Application of Macroeconomic Concepts

Question: Write an essay on Macroeconomic Concepts to Real World Events? Answer: Introduction Macroeconomics is the subset within economics which is concerned with large-scale, economy-wide events, such as gross domestic product, national income, unemployment etc. The article referred to in this essay is Italy Still Stuck In Recession But Sees Growth Next Year (by Giada Zampano- The Wall Street Journal) where the macroeconomic concept that has been focused on is that Italy is a Recessionary Economy and a forecast provided as to how its Gross Domestic Product, Budget Deficit, Debt-to-GDP ratio and Employment scenario is further expected to change based on governmental macroeconomic measures. In the essay, the repercussions of a slowing economy as well as the reasons why the economy has been reduced to such a sluggish state will be discussed. Identification and Discussion of the economics concepts and models that will be suitable for analyzing the news article In order to understand the changes in the Italian economy, the concept that is vital is the concept of a recessionary economy. It can be defined very technically as a slowing down of economic activities of a nation due to falling GDP rates in two, or more than two successive quarters of a year. However, it is also believed that a recession is only a natural phase in a business cycle where after a period of growth, a recession is expected which can last from between a period of six months to one and a half years. Recessions generally come about as a lack of trust in the economy. People tend to spend less, which automatically translates to reduced demand for commodities, leading producers to cut the production and halt the supply flow. As manufacturing falls, there is lesser need for labor at the decreased capacity of production. Therefore increased unemployment occurs. (Culpepper 2014) However, there can be specific events that lead to a countrys sluggish economic growth. As an example, we can cite the US housing prices. They have been rising for years prior to 2006 after which the value of property started declining. People who had taken on huge loans found it hard to repay them, and banks found it immensely difficult to cope with the large number of foreclosures and increasing number of defaults. The second concept within the article is that of the Gross Domestic Product or GDP. GDP is a vital primary indicator which is used to determine a countrys economic condition and the quality or standard of living of its people. It is the value in monetary terms of the total number of finished commodities and services over a specific period of time. GDP can be measured using two methods- the income method or the expenditure method. (Brandolini 2014) Application of the economics concepts and models identified to show understanding of the news event In September 2014, Italys GDP was expected to decline by 0.3 %. This was the 14th successive quarter in Italys economic history which showed no substantial growth, primarily due to the fact that although there were increased exports, it was countered by very poor domestic demand. Italy has been one of the slowest growing nations, economy-wise, for over a decade within the Euro-zone. (Fiske 2014) Further forecasts imply no growth even in the recent economic future. Considering the entire year 2014, GDP fell by 0.4%, considering adjusted work-days. This was the third consecutive fall in GDP, after dropping to 1.9% in 2013 and prior to that by 2.3% in 2012. (Its the end of a three-year recession, GDP growing 0.7% in 2015, says Istat 2015) A sudden and unexpected hike in import rates was one of the important reasons that led to lowering the GDP rates. However this increase could be temporary as there is very poor domestic demand. A weak domestic demand will eventually drag down the surge in exports. ('Italy' 2015) Another reason for Italy being a recessionary economy and thus with low levels of GDP is the fact that Italys debt-to-GDP ratio is massive, falling only behind Greece in the euro-zone. With GDP levels increasingly declining, it automatically triggered an alarm among investors regarding investment possibilities in Italy since they were not sure if the nation could pay back their due interest payments without drowning under more debt. Increased cut-offs make it far more costly than what an investor is ready to pay as extra collateral for purchasing and selling bonds. (Castellani and Zanfei 2007). Low productivity is a fundamental issue in the identity of Italy as a recessionary economy. Workers in Italy have worked for increasingly long hours while contributing very less to its value. According to the International Monetary Fund, there was excessive rigidity in the economic structure of Italy with very less involvement in increasing research and developmental activities. There is very less substantial capital structure within the nation, as small and medium business enterprises are a majority within the economy. (Crosnoe 2014) There is hardly any competition since these businesses do not have sufficient funds for technological advancement. These businesses focus on clothing, cheese etc. which cannot compete with the Asian giants like China on the basis of wage