The Sundale Clubs

The Sundale Club I. Problems A. Macro 1. Division within organization due to poor relationships among personnel. 2. Lack of leadership and direction within organization. B. Micro 1. Johnson’s (reputed) behavior. 2. Loss of members. 3. Chain-of-command difficulties: Frank Havens unable to talk to boss, Bob Watts uninterested in problem. 4. Poor staff morale; treatment of Pat indicates problem. II. Causes 1. No recognition/follow-through for staff. Pat overlooked for promotion. 2.Personal relationship between Chuck Johnson and Ted Ellis detracts from goals of organization and from staff morale. 3. Bob’s upcoming retirement detracts from interest in problems. III. Systems affected 1. Structural – personal relationships and director’s lack of interest hurt chain-of-command effectiveness. 2. Psychosocial – low morale within staff due to favoritism, disinterest, loss of membership, lack of direction of system. 3. Technical – none apparent. 4. Manag erial – organization’s purpose and source of money undermined by personal interests and lack of direction.Managers who had authority, such as Bob Watts, are unwilling to take action. 5. Goals and values – there is no sense organization goals among management or staff despite declining membership. Staff and even some managers are increasingly interested in protecting their jobs or finding another job elsewhere. Consequently, there is little concern for providing service to the membership. IV. Alternatives 1. Leave as is. 2. Let Bob Watts retire; explain problem to new director. 3. Unite staff (as Carol has started); include in meeting with new director/board. 4.Carol Happ hire OD practitioner to intervene and unite staff, but this will be difficult as Watts seems to be â€Å"coasting† until retirement. V. Recommendations Realistically, not much can happen until Bob Watts retires. Before Watts retires, some of the staff could unite under the leadership of C arol Happ and meet with Bob. But this has definite risks, particularly for any staff under Ted Ellis. Approach Watts from viewpoint of helping increase memberships and how unity, etc. , is needed for this to occur. If Happ and the staff can gain Watts’ support, hire an external OD practitioner.

Treasury Report

{TOPIC} AN ASSESSMENT OF TREASURY MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS AND REMEDIES IN LOCAL GOVERNMENTS BASED ON ITS REVENUE. BY: NAME: ONIFADE AYOMIDE OLUWATOBA MATRIC NO: 09/SMS02/015 BEING A RESEARCH PROJECT REPORT THAT IS TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING FACULTY OF AFE BABALOLA UNIVERSITY ADO-EKITI, EKITI STATE, NIGERIA. IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF BARCHELOR OF SCIENCE (B. SC) HONS IN ACCOUNTING. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE 1. 1Background of the study CHAPTER TWO 2. 0Literature Review CHAPTER THREE 3. 0Research MethodologyCHAPTER FOUR 4. 0Data Presentation and analysis CHAPTER FIVE 5. 0Summary 5. 1Conclusion. CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1. 0 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Local government in any nation like Nigeria is an entity through which government and its policies are carried to the grass root. The government body of such an entity is selected or otherwise locally selected. It constitutes an integral party of a country overall political structure. The cr eation of local government is made by the law of the state government with intention of bringing government to the people.It is clearly understand that even if the machinery of the state government stops franchising law and order will still prevail, if local council in Nigeria continues to exist. According to Okoli (1998) local government exist to fell the gasp which the national government is to remote to fell, it bring the national government closer to the people and make its impact feet in all the nooks and cronies of the society. By implication the national government through thus medium caters for the grassroots. Local government plays vital roles in the development of the country.It can also be maintained that should local government machinery ground to a half, there is bound to be chosen and confusion. They are the overall of authority and it is through them that the provision of all facilities and services aimed at giving the people higher standard of living and maintenance of law and order can be made. Accordingly attempts have been made at different stages of the country political life to modify the local administrative system and to make them perform their role and function.But in spite of these efforts, the local government authorities continue to exhibit evidences of poor performance. Thus had led to the federal government affairs and eventual entrenchment of the system in the country’s constitution. According to Gbenga (2001) local government can be defined as the process through which government and its policies are carried to the grassroots, and stressed that during the early stage of local government in Nigeria (Gowon) which lasted from 1967-1975 the different state operated different system of local government.In the Northern state, the emirs retained some of their powers and influence because the counselors appointed by the military Governors where traditionally and spiritually expected to defer to the authority of the emirs. The East ern state and in the Midwest states abandoned the councilor system adopted the French system of decantation. In the west state Governor who had initially posted sole administration of local government areas where forced by the tax revolts of the late 1960s to reintroduce local government participation.Mustapha (2003)local government also become conduct pipe for cooting of national treasury for instance, elite cline of local government Chairman called the â€Å"Association of local government of Nigeria (ALGON) reportedly mandate the maximum military leader to deduct local government funds for the purchase of two Toyota land-cruiser jeeps for all LGA chairman, while the other belong to the police to facilitate effective policy and combat of armed robbery. Harriman (2006) local government is not creatures of state government, but one of the tiers of government of this country.Every effort should be made to allow local government councils to operate with prestige and not as beggar. Th erefore, the provision of funds and its disbursement in local government to perform its stated roles. So, importance of sound and effective management of the treasuring of a local government authority cannot be over stressed. Without effective treasuring management, the policies adopted by alocal authority in a great variety of field may not be successfully implemented comprehensive arrangement are therefore in force in all states for exercise of internal and external control over the treasuring of local government authority.But very little and in some cases, virtually no regard has been paid to the need for effective, progressive management of treasuring of local government authority. The management of treasury in the local government should be taken as a tool for controlling the activities of local authority in the country. Without proper and effective management of fund of a local government, the overall affair of the local government will be properly managed, as there will be no constant payment of staff salary, maintenance of law and order, provision of infrastructural facilities and execration of capital project.The treasuring management is a type of control exercise by the management within an organization. It is very important where the size of the organization is high and where the government of a state found it very difficult to have direct contact with the routine operation of the organization. 1. 1STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Large scale misappropriation of fund in public offices has now becomes a common practices in the society. And the local government is not exempted.Thus had led to performance in terms of services rendered to the people in spite of this modification there still exist a poor performance which is evidence in the case of the local government. This ineffectively can be traced to some factors of which poor treasuring management is one. So in this study, we will consider what constitute on effective treasury management and also how ineff iciency in the treasury can be avoided. 1. 2OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY This study was undertaken to provide: a)an attempt to closely look at how assessment is the treasury management, roblem and remedies in local government council in relation to the performance of roles and functions of their areas of authority. b)The length of area to which the treasury management process can contribute to the success or otherwise of a local affairs. c)What roles needs to be played by both the top level and lower level management for treasury management process to succeed in local government authority. d)The federal and state government involvement towards the attachment of defectives treasury management in a local government authority. )An overview of treasury management operation in local authorities f)An analysis of best practice and g)A basis for local governments to examine their own procedures to evaluate their performances so that improvements can be introduced where necessary. In view of the importance of treasury management in a local government is enumerated above, it is necessary also to look up into the treasury management procedure and practice employed by modern local government authority in order to accomplish their goals.Accordingly, this study will make an appraisal of the treasury management policy and practices employed by Ado local government concerned with a view of determining: A. To what extent has the proper treasury management helped the local government in performing the specific function of the local government? B. What procedure and techniques are employ by the local government in monitoring the effective treasury management? C. What principles difficulties are been faced by both management and lower level staff in treasury management planning and implementing?D. What condition is necessary in a board government to ensure effective treasury management? E. What (if any) are the probable causes of deviation in the planned and actual operation of treasu ry management and how they are redressed? F. What roles are being played by the treasurer of a local government in treasury management? 1. 3SCOPE OF THE STUDY The study focuses on treasury management system as a means of promoting proper accountability within an organization with a particular reference to Ado local government.This study will perform test and review the internal control system and the internal check that already exist in the organization. There will be careful study of the operation of the following division. ?Finance/Treasury Division ?Audit Division ?Budget and Planning Division ?Chairman / Sole Administrator 1. 4SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The outcome of this research work will be useful to the organization under reference because if the recommendation were adopted loopholes and other weakness in the existing internal control system would be exposed.This will urge the management to strengthen or if necessary build a new comprehensive treasury management which would promote proper accountability within an organization. The research work will also serve as a valuable document for students, business executives, middle management staff and other people who wish to consolidate their knowledge on treasury management. The result will also be essential to all government officers who are presently witnessing large scale of misapplication of fund and poor accountability. 1. 5DISTINGUISH BETWEEN HYPOTHESIS RESEARCH QUESTION The following are working hypothesis, which would be tested.Null and alternative hypothesis which are usually denoted by Ho and Hi, Ho: a)That well qualified personnel are employed as accounting staff and should be well – motivated in term of salaries and other fringe benefit. b)That proper internal control of the treasury management would improves staff warmth, skill and knowledge. c)That an effective treasury management is capable of executing materials frauds and error and also promotes proper accountability in an organizati on. d)That effective treasury management will enable the local government affairs its objective and standard. )The effective treasury management promotes effectives management funds. f)That management ensures reliability accounting information and document. In this study, the following questions were asked with a view of finding solution to the operation of the treasury management process. a)How important is treasury as a unit of operation in the performance of local government function and roles. b)What roles must treasurer play in the attachment of standard treasury management in the local government? c)What are the contribution of the state and the federal government toward attachment of treasury management standard in all the local government? )What are the causes of proper treasury management failure? e)What are the causes of derivation in planned and actual operation. 1. 6DEFINITION OF TERMS 1. Treasurer: he is the head of the treasury department, he manages and control the fi nance of the local authority. He keeps record of all money received or spent. 2. Auditor: he sees to the check and balance of all financial transaction of the local government. 3. Vote Book: it is use in recording all expenditure and liabilities incurred by the vote controller entrusted with the management of fund of the department. . Petty Cash Book: this is an imprest book, which is kept to meet expenditure of items whose payment voucher cannot be presented immediately. 5. Capital pay office responsible for physical cash and cheque payment of wages and salaries, pension and contract. 6. Receiving Cashier: responsible of collection of cash from outsiders who make payment on fines, licenses etc and also revenue granted by revenue collector. 7. Financial Account Unit: involved in preparation of final account as well as other financial statement of local government.

Applied Marketing Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Applied Marketing Management - Assignment Example This report focuses on social media which is the difficulty associated with tracking the effectiveness of social media advertisements since many of the effects and outcomes of advertising take a long time to develop. Pretest attempts to ease before or after evaluation of potential effectiveness of elements of the advertising program. The report presents customer delight, satisfaction, dissatisfaction which emerge as outcome. Marketer have to go above and beyond the call of duty to manage expectations effectively, especially when expectations are unrealistic. Firms should look for small ways to delight customers without elevating expectations beyond what can reasonably be delivere. In order to maintain and manage customer satisfaction strategically, a better understanding of customer product expectation is important. Expectations can vary due to degree of personal needs, involvement in situations and alternatives. By analyzing zone of tolerance managers are able to come up with various ways of improving expectation and performance as part of developing strategies aimed at improving customer satisfaction. To enhance and maintain customer relationships managers uses effective and easy financial incentives including discount and coupons. Are easily imitated and difficult to end. Social bonding involve use of clubs to maintain clientele. It is difficult and minimizes brand switching. It is time consuming.

