Impact of iTunes and Other Online Services on Music Industry Research Paper

Impact of iTunes and Other Online Services on Music Industry - Research Paper Example Furthermore, the study indicates that the drop in the number of revenues is a result of two main factors; an apparent increase in piracy related issues and the ability of the potential buyers to pick and choose particular songs rather than buying the entire albums instead. Though iTunes has proved to be a dynamic and a powerful medium having the potential to revolutionize the music industry, but the drop in revenues has turned out to be a huge drawback which overpowers the apparent advantages of the medium of the industry. Impact of iTunes and other online services on music industry Introduction iTunes is like a music jukebox which is used to manage, purchase and download the music online. It is an online music library with an added feature that allows the online purchase of music. However, in contrast to the tradition purchase of music albums iTunes allow the customers to cherry-pick the particular songs instead of buying the entire albums. This in turn has various implications whic h will be addressed further on in the paper. iTunes was launched in 2003 which was a product conceived by Macintosh replaced Napster; therefore it is important to analyze and track the impacts of Napster on the industry to contrast the results with iTunes for a more credible result. The decade after Napster was replaced saw a drastic decrease in the revenues of music industry in the U.S. In contrast when Napster was first introduced in the market, the U.S music industry saw a rapid increase in the profits. According to the statistics, the U.S shipments for recorded music were increase from $5.8 billion to $12.8 billion between 1975 to 1990`s. This is a positive indicator as the recorded shipments almost doubled. However, between 1990`s to 2007, the records again dropped back to $5.5 billion. (Waldfogel 2011). The same trend was observed worldwide indicating the strong impact of iTunes in the market. Though many researches indicated that iTunes have paved way for piracy and illegal c opying of music, but iTunes was constituted in such a way that it minimizes the risks of piracy related issues. With iTunes, music can be shared in two ways, i.e. either by sharing an entire library or by sharing specific playlists. iTunes doesn`t support illegal copying of music over the internet as the music is only available to the host system where iTunes is located. Also, the music can only be retrieved by the person using the iTunes, he shuts down the system the music is no longer available for anyone to be listened. (Waldfogel 2011). iTunes protects the content by two ways, i.e. firstly by incorporating copyrights laws and secondly via contracts. However, different countries have now come up with different jailbreaks and unlocking software which allows copying of music online onto iTunes for free. Though the laws are considerably strict in U.S, but in Europe and other places the laws can be molded which results in music piracy via iTunes elsewhere. Thus, these two factors i.e . pick and choose which music to purchase, and unlocking software leading to music piracy leads towards the apparent decrease in revenues. However, according to a review by Berkeley University, the impact of peer-to peer music

