The Protection of Animal Rights According to Carl Cohen Research Paper

The Protection of Animal Rights According to Carl Cohen - Research Paper Example Carl Cohen is a professor of philosophy. He is well known for his prominent contribution in philosophy. Carl argues that animals have no rights. He says that animals are not part of a community of moral agents. He continues to mention that animals are incapable of answering on moral issues. These animals, therefore, do not and can not have rights. Cohen’s views use of animals in lab experiments as not a violation of animal rights. The reason being they have no capacity to make moral claims. Cohen asserts that, although animals have no rights it’s, our duty not to cause unnecessary suffering to animals. Before we preside further, we should have a clear definition of rights and duties. A Right is a potential claim, practised in a moral community. Duty is a social obligation to perform something for legal or moral reasons. These definitions will help in building a defence case against Carl’s argument that animals don’t have rights. According to Carl, for one to have moral claims he or she must have autonomy. The demand for moral claim shows that you have a right. This implies that if you lack autonomy, you don’t have rights. This view lacks truth in it. The argument brought by Cohen is that some humans lack rights, for example, the Senile. The right of someone should be the duty to others. For example, if you have a right to privacy it would be the duty of your neighbour not to interfere with your privacy. In a world where people who have duties and not adhere to them, the people have no rights. It should be noted that the duty of someone does not entail the right of another.

Fertility decline has repercussions far beyond those of changing Essay

Fertility decline has repercussions far beyond those of changing population growth rates. Discuss - Essay Example the current situation of Iran and Saudi Arabia as it pertains to the decline, and will also contrast the situation in these countries in respect to demographic behaviour and specific repercussions. Fertility decline has repercussions far beyond those of changing population growth rates. Already clear is the increasing influence of the media in Islamic countries. This is quite obvious from role the media played in Iran’s family planning. It is due to the media’s influence that smaller families became more popular in the first place. Thus, it is quite simple to see that Muslims are becoming more focused on the media, especially as it pertains to family and social developments. Saudi Arabia is another Middle Eastern country that is situated across the Persian Gulf. Saudi Arabia has also experienced a recent decline in fertility, but for different reasons, and there are contrasting political, social, and economic situations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. During the seventies and early eighties, the Islamic Republic of Iran had a pro-natalist policy, meaning that it encouraged families to have larger families. In the late eighties, the Iranian cities began to be seriously overpopulated. This problem directed The Islamic Republic of Iran to take action by way of family planning in 1989, which led to a dramatic drop in fertility. Saudi Arabia has been influenced by economic hardship as well, and the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has recently begun to decrease. Politically, the Saudi Arabian government has not directly influenced fertility rate in any way, however, indirect political influence is a possibility The increasing education of women in Islamic countries seems to play a large part in the fertility decline. The more educated the woman, the fewer births she is likely to have. Iran has recently begun to increase the amount of education available to women. As the amount of education rises, less births occur. In Arabia, the educational status of women has

Using The Case Scenario Of Bertram Family Social Work Essay

Using The Case Scenario Of Bertram Family Social Work Essay Part 1: Indicate two sociological theories that can be used to help your understanding of the service users situation In taking the time to observe how sociological and psychological influences may impact on a service user or client group, the social worker can remain mindful of the wider context of a situation and not just take what she sees at face value. This knowledge allows the social worker to remain objective and to make informed decisions in order to maintain professionalism in her work. By applying Sociological and Psychological theory to the Bertrams case study I aim to explore the wider social context, outside influence and psychological implications from the past and present. Through this exploration I will uncover the varying viewpoints and sometimes contradictory nature of these theories. To gain a Sociological perspective on the case study I will be applying Functionalist and Feminist theories. I will be able to scrutinise the Bertrams current situation and apply the theory in order to gain a wider understanding of the social context. In order to maintain a balanced viewpoint, Psychod ynamic theory and Maslows hierarchy will enable me to consider the psychological impact with a focus on human and emotional development. By examining a situation from a Sociological perspective we can take into account how various aspects such as class, social structure, religion, disability can impact people from a wider social context. This is essential in gaining a holistic picture the situation. Functionalism By applying a Macro theory to the case scenario it allows us to look at the large scale features of society and how individual actions affect society as a whole and vice versa. Functionalism will enable me to contemplate the structure of society and how the Bertrams fit