselors collaborative efforts to speculate all possible options open to them. It may be exhaustive in the sense that it involves an in-depth exploration process where all possible actions and their outcomes have to be thoroughly scrutinized before arriving at a decision. Nevertheless, the ethical decision making model is of much relevance to the current practices of various professional organizations and is widely used by practitioners to find their way out of an ethical dilemma. The following scenario demonstr ates the application of the ethical decision making model. Joe, a 17 year old tells her school counselor, Anne that she was sexually abused by her stepfather and now intends to leave the house to stay with her close friend Mary. Joe also reports that she has not been able to focus in her studies due the trauma caused by the incident and hesitates to tell her mother as it is shameful to do so. In this case, Annes first task is to gather all relevant details of the problem situation such as Joes emotional health, sociocultural background, her current status with the her mother and stepfather and other and other relevant details. Anne also identifies Joes mother, stepfather, Mary and other members of the household as the stakeholders involved in the problem. Anne then attempts to safeguard Joes rights and works in line with the moral principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice and fidelity to protect Joes welfare. In Joes case it is highly likely that different princip les may lead to incompatible conclusions. At this point, Joe seeks guidance and evaluates on which principle should take priority over the others. Anne also reviews the relevant ethical codes to check on ethical obligations regarding her actions. For instance, she may evaluate if a disclosing the issue to her mother would compromise Joes welfare. To mitigate this ambiguity, Anne refers to the ethical codes and standards. Then, Anne explores if any legal statutes are relevant to her actions and is careful about not violating them. Subsequently, Anne talks to her supervisor about Joes case to obtain feedback and solicits ideas from her colleague who works with teenagers. With all the information, Anne identifies a number of possible courses of actions. She lists down the potential responses such as encouraging Joe to talk about it to her mother while maintaining confidentiality of Joes case or as another alternative, informing Joe that she (Anne) would like to consult her mother. In J oes presence and with some supervision, Anne then considers the consequences and outcomes of the possible actions and evaluates the most probable options. Upon arriving at a decision which is ethically appropriate, Anne assesses the outcomes of those decisions and reflect on how they will set an impact on Joe. She communicates these to Joe and documents her action for record-keeping. Another case scenario would involve a family whose child has leukemia and the parents are addressing the situation with prayers rather than medical treatment. They have sought Paul for counseling. To begin with, Paul is faced with a dilemma, as he recognizes a serious problem. On one hand, safety and the welfare of the child and on the other, maintaining client confidentiality are two issues of concern. Conclusion: As counseling focuses on important perspectives such as clients needs, hope,risk and expectations to the point where lives can be at stake, counselors need to reason ethically through challenging situations and determine the most appropriate course of action that ultimately is in the best interest of clients. This requires counselors to be aware of professional and personal issues influencing their decisions, especially when considering the potentially profound, harmful ramifications to clients and the counseling profession when sound ethical judgment is not made.