Critiquing Internet Sources Essay Example for Free

Critiquing Internet Sources Essay The internet is filled with information. Podcasts, videos, and blogs are the most used forms of information on the internet. Three factors that need to be used when evaluating internet sources for use in research are authority, can the speaker be authenticated, and is he qualified to speak on the subject, accuracy, can the information be found in other credible sources, and currency is the information current or when was the last revision to the page? The topic is Elder Abuse, a blog, video, and podcast, have been evaluated pertaining to the subject to show the credibility and reliability of the sources. A blog is a website containing a writer’s or group of writers’ own experiences, observations, opinions, etc., and often having images and links to other websites (Oxford Dictionaries, 2015). The blog Elder Care and Technology is written by a group of writers’ in the Walton Law Firm. The blog explains in detail the impact of modern technology on Elder Abuse. The law firm based in San Diego, California specializes in court cases representing abused elders and their families. The Law firm can be authenticated and has been successful in prosecuting and retaining damages against nursing homes and personal care homes for years (Walton Law Firm, 2014). The blog does show some bias against people and organizations accused of elder abuse. The information in the blog is accurate and valid, because there are links to the law firm site that confirm the blog’s content. The information is current and applicable to the topic of Elder Abuse. A video is the recording, reproducing, or broadcasting of moving visual images (Oxford Dictionaries, 2015). The video Elder Abuse: the Crime of the Twenty-First Century, was produced by The Stein Institute for Research on Aging. The guest speaker is Deputy District Attorney of San Diego County; Paul Greenwood J.D. Attorney Greenwood has prosecuted over  four-hundred felony cases of Elder Abuse, both physic al and financial. The video gives a detailed explanation of what is being done in the state of California to combat Elder Abuse. The speaker is biased towards the prosecuting of those who mistreat the elderly. Attorney Greenwood is a valid source and the information he shares in the video is applicable to this research. The video shares information that can be found in other resources and is just one in a series offered by The Stein Institute for Research on Aging to show the new ideas that the state of California is implementing to fight elder abuse. District Attorney Greenwood is a credible source for information because of his background in the fight against elder abuse. The video is informative and the speaker is clear and concise in his reporting of the facts. A podcast is a digital audio file made available on the internet for downloading to a computer or portable media player, typically as a series, new installments of which can be received by subscribers automatically (Oxford Dictionaries, 201 5). The New York City Elder Abuse center has a series of podcasts about Elder Justice. The center was erected in 2009 to improve professional, organizational, and system responses to elder abuse (NYCEAC, 2013). The most current podcast in the aging series is Ageism, Elder Justice, and The Legacy Project, each podcast has a guest speaker and the speaker on this podcast is Professor Karl Pillemer, a noted author, Director of Bronfenbrenner’s Center for Translational Research, Hazel E. Reed Professor in the Department of Human Development, Professor of Gerontology in Medicine at the Weill Cornell Medical Center, and a collaborator on the Legacy Project (Cornell University, 2015). Professor Pillemer is an expert on the issues of the elderly, and his qualified to express his opinions though somewhat biased in favor of the elderly. He uses his bias in a way that expresses the deep concern for the elderly and their treatment, which tends to sway one to favor his arguments. The podcast is one in a series of valid podcasts and the information is easily applied to this research. The information can also be found in other credible sources on the internet. The information given in blogs, videos, and podcasts are great examples of web-based information. Web-based information has a major influence on how students gather information for research, global citizenship, and multicultural understanding. Web-based information helps develop intercultural literacies that students, parents,  educators, and leadership groups need to live and work as a diverse and globalized population. Web-based information gives the user awareness of the interconnectedness with people and environments around the globe (Department of Education, 2013). Web-based information is being infused in today’s global history classroom curriculum to enable students to have access to the global network of multimedia information while being engaged in self-directed learning activities (Scheidel, 2003). Web-based information influences the understanding of global citizenship and multicultural understanding, because people are able to put themselves in the position of the citizens of foreign countries, which helps them broaden their understanding of the different cultures that they meet right here in the United States, and helps us understand the complexities of ethnicity and culture (Hickling, 2012). Elder Abuse is a subject that has recently been raised by different organizations and advocates that fight for the elderly and their rights. The different blogs, videos, and podcasts, are ways that a researcher can find the relevant information they need to learn more about the subject and the policies being used to combat elder abuse. The internet is the leading source of information in society today. The information by way of blogs, videos, and podcasts are all perfect ways to get and exchange information. The credibility and relevance of the information should be easy to prove and sh ould always be authenticated when using these methods for research. References Ageism, Elder Justice The Legacy Project (April 22, 2014). Retrieved from: http://podgallery.org/elder-justice-podcast-series/ January10, 2015 Cornell University College of Human Ecology (2015). Karl Pillemer-Bio Retrieved from: http://www.human.cornell.edu/bio.cfm?netid=kap6 January 11, 2015 Department of Education and Early Childhood Development Education for Global and Multicultural Citizenship: A Strategy for Victorian Government Schools 2009-2013. Retrieved from: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/programs/multicultural/default.htm. January 11, 2015. Elder Abuse: The Crime of the Twenty-First Century? Research on Aging MAY 5, 2014 University of California Television (UCTV) Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JoUapRfjZw January 10, 2015. Elder Care and Technology By Walton Law Firm http://www.nursinghomeabuselawyerblog.com/2014/05/elder-care-technology.html Hickling, F.W. (2012). Understanding Patients in Multicultural Settings: A Personal Reflection on Ethnicity and Culture in Clinical Practice. Ethnicity Health, 17(1/2), 203-216. Doi:10. 1080/ 13557858.2012 655266. Retrieved from: Ashford University Library, January 14, 2015. Oxford University Press (2015) http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/ Scheidet, R.A. (2003). Improving Student Achievement by Infusing a Web-Based Curriculum into Global History. Journal Of Research on Technology in Education. International Society for Technology in Education, 36(1), 77-94. Retrieved from: Ashford University Library, January 14, 2015.