rate which is much lower in Asian nations hence benefitting their economic health. Unlike other nations in the euro-zone, Italy has also not been able to diversify into high-tech industries. (BuÃ…Â ¾inskienÄâ₠¬â€ and RudytÄ— 2015) Italys labor conditions are highly inflexible. There is increased protection for older employees who due to rigid employment laws cannot be fired. Meanwhile, the younger generations among whom unemployment rates are extremely high, keep changing jobs on short term contracts. This sort of rigid structure leads to decreased efficiency and lower labor productivity. Further combination of factors such as poor educational and managerial facilities, combined with poor incentives has led to lower labor productivity (Lifeinitaly.com 2015). Italy has been forecast to be one of the forerunners in the euro-zone post its formation after collaborating with Germany but instead the failures of the euro have affected Italy adversely. It has led to surge in Italian bonds leading to increased charges on interest rate. Therefore, despite Italy having large surplus in primary budget, they are finding it hard to decrease debt-to-GDP ratio. (Reinhart and Rogoff 2010) Prevalence of a booming black market and the fact that almost 15 % of all Italian economic activities are related to it and other such underground market institutions is a cause for such severe economic meltdown. (Sabia 2015) The measures which are to be harnessed to tackle Italys falling GDP rates can be summarized to a few external advantageous growth measures. For example, the asset purchase program of the European Central Bank. Interest rates will be lowered as a result of this measure. Measures should be taken for depreciation of the Euro which will boost export rates for the country (Zampano 2015). Also, reduction of oil prices such that there is reduced expenditure on costs for both families and firms. These measures should slowly recuperate the GDP condition within the nation. However, there are differing opinions as to the effectiveness of the above mentioned policies, since Italy has very rigid structural issues pertaining to labor laws, its legal and education system, conditions often worsened by a high amount of corruption. (Merlo 1998) Conclusion, highlighting key points and arguments in the essay. Coming to a conclusion of the essay, it can be said that a recessionary economy like Italy, is the product of many economic factors. These stem from the root cause of low GDP levels as a result of poor productivity of both small and medium enterprises as well as labor; due to poor technological advancements as well as rigid and inflexible labor and legal laws reducing efficiency further (Economicshelp.org 2012). Thus prevalent macroeconomic events like Italys economic condition can be evaluated on the basis of concepts such as governmental influences on markets, GDP, concepts of jobs and inflation as well as various fiscal and monetary policies to combat present issues. Reference: 1)Reinhart, Carmen M, and Kenneth S Rogoff. 2010. 'Growth In A Time Of Debt'.American Economic Review100 (2): 573-578. doi:10.1257/aer.100.2.573. 2)Castellani, Davide, and Antonello Zanfei. 2007. 'Internationalisation, Innovation And Productivity: How Do Firms Differ In Italy?'.The World Economy30 (1): 156-176. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9701.2007.00875.x. 3)'Italy'. 2015.Quarterly National Accounts2014 (4): 158-163. doi:10.1787/qna-v2014-4-18-en. 4)BuÃ…Â ¾inskienÄ—, Rita, and Dalia RudytÄ—. 2015. 'The Impact Of Knowledge Generating Investment On GDP Growth'.Economics And Business26: 9. doi:10.7250/eb.2014.014. 5)Merlo, Antonio. 1998. 'Economic Dynamics And Government Stability In Postwar Italy'.Review Of Economics And Statistics80 (4): 629-637. doi:10.1162/003465398557717. 6) Crosnoe, Robert. 2014. 'Youth, Economic Hardship, And The Worldwide Great Recession'.Longitudinal And Life Course Studies5 (2). doi:10.14301/llcs.v5i2.296. 7) Fiske, Susan T. 2014. 'Social Psychology And The Great Recession: Comment On Bridging The Gap'.Analyses Of Social Issues And Public Policy14 (1): 214-216. doi:10.1111/asap.12064. 8) Sabia, Joseph J. 2015. 'MINIMUM WAGES AND GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT'.Contemp Econ Policy, n/a-n/a. doi:10.1111/coep.12099. 9) Culpepper, Pepper D. 2014. 'The Political Economy Of Unmediated Democracy: Italian Austerity Under Mario Monti'.West European Politics37 (6): 1264-1281. doi:10.1080/01402382.2014.929334. 10) Brandolini, Andrea. 2014. 'The Big Chill: Italian Family Budgets After The Great Recession'.Italian Politics29 (1): 233-256. doi:10.3167/ip.2014.290114. Zampano, Giada. 2015. 'Italy Still Stuck In Recession But Sees Growth Next Year'.WSJ. https://www.wsj.com/articles/italian-government-confirms-it-will-remain-in-recession-this-year-1412106516. Links to Pictures related to article: Economicshelp.org, 2012. 'Italian Economic Decline | Economics Help'. Lifeinitaly.com,. 2015. 'Italy To Pull From Recession In 2015, GDP -0.3% This Year | Italy'. https://www.lifeinitaly.com/news/italy-pull-recession-2015-gdp-03-year. Its the end of a three-year recession, GDP growing 0.7% in 2015, says Istat,. 2015. 'ItS The End Of A Three-Year Recession, GDP Growing 0.7% In 2015, Says Istat'.

