Internet Piracy - Preventing the Distribution and Downloading of Essay

Internet Piracy - Preventing the Distribution and Downloading of Copyrighted Material - Essay Example Internet piracy is considered unethical and is said to be no different from stealing. Information should not be free and sharing of copyrighted material is illegal as stipulated in rules and regulations regarding freedom of information. Basing on the ethical argument and the negative economic repercussions of internet piracy, companies and all other entities handling copyrighted information should put in place measures to prevent the distribution and downloading of copyrighted material. Copyright A copyright generally refers to a collection of rights granted by an authority to an innovator of an original piece of work for a specific period of time and in return their work will be disclosed to the general public inclusive of the right to duplicate or adapt their work of art. Usually copyright owners do not have to be registered. They have the absolute right to control copying and other manipulation of their piece of art for a limited duration after which the particular piece of work g oes into the public domain. Copyright owners are however getting themselves in trouble in the modern world because of the beast that has been manifested through internet piracy (Sheri 68). The essay discusses some of the methods that can be used by companies to protect data against internet piracy. Copy protect This is among the most commonly used methods by film, music, video game and software companies. Copy protect is an exceptional application that majorly prevents illegal distribution (New Softwares. net, Inc). It is distinct data copy protection software that inhibits the replication of information i.e. copyrighted CDs/DVDs. It can be described simply as a technology that prevents duplication and sharing of copyrighted material. It is important to protect pictures, documents, videos, software, story scripts, designs and audios as they can be easily shared. It has been noted that companies that use copy protection to make higher profits. Although implementation of the copy prot ection is expensive, it is countered by increased profits which are gained by preventing piracy of copyrighted files. This application has strong copy protection for documents, videos, audios, software, video games and information. Additionally, they are user-friendly with navigate user interface that does not require added programming skills. Companies can safely distribute their songs, software, films, video games and graphical designs using distribution media such as CDs, DVDs, Blu- ray disc and many others (New Softwares. net, Inc.). This application has been modified to fit the needs of different customers. It also eliminates the need to set up the application on the other end that opens the copy protected documents. Finally, the application prevents internet piracy, file sharing and illegal distribution. A joint venture that seeks to prevent the illegal download of copyrighted material: Two global companies: ContentX Technologies and Cybermesh International Corp. have worked h and in hand to help companies deal with the problem of illegal downloading of copyrighted materials (Bokdawalla). ContentX deals in internet security, monetization and security applications that will be valuable in venture. On the other hand, Cybermesh International Corp. develops technologies that are used in the online distribution in the media, entertainment and telecommunication

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 13

Project Management - Essay Example Preciseness and accuracy as well as meeting the project’s objectives are very vital but cannot be achieved without proper planning (Butler & Richardson, 2011). It is indeed true that people variable is very significant in determining the input and the general planning of a project. Challenging free-wheeler based on the list of project variables may harvest very good returns for a particular project because every issue shall have been incorporated in the project (Butler & Richardson, 2011). Thorough discussions regarding the challenges and difficulties that may face the project may help in exposing future obstacles that may interfere with the smooth running of the project. Project planning is indeed an investment since it leads to success of the project and therefore should not be left to chance. There should be no excuse for such a thing that is aimed at saving both time and money. There may be dangerous costs that may be associated with failure to plan for a project (Rosenwinkel, 1995). According to Thilmany (2011), project planning is very crucial in controlling and evaluating a project right from its start to the end. Accountability and commitment in a project not only requires that all the information is tracked but that the resources are efficiently utilized and any form of wastage is reduced. Project variables should be highly taken into consideration while dealing with a project plan to maximize efficiency and effectiveness of a project. I was engaged in a project where the organization wanted an investigation of the installation of a new information system that would help in eliminating several bureaucracy involved in management including supervisory services. The project was supposed to take 100 hours and it involved exploration of new ways of doing business. We were in a team of five people performing the task for the project and three of us were management information system experts while two were individuals from human resource and a senior