Peace of Westphalia :: Ancient Rome Roman History

Peace of Westphalia The two treaties of Mà ¼nster and Osnabrà ¼ck, commonly known as the Peace of Westphalia, was the culminating element for the Holy Roman Empire in the Thirty Years' War. It established a final religious settlement and provided for new political boundaries for the German states of central Europe. The impact of the Peace of Westphalia was broad and long-standing, as it dictated the future of Germany and ex-territories of the Holy Roman Empire for some time to come. The Peace of Westphalia put down the Counter Reformation in Germany and instituted the final religious arrangement the German states had been crying for. It renewed the terms of the Peace of Augsburg, namely that each state of the Empire received the liberty to be either Lutheran or Catholic as it chose; no individual freedom of religion was permitted. If a ruler or a free city decided for Lutheranism, then all persons had to be Lutheran. Similarly in Catholic states all had to be Catholic. In addition to re-instituting the Peace of Augsburg in its traditional form, the Peace of Westphalia included Calvinism to Lutheranism and Catholicism as an acceptable faith. On the controversial issue of church territories secularized after 1552 the Protestants won a complete victory. With the advent of the Peace of Westphalia, the squabbling between Protestants and Catholics was finally put an end to. The Holy Roman Empire was officially dissolved with the Peace of Westphalia. This had been advanced with the drawing of internal religious frontiers in the days of Luther, although now it was confirmed. Borderlands of the Empire fell away. The Dutch and Swiss established themselves as independent, as did the United Provinces. The western frontier of the Empire was carved up among France, Sweden and the Dutch. France took control over three Lorraine bishoprics which they had occupied for a century. The Swedes received the bishoprics of Bremen and Verden and the western half of Pomerania, including the city of Stettin. Sweden enlarged its trans-Baltic possessions, and in addition claimed the mouths of the Oder, Elbe, and Weser rivers in Germany. The Dutch obtained only the mouths of the Rhine and the Scheldt. On the interior front of the Empire, both Brandenburg and Bavaria increased their statures. Brandenburg lay claim to eastern Pomerania, the large archbishopric of Magdeburg, and t wo smaller bishoprics. Bavaria received control of the Palatinate and a seat in the electoral college, increasing the Empire's electors to eight.

START Programs Defined :: essays research papers

The Impact That the START Treaties Have On Public Safety Have you ever thought about a nuclear bomb hitting Wichita? What could we do to prevent this from happening? There have been several attempts to rid the world of nuclear threat. None of these attempts has actually prevailed to the lofty goal of unilaterally removing the threat of nuclear war. Seemingly, the unilateral limitation of nuclear arsenals would be a good idea. To begin, I need to define terms in layman’s to reveal the total meaning of this topic. Each delivery system has a different range. Inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) have the farthest range of 13,000 kilometers, whereas, submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) can only reach as far as 12,000 kilometers (Friedman). Unilateral action means that each separate side will act identically. If Russia disassembles 100 ICBMs then the United States has to disassemble 100 ICBMs to create equality. The bloc of treaties designed to assure the unilateral reduction of nuclear arms is the strategic arms reduction treaty (START). The START treaties have three sections; each designed to reduce the number of specific nuclear weapons. I will discuss each version of START in order to show what influence it will have on global safety. START I set the groundwork to begin the gradual decline of nuclear weapons for the United States and the Soviet Union. Each party had approximately 10,000 nuclear weapons of various ranges (Friedman). Under START I the number of total nuclear weapons deployed will unilaterally be reduced to a total not to exceed 6,000 warheads (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace). Which is a step in the right direction.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both the United States and Russia signed the START I treaty on July 31, 1991 (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace). Although the Soviet Union dissolved around this time, the four countries that remained ratified the treaty. START I entered into force on December 5, 1994, when the five treaty parties exchanged instruments of ratification in Budapest (Kimball). START II continued to reduce the number of deployed nuclear warheads to a total to 4,250 per party (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace). This second treaty further limited the number of ICBMs and SLBMs that can be deployed with nuclear warheads. START II was signed on January 3, 1993 in Moscow (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace).

