Compare and Contrast General Systems Theories Research Paper

Compare and Contrast General Systems Theories - Research Paper Example The description of a system as a set of interacting units that establish relationships among themselves is the basic unifying factor in the general systems theories. Various theorists have come up with systems theories, prominent among them: Murray Bowen with the family system theory, Ervin Laszlo with his natural systems theory and James Grier Miller with his general living systems theory (Skyttner, 2005). The similarities observed in these three theories are evident, and the contrasting figures can be drawn across the general theories whose bases are of dire importance to sociologists, therapists and scholars of human behaviors. The contrasting figures lie in the specifications and the discussions presented in the three theories depending on the argument and concepts presented by each developer. Millers living systems theory explains how living things work, develop, change and ensure maintenance. The concepts of living things being open and able to interact with the environment for ms the basis of Miller’s argument which he says is through information and exchanges of energy. He points out that living beings are simple or complex in structure but despite this they depend on each other for survival. He presents twenty subsystems that he calls processes that living beings depend on to ensure continuity of generations and for survival some of which deal with material and energy for metabolism in the system. He claims that life is a process, and life ends when the processing of information, material and energy comes to an end. Miller claims that living systems form eight levels of complexities from the simplest which is the cell to the largest and most organized. The interaction of the components of the system creates a whole new emergence of characteristics of the system. The eight levels include cells, organs, organisms, groups, organizations, communities, societies, and supranational systems, each of which contains twenty subsystems which process matter- energy or information for use within the system (Bertalanffy, 2003). He argues that the first two process matter-energy and information, the next eight process only matter- energy, and the last term processes information only. The aspect of living beings being able to interact with their environment and with each other is in theory to emphasize that the components of the system extend to the hierarchy of the levels. For instance, the cells and organs functionality depends on the functioning of the whole organism, and the organism depends on the ability of the cells and organs to operate properly (Skyttner, 2001). The natural systems theory by Ervin Laszlo encompasses organized entities that have various divisions each of which cannot exist on their own. He argues that systems are wholes, and in order to understand their properties, they must be viewed in the wholesome nature. The natural systems by Laszlo share four similar properties that are among the social, biological and physi cal entities of a system. He says that all natural systems are wholes, maintaining themselves in a changing environment and create themselves in reaction to self- creativity in different systems. Therefore, in order to understand nature, we need to first have self-understanding and bring forward examples of origins, culture life and matter. He examines the concept of equilibrium and how individuals try to maintain balance in their daily life activities and brings out an aspect of biological evolution. Laszlo claims that genome,

Applied buyer behaviour in global context Essay

Applied buyer behaviour in global context - Essay Example Currently there are six main releases of iOS. These include; iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4G, iPhone 4GS and the latest iPhone 5 (Beavis 2012). The Apple Company launched four TV advertisements. One advertisement focused on the new ear pods while the three showing off the device’s new features. ‘Thumb’ is one of the four ads that explain why despite the phone’s taller display users will still be able to reach the whole touch screen with their thumb. The ‘Cheese’ advertisement shows the iPhone’s camera application capturing a panoramic photo of a group of children in fancy dress. The adverts were narrated by Jeff Daniels the star of â€Å"Dumb and dumber and Newsroom†. ‘Physics’ shows off the design, size and weight of the iPhone 5. The advert shows the larger 4 inch display and the thinner profile of the device. The ‘Ear’ explains why apple chose the new design of the headphones. IPhone 5 TV adve rtisements Cheese Thumb Ear Turkey According to the Apple website (Beavis, 2012; pg. 01), the new iPhone 5 is eighteen percent thinner than iPhone 4S (7.6mm), it is lighter by 20% at 112grams. The bigger screen is 4-inch screen with 16:9 aspect ratios and an 1136 x 640 resolution and a retina display of 336ppi. The new iPhone is sold in two colors, black and white with different storage capacities. In comparison to the previous advert, the iPhone 5 advertisement concentrated on the awesome features of the iPhone. Labeled the ‘Genius ads’ the previous advertisement campaign consisted of three Television advertisements that were broadcasted during the Olympics Opening Ceremony and depicted an Apple worker (Genius) assisting several Mac owners in unlikely situations. The first Advert showed the Apple Genius on a plane helping a Mac owner make an anniversary film for his wife after forgetting the occasion. In second advert, the Apple Genius answers the door in his uniform a t four in the morning to an expectant father who wants to make cards to send the family to announce the birth of the baby, during this time the wife is in labor. The last one depicts the Apple Genius that bought a PC that is a Mac (Trenholm, 2012). The main focus of the Genius advertisement was to show potential customers that Apple has a team of experts available to attend to them should they encounter problems while using the unfamiliar operating system. It ended up offending the public who thought that it lacked creativity. IPhone 5 target market Demographically, iPhone targets consumers aged between 18 and 35. These are mainly the youth population composed of students and young professionals. They must be from a working class and mainly urban dwellers. Features of iPhone that are psychologically appealing to the consumers include stylish appearance, countless applications, multimedia, sensitive touch and user friendly technology. However, the main driving force towards the purch ase of an iPhone is the brand name. Image conscious individuals attach feelings of privilege when using iPhone. Such people are also fashionable, and in order to stay abreast with the current technological trends, they are likely to purchase every new release of iPhone. IPhone also appeals to tech-savvy individuals, attention seekers and extroverts (Piercy & Nicouloud, 2012). Furthermore, study shows that the majority of iPhone users posses similar character traits. For instance, they are lavish spenders who mainly buy branded products and are socially