Re-Branding Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Re-Branding - Case Study Example Utilizing the case of Hunter Boots and the case study which was provided concerning how the firm was able to rebrand and ultimately turn the company around from near insolvency to rampant sales generation and growth, this brief analysis will be able to draw a high level of inference upon the means by which re-branding is effected as well as pointing to some of the key marketing concepts and theories that are oftentimes utilized in order to bring effective re-branding about. As such, rather than merely restating the case study in question, this particular analysis will seek to define the means whereby Hunter Boots was able to effect its rebranding and turn around via several different applications of marketing strategy and theory. Moreover, rather than merely elaborating upon some of the marketing mechanisms that Hunter Boots utilized in order to bring the firm back from the brink of extinction within the marketplace, the analysis will close with a particular word of warning. Such a w ord of warning is of course with relation to the fact that such a rebranding process that is ever-mindful of the realities of the marketplace is demanded to be perpetually engaged with if such a firm wishes to continue to have a place within the market. One of the very clear and present realities of the way in which markets behave and interact with the consumer and vice versa is with respect to the rapid level of change and fast changing consumer tastes. As such, the market for Hunter Boots had all but died out prior to the successful rebranding that took place. In this way, the relevant stakeholders of the firm found it necessary to institute a series of marketing theories and concepts in order to evoke a level of positive change within overall sales of Hunter’s line of boots. The first of these was to seek to reposition the brand. Whereas previously Hunter Boots had experienced a degree of appeal among wealthier segments of British society, the allure had since been lost as the style and limited product choice had come to be seen as stodgy and outdated. In such a manner, repositioning the brand to make it appeal to a broader audience was direly necessitated. Running tangentially to this need and reality of repositioning the brand, the firm found it expedient to seek to leverage the â€Å"upmarket†. This of course is a marketing concept that useful to understand with regards to the target market that the firm is attempting to leverage. With regards to how Hunter Boots sought to upmarket the product line, it was the understanding and realization of key individuals within the management of the firm that successful rebranding should not deviate too far from the originally strength and stigma that Hunter Boots originally entailed. In such a way, the ultimate intention was to market Hunter Boots as something of a chic aspect of â€Å"haute couture† that denoted a degree of sophistication and wealth. In such a way, the rebranding effort utilize d consumer desire to represent this exclusivity as a means of not only increasing sales but increasing the price per pair of boots approximately 20% (Coster, 2009). Two further marketing concepts which were heavily utilized in order to engage the consumer were with respect to the level and extent to which product differentiation and expansion of the product line were effected to increase overall sales. Whereas before the restructuring and rebranding of Hunter Boots, there were only two specific product offerings that the firm was able to exhibit, as a result of the rebranding efforts, the firm set out to explosively increase the overall number of style

Corporate Social Responsibility within Islamic prospectives Literature review

Corporate Social Responsibility within Islamic prospectives - Literature review Example The values and the principles which have been in place since the time of Prophet Mohammed serve as the CSR foundation in Islam. Islam fundamentals are not subject to change. They include aqidah, referring to belief and faith, ibadah, which means worship and akhlaq, which refers to morality and ethics. In secondary fields such as economics, business and other activities the manifestation of these fundamentals will need flexibility and development in accordance with the time and space. Hence, in Islam the idea of CSR is always subject to change depending on the various needs of the community and the society. According to Islam human represents God and that the whole creation was formed by God. Human being God’s representative therefore, has a great obligation to look after the creation of God. The CSR concept In Islam covers an extensive meaning, in that it embraces God consciousness dimension which is referred to as the taqwa. In all situations, group of individuals takes up di fferent roles and responsibilities as servants. According to Hassan (2002), values of truthfulness, fairness, kindness, uprightness instead of envy and discrimination inspires the relationship with God. This normally manifested naturally in various activities in business and even in the relationship with all the stakeholders.

Does the media distort childrens perceptions of reality or validate Research Paper

Does the media distort childrens perceptions of reality or validate them - Research Paper Example Some adverts have been successful in meeting this objective while others do not please the audience well enough to influence their decisions. However, a group of audience that may not be targeted by these adverts, but is actively involved in viewing them is underage children. Most online and TV digital advertisements are aired at convenient times when the children are watching, leading to serious implications in influencing innocent minds of the children. Therefore, the growing digital media advertising in TV and online commercials is responsible for distorting childrens minds due to the glamour and perceived reality of the virtual content portrayed in these commercials. Â   Paige (1) explains that currently, the violent and aggressive scenes, in addition to scenes portraying disrespect towards others have been the order of the day particularly in TV adverts. Introducing children to violent materials influences their perception regarding application of aggressiveness and violence; the kid perceives this as the best way to achieve a certain end as observed in these adverts. This is because; children cannot decode the messages to conceive the actual meaning being contemplated, but will take the portrayal of aggressiveness as the norm to achieve a certain need. For example, the Ford VW advert resulted in increased criticism from parents as the advert was aired too early and portrayed the chief engineer of Volkswagen embroiled in a combat with a few replicas of himself. The portrayed car parts being used as weapons passed a violent message to children; the advert was not supposed to be aired at normal times when children were watching TVs. As Haugan (23) ex plains, exposure of violent content to children leads to violent behaviors making such adverts to have bad influence on children. Super bowl snapshots when used in advertisements have been criticized for portraying the message of aggressiveness and violence to

Compensation and Benefits Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Compensation and Benefits - Research Paper Example There are creative workers in the company that come up with better business ideas as well as working extra hard to ensure the company’s success. This paper looks at employee incentives as the compensation/benefit problem. In 1973, Bronco Wine Company was started by Fred Franzia with his brother Joseph and cousin. This was immediately after the Coca Cola Company purchased Franzia winery business. It owns 40,000 acres of vineyard in Central Valley, California and produces up to sixty million gallons of wine annually. It has storage facilities in Ceres. One of the major problems facing the company is lack of opportunities for recognition. Rewarding employees makes them feel appreciated (Gebauer, Lowman & Gordon, 2008). This can be through better pays, having flexible job roles, lavish trips and good management. This poses a challenge to the employer because the employees feel unappreciated hence low performance. The employees will be most likely to take more sick days and others end up quitting. The employer will therefore have challenges in coping with fewer workers when others are on sick days as well as employing new people to work on the company. Bronco Wine Company is among the largest wine producing company in the United States but has a problem with employee incentives. There is need in ensuring that the exceptional employees are entitled to public recognition for the work well done. This will have a positive feedback to the company through immense profits as well as having more employees driven and finding ways to tackle

Successful Electronic Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Successful Electronic Communication - Essay Example In the report I will acknowledge your contributions, and I will send you a copy of the completed report if you wish. I am writing you with the hope that you could provide me with information on the Glucoscan II blood glucose monitoring system. A representative at Lifescan informed me that your clinic is currently using this system. I became aware of this new device through an announcement discovered through an Internet source. The Boston Diabetes Center was listed as a test center for the Glucoscan II and you were listed as the contact. After discovering an advertisement from Lifescan in the January 19XX issue of Diabetes Forecast, I became interested in pursuing more information about the device for a report that I am writing for a technical writing class at Muskeegee University. I have written the company and received a great deal of useful information, however it was recommended to me that I write several current users of the system from whom I can obtain first hand knowledge of use of the system. I would be very grateful if you could answer the following questions for me: A representative from Lifescan has indicated that your clinic is one of the leaders in implementing new technology for diabetics and I am therefore eager to hear about your experiences with this device. In the report I would like your permission to acknowledge your contribution and I will forward a copy of the completed report if you wish. In the process of writing an e-mail, it is important to remember that the communication should still adhere to practices of good grammar and polished writing. The e-mail that has been used as an example was written with good form. The example message of this paper uses a good form for the basic structure of the communication. However, the message itself was not clear to the reader. The first impression of an e-mail is found in the subject line. The original subject line reads â€Å"Request for diabetes information†, which is not

Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 94

Discussion - Essay Example otivation theory however elaborates on the behavior of individuals who are exposed to health threat communication hence arousing fear in them (Orbell, Hagger, Brown & Tidy, 2006). The health belief model focuses on perceived barriers and benefits whereas the protection motivation model has its core values on response efficacy and perceived self-efficacy. The two theories share on vulnerability and severity (Ajzen, 2002). Self-efficacy theory is built on outcome expectancies which are perceived as either positive or negative depending on the performed behavior. On the other hand, the theory of planned behavior works under the assumption that most social relevant behaviors are volitionally controlled. Hence, an individual’s intent on performing a particular behavior is seen as the immediate determinant as well as the only and best predictor of the behavior (Hunter, Grunfield & Ramirez, 2003). The health belief model and the protection motivation theory share the same concepts on perceived vulnerability and severity. This level of overlapping is sometimes criticized since it causes defining of these models challenging (Orbell, Hagger, Brown & Tidy, 2006). Hunter, M. S., Grunfield, E. A., & Ramirez, A. J. (2003). Help-seeking intentions for breast cancer symptoms: A comparison of the selfregulation model and the theory of planned behavior. British Journal of Health Psychology, 8, 319–333. Orbell, S., Hagger, M., Brown, V., & Tidy, J. (2006). Comparing Two Theories of Health Behavior: A Prospective Study of Noncompletion of Treatment following Cervical Cancer Screening.Health Psychology, 25(5),