Financial analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Financial analysis - Essay Example The succeeding years thereafter showed an optimistic trend implying an adjustment in the operating system. It can be noted that it was in late 2003 that Verizon innovation were observed immediately the year after as seen on the total net income of 2004. Assets over the five-year period remain at almost the same level while the total liabilities are decreasing, with a slight increase in 2005, suggesting a good overall trend. ratio by 2002 shows that the company has begun acquiring better investments and a considerable increase in earnings. Return on investment shows a positive trend over a five-year period with the same noted decrease in 2003 because of the transition in Verizon’s marketing strategy. 2005 was constant and remain within the normal range of 0.5 to 2.0 (reuters.com). The low and steady current ratio proves a standard cash payment system since the company is service-oriented, with the consumers paying on a monthly basis (Rosenbush 58). Total debt/equity and long-term debt/capital ratios show that the company’s financial resources are stable and strong enough to pay both the short and long-term debts that it has incurred. The gradual decrease in both debt ratios also suggests that Verizon is able to manage the payment of its debts properly over the years, implying a steady growth in earnings during this period. Sprint Nextel Corp. and AT&T Inc. are some of Verizon’s competitors in the telecommunications industry (Rosenbush 58). Figure 2 presents a comparison of the profitability of Verizon against its competitors from 2001 to 2005. This shows that over a five-year period, Verizon has been competing with AT&T for the market shares. Sprint Nextel Corp. has negligible effect in terms of competitiveness with the other two companies. The graph suggests that Verizon was only able to out-run AT&T beginning on 2004. This

