Strategic planning within organizations Dissertation

Strategic planning within organizations - Dissertation Example The paper tells that strategic planning within organizations is one of the most essential aspects of both sustainability and growth. Without the ability to meet the needs of strategic planning, there is the inability to move forward with specific needs and to reach the full potential of the organization. While strategic planning is required for the development of a company, the implementation and the end goals are often not met. The problems which arise are based on the various aspects of the organization and how it associates with the needs of each of the goals. Leadership capacities, communication tools, participation and the ability to reach smaller and larger goals through various initiatives are some of the several areas in which strategic planning is not implemented in the correct manner. This is followed with complexities which arise from the organizational culture and the expectations which are associated with meeting change or resistance to the workforce that is a part of th e organization. Defining the specific problems and understanding why end goals and implementation is not met is then shown as one which identifies levels and dimensions of difficulties that are within the work force. The approach which is taken toward strategic planning and implementation is one which is based on the understanding of taking action within a corporation. Without the correct strategies, there is the inability to provide higher amounts of sustainability and growth within a company. However, there are often problems and difficulties with creating the required changes. This literature review will examine the various aspects of strategic planning and implementation as well as how it alters according to the difficulties which are in the organizational culture. The review will examine the various dimensions that are associated with strategic planning. It will further define the obstacles that do not allow the plans to be implemented at various levels within an organization. There will also be reference to theories which are created to alter the strategic planning so it becomes one that is associated with constructive results with businesses that work in creating new plans within the organization. Dynamics of Strategic Planning There are specific dynamics with strategic planning as well as obstacles which stop the goals from being met. Defining the obstacles is the first step to altering the performance as well as the ability to finalize the strategies into action. According to a current study (Mollaoseini, Ahmadhkhani, 2012), there are diverse obstacles which create the resistance and stop the dynamics of change and strategic development. The study showed that the problem with the final strategy and implementation is inclusive of 68.09% planning consequences, 65.48% organizational obstacles, 60.40% managerial obstacles, 72% staff obstacles and 63.99% environmental obstacles. The indications of this are based on showing that the dynamics within an organ izational structure carry diverse obstacles that create resistance and which lead to a lack of implementation with

Small Business Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Small Business Management - Assignment Example he proposed business is established, product and services improve in quality as the managers gain more experience in production and in some situations the original business concept and management change as entrepreneurs are hit by the reality on the ground (Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm), Films Media Group and Video Education Australasia, 2010, p.52). Small companies can avoid becoming obsolete by scanning the market and the threats by carrying out a clear and concise analysis of their business environment under the PEESTLE (Political, Environment, Economic, Social, Technology, Ethical and Legal factors) and SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) so as to establish the available opportunities and threats. With the above mentioned analysis, such businesses would realize their strengths and weaknesses hence able to employ effective strategies that would enable them focus on their strengths as they look for alternatives to cover up the loopholes (Sitarz, 2011, p.45). Technology based companies can only keep up with the rapidly changing markets, products and competitors by remaining updated with the current trends in the technology industry as well as ensuring that they are innovative enough so as to outdo their business rivals. This can be achieved by ensuring that they carry out regular business analysis and market research so as to establish the exact needs of their targeted customers (Sitarz, 2011, p.45). Moreover, they have to ensure that they have highly innovative and creative product development teams. Having the right strategy is the most crucial factor that determines success of any type of business. Raising resources becomes easier as long as a given business is applying the right business strategies, and at times is able to use other people’s money, an aspect that is highly encouraged by economists and business experts. Entrepreneurs usually experience the challenge of differentiating their companies from the

Impact of Social Media on US Political Campaigns