A Taste of Honey Essay Example for Free

A Taste of Honey Essay A Taste of Honey is a kitchen sink drama, set in the late 1950s. It follows the volatile relationship of a mother and daughter, and the problems that they have to overcome. A Taste of Honey presents the harsh reality of what life was like for the working classes. The play explores a variety of controversial issues, which especially in the 1950s, only happened behind closed doors, and would have raised serious questions in society. In A Taste of Honey Helen is portrayed as a bad mother, she cares more about drink and men than her own child and there are several preferences to Helens alcoholism throughout the play. In a strict and traditional society, it would have been almost unforgivable for a teenage girl to have a child and raise it on her own as Jo ends up doing and Helen did before her. Racism also plays a factor in the play as the father of Jos unborn child was black and people felt very strongly about this sort of thing at this time, including Jos mother. A Taste of Honey shows an insight to the problems and strains that can be brought on by the above issues and those that the working class suffered. In the opening scene of A Taste of Honey you are introduced to Jo and Helens new flat. It is a run down, dingy, old place and is all that Helen can afford. The optimism that Helen carries is shown right away as when Helen first walks in she is optimistic about the situation by saying, Well! This is the place. Which shows she has quite an easy-going approach to life as long as she has the necessities in life. Jo then replies with, I dont like it, which straight away shows the conflict between the pair and how different their personalities are from one another. You can clearly see form the dialogue between the pair that Helen has never taken care of Jo properly, Jo: I dont owe you a thing, and Helen: Do you want me to carry you about? which is basically saying look after yourself. At this point Helen is already drinking and Jo says, You make me sick, in reference to her drinking, which shows that, she disapproves and that it sickens her. It also makes you ask the question, why does Helen drink? Jo also addresses her mum as Helen, this shows us that there is nothing maternal between the two and Jo obviously doesnt see her as a motherly figure. They also both talk to the audience in third person about one another saying things such as, Helen: Wouldnt she get on your nerves and Jo: Shed lose her head if it was loose, you cannot see an inch of respect between them and although some people dont always have a very good mother and daughter relationship there isnt a trace of any bonding or caring between them. However you do see Helen show a genuine interest in Jo when she sees how good her art work is, although as she stumbles upon it by mistake it shows the distance they have from one another as Jo has never shown her the work before and Jo is quite taken aback by the interest from her mother and says, Why are you so suddenly interested in me anyway? which reflects the lack of support that Jo has received. Though language, humor and sarcasm used between them you can see the lack of respect and their clear differences such as Helen being a lot more optimistic and wild to Jos more realistic and practical approach to life. You can see Helens wild side through her drinking problem, references to men, Handsome, long-legged creature just the way I like em, her outbursts of singing and the basic fact that she was obviously out doing her own thing when she should have been taking care of her daughter and not kicking her out of bed when she had male company! Also when Helen finds out that her daughter stole the bulbs she is happy and approves, this shows Helens true colours and how she goes about life; she doesnt mind taking things that arent hers as long as she gets what she wants. Helens life runs along the same lines as you only live once, as she lets nothing set her back and she also makes regular comments about death and doesnt look upon it as a big thing really. This contrasts to Jos comment in Act 2, scene 2 where she says, We dont ask for life, we have it thrust upon us. I think that Jos out look on life is that it is hard and unfair; she has always had to fight for her self as Helen has never been there for her, and so she doesnt expect the good things to happen in her life. Jo and Helens relationship about men in Act 1, scene 1 is also very strange, as Helen has clearly had many men in her life as when Peter is introduced Jo says in a very matter of fact way, Whats this one called? Jo doesnt seem to think of men as a necessary object in life and seems to think of men in a more romantic way than Helen and mentions love as well. However in Act 2, scene 2 she has Geoff and although she isnt linked to him in a romantic way at all she still likes the stability of a man looking after her in her life and would rather have a man than a woman present at the birth of her child. In Act 2, scene 2 where the birth of Jos child is looming, Helen isnt there but comes back before she has it and she shows a different approach towards Jo. Although she shows her true side by being nasty to Geof for no reason when she owes it to him to be nice as he has been taking care of her daughter, she does show genuine concern for Jo, How are you, love? and makes enquires about the birth and her pregnancy. She has also made an effort to buy things for the baby and seems to be a lot more motherly towards Jo now. This time round it is Helen making the effort to make the place look nice, and Jo doesnt seem to care about her living arrangements which is a mirror to the attitude of Helen in Act 1, scene 1. Helens effort that she puts into her relationship with Jo is much more motherly and dong things such as, stroking her hair, caring for her, also by saying things such as, well get morbid, this is showing a different side to Helen as in Act 1, scene 1, she is very open about death and talks about it on a regular basis. This is also ironic as she is usually the one that is being morbid, not Jo. Also by talking about the children outside shows a total change in character and you see the nice side of Helen. Whereas Jo seems to have turned more like her mum, by not really caring and expecting others to do things for her, such as Geof; although Jo is never nasty towards him. Although Jo and Helen dont get on with one another in Act 1, scene 1 and Act 2, scene 2 you can see the differences between them. In Act1, scene 1, Helen is very distant from Jo, which Delaney shows through the dialogue and language used between them. She also shows this through the use of talking in the third person, wouldnt she get on your nerves? However in Act 2, scene 2 she seems to be trying to come closer to her daughter, by taking an interest in her and just genuinely being more caring. You also see a change in character with Jo, who in Act 1, scene 1 Delaney portrays her as the parent, with her doing things such as cleaning, but by Act 2, scene 2 when she is about to become a mother herself she is more childlike, this can be shown through the stage directions of Jo throwing the pretend doll that Geof gets her because its the wrong colour. She acts like a spoilt child who comes across as ungrateful and shows no maturity in her at all. I think that in Act 2, scene 2 their relationship has progressed form Act 1, scene 1 as Helen is more of a mother figure towards Jo. However I dont think that they will have a good relationship, as Helen isnt very supporting when she finds out about the colour of the baby. When she is asked what shell do she replies, drown it, and she goes back to her old ways of drinking. This also suggests that she drinks to drown her sorrows. Also she leaves Jo on her own at a time that she needs her and there is some uncertainty about whether or not she is coming back. This sums up their relationship as one that is rocky and that there is no stability at all.

Iodine Clock Reaction: Kinetic Study

Iodine Clock Reaction: Kinetic Study The order of reaction with respect to I ˆ° was determined to be 1 and the order of reaction for ˆ° was determined to be 1. This was determined through the Method of Initial Rates. The elapsed time it took for the reaction to occur was recorded as were the concentrations of the reactants. This helped us derive the order of each reactant which helped us find the overall order which was 2. This helped us derive the specific rate constant, k, which was 1.93 x. Introduction: The rate of reaction is a positive quantity that expresses how the concentration of a reactant or product changes with time. As the reactant(s) decrease the product increases/is formed as demonstrated in the chemical reaction A+B à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   C. Δ[Reactants] Δ[Products]>0 The rate of reaction, also known as rate expression, can be in the form of R=k[A] à Ã‚ « [B]à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ¿ [1] The rate equation is expressed as a mathematical relationship describing the dependence of reaction rate upon the concentration of the reactants. The higher the concentration of starting materials (reactants), the more rapidly a reaction would take place. The lower the concentration of starting materials, the slower a reaction would take place, therefore proving that the reaction rate depends upon the concentration of the reactants. R in equation [1] represents the rate of the reaction in terms of the increase in concentration of products divided by the time it took for the change to occur. k,unlike R, is independent of any other quantities and remains the same. It is known as the rate constant. The bracketed unit represents the concentrations of the reactants, A and B. The exponent in front of the brackets represents the sum of the concentration pertaining to [A] à Ã‚ « and [B]à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ¿ and is defined as the order of the reaction. The order of the reaction is determined only through means of experimentation. The overall sum of all the exponents is known as the total order. The order of a reaction provides the amount of steps it takes a reactant to form a product. The slowest step in the process is called the rate controlling step and it has a molecularity that must equal the overall reaction. For example if the rate controlling step is one, the overall reaction is first order; if it were three, the overall reaction will be third order. Thus it can provide the amount of molecules colliding and how the reaction will carry out. The rate of the reaction can also be influenced, as is in this case, by other factors such as temperature, a catalyst, and an enzyme. Concentration is not the only factor that influences the rate of reaction. In this experiment the rate, k, and the order of the reactions were determined by the Method of Initial Rates and will be influenced by a starch (catalyst). In this method, the rates are going to be recorded for a number of reactions with a different concentration but will hold the constant. The reaction that is being observed is that between the persulfate ion, ˆ°, and iodide ion, Iˆ° being measured in Δt seconds as reaction occurs. Generalized rate expression: R = k[Iˆ°] à Ã‚ « [ˆ°]à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ¿ [2] Experimental Methods: Pipet Graduated Cylinder Small Test Tube I ˆ° Solution KCl solution (N)2ˆ° Solution Na2 Starch Solution Beaker Ice Water Bath Thermometer KI Solution Chemicals: Chemical Formula Molar Weight Ammonium Persulfate (N)2ˆ° 228.18g/mol Iodine I ˆ° 126.904g/mol Potassium Iodide KI 166.002 g/mol Sodium Thiosulfate Na2 158.108 g/mol Potassium Chloride KCl 74.551 g/mol Ammonium Sulfate (N)2 132.14 g/mol Procedures: Part A. Dependence of Reaction Rate on Concentration: 7 to 8mL of KI, (N)2ˆ°, and Na2s were measured. 7 to 8mL of KCl and (N)2solutions were measured with a graduated cylinder. Look at Table 1. Reactant The specified volume(s) of KI (and KCl) solutions were pipeted into a small test tube which was used as the reaction container. 1.00mL of 0.005 M Na2was pipeted into the small tube and 2 drops of starch solution were added. A thermometer was then inserted into the reaction container. The specified volumes of (N)2ˆ° and (N)2were then pipeted into a separate test tube. Persulfate solution was then poured from the test tube into the reaction tube. The solution was then swirled as to mix thoroughly. The time at which the solutions were mixed and the time required to turn the solution blue were recorded. Observed time. After solution appeared the temperature was recorded The tubes were rinsed thoroughly between experiments and each experiment was reproduced. Part B. Dependence of Reaction Rate on Temperature: Reaction (3) was carried out at the temperatures specified in Table 2. The same concentration as in Experiment 2 of table 1 was used. Table 2. Iodine Clock Reaction and Temperature Experiment Temperature,  °C 2 Room temperature 4 10 ° above Room Temperature 5 10 ° below Room Temperature 6 About 0 ° or 20 ° below Room Temp. Instead of mixing at room temperature, the two test tubes were placed in a beaker of water heated with a water bath to the desired temperature. A thermometer was then placed in the reaction tube. After several minutes at the specified temperature, the two solutions were mixed by pouring the solution from the persulfate test tube into the reaction tube, which was kept in the water bath. Swirl the tubes. The times of mixing and when the color change occurs and the temperature at the time of color change was recorded. The experiment may be repeated if time permits. Disposal: All solutions of reactions product are classified as non-hazardous and were flushed down the sink with running water. Unused reactant may be disposed in waste container. Observations The time it took for the solutions to change colors varied according to the rate law equation. As the temperature was raised, the reaction occurred quicker. As the temperature was cooler, the reaction took longer. Discussion: Throughout this experiment we were trying to find the order of reaction pertaining to [I ˆ°] and [ˆ°]. This experiment also illustrated the many ways that the rate of reaction can be influenced. As the temperature was raised we saw the solution being changed at a quicker rate. As it was cool it took longer. This experiment also affirmed what was said of the rate of reaction being directly proportional to the concentration; the higher the concentration, the quicker the reaction. Sources of Error: There were several possible sources of error. When the group started attaining the specified volumes of the solutions we had misread the instructions several times and may have gotten the wrong amounts. We eventually got the amounts right, but there might have been residue from the other concentrations that were in there before. Another possible source of error could have been the amount of ice that was in the container. Even though it was possibly just a very small amount of extra nice that wasnt needed, that could have influenced the time the reaction occurred. Conclusion: The order of the reactions pertaining to [I ˆ°] and [ˆ°] were obtained. The order of reaction pertaining to pertaining to [I ˆ°] was 1 and the order of reaction pertaining to [ˆ°] was also 1. The overall reaction order was 2. This helped us find the specific rate constant, k, which was 1.93 x .

