NBA- National Basketball Association Research Paper

NBA- National Basketball Association - Research Paper Example Not only is the NBA among the four main North American professional sports leagues but its players are also the world’s most lucratively paid sportsmen, going by the average annual salary per player. Many attribute the success of the NBA to its culture and the manner in which it has managed to integrate its culture to its operations and goals, as will be seen in the discussion which ensues forthwith. First, it is important to consider the fact that the NBA has a wide culture, with this wideness taking on both formal and informal aspects. The formal culture of the NBA has mainly been consistent with the organizational policies, while the informal one has mainly been subject to socio-cultural preferences. According to Maymin, Maymin, and Shen (2011), to show for the similarity between NBA and business culture, NBA has also used creations and mergers to extend itself. Having been founded in 1946, the Basketball Association of America merged with NBL on August 3rd, 1949. This deve lopment culminated into the creation of the National Basketball Association. To extend its interests further, NBA has used franchising as its business culture. NBA in 1949 had 17 franchises that at the time were located in large and small cities, and large and small arenas. Through the 1950s, NBA consolidated its 11 franchises. In a closely related wavelength, it is important to note that NBA has also used contraction to move its franchises that had been located in smaller cities to get to larger cities. For instance, it is against this backdrop that the Hawks moved from Quad Cities to Milwaukee, then to Missouri, St. Louis, while the Royals moved from Rochester, New York, to Cincinnati. In the same respect, Pistons moved from Indiana (Fort Wayne) to Detroit in 1957. The culture of merging, franchising and contraction started from the need to expand. The growth of NBA into national and regional importance and the global recognition of NBA as the principal basketball league in the Un ited States underscore the success of these management cultures- franchising, merging and contracting. One of the informal cultures of NBA is its identification with the African American and hip hop culture. The fact that rappers such as Sean Carter and Cornell Iral Hayness Jr. are major stakeholders in NBA teams (namely, Charlotte Bobcats and Brooklyn Nets respectively), underscore this. In like manner, a number of artists have managed to wear NBA throwback jerseys in their music videos. Likewise, NBA plays hip hop and rap music in basketball arenas during games. As if this is not enough, NBA video games NBA Live, ABC-ESPN and NBA 2K use hip hop music in their soundtracks and coverage. Some of the players in NBA have rapped or tried to rap, with Shaquille O’Neal, Tony parker, Kobe Bryant, Chris Webber, Allen Iverson and Metta World Peace serving as examples of these basketball-players-cum-rappers. It is also not at all uncommon to find several NBA players who act or dress in ways that are consistent with rap and hip hop culture. It is for this same reason that many NBA players and members wear jewelry and spot tattoos, both inside and outside basketball courts. A. Maymin, P. Maymin, and Shen (2011) contend that the close affiliation between the NBA and hip hop culture dates back to the late 1970s. This development follows the fact that the 1970s fall within the Cold

Reports as an Important Kind of Academic Writing Essay - 5

Reports as an Important Kind of Academic Writing - Essay Example As such, the authors of the book dedicate the chapter to discussing the types of available reports and the best ways of developing effective researches. Just as is the case with many other chapters in the book, the first section of the chapter discusses the process of inventing report content. As explained in the introduction, reports are systematic documents used to present research findings. Inventing report content, therefore, begins with an effective research that investigates a specific knowledge gap. After carrying out an investigation on a topical issue, a student or any other scholar obtains the vital content to include in a report. The second section then discusses the appropriate styles used in developing reports. The style of a report affects the consumption of the report contents. The authors, therefore, advise students to select appropriate styles, an appropriate style in that a student understands and can, therefore, use efficiently. The authors advise the use of appropriate grammar since reports are professional documents. As such, one can use appropriate jargons that best describes the terms in the discipline. However, the authors contend that students must employ simple grammatical structures since they enhance the consumption of any kind of writing. The chapter is an important section of the book that discusses an equally important kind of writing. The authors adopt a systematic approach to the topic as they discuss one important point after another. This provides the audience with an effective understanding of the topical issue. The book is an important reference in schools owing to its orderly and chronological presentation of ideas. The authors employ simple sentence structures since they enhance the consumption of any type f literature. This way, they explain the various section of the chapter thereby providing their target audience with the vivid description of all the necessary scenarios that may enhance the creation of effective reports.  Ã‚  