Impact of Social Media on US Political Campaigns Mass Media as a Representation of the First Amendment in Hillary Clinton’s Current Campaign In a recent video, Hillary Clinton has declared that she will indeed run for presidency in the year 2016. And while her usage of mass media is not unique to her presidential campaign, one could argue that hers is by far the one with the greatest reach internet users around the world grow by the thousands each day (Internet Society Global Internet Report) and is a perfect representation of how mass media has played an important role in her political campaign. The media, as you will see, can influence politics both foreign and domestic. Political figures, such as Hillary Clinton, use mass media as a tool to promote desired agendas in a presidential campaign. As the First Amendment states, â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibit the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances† (Kluwer XXXV). In many ways, social media, and mass media as it is consumed today is a 21st century version to this foundational law, as it provides a platform for people across all social classes to interact and share their opinions, virtually and vicariously assembling without having to physically come together. She is certainly not the first, but Hillary Clinton’s usage of mass media epitomizes the representation of First Amendment in modern day society as a foundation to their campaign. Mass media is a diversified technology made to reach a large number of people by mass communication. Such technology is used to convey information electronically through a number of devices, for instance television, radio, recorded music and film. As well, Social media attribute to web-based technologies that provide platform for individuals and community to share, exchange information, ideas, and pictures/videos in virtual communities like Facebook and Twitter. Politics has grown to be integrated with mass media since the development of one of the first successful newspapers ever, (Boston Newsletter) which was created over a century ago by John Campbell in the year 1704 (Baran). This was the beginning of an inevitable change in global communication. Since then, other media friendly devices have cemented their spot in the industry such as the television, the radio, cell phones and social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Youtube). It is with these tools, protected by the First Amendment that people peek into what is going on in the world around us, from business to warfare, from sports to political events. One of the most renowned political events in history happened to be televised. â€Å"The great debate of 1960† between John F. Kennedy vs. Nixon on September 26th (Matthews). It was in this classic debate that both the world and all political figures had realized the importance of telegenics. Americans nationwide had a front row seat to the tremendous transformation of both society and politics and its cohesive relationship through television broadcasting (Baran). â€Å"Richard Nixon did not understand the power of television† (Matthews). Nine out of ten American families had a TV set in their homes by 1960 (Matthews). His misunderstanding led to his lack of personal preparation. It was documented that Kennedy rented out the top two floors of Chicago’s Ambassador East Hotel and studied homemade note cards filled with probable questions put together by his staff (Matthews). On the contrary, Nixon who is well known for his debating skills chose to sit and wait unti l the day of the debate. Moments before the debate, one of Nixon’s trustees, Henry Cabot, warned him to â€Å"avoid being his own Herblock caricature, the swarthy bully of Alger Hiss and Helen Douglas. Erase the assassins image! (Matthews).† Sources say that this was the final blow to Nixon’s defeat. As millions of Americans watched from the comfort of their home, his persona was shot down, what made Nixon the great debater, was now watered down into a spitting image of Kennedy’s gentlemen-like behavior. According to sources, Nixon’s angry focus is what might have been the missing ingredient in order for him to win over Kennedy and his TV friendly tactics (Matthew). Minor things like Nixon’s notorious 5 o’clock shadow might have been overlooked by the public even though it gave him a distinctively negative look as opposed to Kennedy’s clean cut nonchalant mien (Matthews). This debate was seemingly equal in verbal content but th e favoring persona belonged to Kennedy because of his telegenic preparation. It is not only about how one looks on television, it is also about what is said, how one says it and how everything is presented before the public. Hillary Clinton, unlike Nixon, is not ignorant to the importance of appearance positioning before the public through mass media. She uses television mass media and print media, such as the New York Times, to her advantage. Focusing even more on appearing confident and qualified for the presidential position. Hillary Clinton announced her official presidential candidacy on Sunday April 12th, 2015. John Podesta, a long time ally to Clinton also sent an official email to her supporters, then she launched a YouTube video to promote her campaign ad to the public (National Public Radio). This is the major relevancy of mass media and its recipients. The evolution of media has brought forth the bridge between the people and politics. Hillary Clinton’s campaign sets her strategy to further progress her public image and to improve her perception in the eyes of the public through social media among other public mediums. Clinton’s presence in the media, however does not begin during her presidential, and even her secretarial position in Congress. Born in Chicago, Illinois on October 26 of 1947, Hilary Clinton is the daughter of Hugh Ellsworth Rodham and Dorothy Emma Howell Rodham (National First Ladies’ Library). Her parent’s firm emphasis on the importance of status and prestige, but most importantly, appeal and charisma before the public complemented her collegiate excellence at her various universities, particularly leading her to graduate as Senior Class President from Yale Law School and was an active democratic supporter (National First Ladies’ Library). She found a breath of inspiration in her early years to work in public service