Role Of Technology In Business

Role Of Technology In Business In todays competitive business environment, speed is the key for all the business processes. A business process would be inefficient and ineffective without the aid of current information technology. Today, information technology provides communication and analytical power that organizations need for global level business. Globalization of world economies has enhanced the values of information to business organisations and has brought success and new opportunities to the business. All types of business have to compete with their competitors for capturing majority of the market and for innovating better products and services. For this reason, they need to adapt to the technology to handle information systems. Because, being the first to introduce a new product in the market leaves a significant mark to the industry and will give a competitive edge. This advantage is not possible without information systems and technology in business. In addition to this, for improved customer service, easy information retrievals, quick preparation of financial transaction, easy building of strategic alliances etc., IT plays a major role in business. Importance of IT in business Almost all kinds of businesses are relying on computers for automating their traditional processes. Businesses use wide variety of databases, management information systems, information sharing platforms, data sharing networks, internet, intranets, machines, and equipments etc which highly rely on computers. Computer technologies are not only used in the field of finance or marketing, but also in the medical industry, human resource departments, inventory control management systems etc. For example, in a manufacturing firm, all transactions done in a warehouse is loaded in a transaction processing system. If the system is not around it will take a lot of time and also manpower to record all the raw materials coming out of the warehouse for use in the production floor which delays production and shipping of parts. The lead time from ordering to producing and shipping the product will be a long which customers will not understand. Speed is very important to be competitive. IT and competitive Advantage The current challenge of implementing IT-dependent strategic initiatives like business process reengineering, customer intimacy, organizational learning, and even organizational transformations makes an IT capability very valuable in meeting business. In addition, the underlying resources, or IT management assets, can be difficult for competitors to imitate. Thus an IT capability has the potential for delivering long-term competitive advantage. The U.S. trucking industry was deregulated in 1980. Schneider National, Inc., is a large truckload carrier. The top management recognized that IT support of operations would be critical for maximizing utilization of its tractors and trailers. Schneider quickly developed freight modelling software and provided a management interface to the data that enabled the firm to offer more reliable customer service with a lower cost base than most competitors. Schneider National is successful because it has developed a capability for applying IT to ever-changing business opportunities. (Ross, Beath et al. 1996) Impact of IT in business Effective implementation of information technology would decrease liability by reducing the cost of expected failures and increase flexibility by reducing the cost of adjustment. Information Technology is having impact on all trade industries and businesses, in service as well as in manufacturing. It is affecting workers at all levels of organizations, from the executives to middle management and clerks. Information technology is increasingly becoming a basic factor of all types of technologies such as craft, engineering, routine, and non-routine. The advances in Information Technology would result in remarkable decline in the costs of synchronization that would lead to new, concentrated business structures. It enables the business to respond to the new and urgent competitive forces by providing effective management of interdependence. Decision Making Enterprises would need effective information systems to support and to deliver information to the different users. Such information systems would include technology that support decision making, provide effective interface between users and computer technology and provide information for the managers on the day-to-day operations of the enterprises. Information is needed for various purposes and serves as an invaluable commodity or product. Information is very important aspect of decision making in all levels of management in enterprises [Hicks, 1993:648], especially in competitive business environment and managers utilize information as a resource to plan, organize, staff administer and control activities in ways that achieve the enterprises objectives. The ability of enterprises to realize their goals depends on how well the organisation acquires, interprets, synthesises, evaluate and understands information and how well its information channels supports organisational processes. Information glut In the near future businesses would be facing a lack and a redundancy of information called information glut. To solve the information-glut companies will need to introduce methods for selective thinning out of information. Improvements in telecommunications will make it easier to control business units dispersed over different parts of the world. Advances in telecommunications, would result in increased distance-communication. Indirect communication would be preferred for well-structured information for routine, pre-programmed and decision processes. (King, 2006) Therefore, information technology plays a major role in the growth of business. Conclusion The effect of information technology on business advantages is likely to be durable since flexible IT build backbone of the firms for communication and exchange of information. Not only IT infrastructure enhances the competitiveness of the firms by increasing the coordination within and across the organizations, but also it can be an integral component of the business strategy (Henderson and Venkatraman, 1993; Laudon and Laudon, 2000). Thus, a flexible IT infrastructure may not only be important for driving business growth but also it could be a catalyst for innovation. Moreover, IT is important to improve operational efficiency and strategic advantages by reducing costs, improving agility, managing change, and maximizing performance (Henderson and Venkatraman, 1993).

