Statistical Methods in Economics Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Statistical Methods in Economics - Coursework Example The scheme in particular was designed to favour the usage of bicycle for a short period usually less than 30 minutes. In addition, Transport for London believes that about 0.5% of all cycle journeys start or end at Queen Marys, Mile End docking station. With this statistics in mind, the main objective of this research is 1) estimate the average length of bicycle hire and 2) to estimate the proportion of journeys taking place from and to the â€Å"Queen Marys, Mile End† docking station. In order to carry out this research as a way of organization, section 1 will provide a brief explanation of how the research was be organized, section 2 will look at two unbiased estimators and use them to provide an estimate of: the average length of the bike hire and the proportion of bike journeys taking place from and to the â€Å"Queen Marys, Mile End â€Å"docking station. Section 3 on the other hand will look at the two confidence intervals that have a high probability of: capturing the average length of the bike hire and the actual proportion of bike rides taking place from and to the â€Å"Queen Marys, Mile End â€Å"docking station. Section 4 will detail a hypothesis test to test whether the average length of the bike hire is consistent with Transport for London expectation that the pricing scheme gives incentives to users to hire the bikes for no longer than 30 minutes. Finally Section 5 will evaluate a hypothesis test to test whether the proportion of bike rides taki ng place at the â€Å"Queen Marys, Mile End† docking station is greater than the 0.5% expected by Transport for London. Data containing the information was obtained from London transport. The stratified sampling was done. The data was divided into strata of 100 for 1000 samples then a simple random sampling was done so to give each area an equal opportunity representation. After that, the probability of success will be noted, and then 95% and 99% confidence level will be used to estimate

The US foreign policy from 1945-1991 Case Study

The US foreign policy from 1945-1991 - Case Study Example This research will begin with the statement that the term Cold War was coined by Pulitzer prize-winning publicist Herbert Bayard Swope and refers to the intense feelings of hostility and the profound international tension and struggle for power between the the USA and then the USSR, both of which headed formidable alliances i.e. Allies and Russian satellites, respectively.   It started in 1945 and ended in 1989.   It was ‘cold’ because the relations between the two superpowers were icy but never came to a flashpoint verging on a shooting war.   The conflict involved political rivalry and advantage as well as an upper hand in the balance of power. The conflict was replete with clashes of competing ideologies i.e. between the democratic capitalist system of America and its allies and the socialist/communist system of the USSR and the satellite nations comprising the nations of the Warsaw Pact. The rivalry consisted of propaganda, military alliances, atomic arms devel opment, reconstruction programs and the rivalry to win the hearts and minds of the neutral countries, most especially the third world countries which might provide military bases, natural resources, and markets. As early as 1929, the USA and the USSR had kept each other at bay and at arms' length despite differences in political ideologies. This estrangement was intensified by the USA's policy of isolationism in the 1930's which muted whatever feelings of mistrust they had for each other. But relations were improved when the USA and the Soviet Union unexpectedly found themselves fighting side by side against fascist Germany in World War II. The warm relations, however, rapidly dissolved when midway through the war, the USA realized that the USSR was determined to retrieve all the territories in Eastern Europe that it lost prior to World War I and these are eastern Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and parts of Romania and Finland. It became clear to USA that Stalin in his paranoid fear of Germany and its military might want all of Eastern Europe to serve as its buffer states and shields from German aggression. President Roosevelt stressed that USA as adherent of the principle of self-determination wanted these states to choose for themselves the kind of government they want. The other western allies looked at Poland as strategically the bulwark of Europe which when falling into the hands of the Soviets would open the floodgates of Russians invading Western Europe. The US fears were vindicated during the 1943 Teheran Conference when Stalin finally laid his cards on the table: that he expected territorial concessions in the form of the states of Eastern Europe. Justice, to Stalin demanded that Russia be recompensed from the deaths of 16 million Russians and the massive destruction and damage to Soviet properties and machinery during the first three years of war. It dawned on President Roosevelt that reality, tradition and history dictated that self-determinatio n among the eastern European states would be anathema to Russia as any freely elected government in Eastern Europe would be hostile to Soviet ideology. Both the Yalta Conference and the Potsdam Conference in 1945 further strained the relations almost to the breaking point as Russia treacherously set up a communist government in Lublin, Poland followed by its undermining of elected non-communist governments in Czechoslovakia and Hungary. It was inevitable that the Cold War ensued in early 1946 after Berlin and Germany were divided into 4 factions i.e. Russian, American, British and French.