Shocking Information About 5th Grade Essay Topics Uncovered

Shocking Information About 5th Grade Essay Topics Uncovered The concluding paragraph is you're the area in which you would like to sum up your paper and to provide the reader something to consider following your project is over. The most frequently encountered paper writing service that the majority of our clients require is essay writing. Sometimes you do your best and even then you're not able to score well in your home tasks. Movie review research undertaking. Once you finish the very first draft of your essay, it's recommended to re-visit the thesis statement in your very first paragraph. Obviously, essays play a big part in the college application procedure, also. Nowadays it's quite difficult to locate a trustworthy essay writing service. When it may seem an argumentative essay isn't different than other kinds of papers, arguments have their own how to compose an essay in mla style. Gossip, Deception and 5th Grade Essay Topics For instance, you ought to keep the readers in mind while you select arguments to back up your position. Your thesis sentence should provide your precise assertion and convey a very clear viewpoint. The revisions are completely free! There's, clearly, a limit on the variety of pages even our very best writers can produce with a pressing deadline, but generally, we figure out how to satisfy all the clients seeking urgent assistance. Be certain to highlight the advantages of the food that you bring! There are a few distinctive skills needed and some distinctive steps that have to be followed while arranging an answer to any complicated prompt. Even in the event the deadline is very tight, feel free to get hold of our managers. The Chronicles of 5th Grade Essay Topics Write a story about something fun which you did with friends and family during the summertime. Your class will devote a day cleaning up at a neighborhood park. Write a story relating to this field trip. Write about your day in the life span of that individual. Our customer support will gladly tell you whether there are any special offers at the present time, in addition to make sure you are getting the very best service our company may deliv er. You are able to easily depend on us to find essay help as we have a tendency to assist and guide the students with the aid of our professional experts. At times it just requires a shove to acquire the information pouring out of you. Even then you're not able to discover the informative and accurate details. Fortunately, you can learn how to craft a fantastic essay if it is possible to stick to the normal pattern and write in a very clear and organized method. If you wrtiing a three 5th gradewhile you're drafting your grade you will likely will need to 5th back to a number of the references you. Write a descriptive paragraph relating to this picture. Last draft alternate between typing the last copy and handwriting the last copy. Choosing Good 5th Grade Essay Topics Anytime you must compose a timed essay, you should start with a frame dependent on the parts below. Imagine you had the ideal room to do your homework. If you are thinking about purchasing an item you will still have next calendar year, think about pulling out the card but you need to be careful. Write about the kind of tree you see most in your region. 5th Grade Essay Topics Secrets Maybe you can sink a free throw every moment. Don't forget that the deadline of the previous step should fall a couple of days before the last deadline so you can easily revise, edit, recheck, and correct your part of writing and can make some last alterations. Think of what your life would be like, the way that it would differ living more than 200 decades ago. Imagine that you live either 100 years before or 100 years later on. The Nuiances of 5th Grade Essay Topics As always, The Teacher's Corner is searching for strategies to generate your life simpler. Think of a specific skill you've got and might teach others. This way students knew just what to expect and what they ought to be focusing on. Just knowing the fundamental essay structure will help, and I will go over that today, along with giving you a lot of topic ideas which will be fun and interesting that you write about. If you like you may look online and find one that you like. Key Pieces of 5th Grade Essay Topics 10-11 year-old 5th graders are predicted in order to organize their ideas and structure sentences well. To get ready for the demands of middle school and higher school writing, fifth graders ought to be mastering skills necessary for strong nonfiction writing. They are not too young to talk about controversial issues. Some fifth graders may have topics they're particularly interested in. A typical dictionary or thesaurus might be used during the contest. If you're in the fifth grade and you've got an essay that's due these are a number of top terrific ideas that may allow you to compose a really excellent paper. The One Thing to Do for 5th Grade Essay Topics So learning cursive is basically up to your youngster's teacher. These worksheets are excellent for students or teachers that are searching for extra writing practice. If you've already graduated from college or university and are looking for a great job, you will need to get a persuasive resume to impress your future employer. While teachers ought to be there to support your child, he should do the job.