Immigration Issues in the United States of America Essay Example for Free

Immigration Issues in the United States of America Essay The United States of America (U.S.A) is a country that was founded on immigration. If a surplus of European immigrants would not have made the transatlantic voyage to America, the U.S.A. would more than likely be nonexistent. For centuries foreigners have been flocking to American soil, in search of a fresh start in a safe location. With so much turmoil and hostility going on in varied countries around the world, more foreigners are attempting to immigrate onto American soil. Now that the total population is rising significantly due to immigrants, a plethora of United States citizens are becoming outraged. If only American citizens would open their eyes to reality, they would discover that immigrants are actually benefiting the United States. Once they immigrate, a large percentage of foreigners do everything they can to be successful. Immigrants benefit the country by starting businesses, working jobs the typical American refuses to work, and bringing cultural diversity to the country. Some skeptics believe that foreigners are taking their jobs and raising the crime rate, but they those are wrong allegations. Immigration of foreigners into the U.S.A positively benefits the country in countless ways, instead of negatively affecting it. The economy of the United States of America has had its ups and downs over the course of its existence as a country. Innumerable amounts of people across the globe dream about someday moving to the United States and living out the â€Å"American Dream.† For the lucky foreigners that actually succeed in immigrating to the United States(U.S.)., many of them wish to start up their own businesses. â€Å"In 2008, immigrants represented about 17 percent of all new business owners in the U.S., according to The Washington Post. By 2011, immigrants were creating 28 percent of all new businesses, CNN reports†(Immigration Helps US City Economies and Labor Markets, SP Says.). When immigrants come into the U.S., they search for whatever jobs they can get, so that they may support themselves or their families. Many of the jobs available to these immigrants are low-wage jobs, and with such a low income, it becomes hard to support a whole family. That is why a decent percentage of immigrants are starting their own businesses. Once the immigrant decides to be an entrepreneur, their potential profitability sky rockets, because the success of their business could be exponential. Who would choose a minimum wage job over a high paying business venture? Sure there is a chance that the new business could fail, but that is a chance that these hard working individuals are willing to take. These immigrants came to the United States to have a better life, and they will stop at nothing to make sure all their efforts will not be thwarted. â€Å"And as of 2008, immigrant-owned businesses were generating about $67 billion of the countrys annual $577 billion in business income†( Immigration Helps US City Economies and Labor Markets, SP Says.). As far as statistics go, it looks as if these foreign entrepreneurs are succeeding. Other areas of the United States economy rely on immigrants. The agricultural economy of the U.S. relies on immigrants to harvest their crops. If not enough foreigners are allowed into the country, farmers will lose vast sums of money, because their crops will not be harvested in time. â€Å"With the harvest season in full bloom, stringent immigration laws have forced waves of undocumented immigrants to flee certain states for more-hospitable areas. In their wake, thousands of acres of crops have been left to rot in the fields, as farmers have struggled to compensate for labor shortages with domestic help†( Bitter Harvest: U.S. Farmers Blame Billion-Dollar Losses on Immigration Laws). Recently with increased border security, fewer immigrants are being let in to the United States, and it has been taking a toll on the agricultural community. Farmers are desperate to get as many migrant workers that they can every harvest season. Now that there significantly less immigrants being allowed into the country, farmers crops are dying before the y can harvest them. Immigration is essential to the success of American farmers, because the common American is not willing to do the difficult labor that the migrant workers perform for the farmers. Immigrants are coming into the U.S. and are actually helping American citizens receive more capital for the jobs they are performing. Some Americans believe that immigrants are a nuisance to the country, and that they do nothing but hurt it. They are very wrong to assume this, because immigrants are actually enabling Americans to profit more for the jobs they are performing. â€Å"This implies that total immigration to the United States from 1990 to 2007 was associated with a 6.6% to 9.9% increase in real income per worker. That equals an increase of about $5,100 in the yearly income of the average U.S. worker in constant 2005 dollars†( FRBSF Economic Letter: The Effect of Immigrants on U.S. Employment and Productivity). This statistic is astounding. Not enough U.S. citizens believe that immigrants are essential to the prosperity of the United States. Immigrants are not only opening up more job opportunities for the American public, but they are also helping them to earn a reasonable increase of income. Without these immigrants, the minimum wage would more than likely take longer to increase over time. The demand for consumer goods is always fluctuating. The American public loves to spend the money they earn. With recent problems in the economy, such as the recession, people are spending less money on consumer goods. Immigrants are essential to the purchasing of consumer goods, because they make up a large portion of the United States population now. â€Å"The Immigration Policy Center estimates that the purchasing power of Latinos and Asians, many of whom are immigrants, alone will reach $1.5 trillion and $775 billion, respectively, by 2015†( The White House Blog). With the amount of immigrants increasing as such a rate, they have now become some of the top buyers of consumer goods in the country. The money that they earn working hard at their differing jobs, they go out and spend on American goods. This in turn helps the economy in the country exponentially, because without them, the population in the U.S. would be significantly less; therefore there would be a substantial loss in the profitability of consumer goods. Also, the immigrants coming into the country help support local buying of goods. No longer can they buy the goods that they once did in their home countries, so they are now supporting the economy of the United