Definition Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Definition Argument - Essay Example It must also have its particular genres, its set of specialized terminology and vocabulary, and a high level of expertise in its particular area. Fans of popular celebrities such as musicians, movie stars, and politicians are examples of discourse communities. Angelina Jolie has many fans that form a discourse community. As such, the fans exhibit the aforementioned features, and hence they qualify to be categorized as a discourse community. Jolie is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. She has starred in movies that include Looking’ to Get Out, Cyborg 2, Hackers, George Wallace, Maleficent, Unbroken, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Wanted, and Salt. She has directed and produced dramas that include In the Land and Honey and Unbroken. She is also a humanitarian and promotes causes that include conservation, education, women’s right, and is a special envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). A discourse community has a common goal. Swales states that a discourse community â€Å"an agreed upon set of common objectives† (471). The Jolie fan community meets Swales’ characteristic of a common goal in a discourse community. Personal motivations among the members may differ, but they acknowledge a common, well-known goal. They may have different interests in the same community, but they must align their interests with the common goal of the discourse community to feel part of the group (Garzone & Sarangi 312). The goals of fans of Angelina Jolie are to see her succeed in her acting career. It is also to stay updated on what Angelina Jolie does. For members to remain up-to-date with the activities carried out by Jolie, they participate and remain in touch with each other to obtain first-hand information. Jolie fan community looks up to Jolie for influence in body image, beauty, and fashion. A video uploaded in YouTube, â€Å"Angelina Jolie Makeup Tutorial† , shows how to put a Jolie style of makeup. The video shows that members

Benefits of e-communications in integrated marketing communications Essay

Benefits of e-communications in integrated marketing communications - Essay Example as been integrated into today’s systems especially with the acceptance and rapid use of the internet which has simply brought a revolution on how things are done. (Pratten 2007) The marketing field has not been left behind in the use of e-communication. Integrated marketing on the other hand is a general term which seeks to describe an entire spectrum of marketing communication. It helps ensure that the messages communicated are both consistent and complementary. Integrated marketing utilizes both online marketing which is basically e-communication and offline methods in its roles. To shape this discussion coherently, it is important to first have the e communications methods discussed and in addition, the basic marketing milestones they help achieve. The final part will draw the benefits in each of the marketing communication fields. (Tony 1999). To start with, it is almost impossible to form a paper on marketing without looking at the basic foundations of marketing which are the four P’s. Every marketer aims at achieving these as far as strategic positioning of goods is concerned. This is known as the marketing mix in a marketing field. Marketing mix is defined as a set of controllable marketing tools harnessed together to help achieve the laid down objectives of the selling company. This is the exchange value of the product or the amount paid by a customer in the exchange of a good. A price in most cases is subject to many factors either present in the company or externally determined. Factors determining the price of a good are mainly the market share of the particular company, competition levels, the total cost of producing these goods and finally the perceived value of the goods by the customers. This refers to the sum total of all the communications a marketer undertakes for the purpose of ensuring that the word about availability of a product goes out to the potential buyers/customers. This last P is the subject of this study as we look at how it