because of a speech delivered by reverend Martin Luther King (National First Ladies’ Library), a perfect representation of the First Amendment. In 1974 after the Nixon Presidential term was over she became a staff member of the Univ ersity of Arkansas Law School where she met her future husband Bill Clinton (National First Ladies’ Library). She was later married to the 42nd president of the United States, Bill Clinton and became the 67th U.S Secretary of State between 2009 and 2013 (BIO). Although Hillary has had a colorful past in her career and in the public eye, she endured a taste of media publicity that most people would have rather left hidden. In 1998 the spur in the news about the Monica Lewinsky Scandal involving then president Bill Clinton and his affair with the 21 year old at the time was certainly not advantageous to her position in the public sphere. The media was engrossed and in and particularly at fault for the escalation of the events that had taken place. In addition to political media, it correlates with the First Amendment. â€Å"Protection of civil liberties and civil rights is perhaps the most fundamental political value in American society†(American Government). The ability to speak freely under minimal legal boundaries is a right known as Freedom of speech. This is one of the most protected liberties since it gives leeway for individuals to communicate their ideas. These ideas can be delivered through the various platforms described in earlier content. Prior to the construction of this amendment there was a limit to freedom of speech which suppressed people from becoming informed and spreading their ideas and involving their opinions in politics. â€Å"It was until the 18th century that freedom of speech was recognized in America as a shield against despotic government† (Germani). This was a step towards the right direction and a perfect example of freedom to petition. This includes the United States â€Å"ethics reform† bill which was intended to enable â€Å"grassroots lobbying†. This generally means a movement to enable members of the general public to communicate on matters dealing with the government or inspire and influence the other members of the general public to do the same. Mass media is playing a great role to bring about fulfillment of freedom of petition as a First Amendment. It achieves this by enabling citizens to focus government attention on unresolved issues in society; provide information through appropriate media channels about common policies, expose corruption, misconduct, incompetence and popular frustrations without harming the public order (Newton). This was the era mass media had established itself and it is evident when colonial newspaper publisher, John Peter Zenger, used his journalism to speak against the oppressive New York governor William Cosby (Germani). The First Amendment and freedom of speech has become imperative not only to the political world today but also to non-profit or third sector organizations because they allow people to prepare, speak freely and operate within wide limits. Hillary Clinton uses media to express her freedom of speech and appeal to many people especially the youth. The media helps her display her agenda to the public. A video released on Youtube Sunday 12, 2015, reveals Clinton’s plans to bring about new improvements in America involving the middle class portraying a positive image to her viewers. The Youtube video featured a black couple expecting a child, a young American-Asian woman and two men claiming to be getting married. This media platform in relation to freedom of speech helped her to bring about her main agenda. These individual rights come together to express, pursue, and defend our ideas. Mass media plays a great role in bringing about freedom of assembly through social media, television and radio. If we take a closer look at the political world in America, we see just how influential the media can be in creating awareness and perception that lead to critical evaluations by the public for public figures such as Hillary Clinton. In continuation, this freedom applies to all not only public figures, in which it could be manipulated into the reputable comedic parodies created by John Stewart and The Daily Show and their ability to portray Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton without punishable action or consequence, for example, or Tina Fey as Sarah Palin. These are the same rights that enable an individual to make complaints or have the sovereignty to deliver such a message without fear of reprisals. In Hillary Clinton’s recent presidential campaign, she addressed all group of people regardless of their religion. Some societies find it difficult to appeal to voters across different religious lines but this is completely different in America where it includes all people in political process, whether they are members of large. Powerful religious groups, religious minority or subscribe to no religion. Therefore through media, voters are encouraged to make their decisions based on their personal assessment, integrity and ability of an individual to lead people in an appropriate manner across the nation without bias based on religion. The candidate for election plays a great role in setting a great tone and example to be a leader of America through non biased religious campaign. History displays a restriction of freedom of assembly that limited people to be able to pursue and influence ranging groups of people; but with constant pursuit of the constitution and liberties covering mass media, there has been a significant change allowing individuals to gather and associate with any group of interest. Additionally, according to the records of colonial assemblies, there were no freedoms of petition until the period when mass media was reformed to address the issue. In the