Topics For An Argumentative Essay For College Students

Topics For An Argumentative Essay For College StudentsSo, you've decided that you're going to write an argumentative essay for college students. I'm not talking about a technical academic argument, either; I'm talking about something more general, perhaps even controversial. What do you do next?You start writing strong arguments for why your viewpoints are right. You research the subject matter and you set aside time each day to revise and read up on your topic. After each hour of reading you should offer some kind of detail that you know you can support with facts and figures. You may want to use some kind of analogy, or visual aids that help you make your case.Once you have some kind of outline of your argumentative essay, you can start typing up the text. Although it's okay to have a college student type the essays for their papers, it's less acceptable for them to type the longer argumentative essays; this can lead to over-preparation and over-thinking.You should avoid too many a ssociations with the topic, so that the writer can simply spend time working on developing their own ideas and convincing their reader that their viewpoint is correct. You may be a writer or a publisher, but you don't want to be drowned out by the writer's association with the topic. Don't remind them of what they have written about before or you will only confuse them.Often, the best way to develop a coherent argument is to write your main piece and then go back and summarize your particular point. If it is a part of a larger argument, such as whether or not to participate in a debate team, writing a summary will help to make your argument crystal clear. Just be sure that it doesn't end up being too long. The essay should end up being quite brief, and when the time comes to submit your final draft, you should use the same standards for length that you would use for any other student essay.When writing an argumentative essay for college students, it's best to be clear and concise ab out the main points, and then use a few graphs and figures to support your claim. This allows you to present your perspective clearly and encourages your reader to see how reasonable your position is.The main thing that most students will be looking for is evidence and statistics. If you include references to these, you may find that your readers are more convinced by your information. However, it's important to remember that your readers may be quite smart, and they may see through your little tricks and be able to argue against you.Use your best judgment as you write and ensure that your essay is not so dense that your readers cannot get a hold of it. If you must use references, try to come up with a good title for the resource as well. This will give the reader something to latch onto, rather than just a bunch of facts.

Essay Topics With Three Points of View

Essay Topics With Three Points of ViewWhen it comes to essay topics with three points of view, you can choose a more generic topic. You might find that there are fewer rules involved with this topic because the author doesn't have to worry about how exactly their topic is going to be chosen. In addition, the topic can be related to more than one person and this will also help the author in getting more responses.However, if the author knows how their topic is going to be written, they can come up with an excellent topic that is based on objective reasons or information. This is how you can actually find several different essay topics with three points of view. These are easy ways to get an idea how these topics work.When looking for essay topics with three points of view, the idea is to create a topic based on objective information. The third point of view has to be based on an opinion of the writer or author. This is not actually a bad idea when it comes to essay topics with three p oints of view because this topic will be based on facts and information. You won't have to worry about whether the topic is going to be controversial because there will be no real controversy involved in this topic.The first way to choose essay topics with three points of view is to know your objective. This is actually the topic that has to be based on objective facts. Your subject matter of this topic is going to be based on facts and information. This is a good way to select a topic with three points of view because the information will probably make sense.However, you can also choose to base your topics on opinions. These essays topics with three points of view will probably be based on the ideas of your audience. You will also need to be able to prove that the essay topics with three points of view are based on objective facts. In order to do this, you will need to put in facts that you can support the three points of view. In addition, you will also need to show why the inform ation is relevant to your subject matter. If you don't have any concrete arguments, you can go with opinion based topics with three points of view.You can really come up with topics with three points of view if you are passionate about the topic. This is an article for those who are new to essay topics with three points of view.