within that structure. Functionalist theorists regard society as a system with interlocking parts. It is believed that each part needs to function effectively in order for society, as a system, to work as a whole. It is often rationalised using biological analogy. The social role of individuals is an integral part of the theory. Each person is thought to have their individual role to play within society. From a functionalist perspective it is very clear that Mrs Bertram is not fulfilling her role as a wife. Due to her alzemers she is unable to carry out the duties that would have been expected of her. Durkheim believed that everyone had their place, and a womans place was in the home. In the context of the 40s, 50s wh en Functionalism was at its peak, this viewpoint would not have been uncommon, if a little out-dated by todays standards. None the less, it is not through choice that she has become dysfunctional within society. She has legitimate claim for not being able to carry out her societal role and Functionalism would automatically see her take on the sick role. This would enable her to function again within the system under a different guise. It could also be observed that Mr Bertram is a dysfunctional member of society. With his reckless behaviour, his outrageous spending, and the lack of care for his wifes basic needs he is no longer fulfilling his role of husband. A main proponent of Functionalism was Emile Durkheim (1858-1917). He saw marital vows as obligations. When I perform my duties as a brother, a husband or a citizen and carry out the commitments I have entered into, I fulfil obligations which are defined in law and custom which are external to myself and my actions (Durkheim, 1982). He believed that if a member of society was deemed as dysfunctional, then he was considered to be a deviant member of society. Deviance occurs when people are not functioning correctly, according to the norm. This could be through crime, or anything which affects their ability to carry out their societal role. Deviance needs to be controlled or managed. If it was established that Mr Bertram was in fact deviant then he may need some persuading that by providing the care and attention that his wife needs his wife would not be removed from the situation. Through this resolution, therefore, they would both be able to function appropriately. It could be observed that Mr Bertram had an alcohol dependency. If this was established then Mr Bertram too may take on the sick role. In which case a different method for resolving the issues within the house would need to be adopted. Talcott Parsons (1902-1979) believed that sickness was a social concept rather than a biological concept. So being ill meant acting in different, deviant ways to the norm. Being sick was therefore a form of social role (Haralambos and Holborn, 2004). Parsons believed the rights of a sick person to be exemption from normal social obligations, the right to be looked after and blamed for their social deviance as long as they were genuinely sick. Obligations of a person playing the sick role would be to understand that they have to get well as soon as possible in order to continue their normal function and in order to do this they must receive professional help. Mr Bertrams condition would need to be treated or managed in order to enable him to function ag ain. In that case Mr and Mrs Bertram would be able to stay at home under treatment and the issues about care could be dealt with accordingly. He would no longer be considered deviant member of society. A criticism of the sick role would be that it is very difficult to apply to long term illness like that of Mrs Bertram. It is built on the assumption that the person gain help in order to gain function. This would not be possible for Mrs Bertram. Feminism From a Radical Feminist perspective it could be observed that Mrs Bertram has been oppressed by her husband. Through her devotion and his dominance she has succumb to subordination. Radical Feminists use the patriarchal social system as a concept to explain gender inequality. Patriarchy is the dominance of men over women in society. They view men as responsible for the exploitation of women from which they benefit greatly, through free domestic labour, sexual duties and so on. The case study describes how Mrs Bertram was swept off of her feet and totally devoted to Mr Bertram. In their current situation, Mrs Bertram is at home in squalled conditions and desperately in need of help. Mr Bertram is avoiding the situation by using diversionary tactic, selfishly seeking social activity and pleasure through drink. This further increases her oppression as she is fully dependent on her husband to provide the care and attention which she is desperately in need of. Shulamith Firestone, an early radical feminist writer argues that men control womens roles in re-production and child bearing. Because women are biologically able to give birth to children, they become more dependent materially on men for protection and livelihood (Giddens, 2006). Feminists could argue that for this reason Mrs Bertram has become vulnerable within her setting and just accepts this way of life. Jessie Bernard argued that Men need marriage more than women (pg 208 Gender). Perhaps this reliance on the domestic labour, comfort and sexual duties of a wife, which has been lost my Mr Bertram through his wifes condition is attributing to his behaviour. Mrs Bertram is no longer fulfilling her duties as a wife and this could be disrupting his routine. It would appear that Mr Bertram has never had to control the household, take care of his wife or finances, and may lack the ability or may simply consider it beneath him. It could affect his masculinity to have to carry out such c hores and duties believed to be part of a womans role. This may also be the reason why he is reluctant to