past, petitioning was in form of public dialogue but with the development of the constitution and media; the First Amendment has been adopted to enhance public views. In her current political campaign, Hillary Clinton addressed the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people around the world. She had also addressed the same issue in her â€Å"Free and equal in dignity and rights† speech during the international human rights day at the United Nation’s premises in Geneva on December 6th, 2011. Therefore she will be running the presidency as a pro-LGBT rights candidate. In this attempt to be the face of this new, up and coming era in gay rights, the public will provide analytical feedback through todays modern technology like never seen before (Chahal). The inevitable accumulation of analytical data serves as a representation of how far media has taken us in politics and how social media has fortified Hillary Clinton’s popularity in her current presidential campaign. In less than 24 hours after launching her Facebook page, on Sunday, 12 2015, she was able to accumulate more than 600,000 page views and 2 million video views. This is one of her campaign strategies used since she had earlier mentioned on the importance of social media and data in the 2016 general elections. According to observations made over time, social media and its massive interconnected sources, also known as â€Å"big data†, influence election decisions. For instance, â€Å"social data drove the 2008 general election and big data drove 2012 general election† (Chahal). Therefore, the â€Å"marriage† of the two data is expected to be the drive of 2016 general election (Chahal). To conclude, mass media plays a very important role in the election process, since most candidates who embrace technology and mass media, especially in a presidential campaign, normally have high chances of winning the election. There is a great change in the society with the innovative advancement of mass media to give rise to social Medias like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube which provide great platform for freedom of speech and assembly. Actually, politicians running for any kind of election no matter locally, statewide or nationally should plan their campaign properly by setting appropriate media devices to disseminate information and reach all people across different social classes and religion. As well, media plays an essential role in communication with voters; therefore, the media should represent standards by which people can evaluate political candidates. Finally, the First Amendment plays a great role in enhancing the freedom of press and media in the process of distributio n of information. It has opened a way for people to understand how the political world works hence election of sound and competent leaders. Whether Hillary Clinton successfully wins her presidential campaign relies heavily on her preparation before the public eye – media being the sensory vehicle used to connect with her it’s the closest thing one has to shaking hands. Works Cited American Government. Liberty and civil rights. 1 June 2014.  ushistory.  16 April 2015 www.ushistory.org/gov/10.asp>. Baker, Gerard. The Clinton Affair: Gerard Baker Explains Why the Allegations over Monica Lewinsky Present Such a Threat to the US Presidency:: [London Edition].  Http://search.proquest.com/. 17 Jan. 1998. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. http://search.proquest.com/pqcentral/docview/248541187/328F64E34D024E06PQ/8?accountid=9715>. Baran, Stanley J.  Introduction to Mass Communication: Media Literacy and Culture.  New York, NY: McGraw Hill, 2014. Print. Chahal, Gurbaksh. Election 2016: How Big Data Social Data Will Determine the Next President.  Election 2016: How Big Data Social Data Will Determine the Next President. 26 June 2013. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. https://www.benton.org/node/154506>. First Lady Biography: Hillary Clinton.  Hillary Clinton Biography. The National First Ladies Library. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=43>. Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to Deliver Keynote Address at BIO International Convention.  Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to Deliver Keynote Address at BIO International Convention. 14 May 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. https://www.bio.org/media/press-release/former-secretary-state-hillary-rodham-clinton-deliver-keynote-address-bio-intern>. Germani, Steve. Learning to Give, Philanthropy Education Resources That Teach Giving and Civic Engagement.  Learning to Give. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. http://learningtogive.org/papers/paper28.html>. Hillary Clinton To Announce Presidential Bid On Sunday.  NPR. NPR, 10 Apr. 2015. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/04/10/398729997/hillary-clinton-to-announce-presidential-bid-on-sunday>. Internet Society Global Internet Report. 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. https://www.internetsociety.org/sites/default/files/Global_Internet_Report_2014_0.pdf>. Kluwer, Wolters. The First Amendment.  The First Amendment. Fourth ed. NY: Wolters Kluwer Law and Business in New York, 2012. 799. Print. Matthews, Christopher. GREAT DEBATE NIXON AND KENNEDY STAGED THE FIRST TV PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN DEBATE IN 1960 AND CHANGED POLITICS FOREVER.  San Francisco Examiner April  28 1996.  ProQuest.  Web. 21 Apr. 2015 . Newton, Adam. FREEDOM OF PETITION,PETITION RESEARCH. 10 October 2002.  firstamendmentcenter.  17 April 2015 www.firstamendmentcenter.org/petition-overview>. Thomas, Ken. Hillary Clinton Announces Her Second Run for the White House.  PBS. PBS, 12 Apr. 2015. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/hillary-clinton-announce-official-run-president/>.