Imogene king Essay Example for Free

Imogene king Essay As Hall (1965) says; â€Å"To look at and listen to self is often too difficult without the help of a significant figure (nurturer) who has learned how to hold up a mirror and sounding board to invite the behaver to look and listen to himself. If he accepts the invitation, he will explore the concerns in his acts and as he listens to his exploration through the reflection of the nurse, he may uncover in sequence his difficulties, the problem area, his problem, and eventually the threat which is dictating his out-of-control behavior. † Major Concepts The individual human who is 16 years of age or older and past the acute stage of a long-term illness is the focus of nursing care in Hall’s work. The source of energy and motivation for healing is the individual care recipient, not the health care provider. Hall emphasizes the importance of the individual as unique, capable of growth and learning, and requiring a total person approach. Health can be inferred to be a state of self-awareness with conscious selection of behaviors that are optimal for that individual. Hall stresses the need to help the person explore the meaning of his or her behavior to identify and overcome problems through developing self-identity and maturity. The concept of society/environment is dealt with in relation to the individual. Hall is credited with developing the concept of Loeb Center because she assumed that the hospital environment during treatment of acute illness creates a difficult psychological experience for the ill individual (Bowar-Ferres, 1975). Loeb Center focuses on providing an environment that is conducive to self-development. In such a setting, the focus of the action of the nurses is the individual, so that any actions taken in relation to society or environment are for the purpose of assisting the individual in attaining a personal goal. Nursing is identified as consisting of participation in the care, core, and cure aspects of patient care. Subconcepts The Care Circle It represents the nurturing component of nursing and is exclusive to nursing. Nurturing involves using the factors that make up the concept of mothering (care and comfort of the person) and provide for teaching-learning activities. The professional nurse provides bodily care for the patient and helps the patient complete such basic daily biological functions as eating, bathing, elimination, and dressing. When providing this care, the nurse’s goal is the comfort of the patient. Providing care for a patient at the basic needs level presents the nurse and patient with an opportunity for closeness. As closeness develops, the patient can share and explore feelings with the nurse. The Core Circle It is based in the social sciences, involves the therapeutic use of self, and is shared with other members of the health team. The professional nurse, by developing an interpersonal relationship with the patient, is able to help the patient verbally express feelings regarding the disease process and its effects. Through such expression, the patient is able to gain self-identity and further develop maturity. The professional nurse, by the use of reflective technique (acting as a mirror to the patient), helps the patient look at and explore feelings regarding his or her current health status and related potential changes in lifestyle. Motivations are discovered through the process of bringing into awareness the feelings being experienced. With this awareness, the patient is now able to make conscious decisions based on understood and accepted feelings and motivation. The Cure Circle It is based in the pathological and therapeutic sciences and is shared with other members of the health team. During this aspect of nursing care, the nurse is an active advocate of the patient. Assumptions The motivation and energy necessary for healing exist within the patient, rather than in the health care team. The three aspects of nursing should not be viewed as functioning independently but as interrelated. The three aspects interact, and the circles representing them change size, depending on the patient’s total course of progress. Strengths/Weaknesses Strengths: The use of the terms care, core, and cure are unique to Hall. Hall’s work appears to be completely and simply logical. Weaknesses: Hall’s work is simple in its presentation. However, the openness and flexibility required for its application may not be so simple for nurses whose personality, educational preparation, and experience have not prepared them to function with minimal structure. This and the self-imposed age and illness requirements limit the generalizability. Analysis Hall imposed an age requirement for the application of her theory which is 16 years of age and above. This limits the theory since it cannot be disregarded that nurses are faced with pediatric clients every now and then. Even though Hall confined her concepts for that age bracket, the concepts of care, core and cure can still be applied to every age group but again, none was specified. The only tool of therapeutic communication Hall discussed is reflection. By inference, all other techniques of therapeutic communication are eliminated. Reflection is not always the most effective technique to be used. The concept of a patient aggregate such as having families and communities as the focus of nursing practice was not tackled. It is purely on the individual himself. Although, the role of the family or the community within the patient’s environment was modestly discussed. In the focus of nursing care in Hall’s concepts, the individual must pass an acute stage of illness for you to successfully apply her theory. Therefore, this theory relates only to those who are ill. This indicates that no nursing contact with healthy individuals, families, or communities, and it negates the concept of health maintenance and disease prevention.