Sample GAMSAT Essay

Sample GAMSAT EssayA sample GAMSAT essay is needed for school if the student wants to impress the admissions officer that oversees a student's application. An essay is one of the major points in the process of entering any college or university. It is also used by most colleges and universities when interviewing potential students for undergraduate or graduate study.The college admission process usually starts with a physical test taken from the applicant to measure their eyesight, hearing, knowledge of English and math. That being said, most schools will also ask the applicant a basic essay. The sample essay, though only a portion of the entire essay, serves as an important element of the application essay.The sample GAMSAT essay is different from all the others, as it contains much more information. The essay questions asked are chosen at random. This ensures that every applicant has an equal chance to pass the written portion of the application process.A GAMSAT writing sample come s with several sections. Some of them include general information about the applicant, main ideas of the essay, key points to relay in the sample, and explanations of each part of the essay. There is also some information about the subject of the sample that is not typical to the program of the admissions office, but it can still be helpful to explain the topic of the essay.A good selection of sample essays gives the student a chance to write a good essay without having to write the same one all over again. They will also be able to see the details of how to write the application essay. Some students feel that their first written composition might not be as successful as another student's.Students must be able to understand the material of the essay before they write the essay. The sample GAMSAT essay is a good way to practice this skill. Not all students have the same writing skills. Even if you do, this allows the student to refine his or her skills and make progress on improving those skills.If the student is going to write a sample GAMSAT essay, he or she should check with an adviser before writing it. The adviser can provide the student advice on how to improve his or her writing skills before writing the sample. The writer must remember that the GAMSAT is very different from what he or she is used to. Therefore, any student writing a sample GAMSAT essay needs to understand the importance of a good writing experience.A sample GAMSAT essay can also be a great supplement to any other types of courses that a student is taking. Sometimes it can be very helpful to work on an essay before a major exam. This helps the student understand the format of the GAMSAT essay and how to use the information and key ideas to their advantage.

Should we discuss cyber communities as real communities Essay Example

Should we discuss cyber communities as real communities Paper The internet has become an everyday part of life for the majority of the contemporary society who have the technology and knowledge to access it, and as such new groups known as cyber or virtual communities have developed, living and growing on the world wide web, expanding simultaneously as is evident with real physical societies found in our everyday lives. Is it ok then to discuss these in the same context as each other, or are they entirely different incarnations of human interaction that should be separated and therefore discussed at different ends of the equation that is community? I want first to take a brief look at the history of the Internet, and how it offers the chance for cyber communities to develop. I will hopefully identify a framework for these cyber communities, which I will use to compare them against real life communities and then discuss the similarities and differences and so be able to draw a conclusion as to whether the two types of communities are able to be discussed in the same context. The Internets first appearance was in 1969 with the ARPANET computer network, run by the US Defense Department. The US Government was interested in creating a network that could withstand a nuclear attack. This system was the primary component of the super network that would eventually become the Internet. The first event of the Internet that we know today was in 1974, when Vint Cerf and Bob Khan defined the transmission control protocol (TCP) and Internet protocol (IP) by which information could be packaged addressed and sent to various destinations along a computer network. We will write a custom essay sample on Should we discuss cyber communities as real communities specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Should we discuss cyber communities as real communities specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Should we discuss cyber communities as real communities specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In 1983 this TCP/IP based Internet was launched across the USA, and has since developed to todays standards, of a global network of 43 million interconnected computers (Gauntlett 2000). Presently, Internet technology enables several forms of interactive networking among users, including traditional activities suggestive of geographic communities, such as town meetings, exchanging information, discussing problems, and informal chatting. Forms of these communities include; Email, Multi-user Dimensions (MUDs), Chat channels (rooms) Conferencing systems/ Bulletin Board Systems (BBS)/ Information Services. These are just a handful of the most popular communication techniques widely available on the Internet. Access to the Internet and these services is provided through commercial Internet