LaSalle :: essays research papers

La Salle La Salle, Renà ©-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de (1643-1687), French explorer in North America, who navigated the length of the Mississippi River and claimed the Louisiana region for France. La Salle was born on November 22, 1643, in Rouen, France, and educated by the Jesuits. In 1666 he immigrated to Canada, was granted land on the St. Lawrence River, and became a trader. From 1669 to 1670 he explored the region south of Lakes Ontario and Erie, and he later claimed to have discovered the Ohio River in 1671. In the course of his explorations in the wilderness, La Salle became familiar with indigenous languages and traditions. Because of his capabilities, French colonial governor Louis de Buade, comte de Palluau et de Frontenac, appointed him commander of Fort Frontenac, then being built as a trading station. In 1674 La Salle was sent to France as Frontenac's representative to justify the building of the fort. His mission was successful, and he received a patent of nobility. La Salle subsequently conceived a plan for exploring and trading farther west, and in 1677 he again visited France to secure royal approval of his scheme. He returned with Italian explorer Henri de Tonty, who became his associate. In 1679 he set out on a preliminary expedition, and after establishing forts at the mouth of the Saint Joseph River and along the Illinois River, in February 1680, he sent a group to explore the upper Mississippi River. La Salle then returned to Fort Frontenac to procure new supplies and funds. By spring he was able to travel west again, and he and Tonty proceeded with their party of French and indigenous peoples to the Mississippi, which they descended to the Gulf of Mexico in 1682, claiming all the land drained by the river for Louis XIV, king of France, and naming the region Louisiana. La Salle subsequently commenced construction of forts in the new territory. When Frontenac was recalled to France later in 1682, however, La Salle's rivals succeeded in turning the new governor against him. Journeying to France in 1683, La Salle made a successful appeal to the king, who commended him for his discoveries and named him viceroy of North America. In 1684 he sailed from France with a fleet of four ships on an expedition to establish a colony at the mouth of the Mississippi River. When he reached the Gulf of Mexico he was unable to find the Mississippi,

The Rise of Ideas and the Fall of the State Essay -- Social Revolution

Social revolutions are swift and violent transformations, carried out by the lower classes, which ultimately transform the political, social, and socioeconomic structures of the government (Skocpol, 4). Revolutions do not easily occur and are not inevitable. In fact, there must be certain variables simultaneously present in order for the current regime to collapse and be replaced by a new system. In the following paper, I will illustrate how the simultaneous presence of two variables leads to the social revolutions in France in October of 1789, Russia, in February of 1917, and China in 1949. The first variable describes how wars can cause economic strain that leads to the neglection of the military, which causes defections. The second variable is the rise of radical ideologies resulting in the creation of political parties, which mobilize the peasants. Note that the Chinese Revolution of 1949 is chosen as the social revolution because it adheres to Skocpol’s definition as a r evolution by the lower classes and results in a total transformation of the state, whereas the revolution in 1911 does not. I will also discuss why social revolutions did not occur in the negative cases of the Prussian Reform, the Japanese Meiji Restoration and Russia in 1905. There are no current theories that explain why, how, and when revolutions occur. The volcanic model states that revolutions occur when the demands of the people are not met by the state and the eventual frustration of the people will mobilize the masses, resulting in a transformation of the system (Aya, 7). This theory neglects to identify the actors and the connection between mass frustration and social change. It also fails to identify the ultimate spark that motivates people to c... ...Meiji Restoration, there was no mobilization of the lower people, and the Samurai conducted the reforms from above. In Russia, radical ideas were present in 1905 and did mobilize the peasants, however, the military was present and therefore since both variables need to occur concurrently, there was no revolution in Russia in 1905. The collapse of the army alone would not cause a revolution; neither would protests or riots alone. However, it is the combination of both the collapse of the military as well as the uprisings against the state that results in a revolution. The collapse of the forces of the state allows for the uprisings to become powerful and therefore have the opportunity to attack the state when it is at its weakest point. The two variables that I have discussed show that it takes both variables at the same time in order for a revolution to occur.