Strategic Human Resource Planning In Business

Strategic Human Resource Planning In Business Strategic Human Resource Planning is the process of anticipating long term HR Supplies and demands relative to changing conditions inside and outside an organization and then crafting the HR programs and other initiatives in order to meet the organizations needs. There is no single definition of Human Resource Planning (HRP), many definitions and models of HRP exist. Some authors focus on the technical side i.e. mathematical and behavioural side of HR forecasting, there a few others who focus on the managerial side of which includes the way decision makers tackle HR issues for the benefit of the organization. Organizations that manage HR strategically tend to outperform the competitors who do not do so Organizations Strategy: Organizations Corporate Strategy describes organizations sense of purpose, its plans and actions for its implementation. A clear and precise strategy is essential for the business for the following 2 reasons. There is need for people working with in an organization to co-operate in order to achieve maximum benefit. There are effects of changing environment Different level of reward practices may closely compliment different strategies and are significantly related to higher level of organizational performance . (Allen Helms, 2007) Primarks Organizational Strategy: Primark Stores Ltd is a leading clothing retail brand in UK at the moment with over 160 Stores in UK and Ireland. The overall strategy of Primark like any other business is to reach to maximum no of people as a value for money clothing brand and maximize its profit. Primark linked up its stores with each other through a better use of people at their head office and stores, developed new stores and increased their product line. Through the use of proper organizational strategy, today Primark is one of the leading retailer in UK and it all happened because developed a Marketing / planning strategy keeping in view their HR and organizational planning. Organizational Strategy HR Strategy: Like marketing /planning strategy, HR strategy is required for businesses to maximize their output and organizational efficiency in an effective manner. HR strategy is a step by step plan of action which organizations deploy in order to recruit, develop and retain the human resources to meet the objectives of the organization. HR strategy is concerned with developing a highly focused strategy and approach to manage and lead people. Schular Jackson, (2007) In developing such a strategy two critical questions must be addressed. What kinds of people do you need to manage and run your business to meet your strategic business objectives? What people programs and initiatives must be designed and implemented to attract, develop and retain staff to compete effectively. Schular Jackson, (2007) In order to achieve the above objective, Primark developed a strong organizational strategy which lead them to the success they are enjoying today as a major clothing retail company. P Organizational Culture Corporate Culture: Organizational Culture can be defined as specific set of values that are shared among people and groups within an organization and this controls the way these people interact with each other within the organization or outside with the other stakeholder. Corporate culture is unique set of values, customs and traditions that makes an organization distinct. Organizational culture and corporate culture are often used interchangeably but there is a huge difference between them as all corporation will also be organizations but all organizations cant be corporations. Corporate culture is an important part of big businesses. As a major Retailer in UK, Primark has always been unique in its values and traditions. Primark has always been an organization with a focus on providing unique customers services experience to its customers. Whether its personal banking or services for businesses, Primarks assets are its people who provide best service to its customers. Like many other unique things as part of its corporate culture, you will mostly find Barclays at the corner of the high streets. Learning Organizations: A central theme of learning organizations is that learning is an effective part of the organizational development (OD). Original idea of learning organizations has been around for many years but this concept became popular during 1960 1980 by major writers such as Argyris (Kaizen Institute Ltd -2000) Another contribution in this regard was made by Senge, who suggests that organizations should develop a culture of learning and to instil peoples commitment and learning capacity at every level in the organization. Senge suggested five basic features of learning organizations. System thinking the recognition that things are interconnected and organizations are complex systems Personal mastery Mental Models Shared Vision Team Learning Lane et al. emphasise that training in the organisations ICT (information communications technology) skills is essential for corporate survival and should be part of a continuous learning culture Primark as a Learning Organization: Primark Stores Ltd has always paid immense amount of attention towards the development training of staff. Primark Stores Ltd is providing valuable information on ethical trading to its staff and workers related to its suppliers. As a major buyer, Primark has over 600 suppliers based in 16 different countries and spreading across 3 continents, Primark has always focus on the training and learning issues of these more than 700,000 people. Primark has been quite active in raising awareness