Service Providers (ISPs) such as America Online (AOL) that offer a range of member services in addition to Internet access. The WELL provides a vivid example of the capability of online groups to facilitate sustained and meaningful interaction among members. (http://www. harvardlawreview. org/issues/112/7_1586. htm#fn35 Accessed 23/04/03) The WELL is a large conferencing system, centered in the San Francisco Bay area; it was established in 1985 and has grown to become a vibrant online community where many topics and aspects of everyday life are discussed (Gauntlett 2000). Howard Rheingold has been actively interested in the topic of virtual (cyber) communities since the early days of the Internet and especially the topic of the WELL, I will use examples taken from his book The Virtual Community and other scholars of the subject to help analyze the idea of the cyber community and its links to real communities. At this point I would like to clarify exactly what I mean when talking about community, and what the definition of a community is in the context of this essay. I will use a simple definition, often accustomed to the debate about virtual communities. Aaron Davidson states When Internet critics speak of community, they refer to the definition of community as a group of people who live together in close physical proximity, I will refer to this type of community as a Classic Community. The more general essence of community is a group of people, which share a common interest. This more flexible definition encompasses both physical communities as well as more intangible communities such as special interest clubs and online communities (http://spaz. ca/aaron/school/online. html Accessed 20/04/03). This definition of community translates that a classical real life community is a group of people who are geographically local to each other and so form bonds due to location and not necessarily interests, such as street parties, or communal bonfires and firework shows. The non-classical internet community is when people group together in a non-physical text based platform due to a common interest on a certain subject, such as a military vehicle web ring or music group discussions. Taylor (1982) states the core attributes that are (or should be) possessed by all communities to some extent are, common beliefs and values, direct and many-sided relationships between members, and reciprocity and communication. While shared values and beliefs generally promote communication, the presence of communication does not necessarily result in shared values. This has a key implication for the creation of cyber communities as unlike real life communities people accessing them do so for the topic, such as health, music or films and through this shared affinity for the subject communication is initiated, while some might access purely for communication and not information, they are going to try and generate conversation within the topic range they are interested in (Rheingold 2000). I will now try to categorize a framework of characteristics that would be associated with a cyber community, and how these differ from their real life counterparts. I located several definitions from different writers on the characteristics, which an online community has, but they all seem to be able to be grouped together under five headings. The first is that they are spatial, in that they are not restrained by geography, the community is able to be built and developed not only on a national scale but more on an international scale now, and not just within the close geographical proximities experienced by real world communities. They are developed around an understanding or appreciation of a topic, which brings people together, which may or may not have known each other prior to the discussion, while real life communities are often forced together either through the location of residence or through working ties. Virtual communities such as the WELL for example grew within a region of America (San Francisco Bay) but to become a member you dont have to live in San Francisco to participate in the community and the building of bonds within it (Rheingold 2000). The second is that virtual communities are asynchronous, in that communication doesnt have to take place in real time, unless the community is built within a chat room environment, but even in this environment they often facilitate the use of a message board for users to access. Messages and information can be posted and replies received days later (Castells 2001). For sustained communication to take place in the real world at least two people are needed at the same time, even if not at the same location via telephone. Third due to the lack of data able to be sent the communities are predominantly text based. For decades, online communities were built with nothing more than unformatted text. Web-based media bring inline graphics, animations, video, sounds, formatted text, and links into the conversation, creating a more dynamic ability to communicate with other users, and therefore enhancing the community being developed (Jones 1997). Real life communities are able to be built not just on text (speech) but also through the use of paralinguistic features, these non verbal gestures help to add meaning, and the impact of a face to face discussion is amplified due to facial features which are not evident in the computer world, but can be expressed as text (Jones 1997). The Fourth characteristic is that they are astigmatic, in those physical attributes such as race, gender, and physical impairments, which would often locate an individual in certain social standings in real life, are not