Plagiarism †Impact of Internet Essay

The advent of technology and internet in the last decade has opened up several avenues for unlimited information access. This along with the increasing academic pressures has led students to resort to plagiarism at an alarming rate (Elliot, 2004). The problem of plagiarism in the academic context can no longer be ignored as it is hampering the creativity and intellectual capacities of students. Overall, there has been a growing concern and an increase in awareness to find ways to counteract plagiarism. Thesis Problem Statement It has been said that internet hinders the creativity of students and encourages intellectual laziness. This paper intends to explore the negative effects of internet on the creative thinking abilities of the students and find some ways to counteract it. Internet and Plagiarism While the concept of plagiarism is not new, it is certainly more widespread now than before. Plagiarism basically means copying someone else’s work and claiming it as own without giving due credit to the original author (Jones, 2007). With the advent of technological era, information is easily accessible and the temptation to pass off someone else’s work as one’s own is high. There is no limit to the amount or type of information that is available on internet covering every subject imaginable. While this kind of information accessibility is advantageous in several ways and facilitates learning in some scenarios, it also leads to several problems with plagiarism especially in the academic context. Due to the availability and ease of access of the information without any restrictions, the effort to plagiarise is much less compared to earlier days when students had to go through a laborious process to get access to the relevant resources in order to copy. In this co ntext, the impact of internet on cheating can be considered extremely high and is known as digital or cyber plagiarism. Impact of internet According to the NEC Research Institute, there are more than 1.4 billion pages on the Internet with 25 new pages being added every second (Dyrli, 2000). Due to this huge database of information, it is very easy to find papers and information related to the academic subjects This has led to a rapid increase in the percentage of cheating both intentional and unintended by students. According to a study conducted by the Centre for Academic Integrity of Duke University, plagiarism due to internet has increased fourfold in the last 6 years (Vencat, 2006). Several other studies have substantiated this claim of rising incidents of plagiarism and the blurring of moral lines among students. Reasons and Effects of Plagiarism Before delving deep into the effects of plagiarism and ways to prevent it, it is important to understand the reasons for it. While the availability of information is certainly a forerunner, there are several other reasons which lead to it as well, the main one being the academic pressure to which students are subjected and the emphasis on good grades in today’s competitive world (Elliot, 2004). However, since the focus of this paper is digital plagiarism, the main reasons why internet encourages plagiarism are stated below: 1. Access to unlimited information through websites and search engines. 2. The ease with which content can be copy-pasted as compared to the earlier traditional methods of copying the material by hand. 3. Difficulty in detecting plagiarism due to the sheer amount of information against which a particular essay or paper needs to be compared. 4. Lack of standards and criteria making it difficult to pin down a work as exact plagiarism. Due to all the reasons mentioned above and many others, the incidents of cheating are steadily on the rise since the last decade. While a lone instance of plagiarism is negligible, massive increases such as these indicate a self-destructive trend among the student community and are becoming a cause of worry (Lathrop & Foss, 2000). Cheating students not only hamper their own intellectual growth, they also make it that much more difficult for honest students to get their due. Students may gain admission to courses which they do not deserve by using the grades obtained through wrongful means and this creates a permanent impact on the future of the society. This impact becomes especially dangerous if a cheating student decides to get into fields such as medicine, law etc. Also, if a particular student who plagiarises regularly receives good grades, it might compel others to do the same and hence the problem will continue to spread. Considering all these factors, it has become imperative for the academic community to take a strong stand against plagiarism. Avoiding Plagiarism The anti-plagiarism industry has been gaining more and more prominence in the last few years and educational institutions have started enforcing very strict guidelines to ensure that students do not cheat. Most of the institutions mete out severe punishments to offenders. Having said that, the subject of academic integrity is a debatable topic and since all the information available on internet is considered public, it is difficult to define intellectual property in a precise manner. Creating awareness is the first step towards preventing plagiarism and most institutions are taking steps to ensure awareness among students. There are also several resources available on the internet which give information about what constitutes plagiarism and what does not. Teachers are resorting to the use of plagiarism detection softwares to catch offenders. As mentioned before, there are several reasons which ultimately culminate in plagiarism. Apart from the ones mentioned in the previous section, there are also several internal factors