on child labour issues in these countries and has always promoted the values of ethical trading. This ethical training staffs is the focus of problem solving issues with the suppliers. The role of suppliers is equally important at the same time and Primark Ltd has got more training programmes for the suppliers and its own key staff members who can get involved more actively with supplier in solving these on daily basis. Primarks staff are given extensive awareness on issues relating to all areas of business and staff members are provided further specialized training from time to time, in order to help them do their work in an effective manner. (Source: http://primark.co.uk) Comments Suggestion In this section we defined the issues relating to HR Strategy, Organizational Culture, and Primarks role in development of its staff as a learning organization. As we know that an effective HR Strategy is helpful in achieving the overall goal of the organization, Primark stores made its people are real valuable asset and utilized this resource in an effective manner. The success Primark is having today is because of its Business Strategy which was very well backed with Organizational and HR Strategy. Recruitment Selection Process of Primark Stores: Primark Stores has a multi-dimensional recruitment and selection process a few years ago and job vacancies were advertised through multiple ways, including in store postings, Job Centre advertisement and advertisement of vacancies over the internet. Although we know that Primark Stores has not been focused more on internet related issues in the past and there was no other way available for the people a part from going to job centres and Primark Stores itself asking about the vacancies. With the current passage of success, Primark Stores has made the recruitment process more transparent and easier to access. Primark Stores have now got an Online- Recruitment System and vacancies are displayed onto the website immediately. After initial registration, candidates are asked to answer a set of question related to customer services and other issues related to the retail industry. On the successful completion of these questions, candidates are issued an application reference number for further processing of their application, if they were successful during this phase of application. Recruitment Process For Retail Operatives: The current recruitment process of Primark Stores consists of the following key stages. Candidate needs to fill an online application form to get register with the online recruitment system. At next stage, candidate needs to answer a set of online questions regarding the customer services and retail business environment. On Successful completion of this stage, candidates are invited for a personal interview A job is offered after a successful completion of assessment centre and going through a rigorous activity of group tasks and presentation. Recruitment for Management Positions: Same methodology of online applications applies for management positions as well. Job vacancies are advertised through Primarks Recruitment website. Candidates are presented with a set of online questions regarding the management of business / real life issues. On successful completion of questionnaires, candidates is issued an application reference number and is invited for a Panel Interview. This interview session can be a panel interview or one to one interview and candidate is tested on the basis of his education, expertise and communication skills. Candidates ability to handle different difficult situations is also analyzed. On successful completion of interview session, candidate is invited to attend an assessment centre and this is the stage where candidate has to go through group tasks, presentations and this gives HR Team a complete idea about the suitability of the candidate for a particular job role. (source: www.Primark.co.UK / Recruitment) Advertising Jobs: As mentioned earlier that Primark Stores has totally transformed its recruitment procedure into a complete online recruitment solution. Every job vacancy is advertised on this recruitment website. This shows Primarks commitment as an equal opportunity employer. Training: Providing first class training to every staff member is a top priority of Primark Stores Ltd. Staff members are providing opportunities for career growth through different in-house promotions and training activities. (source: http://www.primark.co.uk/page.aspx?pointerid=12d70092c3a14002a5814a0630d4b102 ) Support for New Starters: As mentioned earlier that Primark considers training very important as part of future development of its staff. A thorough induction day is conducted for every new staff member giving him / her an opportunity to know about the business and working environment. At the same time Staff members are familiarised with health safety issues, fire hazards, emergency evacuation procedures and basic customer services skills. Personal Experience of Working at Primark I myself have the experience of working with Primark Stores and i was provided a good induction session on my first day. It was a thorough induction session covering all aspects of business and other issues related to the business. I was provided a very good customer services training and that helped me a lot during my job with Primark Stores. Diversity: Diversity refers to variety of different individuals belonging to different societies available in one single environment. Primark has got a very diverse kind of organizational culture. You will find staff belonging to almost every ethnic group working at Primark Stores. Gender Diversity: Primark is an equal