Stat project Statistics Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Stat - Statistics Project Example it the economic performance of the country. The contribution of different industry sectors of the country when combined together then creates the cumulative production level or the productivity of the economy. The gross productivity of all the sectors of the country by the residents of the country is referred to as the gross domestic product. The gross domestic product is represented in terms of absolute values or numbers, which may create difficulty in evaluating the performance of the country. Therefore, other mathematical as well as statistical methods can be used for the purpose of analysis. The most common indicator of the performance of the country is the GDP growth rate per year. The growth rate can be calculated using the periodic change in the production level of the economy in terms of percentage change. The purpose of the paper is to evaluate the performance of the economy of Saudi Arabia in terms of its GDP growth rate along with the impacts of exports and Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) on GDP growth rates. The GDP of Saudi Arabia is assumed to be one of the most important economies for the Muslim World, as well as, for the western world because it is oil based economy. The influence of the Govt is significant with respect to controlling major economic activities. Saudi Arabia contributes around 18 to 20% of the world petroleum reserves. It is assumed to be one of the largest exporters of petroleum. Therefore, the study of the economy, as well as, the interests of the investors towards such a profitable economy seems interesting. Moreover, another reason for the selection of the topic is the study of relationship of foreign direct investment, exports and GDP together. Therefore, the whole study is based on the literature review on the economy of Saudi Arabia and the statistical analysis using the regression model to evaluate the impacts of Foreign Direct Investment and Exports on GDP. There are different

Orsanmichele as Puzzling Reality Essay Example for Free

Orsanmichele as Puzzling Reality Essay Orsanmichele is a place where religion and great art come together. The church was initially build as the grain market and in the long road of its historical development it has became a Florentine church. Orsanmichele belongs to one of the most famous buildings in Florence. Florence is one of the most beautiful places in the world, where religion, mystery, art and history came together. Orsanmichele is known to be a gain market that shared a space with the image of the Virgin. Orsanmichele served both religious and civic functions and, therefore, the idea that Orsanmichele is place, where religion and art came together, is valuable. A small oratory dedicated to Saint Michael is seen in Orsanmichele. In the middle of the 13th century the Florentine government decided to make way for grained market and, in such a way, Orsanmichele emerged in historical context. Protecting the grain vendors from elements, Orsanmichele appeared to belong to great art due to its original brick structure and a number of arcades. In the end of the 13th century the Compagnia Della Madonna di Orsanmichele was formed to sign hymns to the Virgin and, in such a way, Orsanmichele obtained its religious meaning. Orsanmichele is known to depict vividly the market’s chaotic conditions during the famine in the 14th century. In the early 14th century a great fire damaged Orsanmichele and the image of Virgin was damaged as well. Then a new imaged was installed, but, it goes without saying that initial attitude towards it was distorted as the imaged proved to be inadequate as people believed the image of the Virgin was miraculous. The statuary of Orsanmichele is a relic of pride of Flroentine population and they constantly remind that a great art is a result of competitive climate. Summing up, Orsanmichele is entailed with religious meaning as the image of the Virgin was miraculous; and it was the place of great art as a number of great arcades, statues and sculptures are built there.