accept help with the situation. He may feel he is being barraged and dictated to by his step daughters which may be resulting in a greater defiance. It is not clear from the case study, the nature of their relationship either. He may feel that family and professionals are undermining his authority as head of the household. Mr Bertram may be compensating for his lack of masculinity at home, by using his social appearance, bravado, drinking and defiance. This time away from the house for him may reaffirm his role as a dominant male within society whilst his dominant role as a man disappears at home. He no longer has command over his wife, no longer gets respect, adoration that he was once used to. Men are considered to have more influence within society; Mr Bertram has no influence over this situation or over his wife. Part 2: Using the scenario describe two psychological theories that can be used to help your understanding of the service users situation Humanistic theory Maslows hierarchy of needs Humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908 1970) argued that humans throughout life not only want to have their basic survival needs met they strive for more in terms of personal growth. He believed that once basic needs for survival had been met that human development progressed toward higher psychological needs. He argued that people are motivated by the conscious desire for personal growth (Rathus, 2004). Maslow believed what separated us from our so-called lower animals was our capacity for self-actualisation (Rathus,2004). He believed that this self- actualisation was as important as basic needs but could not be met unless other stages of human needs were completed. He organised these stages into the hierarchy of needs, often presented in pyramid format. Each stage must be satisfied in order to progress to the next. At the bottom of the hierarchy are physiological needs. These are the basic human needs we all have in order to survive, like food, water, shelter, oxygen. Once t he first basic need has been satisfied, the following stage is safety needs, the need for security. The following stage in the hierarchy is love and belonging; the need to give and receive love, to overcome loneliness and achieve a sense of belonging in life. The fourth stage is Esteem needs; to feel self-confident, respected and not to feel inferior. Self-actualisation is the final stage in the hierarchy and can only be reached when all foregoing needs are satisfied and the person feels he has achieved everything he wants to in life and is the best that he can be. In the case of the Bertrams it is clear that Mrs Bertram is currently not even meeting the bottom of Maslows hierarchy of needs. It is noted that their flat is in an appalling state, she is unable to feed herself and left on her own for most of the day. You would expect most of her needs to be met within the context of her marriage to Mr Bertram; however, since he has neglected his role as a husband, he has placed her in a position of significant danger. Since not even her basic physiological needs are being met in the current situation then at present there would not be an opportunity to progress through the hierarchy of needs. If Mrs Bertram was placed in residential care then her physiological needs would be met. She would have food, water and care of her basic needs. She could then perhaps progress to the following stage of safety. She would no longer be at risk of hurting herself and she would be in a more secure environment. Although it could be argued that for an advance Alzheimers sufferer, the unfamiliar setting would disorientate her and she might not actually feel secure there. Because of her diagnosis, Mrs Bertram is unlikely to meet the third stage of love and belongingness. Her advanced Alzheimers may mean that she fails to recognise her husband, family members and have a declining ability to communicate. Mrs Bertram would never reach self-actualisation. The best that could be achieved would be basic survival and safety needs, whether this was achieved at home with the compliance of her husband, or in residential care. Although it could be debated that residential care would not be the best opt ion. As the GP states in the case scenario, a move to residential care might well kill Mrs Bertram. It would appear from the case scenario that Mr Bertrams basic needs are being fulfilled. However it is uncertain as to whether his s safety and security needs are being met. He certainly would not get a sense of love and belonging from his wife, in the latter stages of sever dementia. I would observe, however, there is some attempt from Mr Bertram to achieve a sense of self-esteem, since he spends the majority of his time with his compatriots at the golf club. It is clear that in this relationship and the current situation faced by the Bertrams that he too has no way of reaching self-actualisation. Maslow observes that it is mainly social factors that hinder the personal growth of humans. Potentially at least the first two stages of Maslows hierarchy could be reached within the context of their marriage, with the right services in place. Psychodynamic theory Through the Psychodynamic theory of personality we could speculate about Mr Bertrams past and how that has influence on his behaviour in the present. It would be difficult to achieve a comprehensive result in regards to Mrs Bertram because of her Alzheimers. Since her behaviour is wholly attributed to her condition. Studying Sigmund Freuds (1856 1939) theories, with a focus on psychosexual development, would be the most relevant to apply to the case scenario. Psychodynamic theory had been developed and evolved over the years. Freuds idea of Psychodynamic theory depicted humans as largely driven by unconscious motives and desires. He proclaimed that humans come into conflict when their basic