opportunity employer and encourages females to be part of its team. Females are present in Primark workforce in a huge quantity. Females are given opportunities to be part of management and many female managers are working in Primark, making Primark a more successful organization with their matchless skillset. General Discrimination: Primark as an equal opportunity employer discourages any kind of discrimination at work. Primark workforce is quite diversified and focus remains on working as a Team. If there is any issue regarding discrimination, HR team at Primark takes strict action against the ones who are involved in this issue and result can be a job penalty. Comments Suggestions: In the above section, i tried to highlight the recruitment and selection procedure of Primark Stores. Their training procedure and their focus on staff development. I described my personal experience of working at Primark Stores and how team work is considered important while working at Primark. In my view change in the recruitment procedure has been quite positive but a delay in different recruitment activities is an issue of major concern and it should be sorted out. Rewards Benefits: Primark Stores rewards its staff through different ways. In house promotions is a major source of motivation for staff, staff is also provided opportunities of training at various Stores of Primark. A competitive Salary and 28 days paid holidays are given to permanent staff members. (source:/ www.Primark.co.uk/recruitment) Induction Process and CMI Induction Best Practices: As mentioned earlier that induction at Primark is a very important process for new staff members. They are provided with an extensive training on all issues and areas of the business. As being an organization with its focus on Learnings, Primark continuously provides in house on job training to its staff members. That not only contributes in the success of Primark, but at the same time, it is good for personal development of staff member. (Staff Handbook 2008) I am now going to highlight some of the induction practices adopted by Primark Stores. Flexible Working: As Primark is an employer with its focus on the development of its team, its people, Primark offers flexible working pattern to its employees. This approach not only provides opportunity to the workers to adjust their remaining activities according to the flexible environment of Primark work pattern. Thus it promotes health living and better life style. Work Life Balance: Primark Provides the opportunity to staff members to work either full time or part- time or they can work on weekends. This flexibility of work availability is very handy and it gives a chance to the staff members to balance their day to day life and work. Primarks Culture Its Effects on Employees: AS mentioned in the first part of this assignment, every organization has its own culture which makes it unique as it comprises of its values and tradition. As with all major retail sector organization, Primarks focus remains on providing better customer services and this can be attained only through a team work. This team work is a part of Primarks organizational culture which not only makes it a better and bigger organization but at the same time it makes its staff a unique asset for the organization. As Primark Stores consists of a diverse work force so people belonging to different ethnic background form a base of a culture at every Primark Store. This culture would be truly different from one store to another and it does affect the employees of the organization. (Source: Staff Handbook 2008) Disciplinary Procedures: Disciplinary Procedures are very important and form the basis of well disciplined work force. Primark strictly follows its disciplinary procedures and staff members are introduced with these procedures on their induction day and during various other training sessions. Staff is encouraged to follow the terms conditions of their contract, which not only is beneficial for the staff members but at the same time it is beneficial for the organization as well. Uniform is a part of Primarks Quality Service Culture and staff members are strictly advised to follow the dress code of the organization. Discrimination at work and other issues related to harassment are dealt with strictness. (Source: Staff Handbook 2008) Legal Requirements HR: Legal requirements are very important as part o the HR Planning process and HR team ensures that they are fulfilling all legal requirement during the recruitment selection process. Staff members are informed about different legal sides of the business and how legally Primark protects its employees in case of any incident or injury during work. These all things are very important and should be reviewed on a regular basis as they not only ensure the safety of the employees but at the same time keeps the organization on a right track which maximizes its chances of business growth. (Source: Staff Handbook, 2008) Comments Suggestions: I have analysed the induction practices in this section and it was quite helpful in knowing the work and training pattern of Primark Stores. As we know that people are the major assets of Primark stores and these induction practices ensure that people know about their responsibilities as part of the company and how to deal with situations arising during the course of work. Legal side is very important and staff should be familiarized with the basics of HR and employment law and health safety at work. These things not only protect employees during work but at the same time, it protects the employers from getting involved in lengthy legal proceedings in case of an incident.