Essay on Order and Superstition in the Tragedies of William Shakespeare

Order and Superstition in the Tragedies of Shakespeare   Ã‚  Ã‚   The concept of order was an extremely important one to William Shakespeare, and to Elizabethans in general. We in the existentialist atomic age have little trouble conceiving of an individual man or woman as the only beacon of light in a world gone irrevocably and irredeemably mad, but this would be inconceivable to Shakespeare and his audience. Shakespeare staunchly followed the common Elizabethan conception of the universe as deliberately and benevolently patterned and planned; when, for some reason, something happened to temporarily force things out of kilter, individual people might suffer, but the universe would soon right itself and life would go on. This belief in a divine plan also underwrote Shakespeare's usage of portents and omens in such plays as Julius Caesar and Macbeth; because he saw the world as something planned and coherent, it is possible to divine that plan through supernatural sources. But there is little point; to try to force one's will against fa te, Shakespeare tells us, will inevitably end in tragedy.       The presence of superstition would seem to be unrelated to this passionate belief in order, but in fact it is inextricable from it. All occult practices, including divination as well as the casting of spells, presuppose a consistent pattern in the universe, where, in the words of Sir James Frazer, "a red stone. . . may be thought to have the property necessary to produce red blood, and when the production of red blood is demanded, the red stone naturally presents itself to the primitive mind as a potential source whence the redness may be borrowed" (Frazer, 170). This kind of metaphoric connection between all kinds of rednesses ... ..., it signifies a departure from our underlying suppositions about how the world really works; that is what the word "supernatural" means. But in Macbeth and Julius Caesar, such devices actually work to reinforce Shakespeare's perception of the world as an ordered place in which there is a coherent plan -- both because this is what Shakespeare truly believed and because this is what his audience believed as well.    Works Cited: Asimov, Isaac. Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare. Avenel Books, NY, 1978. Frazer, Sir James. The New Golden Bough. Mentor Books, NY, 1959. Jorgenson, Paul. William Shakespeare: The Tragedies. G.K. Hall, Boston, 1995. Shakespeare, William. The Complete Works. Nelson Doubleday Edition, Garden City, NY, 2001. Ferguson, Francis. "Macbeth as the Imitation of an Action," from Shakespeare: The Tragedies. Prentice-Hall, NY, 1994. Essay on Order and Superstition in the Tragedies of William Shakespeare Order and Superstition in the Tragedies of Shakespeare   Ã‚  Ã‚   The concept of order was an extremely important one to William Shakespeare, and to Elizabethans in general. We in the existentialist atomic age have little trouble conceiving of an individual man or woman as the only beacon of light in a world gone irrevocably and irredeemably mad, but this would be inconceivable to Shakespeare and his audience. Shakespeare staunchly followed the common Elizabethan conception of the universe as deliberately and benevolently patterned and planned; when, for some reason, something happened to temporarily force things out of kilter, individual people might suffer, but the universe would soon right itself and life would go on. This belief in a divine plan also underwrote Shakespeare's usage of portents and omens in such plays as Julius Caesar and Macbeth; because he saw the world as something planned and coherent, it is possible to divine that plan through supernatural sources. But there is little point; to try to force one's will against fa te, Shakespeare tells us, will inevitably end in tragedy.       The presence of superstition would seem to be unrelated to this passionate belief in order, but in fact it is inextricable from it. All occult practices, including divination as well as the casting of spells, presuppose a consistent pattern in the universe, where, in the words of Sir James Frazer, "a red stone. . . may be thought to have the property necessary to produce red blood, and when the production of red blood is demanded, the red stone naturally presents itself to the primitive mind as a potential source whence the redness may be borrowed" (Frazer, 170). This kind of metaphoric connection between all kinds of rednesses ... ..., it signifies a departure from our underlying suppositions about how the world really works; that is what the word "supernatural" means. But in Macbeth and Julius Caesar, such devices actually work to reinforce Shakespeare's perception of the world as an ordered place in which there is a coherent plan -- both because this is what Shakespeare truly believed and because this is what his audience believed as well.    Works Cited: Asimov, Isaac. Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare. Avenel Books, NY, 1978. Frazer, Sir James. The New Golden Bough. Mentor Books, NY, 1959. Jorgenson, Paul. William Shakespeare: The Tragedies. G.K. Hall, Boston, 1995. Shakespeare, William. The Complete Works. Nelson Doubleday Edition, Garden City, NY, 2001. Ferguson, Francis. "Macbeth as the Imitation of an Action," from Shakespeare: The Tragedies. Prentice-Hall, NY, 1994.