instincts come up against social pressure to follow, laws or moral codes. At first this conflict is external, but as we develop it becomes internalised (Rathus, 2004). Freud explains the conflict of personality using psychic structures. The id, which Freud believed is present at birth and located in the unconscious mind, and revolves around our basic biological drives and instincts. It operates on what Freud called the pleasure principle. It demands instant gratification regardless of laws or moral rules. Another feature in the structure of personality is the ego. Formed from the id, developed through learni ng and experience. This is the part where conscious thought takes place (Beckett and Taylor, 2010). The ego operates on the reality principle. This takes into consideration what is practical and possible in gratifying needs (Rathus, 2004). When the ego senses improper impulses arsing it can sometimes deploy a number of defence mechanisms. The third psychic structure is the superego. This is formed throughout early childhood and is developed through standards, values, parenting and moral standards. Psychodynamic theory emphasises the way in which the mind stimulates behavior, and both mind and behavior influence and are influenced by the persons social environment (Payne, 2005) Freud believed there were four stages in psychosexual development. The first stage took place during the first year of a childs life. This is known as the oral stage. Much of the childs development is explored by putting things into the mouth and sucking, biting chewing. Freud believed it was possible to have arrested development through trauma. And be fixated on one of the stages. From the case study we could surmise that Mr Bertram is fixated on the oral stage of psychosexual development through his drinking. We could speculate that he may have had a significant trauma at that stage which has left him with a possible alcohol dependency, thus fixated on the oral stage. It could perhaps be identified that Mr Bertram is using psychological defence mechanisms in order to avoid the situation that he is currently facing. Part 3: Reflect on your own background describe it and indicate 1 sociological and 1 psychological theory that can be applied to you, giving examples The relationship I have with my father has often been fraught, difficult and tense. As a sufferer of a severe mental disorder, my father has often displayed irrational, delusional, paranoid and sometimes violent behaviour. Throughout his life he has had frequent hospitalisation. For me this is something I have grown up with and am used to dealing with on a day to day basis. I am acutely aware of how our relationship differs to that of my friends for example. I have as close a relationship as possible with him, and to that end I usually bear the brunt of his paranoia and aggression when he is unwell. I have witnessed first-hand the stigma attached to mental illness. I find it extremely difficult to trust anyone enough to tell them about the situation, and I strongly feel I shouldnt have to tell everyone that meets him, this only leads to labelling him as mentally ill, thus changing the way in which they treat him; which only compounds his paranoia. Some Sociological theorists believe that mental illness is a social construction in order to rationalise bizarre or irrational behaviour that cannot be in any other way explained. This is known as labelling theory. Scheff (1966) argued that people are labelled as mentally ill because their behaviour does not make sense to others. Scheff points out that labelling of a person as mentally ill is facilitated by stereotyped imagery learned in early childhood and continually reaffirmed, inadvertently, in ordinary social interaction and through the mass media. Thus, when a persons violation of social norms or deviance becomes a public issue, the traditional stereotype of crazy person is readily adopted both by those reacting to the deviant person and, often, by the deviant person as well (Lamb. 2002). Erving Goffman suggests that when someone is labelled as mentally ill then they are treated differently. When an interaction takes place with that person it is with this knowledge of the menta l illness, therefore creating what Goffman called a spurious interaction (Haralambos and Holborn, 2004). From a behaviourist view, Schizophrenia could be viewed as a kind of learned behaviour. From this perspective, people engage in schizophrenic behaviour when it is more likely to be reinforced than normal behaviour (Rathus, 2004). This could be the result of being raised in an unrewarding or punitive situation. It could also be observed that this kind of behaviour is reinforced within the hospital setting, where the schizophrenic behaviour is reinforced through attention from professionals within that setting. Cognitive theory argues that behavior is affected by perception or interpretation of the environment during the process of learning. Apparently inappropriate behavior must therefore arise from misinterpretation. Therapy tries to correct the misunderstanding, so that our behavior reacts appropriately to the environment (Payne, 2006) I believe the experiences I have had with my father give me the ability to understand mental illness without stigmatising. It also helps me empathise with the sufferer and the family. An empathetic approach to someone who was hearing voices for example, would be to understand that to the person affect, they are very real. I fully understand the importance of having the right services in place in order for that person to thrive. My experience allows me to observe the wider context of a situation and realise that it is not only the primary sufferer of the condition that is affected. The wider family needs to be considered as they have a huge role to play in the well-being of the person concerned.