Educational Trends Education Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Educational Trends Education - Research Paper Example In such an immersive computing environment, where notebooks and pens are replaced with smart phones, iPods and laptops this era of pervasive education technology, is marked with revolutionary educational trends. The development and rising popularity of social networking and micro-blogging sites has upped the ante, making access to information just a click away. Such trends within the domains of primary and secondary education, has significant implications on the manner in which such education is imparted across the globe (Leu, 2001; Gilster, 1997). This paper, on â€Å"Educational tends† aims to discuss both the current as well as future trends in education, and the use of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) within classrooms and its likely impact in shaping, nurturing and developing the knowledge and cognitive learning abilities of students over the years. Historical Background: ICT in Classrooms The twentieth century was swept away by technological makeover, and c omputers entered the classrooms as educators realized its power and impact as an effective teaching aid (Dwyer et al., 1991). However, during this era, computers were merely used as a data management tool for tracking grades, attendance and reviewing test results. Moreover the ratio of computers per student was low. During the mid 20th century, this highly rigid approach towards computer usage changed significantly from predominantly conventional behavioral attitudes to a more constructivist approach (Anderson, Speck, 2001). Current trends: Overview The 21st century classrooms have had a drastic makeover from that compared to the 20th century classroom, in the sense that it has now become more interactive as opposed to passive learning, and includes the addition of various gadgets which are incorporated on a large scale across various schools. The technological tools in used in the past were mostly passive in nature which involved little or no interaction from the students, and were limited to just listening, watching, or at the most, taking notes. However, the tools used today include greater participation from the students via the use of interactive media where they are encouraged to make presentations and communicate and share their experiences via blogs and vlogs (Smolin, Lawless, 2003). Figure 1: Instructional technologies timeline from the year 1900 - 2004 Source: Whelan (2005) Pp.14 The use of interactive whiteboards has drastically increased and remains one of the most popular tools of teaching across American classrooms. Furthermore gadgets such as PDAs and hand-helds are also being used primarily for middle school and high-school students. Also, there are various online resources which offer interactive learning to students by way of games, puzzles and quizzes which help them in understanding key concepts in a fun entertaining and engaging way. Future trends: The conventional definitions of schools as buildings made of bricks and walls are likely to change to 'nerve centers' virtual space occupied by e-teachers and e-learners, connected by technology. The role of teachers in such a space is likely to expand from merely the providers of education to that of information and knowledge generators. Until recently, students were accustomed to access education through schools, but the

Technology Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Technology Plan - Assignment Example This paper will examine a technology plan for a health care services organization. A health care services organization (HCSO) can function a lot better if it has the right kind of information at its disposal without any wastage of time. Efficiency and effectiveness are two important necessities for the smooth functioning of such an organization. Thus, it would be necessary for a HCSO to have a computer network covering all the terminals inside the building linking their records and data together. A centralized server with direct wireless connectivity with all the nodes would be an idealistic way to provide real-time data from one PC to another without the hassle of paper or wastage of time and human resource. Careful planning can even see a paperless management system being implemented at the Indus Hospital, Pakistan which made the greatest technological advancement in terms of a hospital by adopting to a purely paperless system (Garib, 2008). Truly speaking, such a feat would give an HCSO a competitive advantage in terms of productivity and efficacy. With wireless connectivity instead of wired terminals, the HCSO can also have distributed printers within the organization so as to facilitate the printing of various slips or documents near the customer or the doctor instead of a centralized print server. The use of computerized logs with regards to the number of hours devoted by each doctor or healthcare specialist will give an HCSO the flexibility to focus on its core operations. Such systems work with near field communications devices or RFID tags and perform at extremely impressive perfection rates giving the organization the ease of doing away with manual and troublesome payroll processing systems. Auto-payroll systems are quite the norm and can be easily implemented at an HCSO with slight modifications to suit the scenario. Technological advancements are the light of the day and thus if

Consumer experience and Luxury Branding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Consumer experience and Luxury Branding - Essay Example   There are various ways in which the consumers experience fashion retail on a global scale. These experiences can either be seen or felt. The first experience is psychological or emotional. Saprikis, Chouliara, and Broekhuizen (2010, p.2) observed that an individual’s purchasing choices are influenced by four major psychological factors, including perception, motivation, learning, beliefs, and attitude. Liu and Forsythe (2010, p.83) illustrate that the intention of the customer to shop is positively linked with the attitude towards purchasing, and affects their decision-making and purchasing behavior. Khitoliya (2014, p.18) argue that perceived usefulness, convenience, and perceived enjoyment are the dominant factors that affect consumer perceptions about a brand. Cao, Xu, and Douma add that enjoyment in intrinsic motivation. When a customer enjoys a product, it impacts positively on the sales of that particular brand. It is equally important to note that when the employees are motivated and satisfied with their job, it translates into a good feeling to the customer since they are able to interact well with the staff and get quality products that make them be satisfied. Schmitt claims that products and services that emerge from the brand’s real soul connect psychologically to the consumers. As a result, it generates emotionally positive experience from the customers. Zara uses emotional client experience of increased self-confidence, self-esteem, and happiness to meet the customer preferences.