Detente Was Caused By Political And Economic Motivations History Essay

Detente Was Caused By Political And Economic Motivations History Essay In the context of the Cold War, dà ©tente (the French word for relaxation) was an easing of tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. It lasted through the 1970s, starting with the Nixon administration and ending with the Carter administration. Dà ©tente was mainly caused by political and economic motivations. The Sino-Soviet Split strained relations between the Soviet Union and China, the two largest Communist countries at the time. As China began to form a more diplomatic relationship with the United States, evidenced by President Nixons visit to China in 1972, the USSR feared that an alliance between the two countries would undermine its power, prompting it to seek amicable relations with the United States as well. Economic motivations were also a factor. Before dà ©tente, both the US and the USSR stockpiled weapons to keep on par with the other it was believed that Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) could be averted only if both countries had the same nuclear capability. However, nuclear arms buildup was proving to be more and more unfeasible for both countries. In the United States, a combination of arms buildup and the Vietnam War strained the federal budget and stifled President Johnson and Nixons domestic policy of the expanding social welfare. Naturally, dà ©tente led to greater cooperation between the United States and the Soviet Union. Probably the most significant act of cooperation between the two countries was the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (dubbed SALT I) of 1972, an agreement that limited nuclear arms production for both countries. During the same year, the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty limited systems that defended against Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs). The Apollo-Soyuz project in July 1975 was a space flight cooperative between the two countries, where American astronauts worked collaboratively alongside Russian cosmonauts on scientific experiments. The project eased Space Race tensions and provided a foundation for future space cooperatives such as the International Space Station. Cooperation between the United States and the Soviet Union also extended economically, as the US shipped grain to the USSR after the failure of its collectivized agriculture program, where the state controlled large conglomerate farms. Unfortunately, however, dà ©tente was abandoned by the 1980s. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan forced President Jimmy Carter to abandon the SALT II talks that were in progress and to increase US military spending. President Reagan continued the increase of Cold War tensions throughout his presidency, until the collapse of the Soviet Union by the end of the 1980s. Diogenes -412 BCE to 323 BCE -Greek Philosopher, co-founder of Cynic philosophy -Life -Born in Sinope, a Greek colony -Worked with father as a banker, exiled for defacing currency -Traveled to Greece and made a personal goal of challenging the status quo -Became the pupil of the ascetic Antisthenes, who was a pupil of Socrates -Captured by pirates on his way to Aegina; sold to the Corinthian Xeniades; tutored Xeniades sons and lived in Corinth for the rest of his life -Divergent stories of his death: held his breath, infection from a dog bite, complications from eating a raw octopus; supposedly, he left instructions to be cast outside the wall of the city after he died so that animals could eat his carcass -Philosophy -None of his written works survive; anecdotes about his life provide the source for his philosophy -Protested against the artificial material comforts of society and called for a return to a simplistic life in harmony with nature -Obscene: urinated and defecated and masturbated in public -Called himself a citizen of the world, a cosmopolite, at an era where ones social standing was intimately tied with ones city-state. -Diogenes the Dog: -The word cynic is derived from the Greek word meaning dog -Living shamelessly -Extolled the dogs honest simple living and mocked the artifice and hypocrisy of civilized living -Anecdotes -Threw away his wooden bowl as a child so he could drink from his hands -Said to have lived in a tub -Walked with a lamp in broad daylight, as he was looking for humans -When Alexander asked him if there was a favor he wanted, he told Alexander to stand out of his sunlight Diogenes Diogenes was a Greek philosopher who lived from 412 BCE to 323 BCE. As a co-founder of the Cynic philosophy, he is famous for anecdotes of his asceticism and disregard for social conventions. Born in Sinope, a Greek colony, in his youth Diogenes worked with his father as a banker. He was exiled from the city after he was found complicit in a controversy surrounding the defacement of currency. After being exiled, he settled in Athens and made a personal commitment to challenge the status quo there. He subscribed to the ascetic philosophy of Antisthenes, who was a pupil of Socrates, and became his only pupil. At some point in time, he was captured by pirates on his way to visit the Greek city of Aegina. The pirates then sold him to a Corinthian man named Xeniades. Diogenes tutored Xeniades sons and lived in Corinth for the rest of his life. There are multiple accounts of his death: he either died by holding his breath, by an infection from a dog bite, or from complications after eating raw octopus. Supposedly, he left instructions to be cast outside the wall of the city after he died so that animals could eat his carcass. While it is believed that Diogenes had a respectable body of written work, none survive today; only anecdotes about his life provide the source for his philosophy. As a Cynic, he protested against the artificial material comforts of society and called for a return to a simplistic life in harmony with nature. In perhaps the most famous anecdote about Diogenes, Alexander the Great, awed by the great philosopher, asked him what favor could he do for him. Diogenes only asked Alexander to step away, for he was blocking the sunlight. During a time when success was measured in material gains, he lived in destitute poverty. It was said that, as a young boy, he cast away his wooden bowl so that he could drink from his hands. During a time when ones social standing was intimately tied with ones city-state, he called himself a citizen of the world a cosmopolite. As Diogenes lampooned the follies of man, he praised the virtues of the dog indeed, the word cynic is derived from the Greek word me aning dog. He himself was comparable to a dog, as he lived shamelessly he often defecated and urinated in public, much to the chagrin of the people around him. Because of his radical break from the traditions of his time, Diogenes is still well-remembered today. He is often seen as a symbol of truth and honesty an image of candid, if eccentric, simplicity against corrupt artificiality.