Sociological Deviance

Deviance: Then and Now Tischler defines deviant behavior as the behavior that â€Å"fails to conform to the rules or norms of the group in question† (Tischler 139). What is considered acceptable or deviant behavior perpetually changes as the morals and norms of society change in accordance with the time and culture. When a certain behavior is condemned by the majority of society it can be considered deviant. However, labeling a certain behavior as deviant is difficult because not everyone will agree on what this behavior is. A behavior that is not accepted by one group of people may be considered commonplace to another group of people.Something that was once rejected by society can eventually grow to be accepted by society and even considered normal over time. This can happen through certain society's adaptation to behaviors and as a different perspective is developed amongst the society or group of people in regards to those behaviors. An example of a behavior that was once c onsidered deviant but is now acceptable or tolerant is interracial relationships. Interracial marriage/relationship were once a very controversial concept, but today, interracial marriage issues have become a thing past but and it is much more widely accepted.Interracial relationships used to be frowned upon by most societies mainly because certain societies or different races have a standard that they abide by as far as marriage, and this standard has to be met in order to conform to that culture's or time period's rules and norms. The whole idea of marriage also engages tradition in the sense that if something has historically or traditionally been done a certain way, it should always be done that way. Many people do not like the idea of change. Not until 1967 did the Supreme Court decide that state bans on interracial marriage violated the 14th amendment.From this point on, interracial marriage was legal throughout the United States, yet it was still not widely accepted by the ma jority of American society. The reason that interracial marriage went against cultural norms was because of the hierarchy of races that was in place. It was understood by the culture that a white person was at the top of the hierarchy and a black person was at the bottom. For two people on opposite sides of the hierarchy to unite in such an intimate way went against all rules of culture.People were only just getting used to the idea of having an integrated community; they were not yet ready to accept the idea of integrated marriages and families. This was the era of a lot of tension between blacks and white and many whites still viewed themselves as the superior race. The people who would have viewed interracial relationships as deviant would be almost everyone in the 50s and 60s, not because they were against integration but because it went against society's norms and it was a new concept to them. Even if it wasn't a crime, it was still a cultural taboo.People of extremist pro-segr egation groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan, would have thought this behavior to be more deviant than others, while people of anti-segregation groups would have thought it to be more acceptable and maybe even supported it. Time and context play an important role in whether different race relationships are accepted. After laws banning this behavior were lifted, it started to become more and more accepted. As integration increased, the idea of interracial marriage as a deviant behavior decreased. Today, although racism does exist, it is looked down upon and most people would not openly admit to being racist.Because racism is not the cultural norm anymore, condemnation of interracial marriage is not widespread. Racism is actually considered more of a deviant behavior in today's culture than interracial marriage is. Context also affects whether one would consider interracial relationships as a deviant behavior. I think that in more conservative families or more segregated communities inter racial relationships would be considered deviant. For example, Alabama only just officially legalized interracial marriage in 2000, and many Alabama residents are still opposed to the idea of interracial marriage.In Los Angeles, or in an area with a more liberal culture, interracial marriages are not looked down upon by the majority of the population. Some of the most famous couples in Hollywood are interracial couples; Ice T and Coco have their own television show, and Heidi Klum, a Victoria Secret model, raised a family with Seal. While interracial marriages have become less deviant over the past 50 years, marriage at a young age has become more deviant in American culture. According to the Bureau of Census, the age at first marriage has increased drastically since the 1950s, form 23 to 28 for men and 20 to 26 for women.In the past, marriage was the first step into adulthood so people tended to get married at a young age. My parents were married when they were both 22 years old an d most of their friends married around the same age. However, the majority of my friends are 22 years old and it is a rarity for someone I know to get married so young. It is not the social norm anymore. Young marriage is considered deviant because it is uncommon, but it is not completely unheard of. I think that people with a more traditional lifestyle are more likely to marry at an early age and dismiss this behavior as deviant.Also, people with lower income and education level tend to marry young. Many people are adopting more contemporary views in how they would like to live their life. More women are seeking higher education, something that used to be rare. Women are more focused on finding a job and supporting themselves than on finding a husband. They used to be expected to stay at home and start a family. They were not expected to be educated. Most women