A Summons to Memphis :: essays research papers

This novel by Peter Taylor opens with James and Mary Tyrone talking. They seem to be a very loving, married couple. James compliments Mary many times about how beautiful she looks. However she seems to be insecure about her looks because she is discontent with her case of rheumatism in her hands which makes it shake all the time. Then they heard their two sons laughing, as they walk out from the dinning room. As Edmund and Jamie enter, their parents question them what they are talking about. Edmund tells the story of Harker and Shaughnessy, which he had heard from the night before. Then afterwards Edmund and Mary leave the scene, and only James and Jamie is having a conversation. They seemed worried about Edmund who is sick with a â€Å"cold,† so they hoped, but in reality they know it’s not just that. They are also worried about Mary, but it is not yet revealed what is wrong with her. James and Jamie then leave to go work out on the hedge as Mary and Edmund begins to talk. They show a loving mother and son bond, they both care a lot about each other’s health. After their talk, Mary went upstairs to rest as Edmund remained in the parlor reading. Continuing to the next scene, James and Jamie comes in from outside for lunch. They must wait a while though because James was still talking to Captain Turner. Jamie seems to imply that his mother is doing something that she has done in the past that wasn’t too good for her, but it doesn’t indicate what it is yet. Then James comes in and also says that something is wrong with her, but does not say what it is. He just say that he that why didn’t she have the strength to keep on, but Mary acts as if she does not know what he is talking about. After lunch, they all follow Mary back into the parlor. Mary is talking about how their home is not really a home, and then the phone rings. It is Dr. Hardy. He has called for Edmund to come up to the office to see him that afternoon. When Edmund and Mary leaves the scene, James and Jamie begins talking about what the Doctor said. Hardy told James that it was sure that Edmund had â€Å"consumption,† and must be sent to a sanatorium, which will cure him in a year.

E-Commerce Marketplace

BUSINESS Retail consumer E-commerce continues to grow up at double-digit rates. The online demographics of shoppers continue to broaden. Online website continues to reinforce profitability by refining their business models and leveraging the capabilities of the Internet. The first wave of E-Commerce transformed the business world of books, music, and air travel. In the second wave, eight new industries are facing a similar transformation: telephones, movies, television, jewelry, real estate, hotels, bill payments, and software. The breadth of E-Commerce offerings grow ups, especially each and every one in travel, information clearinghouses, entertainment, retail apparel, appliances, and home furnishings. Each and every one business and entrepreneurs continue to flood into the E-Commerce marketplace, often riding on the infrastructure craft by industry giants such as Amazon, eBay, and Overture. Brand extension each and every one the way through the Internet grow ups as large firms such as Sears, J.C. Penney, L.L. Bean, and Wal-Mart pursue integrated, multi –channel bricks-and-clicks strategies. B2Bsupply chain transactions and collaborative commerce continue to reinforce and grow up beyond the $1.5trillion mark. TECHNOLOGY: Wireless Internet connections (Wi-Fi, Max, and 3Gtelephone) grew up rapidly. Podcasting takes off as a new media format for distribution of radio and user-generated commentary. The Internet broadband foundation becomes stronger in households and businesses. Bandwidth prices of telecommunications companies re-capitalize their debts. RSS (Real Simple Syndication) grow ups to become a mayor new form of user- controlled information distribution that rivals e-mail in some applications. Computing and networking component prices continue to fall dramatically. New Internet-based models of computing such as. NET and Web services expand B2B opportunities. SECIETYSelf-publishing (user-generated content) and syndication in the form of blogs, wikis and social network grow up to form an entirely new self-publishing forum. Newspapers and other conventional, customary & traditional media adopt online, interactive models. Conflicts over copyright management and control grow up in significance. Over half the Internet user population (about 80 million adults) joins a social group on the Internet. Taxation of Internet sales becomes more widespread and accepted by large online merchants. Controversy over content regulation and controls amplify and rises. Surveillance of Internet communications grows ups in s significance. Concerns over commercial and governmental privacy invasion grow up. Internet fraud and abuse occurrences amplify and rise. First Amendment rights of free speech and association on the Internet are challenged. Spam grows ups despite new laws and