which lead students to cheat. Procrastination, poor planning and time management, peer pressure, lack of subject knowledge etc are some of the contributing factors (Elliot, 2004). Sometimes, students are genuinely not aware of the intricacies of citing works and thereby make mistakes which constitute accidental or unintentional plagiarism. However, the fact that the plagiarism was unintentional does not make it acceptable and is still considered wrong. To avoid plagiarism, it is important to tackle the root of the issue. While the institute and teachers can play an important role in creating awareness and challenging assignments which encourage creative thinking, at the end of the day, the moral responsibility lies with the students and it is up to them to understand the consequences of cheating and make an effort consciously to avoid it (Martin, 1984). There are several ways in which students can contribute towards reducing such cases. It is important to create self-awareness by studying all the plagiarism related policies and literature provided by the university and also to understand the consequences of not following the rules as most of the universities subscribe to anti-plagiarism softwares lately. Along with policies, it is also important for students to understand the ethics behind the policies. There are several writing formats and referencing styles followed by universities which provide guidelines on giving credit to the original source and students should familiarize themselves with the ones accepted by their own institutes (Kirszner & Mandell, 2004). It is a good idea to ask for help whenever there is any confusion about citing. Also, it is of utmost importance for students to develop good time management skills and plan their coursework in a proper manner as lack of time is one of the main factors for cheating. A good internal schedule with enough time allocated for understanding the subject matter can go a long way in preventing the temptation to cheat. By gaining a good understanding of the subject matter, it is possible to analyse what has been written on the subject by others and extract the relevant data from it rather than blind copying. Last but not the least, it is extremely important to cite all the information which has been borrowed from other sources (Neville, 2007). Developing Creative Thinking During his days as the editor of the Forbes magazine, Malcolm Forbes once said that â€Å"Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one†. This quote aptly describes the actual intent behind the design of academic subjects and the related coursework. It has been said that the ability to think and react logically is critical for a person’s personal as well as professional success. While the internet or any other literary resource might provide the information and the facts relevant to a coursework, they do not serve the actual purpose of a course. Most of the times, the aim of a coursework, be it an essay or a dissertation is to test the subject knowledge and critical thinking abilities of the student. Mere copy pasting does not in any way, reflect the thinking abilities of a student. The internet can be a powerful source of data and information as long as the student learns to process the data and understand the information independently.   Th e information available can be used more productively if the students relate it to the task at hand and build upon it. There are several ways to develop critical thinking abilities though it is not possible to simply learn them. Every assignment can be broken down into logical chunks which encourage thinking and analysing on the students’ part. Students can also participate in class room discussions to the maximum possible extent to understand various viewpoints and relate them to one’s own views. Participating in discussions and taking notes at appropriate places ensures that the original authors are always credited for their work. This also encourages asking questions and raising doubts as and when they arise thereby helping the students understand the subject better. Understanding the subject ensures that students do not blindly accept the facts presented by someone else without questioning the logic behind it or without asking for evidence (Martin, 1984).

Effective ways of teaching method Essay

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of various teaching methods used for teaching students at secondary level, i search about perceptions of best and effective teaching methods and the reason for that. I searched that most of the students rated lecture method as the best teaching method. Becuse of the teacher provides all knowledge related to topic, time saving, students attentively listen lecture and take notes. The group discussion was the second best method of teaching because of more participation of students, the learning is more effective, the students don’t have to rely on rote learning, and this method develops creativity among students. To make an effective learning methods first Remember that your students are supposed to be the beneficiaries of your communication. Don’t make too many assumptions about your students. â€Å" This Research indicates also that students are the most qualified sources to report on the extent to which the learning experience was productive, informative, satisfying, or worthwhile. While opinions on these matters are not direct measures of teacher’s effectiveness, they are legitimate indicators of student satisfaction, and there is substantial research linking student satisfaction to effective teaching. This research aim to tell you some methods on how the student may learned through effective learning strategies that the teacher may use. Teaching strategies