al capone Essay -- essays research papers

Organized crime was not so organized up until the 1920s. When the 1920s arrived, the American lifestyle changed dramatically. People started investing money in home appliances and automobiles, women’s skirts became higher and drinking became very popular. Also, organized crime came to a rise in the 1920’s. And in the high ranks of organized crime was Al Capone. Al Capone ran many illegal businesses including bootlegging, gambling, prostitution, and murders. There were many gangs in the world of organized crime and Al Capone’s was at the top. Al Capone was the most infamous gangster in the 1920’s. Being a big time gangster was big business. Money was made fast and very easily. Bootlegging alcohol was by far the most profitable in the 1920’s, this was because of the prohibition. Gambling was another business that paid off. Gambling stations were set up all over cities. Prostitution and Murders were also crimes that made gangsters money. Alphonse Capone was the biggest force in organized crime. He started his career of crime in Boston, as an apprentice to Johnny Torrio. That is where he earned the unforgettable nickname â€Å"Scarface.† It was in a bar when Capone made some rude comments about a woman. Minutes later, the woman’s brother sliced Capone in the face. D. VanGorder 2 This man was a friend of Charles â€Å"Lucky† Luciano. Al Capone was punished and forced to apologize. Al Capone did not become a leader until he went to Chicago. At the time he was still an apprentice to Johnny Torrio. In the midst of the gang violence and bootlegging was Chicago. Chicago was a great place to start a ring of organized crime. The government was very weak which made it easier to do crime. Capone entered the city of Chicago in 1920. At the time, â€Å"Big Jim† Colosimo ran things. He made about 50,000 dollars a month. Torrio and Capone started their business with four gambling joints/whore houses in Chicago. These underground places were known as deuces. In Chicago Capone met a man who would be his friend for life, Jack Guzik. Guzik was Jewish. His family lived off prostitution. Al Capone never worried about racial issues, his wife was even Irish. After Jack Guzick was roughed up by a Joe Howard, Capone let out his temper. It did not help when Howard called Capone some rude names. Soon after, Capone shot him down. There was no conviction, it was clear that Capone was becoming more... ...n Capone was showing his superiority. As Alva Johnston said in the New Yorker D. VanGorder 6 â€Å"Chicago is the imperial city of the gang world and New York a remote provincial place.† The incident was known as The Adonis club massacre. Prohibition may have caused the highest crime rate ever in organized crime. Frankie yale was a longtime friend of Al Capone and Johnny Torrio. He was used in various hits including the murders of Dion O’banion and â€Å"Big Jim† Colosimo. In 1928 Capone found out that Yale had been hijacking many of his â€Å"booze† trucks. Soon after, Yale was shot down. No other single gangster could be as infamous as Al Capone. Al Capone was the most powerful gangster to ever live. No one could stop his reign of crime, and anyone that got in his way, he would take out, Even when it came to his friends. He was never convicted for any of the hundreds of crimes he committed, this is one of the most important facts that showed how many connections Capone had. It was until the 1930’s when Capone was convicted of Tax invasion. While serving his jail time Alphonse Capone became a victim of the deadly disease Syphilis. Al Capone died but his crime legacy will always live on.

Women and Fiction in The Yellow Wallpaper -- Yellow Wallpaper essays

Women and Fiction in The Yellow Wallpaper      Ã‚   Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" is a deceptively simple story.   It is easy to follow the thirteen pages of narrative and conclude the protagonist as insane.   This is a fair judgement, after all no healthy minded individual becomes so caught up with "hideous" and "infuriating" wallpaper to lose sleep over it, much less lock herself in a room to tear the wallpaper down.   To be able to imagine such things as "broken necks" and "bulbous eyes" in the wallpaper is understandable, irrational and erratic designs can form rational patterns in our minds, but to see a woman locked inside of the "bars" of the wallpaper and attempt to rescue her seems altogether crazy.   Her fascination with the wallpaper does seem odd to us, but it easy to focus on the eccentricity of her interest with paper and lose sight of what the wallpaper institutes: her writing.   It is her writing that keeps her sane, the wallpaper that makes her insane, and from these two very sym bolic poles the short story rotates.   Gilman's short story is not simply about a lonely woman's descent into madness, but is symbolic of previous and contemporary women writer's attempt to overcome the "madness" and bias of the established, male dominated literary society that surrounds them.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From the very beginning of the narrator's vacation, the surroundings seem not right.   There is "something queer" about the mansion where she resides it becomes obvious that her attempt to rest from her untold illness will not follow as planned.   The house is an "ancestral" and "hereditary estate...long untenanted" invoking fanciful gothic images of a "haunted house" (3).   The house they choose to reside in for the three... ...  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "The Yellow Wallpaper" is not simply a story of a woman whose imagination drives her insane, it is a symbolic story of the woman writer who wishes to free herself from the conventions of the male dominated literary world.   Gilman's proposes that women can achieve such status that they deserve, but that they must first acknowledge and see truthfully the "madness" surroundings, the tenets created by men, and become driven by the "madness" to overcome it.   It is not impossible, but an uphill battle won by many others.   Charlotte Perkins Gilman is proof of this: her work is wholly a part of the literary canon, among the best of her male peers.    Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't -Shakespeare    WORK CITED    Perkins, Charlotte Perkins. The Charlotte Perkins Gilman Reader. Editor Ann J. Lane. New York: Pantheon, 1980.   

Carbon Sinks In the Oceans Analysis Essay -- greenhouse gas, carbon dio

Carbon sinks are found when there is a collection of carbon dioxide within a reservoir. Both, the terrestrial and aquatic systems, can act as natural carbon sinks, as can the atmosphere, where the collections of carbon dioxide as well as carbon dioxide emissions are high. The efficiency of these sinks has been declining since the 1990’s (Canadell et al. 2007). Approximately, 50% of carbon dioxide emissions are collected in the terrestrial and oceanic sinks (Ritschard 1992), which are detrimental to the ecosystem. Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have been significantly small compared to the anthropogenic emissions when it comes to substantiality (Canadell et al. 2007). This is because the natural carbon sinks of the ocean remove some of the anthropogenic carbon dioxide (Canadell et al. 2007). Although the exact amount of carbon stored in these sinks cannot be determined due to lack of research, scientists do know that coastal ecosystems (or intertidal zones) are the most inte nse carbon sinks around (Vierros 2013). It is well known that carbon dioxide is a radioactive gas (Edmonds 1992). Carbon dioxide as well as the other radioactive gases such as ozone and water vapor, (Edmonds 1992) are the gases that become trapped in the atmosphere and are commonly referred to as greenhouse gases. There is approximately a 0.4% increase of the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere a year (Ritschard 1992). Carbon has been collecting in the oceans for many years. Because of the addition of human activity, much of the carbon dioxide that enters into oceanic and other aquatic systems comes from the terrestrial systems (Oswood et al. 1996). These sources include but are not limited to eroding peat, inorganic carbon, runoff and soil dissolved ... ...O2 growth from economic activity, carbon intensity and efficiency of natural sinks. PNAS. V104(47): 18866-18870 2) Chung, I.K., Beardall, J., Mehta, S., Sahoo, D., and Stojkovic, S. 2011. Using marine macroalgae for carbon sequestration: a critical appraisal. J. Applied Phycology V23(5):877-886 3) Edmonds, J. 1992. Why understanding the natural sinks and sources of CO2 is important: A policy analysis perspective. Water, Air and Soil Pollution V64:11-21 4) Orr, J.C., and Sarmiento, J.L. 1992. Potential of Marine Macroalgae as a Sink for CO2: Constraints for a 3-D General Circulation Model of the Global Ocean. Water, Air and Soil Pollution V64:405-421 5) Oswood, M.W., Irons III, J.G., and Schell, D.M. 1996 Dynamics of Dissolved and Particulate Carbon in an Arctic Stream. Landscape Function and Disturbance in the Arctic Tundra. Ecological Studies. V120:275-289

Direct & Indirect Leadership

Direct vs. Indirect Leadership The term leadership is a word taken from the common vocabulary and incorporated into the technical vocabulary, of a scientific discipline without being precisely redefined. As a consequence, it carries extraneous connotations that create ambiguity of meaning (Janda, 1960). Leadership has been described as the â€Å"process of social influence, in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task†. Social influence occurs when an individual's thoughts, feelings or actions are affected by other people, i. e†¦ onformity, peer pressure and socialization. (Wikipedia). The military definition of Leadership is influencing people—by providing purpose, direction, and motivation—while operating to accomplish the mission and improving the organization. Getting people to do what you want them to do. It is the means or method to achieve two ends: operating and improving. But there’s more to influencing than simply passing along orders. The example you set is just as important as the words you speak. And you set an example—good or bad—with every action you take and word you utter, on or off duty. Through your words and example, you must communicate purpose, direction, and motivation (FM 22-100 Chapter 1The Leadership Framework). Military leadership could be different from the rest of the world. Most corporations, companies and jobs are not bound by and oath, some may be. But what they do have in common, you don’t get to pick your leadership style. In the army you were sworn by an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States, against all enemies foreign and domestic so help you God and obey the orders of those appointed over you. In others words you didn’t have a choice, to pick what style of leadership you wanted. Most military leadership is a form of direct leadership. Generals communicate with field Commanders through teleconference, e-mails and speeches updating and talk about rules and regulation that effect their immediate command. Reinforcing, the army mission, its values and goals. Commanders are different they provide direct and indirect leadership, they are the one’s closet to the ground solider. Examples of direct leadership include formations, inspections and motor pool visits. They meet with their chain of command on a daily basis, to discuss and update them on changes to policies and regulation. Ensuring that all rules and regulation are being followed according to Department of Defense (DOD) and Uniform Code of Military Justice addressing all concerns and issues under their Chain of Command. Examples of more direct leadership include memos too change to policy, speaking at New Solider Orientation and before field training exercise. A form of indirect leadership by a CEO is called â€Å"cascading† (Bass, Waldman, Avolio, & Bebb, 1987; Waldman & Yammarino, 1999; Yammarino, 1994), occurs when the direct influence of the CEO on immediate subordinates is transmitted down the authority hierarchy of an organization (e. g. , from the CEO to middle managers, to lower-level managers, to regular employees. In this case the United States Army, through their promotion system. The Army is looking to retain, recruit and promote soldiers’ whose attitude, values (you’re vs. Army), military knowledge and appearance stack up against theirs through the promotion systems. Military Leadership Development Courses schooling design educate, reinforce the leader to achieve excellence. The Leader of Character and Competence Acts: Valves, Be, Know and Do. Values are Loyalty, Selfless Service and Integrity. Be: loyal, mental, physical and emotional strong. Know: Interpersonal, Technical and Tactical skills. Do: Influencing, through communicating and decision making. Operating, executing and assessing missions/training. Improving, through team building, developing and learning (FM 22-100 Chapter 1 The leadership Framework Fig 1-1). The type of leadership depends on the type of organizations that you are in or working for. One leadership style do not fit every situation. Strengths and Weaknesses Direct: Strengths: Everyone knows who’s in charge. Leaders or Managers has all the power, employees has very little input. Weakness: employees have no input, everything is enforce from the top down Employees may not take any initiative Indirect: Strengths: Employees can brainstorm come up with different ideas on how to accomplish the task/mission. Weakness: Could be time consuming, no one can agree on how to accomplish the task No one wants to accept responsibility