Library Issues About Public Image/ Gender

Stereotyping is not actually a bad thing. However, the consequences of stereotyping are the ones that are important and matter (Marinelli and Baker, 2000). The people may ignore the existence of these stereotypes but the effects of these on the people are very crucial. Image, on the other hand, is an issue and problem everywhere but the social situation is differs from one place to another. The image of librarians was being molded as early as the 1870s. Married women and men already had jobs and positions in the society. However, the single, unmarried women were left out and had no position in the society. These women engaged in professions such as: librarianship, nursing, social work and elementary school teaching which were not restricted to any gender and to civil status. Librarians’ work consisted of uplifting the morals of a middle-class home through books and to rescue people suffering from moral and intellectual poverty. (Garrison as cited by Engle, 1998) Reed (1995), on the other hand, said that librarianship was initially a job for men and was only feminized in the late nineteenth century. Even if the women were able to enter the profession, the men were retained but were able to advance to higher positions, administrative ones. Also, men comprised and dominated the American Library Association in 1876. The women were attracted to the profession because of the limited employment possibilities. The feminization of the profession came about as women were believed to be able to change the atmosphere in the library. Specifically, women are believed to soften the environment of stacks of books. Green (n.d.) conducted a survey that led to the stereotyping of the librarian as a woman, usually having old age, fair skin and single and there were no specifics on hair color. Marinelli and Baker (2000) and Goldstein (1977 as cited by Reed, 1995; Kneale, 2004), on the other hand, typecasted librarians to ladies with hair arranged in a bun, wearing chained spectacles, with a body covered up with a dress, hushing when noise is being heard and with a worried expression. Men librarians, alternatively, are being questioned with regards to their masculinity. They are usually characterized to be ineffectual, effeminate and unathletic (Reed, 1995). Surprisingly, in Green’s study if the all aforementioned characteristics would be expected to be present in a person to be able to define a librarian, there would be no librarians at all. The characteristics may be present at one person at a time, but not all. Thus, stereotyping is not true in the study. In the same manner, only the spectacles hold as a true characteristic of a librarian in Marinelli and Baker’s (2000) study. The impolite attitude of the librarian only holds true for some cases. And, the generalization of the unfriendly manner of the librarians may be attributed to the silent atmosphere of the library. It can therefore be said that the characterization of stereotypes does not come from the characteristics of real-time librarians. Marinelli and Baker (2000) justified stereotyping has a function in the society. The aged women, spectacles and being single are features that people do not want to emulate, but can somewhat be a convenient reprsentation of the unattractive, meek and rejected. In addition, the dominance of the women in the profession also contributed to the negative overtone in the stereotype (Carmichael, 1992 as cited by Marinelli and Baker, 2000). Similarly, other professions that are dominated by women are also being criticized. The characteristics of the librarian as said on the previous paragraph can be credited to the public librarians. They are the image keepers of the profession as they are the ones that people frequently see and look at (Marinelli and Baker, 2000). Also, the public are not much aware of special librarians or archivists. These people are also librarians but cater a specialized clientele. Although the public librarians constitute only a small portion of the total librarians, the stereotype has been used in many types of media, including films, that it became persistent characteristics. The forms of literature are one of the possible causes of stereotyping of librarians. Most literature often associated librarianship to lonesome characters in both men and women (Marinelli and Baker, 2000). Only a few have explored the possibilities of other characteristics of librarians, one of which is: â€Å"sexy librarians†, a novel written by Edith Wharton in 1918. Films, on the other hand, characterize librarians differently (Raisch, 1993 as cited by Marinelli and Baker, 2000). Films’ portrayal of librarians vary from spinsters (Donna Reed in â€Å"It's A Wonderful Life†, Hilda Plowright in â€Å"Philadelphia Story† or the librarian in â€Å"Breakfast at Tiffany’s†), repressed ladies (Barbara Stanwyck in â€Å"Forbidden†), mean archivists (Bertha in â€Å"Citizen Kaine†) to innocent blondes (Carole Lombard in â€Å"No Man of Her Own† or Goldie Hawn in â€Å"Foul Play†). And some also feature male librarians (John Rothman in â€Å"Sophie's Choice†, Jason Robards in â€Å"Something Wicked This Way Comes† and Peter Sellers in â€Å"Only Two Can Play†). However, the actors and actresses that play librarians are often attractive people (Katherine Hepburn, Parker Posey, Peter Sellers) that their portrayal is not seen to reflect the real thing. The specialized training of librarians that is not publicly known may be a factor that affects the public perception on librarianship. Their tasks such as referencing, checking and shelving are seen simply as clerical tasks. Nevertheless, there is a Masters in Library and Information Science that is a sort of requirement in the field of professional librarianship. Those without the degree may not be able to advance to the professional level but still be a librarian. Sadly, librarians are much affected by the negative typecasting of their profession.   