promised technology fixes. Invasion of personal privacy on the Web expands as marketers discover and locate new ways to track users. BUSINESS APPLICATION OF E-COMMERCE Typical business organizations (or parts within a business organization) design, produce, market, deliver and support its product (s)/service(s).Each of these activities adds cost and value to the product/service that is eventually distributed to the customer. The value-chain consists of a series of activities designed to satisfy a business need by adding value (or cost) in each phase of the process. In addition to these primary activities that result in a final product/service, supporting activities in this process also should be included:Managing company infrastructure Managing human resources Obtaining various inputs for each primary activityDeveloping technology to keep the business competitive. For instance, in a furniture manufacturing company, the company buys wood (raw materials) from a logging company and then converts the wood into chair (finished product); chairs are shipped to retailers, distributors, or customers. The company markets and services these chairs products. Those are the primary activities (value-chain) that adds value and result in a final product/service for the company. Value-chain analysis may highlight the opportunity for the company to manufacture products directly. This means, for furniture manufacturer, it may enter in the logging business directly or through partnership with others. he value chain may continue after delivering chairs to the furniture store. The store, by offering other products/services and mixing and matching this product with other products, may add additional value to the chair. The Internet can increase the speed and accuracy of communications between suppliers, distributors, and customers. Furthermore, the Internet's low cost allows companies of any size to be able to take advantage of value-chain integration. E-commerce may improve value chain by identifying new opportunities for cost reduction. For instance, using e-mail to notify customers instead of using regular mail helps for reducing cost. Selling to distant customers using the company web site may allow revenue improvement or generation. These sales may not have been materialized otherwise or selling digital products such as songs or computer software or distributing software through the web. Offering online customer service or new sales channel identification helps for product/service improvement.Dell Computer generates a large portion of its revenue through the Web by eliminating the middleman. Cisco systems sell much of its networking hardware and software over the Web, improving revenue and reducing cost. United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express use the Internet to track packages that result in enhanced customer service.History of EcommerceOne of the most popular activities on the Web is shopping. It has much allure in it — you can shop at your leisure, anytime, and in your pajamas. Literally anyone can have their pages built to display their specific goods and services.History of ecommerce dates back to the invention of the very old notion of â€Å"sell and buy†, electricity, cables, computers, modems, and the Internet. Ecommerce became possible in 1991 when the Internet was opened to commercial use. Since that date thousands of businesses have taken up residence at web sites.At first, the term ecommerce meant the process of execution of commercial transactions electronically with the help of the leading technologies such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) which gave an opportunity for users to exchange business information and do electronic transactions. The ability to use these technologies appeared in the late 1970s and allowed business companies and organizations to send commercial documentation electronically.Although the Internet began to advance in popularity among the general public in 1994, it took approximately four years to develop the security protocols (for example, HTTP) and DSL which allowed rapid access and a persistent connection to the Internet. In 2000 a great number of business companies in the United States and Western Europe represented their services in the World Wide Web. At this time the meaning of the word ecommerce was changed. People began to define the term ecommerce as the process of purchasing of available goods and services over the Internet using secure connections and electronic payment services. Although the dot-com collapse in 2000 led to unfortunate results and many of ecommerce companies disappeared, the â€Å"brick and mortar† retailers recognized the advantages of electronic commerce and began to add such capabilities to their web sites (e.g., after the online grocery store Webvan came to ruin, two supermarket chains, Albertsons and Safeway, began to use ecommerce to enable their customers to buy groceries online). By the end of 2001, the largest form of ecommerce, Business-to-Business (B2B) model, had