Culture Clash Essay

The article â€Å"Why Don’t They Like Us Overseas? Organizing U. S. Business Practices to Manage Culture Clash† by Thomas Begley and David Boyd discusses reasons and ways to strengthen corporate culture as it is the chance to expand overseas and to avoid so-called culture clash. Different countries ahs their own cultural beliefs, ethical norms and ways of doing business and what is considered normal in one country may be considered unethical and abusive in another one. Shared culture is the best for unity of purpose. For example, Americans are often wondering why others don’t like them. The reasons are refusal to sign agreement on global warming, national fixation on celebrity icons, etc. Actually, it is called international perception and every nation has national traits, beliefs and customs which are not understood and shared. When companies try to apply their corporate values overseas, they face a number of challenges and tensions as those people are provided with another mentality. Worldwide systems would be of great help as they offer customer responsiveness, global performance management, infrastructure capabilities, etc. The authors argue that global consistency is needed for overall mutual understanding. Global consistency is defined as â€Å"a means of increasing corporate efficiency†. (p360) To impose own values is not effective way out as overseas employees often resist as values are not universal and motivators are not similar as many Americans believe. I think that the article is very informative as it shows ways to cope with culture clash and to increase efficiency. The concept of cultural difference can’t be ignored when expanding overseas as employees have another values and beliefs. Cultural difference can be applied to every organization and company, not only those which are willing to expand overseas. Corporate culture is not national culture and, therefore, leaders should promote effectiveness through mutuality. References Begley, Th. , & Boyd, D. P. (2003). Why Don’t They Like Us Overseas? Organizing U. S. Business Practices to Manage Culture Clash. Organizational Dynamics, 32, 4, pp. 357-371.