Distress and denial are the two main reactions of librarians regarding the negative stereotyping in their profession (Engle, 1998). Librarians had to be weighed down by the emotional stress of the typecasting. These in turn cause social pressures on the librarians and cause further dismal attitude. Real-life librarians, actually, do not like the stereotyping of their profession because they personally do not want to be attributed to something unattractive and restrict the entrance of males in the profession (Morrisey and Case, 1988; Carmichael, 1992 as cited by Marinelli and Baker, 2000). Also, Wilson (1982 as cited by Marinelli and Baker, 2000) said that stereotyping might have caused real librarians to not like librarians, including themselves. This is because the librarians react to their occupational identity, instead of reacting as an individual. Due to the typecasting, the librarians are being forced to act as a minority group. The negative stereotyping also causes librarians to think poorly of their profession, especially those on the public libraries and schools (Marinelli and Baker, 2000). The pride of the profession is being lost in the issues. Librarians nowadays are not immediately associated to being professionals. They are just people who look after publications in a room or building. Also, these cause downbeat on client perceptions, status and organizations. The clientele of the librarians may decrease because of the negativity on the profession. Both the status of the people and the organizations that are currently in the profession is also being prejudiced without proper exploration. Furthermore, funding and recruitment for new librarians are being affected. Due to the issues on librarians, people who are interested in entering the profession may reconsider. Only those who work as special librarians in private institutions are properly paid. Some also feel that they are being less valued by the society as compared in 1988 (Bobrovitz and Griebel, 2001). Conversely, there are still librarians that are satisfied with their profession (Bobrovitz and Griebel, 2001). They believe that they are valuable to their employer, with respect to their skills, but are still being subjected to issues causing them to think that they are underappreciated by the society. Despite the negative typecast on the profession, their morals are still up but seek the improvement and image of the career, to change some misinformation for every librarian’s sake. Yet, the negative connotation on the stereotype characteristics of the librarian can also be beneficial. Lately, the issues caused them to make an effort in improving the quality of their work. Through some changes, they believe the public’s perception of the librarians will change and will enable the creation of another stereotype for the profession (Paul and Evans 1988 as cited by Marinelli and Baker, 2000; Bobrovitz and Griebel, 2007). However, the librarians must collectively make this effort in order to overhaul the typecast set on the profession. Even the slightest mistake of only one librarian is very crucial because instead of putting up a good image, things may go for the worse. This made the stereotyping more than an individual behavior. There had been actions to lessen the negative publicity regarding the librarians. McCormack, since the 1987, had been advocating protest for negative ads of librarians (Marinelli and Baker, 2000). Through the American Libraries’ column, â€Å"Image: How They’re Seeing Us†, pictures have been revealing both the negative and positive images on librarianship. Through the revelation of some of the extreme negative publicity, there had been realizations of too much prejudice in the society with regards to librarianship. Somehow, the images that show the goose-stepping and hushing librarians have decreased in number. Chances of redeeming the status of the librarian profession is very likely because of technological advancements, faculty status for librarians, unionization and contracting (Marinelli and Baker, 2000). Due to technological advancements, librarians are now taking up positions such as technology managers and information specialists. Although machines also pose as a threat to librarian employment, computers are essential in making information more available and convenient to clients. After all, librarians can employ themselves as consultants and trainers. Also, there have been changes in the perception towards librarians as 10 years before. The business of librarianship is also being appreciated more. However, the term librarianship holds some kind of stigma that corporations appreciate the profession more without mentioning the word librarian. (Kneal, 2006) References Bobrovitz, J. and Griebel, R. (2001). If the (Sensible) Shoe Fits: The Image of the Librarian. Retrieved October 30, 2007 Engle, M. (1998). Ethymologizing Work: The Role of Archetypal Images in the Humanization of Librarianship. Retrieved October 30, 2007, from http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/staff/moe/archetype.html Green, Paul (n.d.) Paul Green’s Librarian Stereotype Survey: Highlights. Retrieved October 30, 2007, from http://warriorlibrarian.com/RESEARCH/stereotype.html Kneale, R. (2004). Where’s The Librarian? Retrieved October 30, 2007, from http://www.librarian-image.net/wheres_the_librarian.html Marinelli, S. and Baker, T. (2000). Image and The Librarian: An Exploration of a Changing Profession. Retrieved October 30, 2007, from http://home.earthlink.net/~cyberresearcher/ImageHomepage.htm#Homepage Reed, R. (1995). From Librarian to Information Scientist: Technology and Occupational Change in A Traditional Woman’s Occupation. Retrieved October 30, 2007, from http://www.wigsat.org/gasat/47.txt ; ;