only attended college for the sole purpose of finding someone to marry. But today, women have different priorities than th ey once had.A woman does not have to be a good wife to be considered a successful person. They definition of success for women has changed over time so women can be happy as either a wife or as a single women focusing on her career. People used to get married for reasons other than love; financial security, family ties, pregnancy, religion. Today, while those conditions do exist, men and women both strive to be more independent and therefore ignore many of those conditions. Men and women want to be financially independent so they marry less and less for security.In today's culture, there is less emphasis on obeying one's parents, so people do not marry just to please their families. Also, there is an increasing amount of single mothers and it is not frowned upon like it once was, it is even applauded in many cases. Because being a single parent is more of a societal norm these days, people feel less pressured to tie the knot because of pregnancy. Our culture has become much more acc epting, with less emphasis on rules, which allows both men and women to do as they please and not feel pressured by society to jump into a marriage that they do not want.Interracial marriages can best be explained by the sociological theory of deviance called the labeling theory. â€Å"Under the labeling theory, the focus shifts from the deviant individual to the social process by which a person comes to be labeled and the consequences of such labeling for the individual† (Tischler 149). It is not that the interracial relationship is deviant, but that the culture around them is labeling their behavior as deviant. People in the past thought that interracial relationships were unnatural and sinful.Condemnation of interracial marriage was a strong social norm, therefore, people who violated this norm were considered deviant. However, I do not think that the labeleing theory's ideas of primary deviance and secondary deviance apply to interracial marriages. I do not think that peo ple who engaged in interracial relationships were prone to more deviant behavior because of their relationship, but I think that this theory applies best when trying to explain interracial relationships as a behavior that was once deviant.None of the sociological theories of deviance really fit when trying to explain marriage at an early age. Rather, it is just that our values and norms change over time in society. What was once valued and considered important loses its significance from one generation to the next. In 20 years, our societal norms concerning marriage will probably have evolved even more, maybe marriage altogether will become a thing of the past. Women used to be expected to be only homemakers and mothers.Today, men and women are both equally eligible to go out and compete for the same jobs and make their own mark on society. This is not because of a specific sociological theory of deviance but because of the evolution of society. What makes a type of behavior deviant depends on several factors, the predominant and most notable one being culture. But because deviant behavior is culturally relative, one could give countless examples of this behavior because it is constantly changing or being redefined by different groups of people.The moral code of a culture is the â€Å"symbolic system in terms of which behavior takes on the quality of being ‘good' or ‘bad,' ‘right' or ‘wrong'† (Tischler 139). To decide if a behavior is deviant, one must be familiar with the moral code of the culture. They must assess the act in regards to the culture's rules to decide if it is normal or deviant. Interracial relationships were once considered deviant but only because of the rules of that culture. Early marriage, something that people in society once highly desired, isn't a main concern anymore.

Creative Song Assignment Essay

The Creative Song Assignment was an interesting assignment, because I have zero experience in mixing music. It was an interesting experience, because it did take me out of my comfort zone. When I first started, I felt lost. I had no idea what I was doing, so I decided to do a little research to see how I can best complete this assignment. I finally settled on using a program called Audacity and the genres of hip hop and alternative rock. I chose a program called audacity, because it gives you an option of mixing different songs. I am sure that there are a lot of other programs better suited for this assignment, but I found this to be pretty easy to use. I really enjoyed playing around with the different settings. It took me a couple of days before I finally picked two songs to work on. I am sure that there are many more experienced people out there that can mix my songs better than me, but I think I did a good job considering my experience level. I decide to pick hip hop and alternative rock, because they are two of my favorite genres. I know that hip hop and alternative rock have been mixed before, so I felt an intrigue in trying to accomplish this myself. I knew that I wanted to use Radiohead’s Karma Police as my alternative, because that is one of my favorite songs. I had a difficult time picking a rap song, because the lyrics did not match up well together. I finally decided to just use a hip hop beat that I found on soundcloud. In my opinion, I felt that this was best, because you can hear the lyrics of the alternative song, but still hear the hip hop beat. The part that took me a while was trying to get the songs in sync perfectly. I really wanted to find a way to lower the alternative rock song’s instrumentals, but I could not do it. I think it would have sounded better if I could mix the hip hop beat with the Karma Police vocals. I am sure it could probably be done with professional mixing equipment.