Chapter 3: Research Design and Methodology Essay

Chapter 3: Methodology and Design Chapter 3 Research Design and Methodology 3.1 Aims This investigation was concerned generally to see how new technologies come into the everyday lives of different people, and how in turn these people engage with these offerings: the way they are appropriated, including adoption, learning and struggling, but also other strategies for non-adoption, or arms length appropriation. Particular issues include the influence of knowledge, use and resource on ICT appropriation within and between domains of the life-space, addressing both opportunities for crossover and reinforcement of boundaries. More broadly it asked how the appropriation of technologies, such as the PC, the mobile phone and the Internet is proceeding now that certain technical elements and skills have left the domain of the early adopter. The study started from three motivations: 1. To study everyday use and context of technology in its broad rather than narrow definition, covering the whole of the life space. This sought to overcome the limitations of previous research that focuses rather exclusively on the home, or work, or clubs only, and generally neglects crossovers, (except when work comes in to the home in the case of tele-work). It is also sought to explore how the computer and some other technologies cross over between domains, and the supposed convergence of television, computer and telecommunications technologies. 2. A ‘person centred’ approach to living with technology, rather than an ‘artefact centred’ approach. With so many products being developed, rather than follow the uptake of a specific selected technology, which may fail, or succeed, this study looks at what is actually appropriated or engaged with by the respondents in different circumstances during a period of intense technological change. 3. A sociotechnical approach to appropriation, based  on three levels. Rather than being artefact or system centred, the study recognises the socio-cultural nature of innovation in the ‘information society’. It seeks to understand: Chapter 3: Methodology and Design a) The biographies and appropriation of things or artefacts themselves. b) The biography and appropriation and reinvention of proposed uses, programmes and visions that accompany artefacts. Often a particular technology may fail, but it is only a step on the way to adoption and development of a class of services such as home shopping, or the mobile office, computers in education. In an age of multiple competing technologies and service providers, the class of service is another key level of analysis. Reinvention of services and changes in attitude often occurs ahead of technical innovation, but nevertheless can be seen as part of the innovation process. c) A third level is that of issues on the macro scale, but affect individuals and communities – issues such as privacy, reliance on technology, the effect on the news media, on national identity, the idea of progress through technology etc. This includes â€Å"tales of technological utopianism† (Kling and S., 1988) and dystopianism, as well as more concrete issues such as copyright. These may be harder to grasp, but they are central to the idea of the information society, are the subject of extensive academic business and policy work, and are debates that are accessible to everyone. They are also represented by particular products – such as government legislation, which is in its turn ‘consumed’ in its own way. 3.1.1 Research Questions From these general aims, a number of specific research questions and issues emerged and were further refined in the course of developing the research design. The main questions are summarised below: 1. What are the crossovers between work and home and other domains of life in the experience and appropriation of new ICTs? How does technology help break down boundaries, or used to reinforce them? 2. What are the issues that make adoption and use of ICTs difficult, such at they create ambivalence between benefits and problems, and need practical and social resources to cope with them 3. How important is the local social network as resource and factor in the diffusion of technologies, and the appropriation process? (This question was particularly interesting since some of the technologies in question are ‘network’ technologies, and their use depends on having other people to use them with). 4. Why do people not adopt new ICTs that are becoming popular all around them, and what does it mean to be a non-adopter? Can we also ask how people resist technical change? Chapter 3: Methodology and Design These questions throw light on the greater issue of whether we can question an individualistic consumption and ownership model. Two secondary questions that motivated the research, but are not examined in this thesis in details are: 1. How are people experiencing the convergence of technologies, industries etc, and engaging with the industry driven development of new classes of services and uses. Are there types of classes of uses developed by users, or parts of everyday life that are not part of the industry and policy agenda. How are, and may people respond to the key services that are being developed for new technical platforms, and what applications and services appear to be proving most relevant and popular? 2. How do the academic and policy issues around the innovation and appropriation of new ICTs form part of the experience of people not necessarily engaged with them directly? How do these issues become apparent and how do people engage with them? In these questions issues of personal, social, functional and technical ‘context’ is be central. The Social Shaping of Technology perspective suggests a social constructivist perspective on one hand – the way that  technologies, uses, concepts and roles are constructed in context and in ‘use’, but on the other hand stresses the influence of the characteristics of the technology, and in this case information and communications, in shaping the meanings and context. While the meanings of technologies may be shaped by the broader social and cultural context, and discourse, the technology itself has a powerful reverse effect. Most studies of technology and innovations have found the same broad trends in use and adoption of ICTs, with age, gender, money and occupation being important predictors of attitudes, use and rate of adoption. Assumptions are made about the difference between the way men and women, or the young and the old, approach technology, and are addressed by industry. However as ICTs become less ‘technological’, and digital computing technology becomes more and more ubiquitous, I wanted to take a critical Chapter 3: Methodology and Design stance, not looking for stereotypes but trying to see from ‘bottom up’ observation how and why there may be different approaches to new ICT between people, based not only on demographics, but also on a range of other influencing factors. Do changes in employment, education and expectations alongside changes in technology challenge our stereotypes of women and men, or the old and the young? In order to tackle this sort of issue I needed to study a number of different milieu, with a range of people of various ages, occupations, resources, attitudes to technology etc, in order to get a range of different examples to compare and contrast. However the number of people I could interview would be limited by my time and the type of research method I chose. 3.2 Designing the Field Work This research design builds on research done into use of technology and media in the home in the various other spaces using a qualitative research method1. This discussion of the methodology attempts to present some of the specific tools and experiences used to inform the design of the research and the development of an interpretation. 3.2.1 Studying the Process of Adoption and Domestication Some studies of technology are aimed at building up a picture of the use of technologies in a social system at a particular time in a generally stable situation. Others investigate the process of domestication from the moment a technology is adopted. The processes leading up to adoption are generally investigated in hindsight. Diffusion studies tend to look in hindsight at the diffusion of an innovation though a community, following one particular technology. Adoption studies, even those concentrating on word-of-mouth, and personal influence, do not look closely at the actual process of interactions in details, and seldom use qualitative research methods. In my research I wanted to look at natural setting over a period of time, to try and see what natural encounters there were with technologies, why and how these occurred, and how people engaged not only with technologies, but with ideas about them too. I wanted to see how people linked innovations into their existing cultural and technical world, how different technologies were interpreted, and how they were appropriated. I wanted Chapter 3: Methodology and Design to uncover this process and seek to understand in the context of the everyday activities, relationships, background and events of the respondent. In particular, I wanted to see how processes within the social network played a role in the way people encountered and coped with innovations. I developed a method of research, many elements of which I were reinforced by observations from number of researchers from different disciplines. Rogers (Rogers and Shoemaker, 1971) suggests that diffusion research needs to be much more processoriented than is general. It should be qualitative, and follow sequences of events over time, to try and get closer to understanding the actually adoption process. He also suggests that instead of focusing on single innovations, we should see them as part of clusters, with adoption of one linked to others, especially when boundaries between technologies is not very clear. These clusters or complexes need to be investigated in an  evolutionary sequence. He suggests we have to look for how these links are made by potential adopters, and not rely on the classification of experts. In particular, he suggest not falling for the empty vessel fallacy, assuming that potential adopters do already have the knowledge and skills (â€Å"indigenous knowledge systems†) to evaluate and use innovations relevant to their lives. In fact this is the approach of sociology of technology and of consumption – to understand how interpretations of an innovation are arrived at in the culture in which it emerges or is introduced. Developing research out of the consumer research paradigm, Mick and Fournier (Mick and Fournier, 1995) criticise the lack of research that focuses on the on the context of consumption, the pre- and post-adoption aspects of consumption and the role of symbolic. They developed a methodology using phenomenological interviews to give insight into emotional responses, as well as rational explanations given in retrospective interviewing. In particular, they recommend multi-method approaches used in longitudinal inquiries in natural settings (Mick and Fournier, 1998). Moores, who did several details studies of the domestication of radio and satellite TV suggest that future research should look to a range of ICTs, not just media technologies, and look outside the home as well as inside (Moores, 1996). Some have started to do this Chapter 3: Methodology and Design sort of research, such as Frissen and Punie (1998), who study the role of technologies in the lives of busy people.  Haddon, who has conducted much research in this field, makes a number of suggestions about the type of research that needs to be done to understand how people are appropriating the Internet (Haddon and Hartman, 1997). These include what the phenomenon symbolises to different people, including concerns that may make them wary; how they first encounter the Internet, what support they have and any problems they face; how it is perceived and maybe used in relation to other technologies and media; and where it can possibly fit into the time structures of households and individuals. (Haddon and Hartman, 1997). Technologies must not only be put in the context of other technologies and the social context, but in terms of the activities that people do to make them relevant and meaningful. It might be more interesting to go beyond what people actually say about the idea of electronic commerce to consider whether current purchasing practices might favour consumption via the Internet. For example, if a particular household only buys goods and services from offices and shops and pays in cash, not even using a credit card, then arguably they are far removed from electronic commerce over the Internet – such a development would be a major new innovation for them. Whereas for someone already tele-shopping by some means, doing so over the Internet is a variation or extension of what is familiar to them. (Haddon and Hartman, 1997). In studying a long term process of adoption, obviously it is important to find out what people actually do in their everyday activities, to understand how particular products, such as home shopping services could be relevant, and how their adoption may correspond to existing practices, or represent radical changes in activities. In some ways we are trying to find out what people might ‘need’, not in terms of specific solutions, but as â€Å"an invisible phenomena that can be deduced from the structure of everyday life† (Desjeux, Taponier et al., 1997, p.253). 3.2.2 Focusing on the Life-Space and Technology Venkatesh studied the appropriation of computers in the home and suggests that sociotechnical studies have to â€Å"attempt to capture the structure and dynamics of computer adoption and use in the home, by looking at the interaction between the social space in which the family behaviour occurs and the technological space in which technologies are embedded and used.† (Venkatesh, 1996) This is similar to much of the domestication research that tries to understand the structure of the moral economy in the home Chapter 3: Methodology and Design (Silverstone, Hirsch et al., 1992; Silverstone and Hartman, 1998). This involves looking at symbolic and practical structures of the home in terms of time, space, activities, roles, power relations, rules, and use of technologies. Studies of the workplace and computerisation take a similar view, looking to understand not only the formal organisation of work, but also the many informal relationships and activities. The aim is to build a model from the ‘bottom up’ model of â€Å"how the user will derive value from the product or service† (Carey and Elton, 1996, p.41/42), how they will make sense of in light of all their experiences across the life-space2. The intention of this study was to link the various domains of life, to study the ‘moral economy’ of both home and the work place, but also through relationships and activities that cross boundaries. Into this study of the greater life-space I needed to study how technologies arrive in this space and how they are domesticated. To do this I had to look at all the domains of activity and types of activity that made up people’s lives, and could be affected by new ICTs. The following figure gives some of the possible areas of application of technology. Chapter 3: Methodology and Design Chapter 3: Methodology and Design 3.2.3 Gaining Access One problem is to gain access to respondents, and the problems of being able to study them, and gain some familiarity with their world, or share their ‘reality’. Social science methodologies propose many different ways in which this can be achieved, and guidance on the extent to which involvement in a respondent’s life world is necessary to for particular descriptive or analytic ends. Practical problems include getting people to speak to the researcher at all, then getting them to be open, co-operative, and sincere in discussing the aspects of their lives that interest the researcher. More fundamental for research methodology is the reliance on the personal descriptions of the respondents, who may either intentionally conceal or mislead the researcher, or unintentionally mislead them. In studying someone’s life world, it is unlikely that the respondent will be able to comprehensively and thoroughly describe not only their opinions and thoughts, but the details of everyday activities and relationships, and the context in which they conduct them, especially in the space of a relatively short interview. Participant observation is a method that tries to surmount these obstacles, but at the expense of huge effort by the researcher, and can only be carried out in a situation where the researcher can actually live or work within a small group over an extended period of time. Since I intended to look at a number of groups, and across the social network of one particular member, this type of methodology is impossible. What is more, gaining access to the work place or social clubs may be possible, but living in private homes is very difficult. Only a few researchers have tried this (for example, James Lull in order to examine media use (Lull, 1990)). I wanted to study the way people encountered new technologies over a period of months or even years, when in fact key events may only occur very infrequently, so this did not make much sense. Other research methods used in media studies include asking the participants to keep diaries. This again is does not get any closer if especially if salient events occur very infrequently and outside the period of research interaction. I wanted to interview not only users of new technology for whom the technology had a direct personal relevance, but also non-users for whom it did not. I expected that during Chapter 3: Methodology and Design the process of research many of the respondents would be likely to encounter and form opinions on new ICTs and have some engagement with the process of innovation and diffusion, however unwillingly. I had to find a method that would enable me to gain access to people who did not have any interest in the subject of research- new media technologies, and who would be difficult to contact or engage with though a research method based on current users. Especially for these people I had to develop a number of tactics to bring out the discussion of new ICTs, and to build an understanding of each person’s life-world and the way that they encountered and engaged with ICT  innovations. 