present on the c yber communities. Religion is also not an important issue in virtual communities. These aspects not only shape our social standing but can inhibit our involvement in social gatherings and communal events simply because we are not aesthetically matched, but in the virtual world these impairments, and characteristics do not affect our acceptance and do not need to be made public unless the individual chooses to do so. People whose physical handicaps make it difficult to form new friendships find that virtual communities treat them as they always wanted to be treated as thinkers and transmitters of ideas and feeling beings, not carnal vessels with a certain appearance and way of walking and talking (or not walking and not talking) (http://www. eff. org/Net_culture/Virtual_community/slice_of_life. article Accessed 22/04/03). The fifth key feature of a virtual community is that the members of a virtual community are anonymous from each other, unless they choose to meet in person. Unlike in real life where face to face interaction leads to people being able to recognize outside of the community environment, while community members on the virtual plain would not recognize each other if passing in the street. This ability to remain anonymous from other users offers virtual citizens the ability to create their own virtual identity and mold their appearance as they see fit, playing out fantasies online (Castells 2001). This can be seen with a quote from the blockbuster movie The Matrix where Neo and Morpheus are discussing the Matrix and how it offers Neo and the users the chance to portray their residual self image, the mental projection of your digital self as Morpheus quotes to Neo. This is the same in a virtual community where members are able to portray themselves as they wish others to see them; whether truthful or false the anonymity provided by the virtual community allows freedom from physical flaws present in their real life personas (Jones 1997). That was the five key characteristics identified by many people as to what makes a virtual community different from a real life example. Another characteristic that is evident with online communication is the fact that it can be conducted on a many to many basis. This is different from the format of few to many associated with a broadcast, or one to one such as telephone conversation. Virtual communities offer groups of people the ability to communicate with many others simultaneously. A brief over view of the characteristics of a virtual community shows as that they are not bound by geography, but are bonded together by interests and bonds formed through these interests. Communication doesnt have to be undertaken in real time, and is predominantly text based. No physical or religious pre conceived prejudices are experienced as members are able to remain anonymous from each other in the real world and so any physical attributes or religious beliefs are made public to fellow members through the free choice of the individual. Finally communication can be carried out on a many to many interaction with lots of people contributing to the discussion if and when they feel they should. The difference between real life and cyber (virtual) communities are evident then, but is this the end of the discussion as to whether they should or shouldnt be classed as real? Possibly the most significant aspect of these more mainstream uses of the Internet is not their status as alternative communities, but the opportunities they offer for individuals to supplement their lives in real world communities (http://www. arvardlawreview. org/issues/112/7_1586. htm#fn35 Accessed 20/04/03). Cyber communities are often seen and categorized in this way as an extension of our communal lives and that they extend our real life communities to new levels. Ray Oldenburg (1991) states that there are three essential places in every persons life, the place they live, the place they work, and the place they gather for conviviality. Virtual communities can fulfill the role of the third place re-matting the fabric of community spirit, which has been lost in the modern real world where community bonds are being eroded. The ability to network, gain knowledge, or find communion within cyberspace is, according to Rheingold (2000), the social glue that binds formerly isolated individuals into a community (http://www. well. com/user/hlr/texts/VCcivil. html Accessed 22/04/03). I tend to agree with this finding that cyber communities do not stand-alone but are interwoven with our real life communal experiences, and so I feel to a certain extent they should be discussed as real communities, but with an air of caution when doing so. The key difference between the cyber and real community is the context of the plain they are built on, whether it being physical or virtual. They both exist together with real world topics being the basis for many of the interactions experienced within there cyber counterparts, further leads me to the view that they presently only fulfill the role of enhancing or communal lives in real life. The key similarity between the two community environments is the constant communication, forming links and bonds, however the initiation process in cyber communities is also different. In traditional kinds of communities, we are accustomed to meeting people, then getting to know them; in virtual communities, you can get to know people and then choose to meet them. In some cases, you can get to know people who you might never meet on the physical plain (Rheingold 2000). The point that cyber communities can exist as asynchronous is contested by Jones (1997), saying that