States more than ever before. A common misconception of foreigners is that they are taking jobs from American citizens when they immigrate into the country. â€Å"Illegal aliens come to the United States to take jobs that offer them greater opportunity, and they are often welcomed by U.S. employers who are able to hire them for wages lower than they would have to pay to hire U.S. workers†(Passel). The individuals who believe this fallacy could not be more wrong. The truth is, immigrants are benefiting the U.S. economy more than ever. â€Å"Meanwhile, the research has found that immigrants – including the poor, uneducated ones coming from south of the border — have a big positive impact on the economy over the long run, bolstering the profitability of American firms, reducing the prices of some products and services by providing employers with a new labor source and creating more opportunities for investment and jobs†( Immigration and American Jobs). These immigrants came to the U.S. to escape the rough cultures in which they grew up. They only hoped to start a better life in the United States, and do better for themselves. Not only are they now making more money than they would have in their country of origin, but they are also helping to stimulate the nation’s economy considerably. The immigrant work force has benefited the citizens of the U.S. to a degree that has never happened before. While some Americans despise the fact that a plethora of new foreigners are â€Å"taking over† their county, countless others are extremely thankful for all that the immigrants have done for the U.S. Foreigners are skilled in a wide variety of talents. Technology is key in the prosperity of a countries economy. With a surplus of new foreigners in the Unites States, more and more inventions are being constructed by these individuals. â€Å"According to a survey by the National Foundation for American Policy, immigrants have started nearly half of the top 50 venture-funded companies. Software, semiconductors, and biotechnology are the most common venture-backed startup firms started by immigrants†( Nowrasteh). Many of the immigrants that come to the United States of America, are coming from China and the Middle east. These populations of people grew up on the principle of working very hard and staying focused. Now that these foreigners are able to use more advanced technology, they are able to use their talents to their full abilities. Where they once did not have access to the most advanced technology available to mankind, they are now coming to the U.S. and experiencing all that a technologically savvy country has to offer. Crime has become quite the hot topic when it comes to immigrants. American citizens believe that the surplus of immigrants into the country has caused the crime rate to noticeably increase, but this is just another myth. â€Å"In El Paso, Texas violent crime down 36 percent it sits right across from Juarez, Mexico, one of the deadliest cities on earth. In Phoenix major crime has dropped 10 percent from 2000 to 2009†( Does Illegal Immigration Lead to More Crime?). Just because many immigrants do not have the money, at first, to move into wealthy American communities, people in the U.S. believe that they are criminals. How many people get nervous when they drive through a rough part of town? Well these â€Å"rough† parts of town are where most of these immigrants live when they first come to the country, because they previously spent most of the money they had on moving to America. Crime and immigration are two terms that do not go hand in hand. A very large percentage o f the immigrants coming to America are doing nothing but trying to prosper and live the life that they always wanted to have. Immigration is something that will benefit the Unites States of America in the long run, because it helps to create a very diverse nation. â€Å"The fact that people want to come to the US enhances its appeal. Likewise, because the presence of many cultures creates avenues of connection with other countries, it helps to broaden Americans attitudes and views of the world in an era of globalization†( Immigrants Will Strengthen US Power). Once these immigrants come to the United States, they usually have family back in their home country, or connections with businesses. Now that they live in the U.S. they are able to make long lasting connections between their current businesses and their previous businesses. Not only are these immigrants connecting ties back to their home countries, but they are making the United States a more culturally diverse nation. Since the founding of the United States of America, people have been trying to move onto its soil to have a better life, and no w they finally can live it. The United States of America has been profiting from immigration since its founding day. Now that there are a wide variety of foreigners in the U.S., the possibilities for economic growth are endless. Immigrants are so essential to the prosperity of the country. Even though there are a plethora of misconceptions of foreigners, they are doing everything they can to prosper in this nation. They start businesses, raise the income for American citizens, and do countless other things to better the nation. Immigration is the future. Works Cited Bitter Harvest: U.S. Farmers Blame Billion-Dollar Losses on Immigration Laws. Business Money Bitter Harvest US Farmers Blame BillionDollar Losses on Immigration Laws Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. Does Illegal Immigration Lead to More Crime? CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 23 July 2010. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. FRBSF Economic Letter: The Effect of Immigrants on U.S. Employment and Productivity (2010-26, 8/30/2010). FRBSF Economic Letter: The Effect of Immigrants on U.S. Employment and Productivity (2010-26, 8/30/2010). N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. Immigrants Will Strengthen US Power. South China Morning Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. Immigration and American Jobs. Economix Immigration and American Jobs Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. Immigration Helps US City Economies and Labor Markets, SP Says. Fox News Latino. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. Nowrasteh, Alex. Immigrants Help Fuel Tech Growth. The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 19 Jan. 2012. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. Pass el, Jeffery S., and Cohn DVera. Illegal Aliens Taking U.S Jobs (2011). Fedoration For American Immigration Reform. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. The White House Blog. Ten Ways Immigrants Help Build and Strengthen Our Economy. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.