3.3 Initial Concept of Research Method Instead of selecting a range of established social groups, say a workplace, a club, a nuclear family, a group of friends, a shopping centre, I decided from the outset to use an Informer approach, taking as my point of entry an individual who would to some extent participate in the research as a co-researcher, and provide entry into their social ‘world’. Blumer suggest that the researcher â€Å"seek participants in the sphere of life who are who are acute observers and who are well informed†(Blumer, 1969, p.41). The research design then involved mapping the various other people that these respondents engaged with (both in relation to specific uses of ICTs and more generally) in different domains of their life sphere. I would then conduct interviews with those they work with, their family, their friends, and ask them to report on their experiences of traditional and new media and communication technologies. The Informant, and the others they identified, would not be selected on the basis that they personally use or buy any particular technology – given the symmetry principle that non-use is just as interesting as use. The crucial point is that it is the Informant’s social network and individuals within it that are being studied, not only the key Informants themselves. Whilst the selection of the initial informants would obviously have an important influence over research outcomes, any such shaping by the researcher would then be diffused as the interviews moved out to the networks identified by the Informants. Although such an approach does not Chapter 3: Methodology and Design eliminate the bias inherent in selection of respondents this kind of snowballing method does open up the range of people interviewed. The involvement of the Informant was conceived as being important for practical and theoretical reasons as well – an informant will have to be engaged as a co-researcher who will provide access for the researcher to their social groups. I did not presume that the Informant’s position would  be un-problematic, but anticipated that there would be many difficulties with their relationship to the research, and their role in forming the opinions of their groups. In fact the informant role as a point of passage between social groups is very important – however they are unlikely to be unique points of passage in real life. By interviewing a number of people who shared similar experiences and knew each other, or knew a common contact this method would also enable me to compare the experience and interpretations the respondents had of particular events, shared spaces, relationships and each other. This would make the study satisfy some of the basic demands of an ethnographic study. The aim was to conduct this study on a longitudinal basis – with the idea of repeating the fieldwork after maybe 1 year, by which time I expected that there would be appreciable changes in the discourses and use of technology in society in general and in the groups being studied. Interviews were conducted on a semi-structured basis with the help of a schedule of questions and issues (included in the Appendix). I also explored the use of other devices to prompt responses in a less structured way. Having carried out a ‘dummy run’ with these research instruments on friends and fellow students, I then undertook an initial ‘pilot study’ with the first group of interviewees. Since I was attempting an experimental and rather unstructured research design, which potentially threw up further problems, for example in data analysis, the pilot study provided an important opportunity for assessing and refining the research design. Chapter 3: Methodology and Design 3.3.1 Designing the interviews I was not trying to trace the network of influences, but rather study a group of people who interact at home, work and in other social situations, and compare their different approaches and study how they influence each others, and how the influence of third parties is passed on and ‘negotiated’ in the group. There is no need to do a complete network analysis for this, but in putting together the sample, an informants ego (personal) network is to be the basis for selection. I had to design an interview guide that would investigate the individual’s background, their everyday activities, major and minor events in their lives and their relationships with others. This would include information on activities that are currently the target of the development of ICTs, such as workplace activities, shopping, banking, media, entertainment, communications and information use. I mapped out the range of areas of life that I might have come up in the following Table. I would then focus on the knowledge and use of ICTs and how they were engaging with them. Since I was investigating the adoption process, I also tried to find out how they went about adopting new products, covering information seeking, advice taking, buying, learning etc, for what ever product. This included the importance of different personal relationships in making decisions, finding out information, and forming opinions, compared with reliance on ‘public sources’ such as shops and media. I also asked about broader issues to do with the development of technology and its impact on society, attitudes towards change, and if they had knowledge of in policy issues involved in the ‘information society’. Chapter 3: Methodology and Design The interview was flexible enough to range over issues that the respondents brought up. The main topics covered are in the table. Background, life themes and history Education background Family background Life history Important relationships Resources Everyday activities and recent events Events Life changes Work activities Domestic life 3 Shopping practices Information, Media and Communication Information use and attitude Media use Work communication Friends and family communication ICT use and knowledge ICT use ICT adoption Social Network’s use of ICTs ICT attitudes Engagement with ICTs Knowledge about ICTs Problems with technology Knowledge of implementation of ICTs in government and industry Policy issues on ICTs Table 1 Topics covered in interview schedule 3.3.2 Primary analysis of success of first pilot interviews, and comments for proceeding with concluding research on pilot. The initial respondents were found through an acquaintance, a primary school teacher who agreed to help. She named a colleague and her family as her closest network, whom she shared most things. The details are given in the next chapter. The first set of interviews was conducted in January 1997. All eight interviews were transcribed. The interviews explored the life of the participant – looking at domestic, social, employment, and economic situation, and some life history. It then looked at a number of everyday activities drawn from the original ‘plan for looking’ at new media in everyday life. The interviewing approach started not from technology, but from particular activities, and attitudes towards those activities, the social relations involved, and included instances of specific technologies. The questioning aimed to find out what the important activities, preoccupations and relationships are in the participants’ lives, and their attitudes and practices around them. Then more particular questions were asked about technology in everyday life, based on the earlier remarks of the participant, and introducing new themes. There was not an attempt to get them to define ‘technology’, or Chapter 3: Methodology and Design use my vague definition, but technologies were seen in the context of particular practices, activities and expectations. I was happy with the results of the first interviews. They laid considerable groundwork for asking about the changes in use and expectations about technologies in context over the last year. However I made changes to the question schedule, mostly as a result of how I actually conducted the interviews, but also to reinforce some of the background material. For example, I needed to bring out more details of the relationships between the participants, and ask their opinions on the other’s attitudes to information, technologies and the other activities and interests identified in the research plan. I also asked more about significant others that I was not interviewing, who lay outside the social circle of the principal informant. 3.3.3 Finding and engaging respondents I found the rest of the respondents by focusing on finding principal informants with specific backgrounds that I thought would be interesting in the light of particular interpretations of the technology: these included computer entrepreneurs, artists, senior business managers, students and unemployed teenagers. I also wanted informants who would be interested in the topic and agree to help me persuade their family, colleagues and friends to help me. Through word of mouth and email-lists and a local cybercafe I found three informants who put me in touch with their personal networks. Details of the respondents are given in the next chapter in summary and in the Appendix in much fuller detail. 3.3.4 Conduct of the interviews While I only met most of the respondents for the interviews twice, I spent a considerable amount of time with the Informants. I usually met them once to explain the purpose of the work, and get an idea if they would be interested and willing to help, and also if they could provide me with a network to interview. In particular, I met frequently with the informants in Groups 2 and 3, who were developing very interesting multimedia projects. This included spending the night on the floor of one while visiting his home in Chapter 3: Methodology and Design a snowstorm in the north of Scotland. I visited them where they worked and in their homes for the first and second interviews, and in the case of groups 1and 3, travelled to visit other members of the group with them. I made the interview the focus of a meeting in which I also tried to develop an understanding about how they lived, where they worked, the relationships with others, their interests and engagement with the subject by observation and in conversations around the interview. These conversations were used to make myself feel at home, and to make the respondent realise that I was not coming to grill them about their knowledge of complex technologies, which worried some of them. The conversations also revealed things about their relationships with others in the network, and sometimes raised issues that would not have come out in the rather more formal interview. Coming to the second round of interviews was easier in some respects, probably due to familiarity of the interviewee with me and the process of the interview, and the more relaxed relationship between me and the interviewee However, while some of the respondents had had many experiences with new technologies over the gap, others had had almost none, and could not see the point of the interview. Nonetheless it was important for me to find out why they had not, and find out what they knew about the experiences of others in their network. 3.3.5 Second Stage Empirical Data Collection The Second Interviews focused on current attitudes and use of technology, and investigate experiences and changes in activities, personal situation and  technology awareness since the first interview. It looked for the role of others in these experiences. I attempted to get participants to tell more in-depth stories about their encounters with technologies, and the way these experiences were communicated and shared at the time, and subsequently. I also wanted to try some other interview techniques to enriched the research. This is not quite ‘triangulation’ but a way to expand and deepen the understanding, rather than perform any alternative or cross-checking. For this I included interviewing in groups and using pictures to stimulate talk: Chapter 3: Methodology and Design 1. To discover what each participant knows about and is ignorant of, in relation to technological developments that have been announced by the ‘supply side’ of industry and government, particular functions and uses of new media technology, or issues raised by multimedia use. In the first interviews I waited to the very end to ask about awareness of the Internet, Digital TV etc, and offered short explanations if the participant did not know and wanted me to explain. Otherwise I did not. I wished to pursue a similar course this time, finding out how aware of these developments they are today. I used pictures, and scenarios based on their particular ‘life-worlds’. This way I hoped to discover the depth of knowledge, and interest in developments in multimedia. This will enhance my understanding of what technologies or ideas the participant comes into contact with. 2. To investigate the importance of the close social network, and to use it as a reflexive tool to bring out shared experience, and differences in attitudes and knowledge. To do this I interviewed some of the respondents in pairs or group. This was aimed at bringing out stories that did not come up in our individual talks, and to bring up more details about the relationships. It was also an attempt to give me a closer insight into shared experiences around technologies, uses of technology and attitudes including what views are held in common, what has not been shared by the participants, how they rate different sources of information and influence, and their impressions of future developments in new media technology. 3. To investigate the interaction between different areas of everyday life:  home, work, social, public, the different relationships with people in these different domains, different communications patterns, and the boundaries created between these areas. 4. To investigate changes in multimedia. Originally the research tried to focus on the aspects of everyday life that the supply industry has been predicting would be affected by new technology: e.g. shopping, information, communication at home and work, a range of work practices and activities, education and training, banking, entertainment etc. The questions explored these areas, focusing in Chapter 3: Methodology and Design advance on the issues that were arising from the supply side agenda, but allowing the respondent space to speak about how new technology was coming into their lives, and look for areas where it might do. Over the time of the research, a great many changes have come about in the use of ICTs – often in areas quite banal, and with unforeseen applications and technologies. The second interviews tried to uncover those experiences, and applications that have developed that are outside the main areas of hype. The interviews looked for ways that new technology came to be judged or coped with. I specifically looked for engagement and utility dimension of relationship to information, communications, learning or entertainment systems. The exercise showing the photographs was somewhat successful, although with some people they had no idea about any of the issues involved. The photos mean that it was easier to introduce the subjects. Sometimes it felt like going over old ground. Doing the interviews in groups led to some more information being divulged and the discussion that ensured were interesting as they revealed differences in knowledge, and attitude between those in the groups, be they a couple, a family etc. 3.4 Analysis of Data I interviewed 29 people in 4 groups, with two sets of interviews, with each interview lasting between one and two hours. Computer-aids were used to assist the management and analysis of the mass of interview transcripts. The first job was to try and extract from this material quotes corresponding to all the issues I had raised, and look for new ideas and issues arising directly from the respondents words. The NUDIST package proved extremely helpful with its powerful facilities for cross-referencing excerpts. Crucial to this is the elaboration of a set of reference terms. I developed a rough set of terms in analysing initial interviews from the first group – and subsequently refined these in the light of a larger number of responses. The aim was to balance on the one hand an openness to a wide range of responses, and on the other the need to group these experiences. This enabled a simultaneous investigation of the data from the ‘bottom up’, i.e. from the interviews themselves, and from the ‘top down’, engagement based on Chapter 3: Methodology and Design themes derived from existing theory and research questions. The categories generated and classified are listed in the Appendix. They proved very helpful in analysis, building up a picture of important dimensions of the experience of ICTs. However, as we see in the detailed empirical chapters, it was necessary to generate further more detailed schema for analysing particular aspects and processes in ICT adoption (and nonadoption). The use of computer-tools allowed considerable flexibility in this respect. These nodes were then linked further together in a number of emerging themes relevant to the network, technology, technology problems and attitudes, non-adoption, adoption, knowledge, communication and information use. Searches of the marked texts enabled groups of quotes reflecting different issues to be bought together quickly. However there was still a need to structure this in a simpler and more straight forward way in order to actually write the stories and compare and contrast experiences. 3.5 BEAN (Background, Events, Activities and Network) To structure the resultant data a framework was needed that would focus on particular dimensions of everyday life relevant to understanding the way  that people encounter technologies, think about them, adopt and use them. The approach I chose was to look at the data from four angles: Background or personal history, Events, Activities and the social Network or BEAN to make an easily memorable acronym. This gives a way to assemble the contextual information, and to highlight crossovers and boundaries in the consumption, use and domestication process. It also gives framework for then moving to analysis based on domestication, appropriation, adoption, diffusion, and consumption models. These dimensions are obviously not independent: activities are related to the network, and changes in activities and relationships. Many events could be argued to be particular types of activities that people take part in. Background or Personal History: The respondents all have a history of experiences, of use and adoption of technologies and services that influence their activities and attitudes during the study. The personal history goes beyond this to broader history of relationships, education, and other activities. This dimension includes reflections on the Chapter 3: Methodology and Design life course of the individual or group. It looks at the possibility of personal innovativeness. Events: There are three types of events that influence the adoption and appropriation of innovations: life course events, cyclical events, and one off social events or technological experiences. These events may be periods of considerable length (such as particular project at work, or the learning period for a new innovation). Activities: these describe the spheres of everyday life in which the respondent takes part, such as work, school, family life, community life, and the activities they engage in within those spheres. The use and attitude to information, technologies and communication is examined within the context of these activities. These include work tasks, domestic tasks, leisure activities, media use etc. Activities will reflect, but not be actually linked to the stages of the respondents’ life course. Changes in activities are linked to events. Network: the personal network describes the relationships of the respondent, with whom they share spaces, ideas, decisions, experiences etc. The network is not fixed, but evolves over time. These are now examined in more detail: 3.5.1 Background/Personal History Background and personal history approach looks for the attitudes, experiences, knowledge and motivations of the respondents: Life themes, Motivations, values, attitudes that are broadly continuous during our lives, or through long periods. They include certain ‘psychological’ factors related to ‘innovativeness’, enterpreneurialism, self-centredness etc. outlook on life, attitude towards relationships and community, priorities. At any one time certain themes may be more apparent or easily expressed than at others. They can also develop over time as a result of major events and experiences (e.g. (Douglas and Isherwood, 1979, 1996; Douglas, 1996) and work on lifestyles (Chaney, 1996)). It is not obviously not possible to look at why these exist in detail: where the line between ‘genetic’, early life shaping, and later life changes is, and how we can change ourselves. Past life projects, Past life events: Chapter 3: Methodology and Design The past experiences and events that shape attitudes, knowledge, social network, Knowledge, values, priorities and attitudes: The attitudes and knowledge that are carried forward at each