Effects of Music, Television, and Video Game Violence on Children and Teens :: Video Game Violence Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Usually when a child or a teenager commits a crime, it is never their fault. When a child or a teenager commits a crime, the responsibility never belongs to the parents either. Instead, when a teenager or a child commits a crime, the first thing that the prosecutors or the media wants to place the blame on is video games, the television program that the child had been watching, or the blame is placed on the type of music that the child or teen had been previously listening to. This is what concerns me. Everyone is responsible for their own actions regardless of what television program video games the child, or teen, what type of video games that are being played, is watching and what type of music is being listened to. What bothers me even more is when the actors who are in some of the video game or movies take some of the heat for the movies that they are in. The same case in some of the music. Artist is often blamed for a lot of the violence in America just by some of the types of lyrics that they recite in their songs. In this report, I am going to simply tell you how I feel about the artist and actors taking all the blame for the violence in America. I am going to tell you whose fault violence really is. I am going to state the facts and give you some personal experiences of how the media (video games, television, and music) is not responsible for violence amongst the youth in America. Video Games   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Video games were a $6 billion industry in 2000 and sales are expected to reach as high as $8 billion in 2001. Over 250 million units were sold in 2000 alone, and it is estimated that 60% of all Americans play video games on a normal basis. This level of market penetration makes it important to investigate the messages video games send children. There are some benefits to video games. Studies have found that playing video games can improve children's visual attention skills, and their computer literacy skills. According to research most of the top-selling video games (89%) contained violent content, and the negative consequences of the violent acts were rarely shown.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although there are a few games that are educational and help kids with their learning experiences, most of the top rated games contained violence.

Good and Evil in Good Country People Essay examples -- people

Good and Evil in Good Country People  Ã‚   In her short story, Good Country People,  Flannery O’Connor employs all the elements of humor, irony and, paradox intermingled within the system of Christian belief in evil and redemption. This is no more evident than in the character of Joy, the daughter, who had lost a leg in a hunting accident at the age of 12 and who now has a wooden leg in his place. Throughout the story, it becomes increasingly clear that Joy’s physical affliction is closely paralleled by a spiritual one as well. As the narrative unfolds, the great lengths Joy has gone to recreate her inner self, her soul, are revealed in painstaking detail. It appears she has succeeded in fashioning her own soul into a spirit that is as hard and unyielding as the prosthesis that now takes the place of her missing naturally soft and flexible appendage. In Christian society and belief, as well as many other religions, the one true possession that a person has total control over is their everlasting soul. It is this spirit that makes one truly unique from everyone else. The fight within one’s self between good and evil and the day to day struggle to ensure that the goodness prevails is the focal point of a true believer’s life. It is only by this triumph on goodness that he can achieve Salvation in the eyes of God. Joy, on the other hand, seems intent on building barriers around her soul that would make it as rigid and unfeeling as her wooden leg. As did the surgeon who had to perform the prosthetic surgery years before to replace a natural part of her physical body, she is apparently trying to perform this same function with the spiritual side of herself as well. She has taken great care to recreate her  «Ã‚  self  Ã‚ » into one th... ...ears were now completely useless. To be an atheist and realize, not that there is a God, but discover there is a Devil, must be a very chilling and disheartening experience. For if there is definitely one, there must be the other. Works Cited Asals, Frederick. Flannery O’Connor  : The Imagination of Extremity. The University of Georgia Press  : Athens, Georgia, 1982. Brinkmeyer, Robert H. The Art and Vision of Flannery O’Connor. Louisiana State University Press  : Baton Rouge, Louisiana  , 1989. DiYanni, Robert. Literature Reading Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. McGraw Hill  : Boston, Massachusette, 1998. Eggenschwiler, David. The Christian Humanism of Flannery O’Connor. Wayne State University Press  : Detroit, Michigan, 1972. Feeley, Kathleen. Flannery O’Connor  : Voice of the Peacock. Rugers University Press  : New Brunswick, New Jersey, 1972.