Essay --

By giving restrictions on how to create knowledge from the arts and natural sciences we limit the knowledge available that is attainable. Ethical judgment is when we determine whether an action is morally permissive or acceptable. This can vary across time periods and certain cultures. Therefore, we limit our acquisition of knowledge by closing ourselves off to knowledge that some societies might be more accepting of. This pertains to natural sciences and the arts due to the fact that there will be different perceptions with what is morally acceptable towards what should be produced or not. This leads to the knowledge issue: to what extent do ethical considerations limit natural science experimentation and research and the way the arts are created? In the arts, there is rarely a universal agreement with what should be considered ethical or not. However, in natural sciences, there are more universal agreements that limit the methods that carry out the production of knowledge. Considering that the arts can limit our acquisition of knowledge when it is censored due to the possible negative outcomes it has, is it possible for a piece of art to be immoral? Artwork itself cannot be considered moral or immoral. It is a person’s sense perception of what is presented before him/her that impacts their reaction and makes them decide whether the artwork is immoral or not. The spectator will see the art differently than the artist. Maybe the piece was not vulgar to the artist because he/she views it differently and creates a representation of what they were picturing. Either way, everyone has different interpretations and impose their judgments on the artwork, which leads to them limiting the knowledge they could be accumulating. For example... ...ictly seen when we limit the way we produce it. Our way of leading us to the answer of an experiment, or fabricating an artwork, has many restrictions that we need to think through before putting it out there. We also are hurt from acquiring a better understanding of a work by letting ourselves be influenced by others’ moral judgments. We keep ourselves from advancing and discovering valuable information because the stigma around it states that it is unethical. Art could be more valuable or enlightening if everyone kept an open mind and attempted to understand what it represented. Certain scientific experiments could have already solved life-threatening diseases if no one focused on the means of how it was obtained. All these ethical judgments have been limiting us on how to generate more knowledge that would benefit our future or help us better understand our past.