Reasearch Paper on the Book A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway Research

Reasearch on the Book A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway - Research Paper Example The work was published after Hemingway’s death and as a consequence is often considered unfinished. It was edited extensively before it was published with editors wanting the work to appear in a form which Hemingway would be proud of, rather than incomplete. It is likely that Hemingway would have written and edited the novel further had he lived. Written in simple sentences and with non-complex structure which is typical of Hemingway’s work, the book focuses on the content itself, telling a story of Hemingway as a young, often struggling, artist. Before examining the themes of the book it is important to understand how the two versions differ, as there is significant difference between the two published editions of the book. These differences can potentially blur the themes of the novel, despite the attempts of editors for both versions to stay true to Hemingway. The Restored Edition, which is the version which is being considered in this study, is an edited edition of the book which was released 45 years after the publication of the original work. The changes were made by Hemingway’s grandson, and consists of reordering of some of the stories, the restoration of some portions of the book that were cut from the original and the removal of some edits . In the forward by Sean Hemingway, he considers that the difference between the two editions is much like the differences between different versions of the Bible. There is no way of knowing what the original intent was of the author, thus both versions are different interpretations rather than one version being correct and the other not. The overarching theme of the novel which ties together the stories and the characters is that of hunger. This hunger is not just hunger in the physical sense, but also in the artistic and the emotional sense. The title of the book draws reference to this theme, suggesting that Paris itself acts in some measure to sate this hunger. Likewise, Paris can be conside red a moveable feast in the manner that the memories that are made in Paris stay with the person and influence them for the rest of their life. Paris is by many counts, a city of fantastic opportunities, of art, culture and food. Because of this, it can become a feast which one can deeply indulge in. Early in the book, the author extensively describes his physical hunger. He had given up journalism in order to focus on his art and as a consequence he had no money and little food. He spoke of the way that walking along the sidewalk one could smell the food that people were eating. He considered that being hungry was good for discipline and that it helped him to understand art. He had a clearer, sharper view when he was hungry and found that he saw beauty much clearer. At this point he is married, and hides from his wife the fact that he does not plan on eating for the day, instead telling her that he is eating out with friends. This physical hunger is not consistent across all the st ories, instead, the focus shifts to artistic and emotional senses of hunger. Throughout the stories, Hemingway wanders the city as an artist looking for inspiration and stimulation. He moves from one such event to another as if they were meals through which he is seeking to fill himself. He appears to feast on the gossip, the scandal and intrigue that surround him, using it as fuel for his writing, and for his passion.

World Civilizations To 1500 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

World Civilizations To 1500 - Essay Example 2. Geographical location of Ancient Mesopotamia determined early populating of these fertile territories. Mesopotamia is translated as "The land between rivers": it was situated between the Tigris and the Euphrates. The rivers and the climate of Mesopotamia attracted people: geographical location allowed them to grow different crops and contributed much to the state origin. But the geographical and environmental factor is not the only one which influenced the development of Mesopotamia. Political division of Mesopotamia as a combination of city-states - Uruk, Ur, Eridu and some others - determined its development as a constant struggle between them for political domination in the region. Economics was linked with geographical factor: irrigation allowed people to grow more food, and they were able to trade services and goods. The rivers also were good transport routes. Geographical factor partially influenced the social structure of Mesopotamia - great amount of slaves and peasants co uld irrigate the territory and provide its fertility. Social structure provided economic development of Mesopotamia: class structure became a fundament of further development of city-states. Women position was not the same as men's, but there were many women gods in city-states pantheons. Religion and intellectual achievements also influenced the development of Mesopotamia. Cuneiform writing system, science and religious structure provided high development of Mesopotamian civilization. 3. Geographical position of Ancient Egypt had a similar feature with that of Mesopotamia: the Egyptian civilization was originated in the valley of the Nile which provided the population with fertile soil which was the source of the economic growth of Ancient Egypt. The Nile was also a principal way of travel and trade. Agricultural development resulted in economical and social structure changes: plentiful harvest gave much food which could be exchanged for other goods. Economics of Egypt was very important factor of its development, and it influenced social structure of the population: food and wealth abundance led to class structure origination, and Ancient Egyptian society became highly developed. The main classes of Ancient Egypt were slaves, warriors, peasants, craftsmen and priests. Such strict class structure provided possibility of cultural development. There were priests who developed science and religious knowledge in Egypt. The life of ancient Egyptians was very tightly co nnected with their religious views. The religion of Ancient Egypt was rather rich: the pantheon of gods was presented very widely and their images were so different, but there were some main gods which symbolized the basic mythological, religious and political views of ancient Egyptians. Ra (Sun god and the symbol of pharaoh's power) and Osiris (symbolized nature resurrection connected with the Nile flood, later the god of the underworld) were the main gods in Egypt. So, such factor as geography is one of the main factors of Ancient Egyptian civilization, but economic and social structure, as well as cultural achievements (including hieroglyphic writing system) contributed very much in general development of Ancient Egypt. 4. Ancient India civilization development also was influenced by the