around $700 billion in transactions.According to all available data, ecommerce sales continued to grow in the next few years and, by the end of 2007, ecommerce sales accounted for 3.4 percent of total sales. Ecommerce has a great deal of advantages over â€Å"brick and mortar† stores and mail order catalogs. Consumers can easily search through a large database of products and services. They can see actual prices, build an order over several days and email it as a â€Å"wish list† hoping that someone will pay for their selected goods. Customers can compare prices with a click of the mouse and buy the selected product at best prices.Online vendors, in their turn, also get distinct advantages. The web and its search engines provide a way to be found by customers without expensive advertising campaign. Even small online shops can reach global markets. Web technology also allows to track customer preferences and to deliver individually-tailored marketing.History of ecommerce is unthinkable without Amazon and E-bay which were among the first Internet companies to allow electronic transactions. Thanks to their founders we now have a handsome ecommerce sector and enjoy the buying and selling advantages of the Internet. Currently there are 5 largest and most famous worldwide Internet retailers: Amazon, Dell, Staples, Office Depot and Hewlett Packard. According to statistics, the most popular categories of products sold in the World Wide Web are music, books, computers, office supplies and other consumer electronics. Amazon.com, Inc. is one of the most famous ecommerce companies and is located in Seattle, Washington (USA). It was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos and was one of the first American ecommerce companies to sell products over the Internet. After the dot-com collapse Amazon lost its position as a successful business model, however, in 2003 the company made its first annual profit which was the first step to the further development. At the outset Amazon.com was considered as an online bookstore, but in time it extended a variety of goods by adding electronics, software, DVDs, video games, music CDs, MP3s, apparel, footwear, health products, etc. The original name of the company was Cadabra.com, but shortly after it become popular in the Internet Bezos decided to rename his business â€Å"Amazon† after the world's most voluminous river. In 1999 Jeff Bezos was entitled as the Person of the Year by Time Magazine in recognition of the company's success. Although the company's main headquarters is located in the USA, WA, Amazon has set up separate websites in other economically developed countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and China. The company supports and operates retail web sites for many famous businesses, including Marks ; Spencer, Lacoste, the NBA, Bebe Stores, Target, etc.Amazon is one of the first ecommerce businesses to establish an affiliate marketing program, and nowadays the company gets about 40% of its sales from affiliates and third party sellers who list and sell goods on the web site. In 2008 Amazon penetrated into the cinema and is currently sponsoring the film â€Å"The Stolen Child† with 20th Century Fox.According to the research conducted in 2008, the domain Amazon.com attracted about 615 million customers every year. The most popular feature of the web site is the review system, i.e. the ability for visitors to submit their reviews and rate any product on a rating scale from one to five stars. Amazon.com is also well-known for its clear and user-friendly advanced search facility which enables visitors to search for keywords in the full text of many books in the database.One more company which has contributed much to the process of ecommerce development is Dell Inc., an American company located in Texas, which stands third in computer sales within the industry behind Hewlett-Packard and Acer. Launched in 1994 as a static page, Dell.com has made rapid strides, and by the end of 1997 was the first company to record a million dollars in online sales. The company's unique strategy of selling goods over the World Wide Web with no retail outlets and no middlemen has been admired by a lot of customers and imitated by a great number of ecommerce businesses. The key factor of Dell's success is that Dell.com enables customers to choose and to control, i.e. visitors can browse the site and assemble PCs piece by piece choosing each single component based on their budget and requirements. According to statistics, approximately half of the company's profit comes from the web site. In 2007, Fortune magazine ranked Dell as the 34th-largest company in the Fortune 500 list and 8th on its annual Top 20 list of the most successful and admired companies in the USA in recognition of the company's business model.History of ecommerce is a history of a new, virtual world which is evolving according to the customer advantage. It is a world which we are all building together brick by brick, laying a secure foundation for the future generations.