refer to methods used to help students learn the desired course contents and be able to develop achievable goals in the future. Teaching strategies identify the different available learning methods to enable them to develop the right strategy to deal with the target group identified. Assessment of the learning capabilities of students provides a key pillar in development of a successful teaching strategy. BIBLIOGRAPHY A. BOOKS Danielson, Charlotte – Path ways to teaching series Merrill/Pearson,2010 – Education Frey, Nancy phD – the effective teacher’s guide M. E. S. ELIZABETH – methods of teaching english English language – 2004 B. INTERNET Clas. web. nthu. edu. tw/esfiles Effective teaching methods I. INTRODUCTION II. BODY OF CONTENT A. Why is it important ? B. Teaching Methods b1. Lecture Methods b2. Discussion Methods b3. Role Play b4. Case Study b5. Brain Storming b6. Assignment Methods IV. RECOMENDATION V. BIBLIOGRAPHY EFFECTIVE WAYS OF TEACHING METHODS AT SECONDARY LEVEL. II. Why is it important ? Teaching is extraordinarily important, complex, and demanding work,and a teacher’s workday consists of making hundreds of decisions that promote high-level student learning. The work is and should be daunting. Grounded and concise, this first edition text provides readers with theory-based practices that will illuminate the art and craft of teaching. The literature on teaching is crammed full of well researched ways that teachers can present content and skills that will enhance the opportunities for students to learn. It is equally filled with suggestions of what not to do in the classroom. However, there is no rule book on which teaching methods match up best to which skills and/or content that is being taught. Students often have little expertise in knowing if the method selected by an individual instructor was the best teaching method or just â€Å"a method† or simply the method with which the teacher was most comfortable. There is much debate within the higher education community on how teaching or teaching effectiveness may be defined that is why this kind of research is important for them to have an idea how they will be able to conduct an effective teaching methods for their student. III. TEACHING METHODS LECTURE METHOD Lecture Method: A lecture is a talk or verbal presentation given by a lecturer,trainer or speaker to an audience. With all the advancement of training systems and computer technology, lecture method is still a backbone widely used in teaching and training at higher level of education. This method is economical, can be used for a large number of students, material can be covered in a structured manner and the teacher has a great control of time and material. A study conducted by Benson, L. , Schroeder, P. , Lantz, C. , and Bird, M (n. d. ). provides evidence that students may place greater emphasis on lecture material than on textbooks. Lecturing is not simply a matter of standing in front of a class and reciting what you know. The classroom lecture is a special form of communication in which voice, gesture, movement, facial expression, and eye contact can either complement or detract from the content. Teaching Methods† stated strengths of lecture method that it presents factual material in direct, logical manner, contains experience which inspires, stimulates thinking to open discussion, and useful for large groups. Our findings also revealed that most of the students considered lecture as best method because according to opinion of students it creates new ideas, it is good for large class, develops creativity among students, teacher is experienced and has mastery on subject, explain all points and can answer all questions by students. Lecture gives the pupils training in listening and taking rapid notes. For Improving Lecture Methods. †¢ Lecture material should be stimulating and thought provoking. †¢ Information should be delivered dramatically by using example to make it memorable. †¢ The teacher needs to use questions throughout the lecture to involve students in the learning process and to check their comprehension. †¢ Reinforce learning by using visual supports like transparencies, flip charts, whiteboard/ black board etc. †¢ Teacher should take feedback of students to improve lecture meth †¢ DISCUSSION It is a free verbal exchange of ideas between group members or teacher and students. For effective discussion the students should have prior knowledge and information about the topic to be discussed. discussion as, pools ideas and experiences from group, an allows everyone to participate in an active process. Our study also revealed that the students rated group discussion (class discussion) as the second best method by giving reasons that; it has more participation of students, the learning is more effective, the students don’t have to rely on rote learning, every student give his/ her opinion, and this method develops creativity among students. For Improving Discussion Methods †¢ The teacher should spend sufficient time in preparing the process and steps of discussion. †¢ Different aspects of the topic and the parameters should be selected for the focused discussion. †¢ Sufficient time should be allotted to discuss all the issues. At the same time students should know the time limit to reach a conclusion. †¢ The teacher in the beginning should introduce the topic, the purpose of discussion, and the students participating in discussion. †¢ Before the start of discussion, background information about the topic should be provided. †¢ There is a need to include questions to provide direction. †¢ Relaxed environment should be created to foster the process of discussion †¢ Teacher after opening the discussion should play the role of a facilitator involving