5 Cases of Mistaken Meaning Cured by a Comma

5 Cases of Mistaken Meaning Cured by a Comma 5 Cases of Mistaken Meaning Cured by a Comma 5 Cases of Mistaken Meaning Cured by a Comma By Mark Nichol A simple lesson about the strength of the mighty little comma can be learned by noting the difference in meaning that results depending on its presence or absence at the end of a parenthetical phrase. More specifically, in the types of sentences shown below, when an attributive phrase one that identifies the source of the information provided in the framing sentence is inserted in the midst of the sentence and a comma precedes the interjection but none follows it, what is said is often not equivalent to what is meant: 1. â€Å"Every nine years, it was decreed that the fragment must be conveyed to another place of sanctuary.† The point of this sentence is that an action is described as having occurred every nine years, and that this action was decreed. That latter detail is the content of the attributive phrase. But without a comma closing the interjection, the implication is that the decree was issued every nine years. However, what the sentence means is that a decree was issued requiring the action to occur every nine years that’s a much different idea, and this slightly revised sentence correctly expresses it: â€Å"Every nine years, it was decreed, the fragment must be conveyed to another place of sanctuary.† 2. â€Å"By the end of the century, estimates are that one in three people will be living in poverty.† This sentence is not as far afield from the intended meaning as the original sentence in the previous example, but it does suggest that such estimates will be released by the end of the century, rather than that current estimates predict the stated outcome. This revision states the point more clearly: â€Å"By the end of the century, estimates are, one in three people will be living in poverty.† 3. â€Å"Instead of embracing our civil rights future, the commission’s report says the Bush administration has begun backsliding into the past.† At first glance, this sentence seems to have the same not-quite-right structure of the second example, but it actually introduces a serious miscommunication. The suggestion is that the commission report, not the Bush administration, is failing to embrace our civil rights future, and that the commission is making the statement in place of that responsibility. The mere insertion of a comma sets the sentence right (in this case, an optional that is not included, so no deletion of same is necessary): â€Å"Instead of embracing our civil rights future, the commission’s report says, the Bush administration has begun backsliding into the past.† 4. â€Å"Up to my junior year at the University of Michigan, I am forced to admit that I had always tried to get A’s.† The writer, this sentence suggests, was forced to make an admission until reaching their third year of college, at which time the confession was no longer required (but in that case, am should be replaced by was). But the admission is parenthetical to a different thought, which is that the writer strove for the highest letter grade for only their first two years in higher education: â€Å"Up to my junior year at the University of Michigan, I am forced to admit, I had always tried to get A’s.† 5. â€Å"As far back as his childhood, he told me he had wanted to be a scientist.† As punctuated, this sentence tells the reader that the would-be scientist had shared his ambition with the writer since the other person had been a child. If this is what the writer means, the beginning of the second part of the sentence should include had (â€Å"he had told me†). But if the writer is relating what the other person had shared more recently about his childhood goal, a comma should follow me to set off the attributive phrase â€Å"he told me†: â€Å"As far back as his childhood, he told me, he had wanted to be a scientist.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What Does [sic] Mean?225 Foreign Phrases to Inspire YouNominalized Verbs