Results and discussion Essay

Before conducting this research, an investigator was choosing between different research frameworks. On the one hand, I strongly believe that learners’ community is a democratic and participatory complex social system of individuals. Each of them possesses unique experience and background. Nobody can be viewed as a bad student how ever his pace of learning and an array of skills differ from the ones of the co-student. These assumptions grounded on my professional experience place me as a researcher within an anti-positivist critical theory paradigm (Habermas, 1984; Adorno, Marcuse, Horkheimer and Fromm). The goal of any critical investigation is not just to search empirical (practical) social environment for variables and measurement patterns but to prepare the ground for improvements in regard to emancipation of the victimized, democratic equality and individual freedoms (Cohen et al. , 2000, p. 28). That is why a substantial part of research was dedicated to receiving feedbacks from students on the use of the hypermedia learning environment. Judging from the multistructural questionnaire administered to the learners in the end of the study week, the perceived effectiveness of the hypermedia learning environment in motivating and helping students to achieve the specified learning outcomes of improved reading and visual comprehension, science learning and ICT skills was found to be generally high by the students. Table 2 shows the questions asked, and the average of the responses on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is â€Å"very useful† and 5 is â€Å"useless. † On this scale, the average rating for questions relating to the understanding and identifying of facts, issues, problems and factors, was between 1. 34 to 1. 92 which is in the â€Å"very useful† to â€Å"useful† region. It is interesting to note that on another question that the hypermedia resources and both experiential and symbolic simulations added â€Å"active and dynamic dimensions to classroom learning processes,† the average was an overwhelming 1. 08 indicating that the students welcomed the new innovative learning environment. Table 3 shows how the hypermedia learning environment was perceived by the students as an instrument for learning on a 4-point scale, where 1 is â€Å"strongly disagree† and 4 is â€Å"strongly agree†. Upon the whole, students reported finding the hypermedia environment very useful in various ways. Based on the qualitative observations of students working with â€Å"Pompeii: The Last Day†, the researcher found out that those who investigated the theme in the hypermedia environment spent more time on studies than those who used exclusively textbooks and written handouts as well as listened to the teacher’s instructions. In the process of studies and after the evaluation, students were asked to comment freely on the new possibilities provided by the hypermedia resource, its effectiveness in supporting Science learning, and their attitudes to learning with/without the hypermedia. Some of the responses to the critical implications of hypermedia collaborative learning are presented in the following. The question asked was whether students would use the hypermedia resource such as this when studying other scientific topics. They were asked to specify their decision, either negative or positive. Among those who used the hypermedia learning environment, there were more positive responses (there was only one student unaffected by the hypermedia environment on the point of his poor eye-sight; his eyes were aching because of the glow of a monitor). Sample Comments A: Yes, because the hypermedia is an awesome chance to learn a new subject. It is more interesting and exciting than skimming books and trying to cram the dry facts into one’s poor head. The experiential simulation to design different types of volcanoes was perceived as a game in the beginning. However, by the end of the week I recognized that I do remember all kinds of volcanoes and their specific characteristics. I think, this happened due to the simulation which was not time consuming but was an important fun. B: Yes, all the definitions and concepts studied in the lectures were completely alien to me before taking this hypermedia class, I memorized the theories in a serious effort but the hypermedia learning resource showed how important and grasping they are. I feel that my knowledge has improved significantly. C: Previous to this experimental class I would have been skeptical about learning by the hypermedia and creative (instead of formal) assessment, but having participated in one myself I would encourage anyone to follow us in using this type of learning media. D: A hypermedia learning environment would make a subject like Science more luring by: a) being enjoyable; b) by making it necessary to apply everything one learns to get through, rather than get through a couple of questions on an examination. E: I thought this process/project was fantastic. It was certainly the most fun I’ve ever had doing an assignment. I found it a great way to get a handle on the quite complicated issues involved in the Pompeii situation, and very useful in seeing the theories we studied play out. In my opinion the volcano activity details are so interesting in relating to human life! It also led to getting to know and interact with a wider range of students within the subject, rather than the one or two people that you know in your tutorial group. I know some people have complained about the amount of time involved, but I personally thought it was not at all excessive (it was required to spend 90 minutes on researching the hypermedia site. However, almost all of us spent even more time on it without any problem). I also greatly enjoyed the chance to do something different from the interminable stream of research essays that the teachers ask for. Best class I’ve done! However, a researcher had to incorporate also some positivist viewpoint in regard to the necessity of evaluating the difference between the hypermedia and traditional learning in quantifiable terms. Results are shown in Figure 1 and Table 4. Figure 1 revels that students who were introduced to the hypermedia learning resource voluntary took additional research on the topic besides the required 90 minutes. The difference between time spent on studying the topic by those with hypermedia resources obligatory research and those without was subjected to a t-test which revealed a t value of t = 2. 2518 (df =38) suggesting significant difference between those with hypermedia obligatory learning and those with traditional mode of learning and instruction (p