synchronicity when users interact at the same time such as in a chat room, the occupants are less interested in the topic but more so in the individual doing the talking, less interested in text than in community. This offers the argument that not all communication on the internet is communal, and only the real time chat room environments when people discuss and form real time bonds with one another in quick fire conversations does the feeling of community really exist. From my experiences on the Internet and especially in chat rooms I would have to agree with this. When I post a message on a guest book or message board, I dont get a feeling interaction with others, but within the environment of a chat room I am able to build bonds, and return to them at later dates with a sense, if only small at first of knowing the other users of the room. Jones (1997) also accounts for this and the issue of free riding, where he quotes Ostrom (1990) identified free riding as the key threat to community formation and well-being, free riders being surfers of the Internet who do not participate in the community but simply use it for its resources. I have outlined here some of the theories and thoughts offered on the subject of cyber communities and I want to know draw them all together and conclude this writing. For cyber communities to be discussed in the same context as real world examples there is the point that they offer the user a sense of belonging, albeit a different one from the real world. They also incorporate a large amount of people, all communicating and sharing experiences with each other, which is the same as in the traditional physical communities. Cyber communities are built around a shared value or interests, you are able to choose to join the community or not, you are not forced into it through work or residence. This point offers the question of how strong the bonds are between the people, simply because they have a shared interest in a certain topic, the commitment to one another in the cyber realm compared to the real world is a lot weaker, as Jones (1997) states, in the book, Virtual culture. People who communicate via words on a screen dont necessarily share the same level of commitment to each other in real life as more traditional communities. Communities can emerge from and exist within computer-linked groups, but that technical linkage of electronic personae is not sufficient to create a community (Jones 1997). Howard Rheingold states brilliantly one of the key advantages of partaking in a virtual community, life will be happier for the on-line individual because the people with whom one interacts most strongly will be selected more by commonality of interests and goals than by accidents of proximity(Rheingold 2000). For the feeling of community to exist the key attribute identified through my study is the need for sustained communication between the members. I will use the following quote from The Electronic Frontier Foundation website to sum up the conclusion of this study. When a group of people remains in communication with one another for extended periods of time, the question of whether it is a community arises. Virtual communities might be real communities, they might be pseudocommunities, or they might be something entirely new in the realm of social contracts, but they are in part a response to the hunger for community that has followed the disintegration of traditional communities around the world (http://www. ff. org/Net_culture/Virtual_community/slice_of_life. article Accessed 20/04/03). Therefore cyber communities are real communities, they are very similar, where links and bonds are formed in a non-physical environment, and that these cyber communities should be discussed in the same context as real life examples but not separately but as an extension of our physical communal lives.

Word Choice Faze vs. Phase - Proofeds Writing Tips

Word Choice Faze vs. Phase - Proofeds Writing Tips Word Choice: Faze vs. Phase Although the words faze and phase sound the same, they have different meanings and spellings. Learn more about the usage of these terms so that you can use them with confidence in your academic writing. Faze (Disturb or Unsettle) The verb faze means disturb or disconcert, such as in the sentence: The keynote speaker was fazed by the size of the audience. More common than the term faze is the adjective unfazed, which refers to the state of being calm or undaunted by a challenge: Unfazed by the high fences, the horse galloped to victory. Phase (A Stage in a Process) Phase is typically a noun meaning a period or a stage of development within a sequence of events. For example, one might talk of phase one in a new business plan. It is sometimes used in a pejorative manner to describe behavior or actions that are likely to be temporary. One might thus dismiss a teenager’s rebellious phase or describe a midlife crisis as just a phase. The word phase can also be used as a verb. In this case, it means gradually changing something, such as in the terms phasing in and phasing out. In this context, it would be used in a sentence like this: A new minimum size for farmed chickens will be phased in next year. Faze or Phase? Although they sound similar, to faze someone is to unsettle them, while a phase is a stage within a process or a set period of time. Both words could be used in a sentence like this: The pet owners were unfazed by the cat’s anxious phase. Remember that faze is spelled with a z, while phase is spelled with an s. If you would like more advice about academic writing, or to have a 500-word sample of your work checked for free, get in touch with Proofed today!