every one and at the end should summarize the discussion. †¢ Encourage students listen other’s point of view and then evaluate their own. †¢ Teacher should give value to all students’ opinions and try not to allow his/her own difference of opinion, prevent communication and debate. †¢ROLE PLAY occurs when participants take on differentiated roles in a simulation. These may be highly prescribed, including biographical details, and even personality, attitudes and beliefs; or loosely indicated by an outline of the function or task. These techniques have already demonstrated their applicability to a wide range of learners, subjects and levels. It is a memorable and enjoyable learning method. To gain maximum benefits from this method, the incidents selected for enactment should be as realistic as the situation allows. For Improving Role Play Method Before the role play, the teacher should brief participants about the roles they will play, give them time for preparation, confirm confidentiality of role play, and ask participants to behave naturally. †¢ Teacher should select ; brief observers about their roles. †¢ During the role play, the teacher must keep quiet, listen ; take notes, avoid cutting role play short, but give time warning if previously agreed. The teacher should be prepared for some action if participants dry up and can intervene as a last resort. †¢ After the role play, the teacher thanks participants, ask for feed back from lead participants, take comments from observers, ask other participants to comment, †¢ The teacher should use role names not those of participants, summarize, drawing out learning points, leaving the participants with positive comments and feelings. †¢CASE STUDY Primarily developed in business and law contexts, case method teaching can be productively used in liberal arts, engineering, and education. This method is basically used to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as to present students with real-life situations. The students are presented with a record set of circumstances based on actual event or an imaginary situation and they are asked, -to diagnose particular problem only. -to diagnose problem ; provide solution. -to give reasons ; implications of action after providing both problem ; solution. It is a time consuming method and sometimes the case does not actually provide real experience. It could be in-conclusive, and insufficient information can lead to inappropriate results. At the end, the students want to know the right answer by the teacher. The role of the teacher in conducting the case study should be to, -read the case and determine the key problems faced by the decision maker, -determine the data required to analyze the problems and for a synthesis into solutions, -develop, analyze, and compare alternative solutions, and recommend a course of action. For Improving Case Study Methods †¢ Cases should be brief, well-written, reflect real issues, and open to a number of conflicting responses. †¢ Students should work in group to prepare a written report and/or a formal presentation of the case. †¢BRAINSTORMING It is a loosely structured form of discussion for generating ideas without participants embroiled in unproductive analysis. It is a very useful technique for problem solving, decision making, creative thinking and team building. It develops listening skills. For Improving Brainstorming Method Ground rules for running brainstorming Methods: †¢ There should be no criticism and the wild ideas should be encouraged and recorded without evaluation. †¢ Emphasis should be placed on quantity of ideas and not the quality. †¢ There is a need of equal participation of members. †¢ It can be unfocused so teacher should know how to control discussion and facilitate issues. †¢ It works well in small group. †¢ASSIGNMENT METHOD Written assignments help in organization of knowledge, assimilation of facts and better preparation of examinations. It emphasizes on individual pupil work and the method that helps both teaching and learning processes, For Improving Assignment Method †¢ Teacher should describe the parameters of the topic of assignment. †¢ Fully explain assignments so that students know how to best prepare. When the inevitable question, â€Å"Will we be tested on this? † arises, make sure your answer includes not only a â€Å"yes† or â€Å"no,† but a â€Å"because . . . †¢ Davis (1993) suggests that â€Å"Give assignments and exams that recognize students’ diverse backgrounds and special interests. For example, a faculty member teaching a course on medical and health training offered students a variety of topics for their term papers, including one on alternative healing belief systems. A faculty member in the social sciences gave students an assignment asking them to compare female-only, male-only, and male-female work groups. † IV. RECOMENDATION †¢PARENT To evaluate teaching effectiveness different methods can be used including peer review, self-evaluation, teaching portfolios, it can also be done in home in the youngest children , to prepare for schooling. †¢STUDENTS student achievement and students’ ratings of teaching methods used by their teachers. students provide anonymous feedback at the end of each course they complete, faculty and will be used to improve the teaching and learning in the course otherwise they are unlikely to take the rating process seriously †¢TEACHERS Teachers need to educate students in effective ways of giving precise feedback that addresses specific aspects of their learning experience. Teachers need to continually assure students throughout the semester that the ratings will be used for productive changes in teaching/ learning process and that there will be no chance of retribution to the students.