Waist-to-Hip Ratio Essay Example

Waist Waist-to-Hip Ratio Paper Waist-to-Hip Ratio Paper It can be seen that the relationship is linear between the WHR, i. e. the lower the WHR value the more attractive the image is considered to be. Whereas, the BMI the data is not linearly related and that the lower the BMI score the image seems to be unattractive and the higher the BMI score the image is also considered to be unattractive. As the BMI is not linearly related a quadratic formula had to be used in order to better predict the rating. Therefore the residuals had to be analysed in order to justify this. Graphs 5 and 6 show the distribution of the residuals for the attractiveness rating and the relationship of them with the fitted values, respectively. The residuals were distributed normally and the relationship seemed linear, but seemed to have a high variance. Similarly with the residuals of WHR (graphs 7 and 8), residuals were normally distributed and an approximate linear relationship with the fitted values. However, the residuals for the BMI, although normally distributed (graph 9), did not have a linear relationship with their fitted values (graph 10). So a quadratic formula was used which resulted in a much smoother parabola (graph 11) showing the same relationship from graph 3 but more clearly. As all the residuals were approximately normally distributed regression analysis was valid and applied (table 1) using the quadratic (BMI2) as one of the predictors. This resulted in only just under 30% (R-sq = 29. 0%) of the variance being explained by the three predictors. This was probably due to other contributing factors that were not taken into account during the experiment such as the gender of the subjects, cultural differences e. t. c. An analysis of the variance was applied and resulted in a very highly significant variance ratio (874. 55) suggesting that both the BMI and WHR were significant contributing factors. The first table of best subsets (table 3) shows that the WHR is the more influential of the two factors. However, only 29% of the variance has been explained and this is not much, so could be inaccurate. So, a cubic formula was tried and this resulted in a more accurate regression equation (table 4) and a greater proportion of the variance was explained (46. 4%). The best subsets (table 6) showed that the BMI was the best contributing factor with the WHR second. The analysis of variance (table 5) confirmed that the significance of the two factors in predicting the attractiveness rating had increased (variance ratio = 1390. 05). The same test was done to discover if using a formula with the power 4 would make a more accurate predictor. This was true and R-sq = 48. 8%, so the accuracy was beginning to plateau off at around 50%. The best subsets of the power four attempted, however was impossible to compute as the correlation was too high. Using firstly, the quadratic allowed a relationship between the three values WHR, BMI and attractiveness to be formulated and plotted against one another (graph 12). This shows that the relationship between the BMI and the attractiveness is always curved, however, the height and elevation of the curve always depends upon the WHR. The values are greatest for attractiveness where WHR is high and the BMI is in the middle of the range. This contradicts graph 4 where the lower the WHR the more attractive the image is considered to be. However, graph 4 only takes into account the influence of WHR alone, not the joint influence of both factors together like graph 12. Greater information could be been obtained if the subjects were asked their gender before rating the images. This would have allowed insight into whether males perception of attractiveness if different to that of womens. Also the age of the subjects could have been varied to see if the age of the individual has an affect on their perception of attractiveness. This has been researched by Fallon and Rozin (1989, cited in Singh 1994) as womens perception is thinner than that of mens ideal. This also works the opposite way, as the age and gender of the images could have been varied to see if either one has an effect upon attractiveness. Cultural differences both of the subject and of the image should be investigated. If the culture of the subject influences their perception, or if, for example, the colour of the person in the image matters to the subject. Are coloured people considered to be less, more or indifferent in their attractiveness to other different coloured people? Also, geographical differences, whether the ideal image of attractiveness varies between the populations of different countries. Yu and Shepard (1998, cited in Tovee Cornelissen 1999) have investigated this and among their findings concluded that Americans prefer higher WHRs to the English. Possibly a more important and more interesting factor could be eating disorders and the effect that they have upon the individuals perception of attractiveness. With the medias representation and obsession with supermodels there has been a steady increase of eating disorders among the population. This rise was predicted by the studies of Agras (1987 cited in Morris et al 1989) when the change in the body shape of women began to appear in fashion magazines. To conclude at first the WHR seemed to be the more important contributing factor (table 3) however, when using a cubic and the power of 4 the accuracy began to increase and it became apparent that the BMI was quite considerably the more influential of the two factors (BMI = 11. 3% and WHR = 9. 8%). This is supported by other research; however, there are many other contributing factors such as, age, culture and eating disorders, which need further investigation. References Morris, A. et al (1989). The changing shape of female fashion Models. Journal of Eating Disorders. 8: 593-596. Singh, D. (1994) Ideal female Body Shape: The role of body weight and Waist-to-Hip Ratio. Journal of Eating Disorders 16:283-288. Singh, D. (1994) Is thin really beautiful and good? Relationship between Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and female attractiveness. Personal and Individual Differences 16: 123-132 Tovee, M. J. Cornelissen, P. L (1999). The mystery of Female beauty Journal of Nature 399, 215-216