stage of life to the next. Routines, repertoires, habits, beliefs: There is nothing deterministic about the influence of our past on our present, new life projects can draw on this knowledge and experience, but can also be attempts to overcome, change or retreat from aspects of earlier life projects. At the level of technology, media, information and communications there are: ß ß ß ß ß ß Experience of using and seeing technology, personal and vicarious Education in ICT Interest in innovation, new products and services Interest in information about the world Attitudes towards technically mediated or interactive activities. Particular experiences, personal habits and routines, myths and beliefs about ICTs, 3.5.2 Network The personal network is those people we have relationships with in our daily life. It ranges from close and intimate relationships of family friends, through colleagues in ‘public life’ to casual, weak relationships, acquaintances etc. These relationships can be voluntary or obligatory, friendly or hostile, or anywhere in between. Networks associated with life projects e.g. family, work colleagues, friends from other activities Knowledge and resources associated with networks: The network brings with it knowledge and resources, obligations, division of responsibility and resources). Shared myths of social groups in the networks, History of relationships, shared experiences, knowledge of and about those in the network. Symbols with meaning exclusive or special to the network. Cross over of networks. Different networks in our lives can be kept separate or overlap. People have different sorts of networks – strong, close, highly connected, weak and dispersed, radial – an individual is part of several not overlapping networks. Self-perception within network, Relates to our own perception of our place within a network – our status, value, contribution etc. Chapter 3: Methodology and Design Functional and symbolic roles in networks: Responsibilities, status, influence, specialisation, demands. This includes what we do in the network, and how we are respected – the moral and the ‘economic’ roles and the stereotypes and images of others in the networks. At the level of ICTs there are: ß ß ß ß ß People in network who use new technology Those who are trusted and accessible for information and advice Those who are considered examples, opinion leaders Status of technology knowledge and use in a relationship Use of technology in mediating relationships 3.5.3 Activities These are the things we do – they are not always rationally explained by goals, and often emerge from compromises and restrictions, as much as from voluntary choice. Activities include routine ‘everyday’ activities. They include maintain and developing relationships, motivation and goals, actions, consumption, creation and production, communication, and learning. Current life projects The activities that make up and support our life projects i.e. Work status, family status, leisure interests. These life projects are linked closely to life stage. These include all the things we do as part of jobs, studying, maintaining our relationships, managing our home, being a citizen, and a consumer. Childhood Adolescence Leaving home Student Early unemployment 20s Early Family Delayed Single Delayed Family Maturity in work Older children Motherhood Children leaving home Divorce Second Family ‘Empty Nest II’ Early retirement Young elderly Old Elderly Table 2 Possible Life stages Current Goals and motivations: (Why, what) These are specific to life projects and to more general life themes, and are the reasons why we undertake (most of) our activities. Chapter 3: Methodology and Design Priorities and pressures: Limits of time, space, efficiencies sought – we prioritise activities according to pressures and restrictions, often trading off between different demands, projects and motivations. Interactions: Many of our activities are related to our interactions with others: our network Crossover between life projects: Management of boundaries: we have activities aimed at maintaining boundaries between different areas of life, or trying to bridge them. Knowledge associated with activities: Tacit and explicit knowledge related to activities. Myths associated with the activities and the institutions. Knowledge needed to perform activities: At the level of ICTs: ß ß ß ß ß ß ß ß Activities using ICTs Activities where ICTs currently in common use Activities where use of ICTs are currently being innovated Communication circles and patterns Information work – processing information, finding information Education Activities were there is pressure for efficiency improvements Time hungry activities 3.5.4 Events Events are particular sorts of activities that take a short time to achieve and stand out as remarkable against normal activities. They normally involve a change in regular or routine activities and have a significant effect, but can themselves be cyclical or regular as well as unique. Appropriation and domestication process events are very important as they often mark important stages in personalisation, in changing attitudes, in making rules, learning and in changing relationships. Events picked up on in the interviews were those that occurred before or during the period of study. Since this was done by self reporting, only the events that they found significant to the questions (which were varied) were reported. However the questioning was designed to reveal a range of events. Chapter 3: Methodology and Design One class of events I call ‘life events’. I group life events into two categories, major, those that have involve upheaval, and minor, things that may not involve much change, but can be the opportunity or cause of change. Of course there is cross-over, and with hindsight a minor event could be the cause of major change (a new friendship that ends in marriage, or a new interest that leads to a career or major leisure activity). Major life events are events that involve considerable material, relationship and symbolic upheaval. They include marriage, divorce, changing job, major injury, moving house, starting and finishing education, redundancy, entering relationship. How these effect different people is of course a subject for other research, but for my purposes, I see them as important trigger events, and the research shows they can have some considerable effect both in the material acquisition of ICTs. Minor events include minor illness, holidays, buying large items, promotion, making new friends, new activities. Life events: Significant events in life projects – often changing points between one project and a new one. Annual events: Regular practical and symbolic events that are marked by activities of the individual or shared in their group, organisation. Often mark cycles of life, and can be connected to particular life projects. Some may be linked to a subculture, others drawn from more universal culture (public holidays, festivals) Network events: Events that involve the network, these particularly relate to forging or changing relationships. Boundary events: The boundary event initially marks the change from one regime to another, but can also be an event that confirms the boundary when it is challenged. For example, boundaries in relationships, domains in life, the start and end of life projects, the making of rules. Often they are symbolic activities marking other changes (e.g. beating the bounds, initiation rites, and special anniversaries). I also include events that become important in defining boundaries, or for breaking them down: e.g. getting a computer that enables work to be done at home, a decision not to get a computer to keep home and work separate, a family decision to limit TV viewing for children. Appropriation events: Chapter 3: Methodology and Design Related to technology events – but particularly to do with the adoption of new innovations, and important events in the appropriation and integration of them. Technology events: Remarkable events with the use and adoption of technology, maybe a number of small events that are linked together in the mind of the respondent. One of the problems of one-off interviews is to try and understand how people change their minds, and when. One model would be to assume that there are specific events or experiences during which people either gain information, or have to make decisions and analyse and take evaluate that information or knowledge according to their values, circumstances, goals, relationships and resources. However, under this model how ‘large’ or explicit are these events. For some people there may be definite times when decisions or knowledge and attitude formation, affirmation or change occurred. For others there may be a slow accumulation of knowledge, through minor events, or for example, constant use of a technology. Any event may also only be a marker or a crisis point in some underlying situation, something that is the cummulation of chronic problems, or a trigger that tips the balance in favour of adoption. Equally there may be a decision against adoption. A vaguely neutral or negative position may be crystallised by a particular event. Sometimes it is an event from outside (e.g. the arrival of a bill), or an individual deciding that enough is enough. 3.5.5 BEAN and models of consumption and Domestication The analysis was helped by linking the BEAN framework to two other analytic frameworks, the domestication model and the consumption model of Holt (1995). By working with these I was able to derive grid indicating a range of issues to look for in relation to how people used and interpreted ICTs both in use and in the process of domestication. Again, these were used as a guide in the analysis of the data, rather than as boxes to be filled in from to illustrate every possible combination. Chapter 3: Methodology and Design Activities Experience mediated by work, domestic, leisure, social activities Network Experience in context of other people – their influence. Events Context or trigger for adoption shapes experience Personal History Attitudes built over time and experience Integration Integration of ICTs through everyday activities. Meanings through using/doing Integration in a social space (moral economy) Meanings through sharing.? Appropriation at a time of change. Integration work time learning Classification Classification against other specialities in institutions Others to classify oneself with and against in relation to ICTs Play Activities that are shared around ICT use, maintenance, purchase etc The people with whom innovations, adoption, use are shared. Developing relationships around ICTs Bring into contact with new people, obliged to reconsider identity Shared events Personal capacity to appropriate and personalise ICTs and innovations developed through experience (scripts, creativity) Attitudes to others v.v. ICTs developed over time and experiences Experience (Subjective) Table 3 The BEAN approach and. Holt’s consumption model Past experiences of using and adopting innovations and ICTs Chapter 3: Methodology and Design Activities Appropriation Objectification Network Events Personal History Appropriation imposed from outside, or seen as fitting activities of household – from work to media use. Activities enable appropriation (resources, money, knowledge) Object brought into the home and placed relevant to activities intended for: work, play, individual or group use. Discussion, debate within household, and with, networks outside – enrolling expertise, and resources Event for whole household – e.g. moving, or for individual e.g. new job, school. Or regular event, e.g. Christmas. Media event Past experiences of ICTs in the home, and the experiences of individuals appropriating from outside Debate over where it should be placed, in what context, how it can be moved. Who is in control; Who is expert set. Discussions of new acquisition Routines of sharing, Emerging rules of use, disputes over use, sharing, discussion integrated into routines, everyday life. Changing relationships of control, expertise. Tool to challenge or re-enforce. Bringing knowledge, attitudes from outside network in, developing knowledge that is translated out again. Attitudes of those outside. Changing boundaries. Others come into to use†¦ Conflict over changing boundaries The installation event, ceremony, the gift giving event, Previous experience with ICTs of different sorts, Breaking points, rule making points, particular events demanding use, decisions to restrict, change use, upgrade, Attitudes to others v.v. ICTs developed over time and experiences. Preexisting routines how they fit new acquisition, preexisting hierarchies Events: use of ICT for/by people from outside. Particular discussions outside home, experiences outside that are brought in, real or electronic. Willingness to share home experience with outside, pre-existing relationships with outside. Incorporation Integration into the activities in the home, routines of space and time – changes in activities Changing existing routines and activities (e.g. displacement, replacement of activities) Conversion Changing boundary of activities. Use of ICT at home that change outside activities (e.g. work routines) bring activities into the home – e.g. socialising in home, electronic or ‘real’. Reinforcement of boundary. Table 4 The BEAN approach and the domestication model 3.6 Preparative Work and Reflections on the Research Process In preparing the research, and developing an understanding of the process I would be investigating in others, I reflected on my own experience and everyday life, using a number of the tools from the literature and those I was developing myself. As I Chapter 3: Methodology and Design developed the research from the original rather different conception, and noticed a number of issues that would subsequently become important. These tools included keeping a diary of my own social network and contacts, and a diary of my own adoption of the mobile telephone, in the context of the issues raised by the BEAN, Domestication and Consumption models, recording my own subjective reactions and thoughts and learning, the practical aspects of learning and using a mobile phone, particular events, and the reactions of other others over a period of two years (These are given in the Appendix). This gave considerable insights into a personal technology that created ambivalence and crossed over into all domains of life, and into the way I could engage with those I was interviewing, and the sort of issues I would have to investigate. Finally, in parallel to the formal research, I was continually watching the way I saw people using and talking about new ICTs, and asking for stories, which were usually forthcoming in response to finding out what I was investigating. These stories reinforced what I was finding in the interviews, and in many ways pushed the direction of the research. One aspect was constant trade in ICTs between people, gifts, sharing etc. Second was the importance of individuals who were enthusiasts and earlier adopters in their social networks, who provided resources, help and encouragement for others. This was true for groups of experienced users, who needed someone to keep them updated on new technology, and for novices who needed a first step on the ladder. Third were the constant problems that were encountered, and the stress that went along with the benefits of use. A number of events also prompted and encouraged my research. One of these was a major trial in the US of an English au pair accused of murdering a child in her care. At the time of the judgement the judge chose to put the verdict on the Internet. He did this not out because the Justice Department had instigated it as a policy, but because his son had persuaded him it was an good thing to do. This was a very public demonstration of the cross-over of influence between home and work in the adoption of the Internet. Chapter 3: Methodology and Design 1 Interpretative or ‘qualitative’ research, developed in the 20th century based on the ethnographic research of the Chicago school, especially George Herbert Mead. Herbert Blumer, who developed the ideas of Symbolic Interactionalism based on the work Mead suggests â€Å"The task of scientific study is to lift the veils that cover the area of group life that one proposes to study† (Blumer, 1969)p.39. Interpretative research stresses the importance of the individual and intersubjective interpretation in understanding social processes, but also in the actual practice of social science – there is the’ double hermeneutic’ (Giddens 1976) of the researcher interacting and interpreting Mead (1934) in (Prus, 1996)) the social situation that is being studied. The ethnographic method calls for the researcher to put themselves in the shoes of the other person (Berger and Luckmann, 1966), to share the reality of the ‘life-world’ of the other. Al though a theoretical basis is important, the researcher should use ‘inspection’ with a great deal of flexibility to investigate presumptions. The social situation should be approached from different angles and be imaginative, free, flexible, creative. Interpretative research stresses the importance of the individual and intersubjective interpretation in understanding social processes, but also in the actual practice of social science – there is the’ double hermeneutic’ (Giddens 1976) of the researcher interacting and interpreting (Mead (1934) in (Prus, 1996)) the social situation that is being studied. However, what ever the lengths a researcher may go to take the other’s stand point they are inevitably going to interpret the social situation according to a formal and informal logic that they bring to the research process. What a researcher should do therefore is to try and make explicit both to themselves, and to their readers is not only the theoretically imposed interpretative window or frame, but the emotional, personal and contingent influences on their interactions with the those whose liv es that are studying and on the interpretative process. 2 Desjeux et al. (Desjeux, Taponier et al., 1997) suggest four main dimension of investigation of the everyday to investigate the link between the social and the technical : Delegation of responsibility, to machines, to other people in the social network, and to commercial providers; Routines; Planning of activities; Improvisation. 3 Shopping is an area where there is considerable promise for new technology for home shopping, information gathering etc. There are very different types of use of technology in different retail outlets and for different goods, and different goods lend to mail order etc. Mail order is also an established business used by may people, from books and CDs, to clothes, consumer electronics, white goods, almost anything. The mail order market serves different groups. Catalogues that sell a wide range of goods are generally providing a planned credit service for low income purchasers. Other products such as books and music are sold though clubs and mail order because overheads are lower, and they service a regular purchasing habit. They can also provide a greater choice, and operate on lower overheads than high street retailers. There are specialist mail order services for products that are not normally available except in specialist shops, and mail order companies can offer better prices based on lower overheads and economies of scale from a country wide or global market. There are also more and more single range or brand name mail order services from high street retailers and others, for whom mail order is a form of direct marketing. They run services as a complement to high street operations. Mail order and use of direct marketing information resources has been a big area of development in multimedia around mass market e-commerce