Social Media Affecting Lives

Social Media Affecting Lives There is no doubt that social media is expanding drastically in the world, yet this change is not only related to technology and the internet. Social Media is revolutionizing every aspect of our lives. The aim of this document is to summarize some of the important headlines mentioned in the conference that took place in the â€Å"American University of Beirut† on Friday, December 16, 2011. The conference went over how social media is changing fields such as education, culture, business, media and journalism, music and art, NGOs, politics, religion, human rights, science, the environment and the personal lives of everyone who is using them. The conference has gathered some remarkable influencers from the Arab Community; it was rich in the speakers and topics discussed. One of the speakers was the British Ambassador to Lebanon, Tom Fletcher, who began his discussion by stating that social media can play a big role in highlighting and challenging human rights abuses. His main points were: 1. Marc Zuckerberg and Steve jobs have impacted people more than did Georges Bush and Osama Bin Laden 2. Social media can be used to get people’s voices heard as they travel must faster online. 3. It can also be used to support the values we believe in versus the forces that oppose those values. This can all be done through social media, and he also discussed that no matter what the boundaries the government put on the internet and tries to manipulate and suppress people, internet always tends to overpass these boundaries. Quote: â€Å"if you pull a wall around our internet, we’ll build another internet around your wall†. During Tom Fletcher’s discussion, the number of active participants who were online in the hall was remarkably noticed. Attendees were able to interact with the speaker as well with other attendees through screens showing live twitter feeds. To Tom Fletcher, the number of people playing with their mobile devices was a welcome sign of engagement rather than disengagement. Another speaker of the day was a Marketing instructor from the AUB, Mrs. Leila Khawli Hanna. She discussed that consistency is the main key when using social media. Twitter has become a pre-requisite for one of her courses; she states that as we develop in our humanity, we meet a lot of people who are somehow shy in engaging or defending their opinions. Mrs. Hanna faces this issue in her daily classes at the university and thus came up with a way to include a screen (with the class page opened) in her class that shows live feeds from the learners. For her, twitter has been proven to intensely improve learners’ participation; even if certain learners were absent on the lecture’s day, they were still able to follow the lecture through tweeting. This has opened a way to increase the interaction whether between her and her learners or between the learners themselves. She communicates a difference between people who follow a management with a digital strategy and those with a social strategy. * Digital strategy Tackles Company will tail * Social strategy Tackles people increases sales, performance, etc†¦ by connecting people together. It creates a community that takes the offline and put it online. Doing it that way will sometimes increase outputs, means and performance. Social media can be risky (having data constantly online available for unethical behaviors), therefore consistency is very important. Some other points of the day: * Farid Chehab from Leo Burnett MENA tackled the impact of social media on activism, stating that while social networks are good at initiating & supporting public causes and mobilizing people, it proves less efficient in the long term. This view was echoed during the Social Media in Business panel. The panel placed great emphasis on the positive impact of social media on businesses, it warned however of â€Å"one time hit† (social media campaigns) versus maintained success and stressed the difficulty of continuous engagement with customers. Nevertheless, Farid Chehab followed the online community and published his book on the web (www. pari-rihan. org) for those readers who, having a book in the hand is not a pleasant thing. Ziad Kamel, founder and CEO of the Alleyway group talked about the impact of social media in Food/Beverage business. Before social media, 1 unhappy customer tells 7 people. After social media, 1 unhappy customer tells infinity of people. * Yorgui Keyrouz, founder and action president of â€Å"Donner Sang Compter† organization also discussed the way he uses the social media to spread the word for needed blood. He stated that after going online, his organization was able to help in saving people’s lives more than they ever imagine they would. Some statistics from the day: * 27. 3 million users on Facebook * 1. 9 million user on Twitter * 100 million viewed youtube videos every day * 77% of Facebook users have liked a brand through FB * 50% received customer service via Twitter At the end, social media is here to stay so better use it and benefit from it in a way to increase the volume of the different aspects in our lives, as this volume is diminishing in the real world. Quote: â€Å"If you’re not on social media, you don’t exist. †