Models of cultural differences Essay

There are several different theories and models of cultural differences. Let us detect key dimensions that characterise different cultures. The work of Hall, Hofstede, Trompenaars and many others who study national cross-cultural differences has been invaluable in the area of cross-cultural studies. Edward Hall is a prominent cultural anthropologist. His theoretical framework includes a concept known as the context of culture or communication. Basically Hall argued that there is a continuum extending from a low to high degree of intense socialization within cultural groups. Hall introduces five dimensions as follows: 1. Space: Different cultures have different attitudes towards space. Social distance varies by culture. He revealed that there are different spatial zones that cultures will use for communication. For example among those of Anglo-Saxon heritage, in the United States, there is an intimate zone that extends from 0 to 18 inches from a person. Only close relations will communicate this closely. However, some cultures prefer much closer contact. For example, in many Arab cultures contact is so close that individuals frequently can smell the breaths and odours. 2. Material Goods: Such goods are used for power and status. 3. Friendship: Interpersonal relationships vary considerably across cultures. 4. Time: Linear time cultures take time and deadlines very seriously, in a very rationalist sense. Time is structured, sequential and linear. Hall distinguished between monochronic and polychronic time. Monochronic people and cultures prefer focusing on a single task at a time, and completing one task before beginning another. Polychronic cultures have the ability to focus on multiple priorities simultaneously. 5. Agreement: Expressing agreement and disagreement varies by culture. In some cultures the detailed written contract is essential to agreement, while in others a handshake is sufficient. An interesting study highlighting cultural orientations toward time was completed by Trompenaars. The point of that study was to determine time orientation of different cultures. This national study on time orientation revealed that countries such as Germany and the United States were primarily present and future oriented. Conversely, France was found to be much more focused on the past. Trompenaars develops his parameters of national cultures in such pair oppositions: 1. Universalism – Particularism: The universalist approach means that what is good and right applies everywhere, while the particularist emphasises the obligations of relationships. 2. Collectivism – Individualism: that indicates the relative closeness of the relationship between social group members. 3. Neutral – Emotional: Some cultures are affective in that they show emotions while others are neutral, control and subdue their emotions. 4. Specific – Diffuse: In specific oriented cultures the manager separates the work relationships with subordinates from other dealings with them. 5. Status: While some cultures give status on the basis of achievement, others ascribe it on the basis of age, class, gender, education, etc. 6. Sequential – Synchronic: In the former cultures time is treated as a sequence of events while on later cultures a number of events are juggled at the same time. 7. Inner-Directed – Outer-Directed: The former cultures believe that they can and should control nature while the later go along with nature. Hofstede (1991) defines culture as mental programming or the software of the mind. Hofstede identifies five national culture dimensions as follows (Hofstede, 1980), (Hofstede, 1991): 1. Power Distance that is the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. 2. Individualism-Collectivism that indicates the relative closeness of the relationship between team members. 3. Masculinity-Femininity that identifies the sexuality of roles in society and the degree to which a society allows overlap between the roles of men and women. 4. Uncertainty Avoidance that is the extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by uncertain or unknown situations. 5. Long-term Orientation that is based on values of Confucianism showing to what degree do people value the future versus the past or present. The advantages of Hofstede’s dimensions include the fact that they are founded on outstanding psychological and sociological theories within the American and European traditions that are over 100 years old; they are empirically derived; they allow us to rank order nations on each dimension; and they are readily understandable by managers and students. While Hofstede’s dimensions provide an effective general approach for comparing the cultures of nations, they are not grounded to specific nations. His dimensions are designed to be culture-general rather than culture-specific. Moreover, Hofstede results are often hard to remember and difficult to use in daily cultural interactions. All of the above models are quite useful and have several strengths. However there are also some points of concern; some weakness that should be identified with respect to each model separately. Hall’s model is built on qualitative insights rather than quantitative data and does not rank different countries. Hofstede’s work has such main problems like it assumes that national territory corresponds to culture limits, omitting existing cultural non-uniformity in various countries included in the survey, or some of the dimensions effects overlap such as the small power distance characteristics with the feminine ones. For Trompenaars’ model the main problem is that the pool of informants is vaguely defined and lacks homogeneity, therefore the comparisons that are made between cultures are imprecise. References: Hall, E. T. & Hall, M. R. 1990 Understanding Cultural Differences, Intercultural Press. Hofstede, G. 1980 Cultures Consequences, Sage. Hofstede, G. 1991 Cultures and Organisations, McGraw-Hill. Trompenaars, F. 1993 Riding the Waves of Culture, Nicholas Brealey.

Buying Happiness: The Depressing Reality of Materialism, written by Peter Dobson

In the article â€Å" Buying Happiness: The Depressing Reality of Materialism, written by Peter Dobson, he analyses the causes of depression as well as the potential cure. Dodson makes clear what he believes to be the root of depression for people in society. Dodson’s arguments are clear throughout his article and with the statistical data used, it seems to be the best possible to strengthen. His article is not specific to any one group of people but actually to everyone who is a consumer. Dodson is very persuasive in his argument and he is successful at dong so because of his supporting evidence. It is made easy for the readers to understand and relate to his arguments. Dodson’s argues that one of the major reasons many are depressed is due to the many activities people participate in that actually does not result in much emotional, physical or mental benefit. Dobson was persuasive in this argument because many can relate to the experience of feeling empty even after participating in a number if activities. This is because there are always new things to buy, new sites to surf which can only hold out attention for so long and keep us excited or happy for even less. Those who consume themselves in these activities frequently tend to be more materialistic, who replace the void of happiness with many useless things. Dodson is quite persuasive when he analyses this because he references the feelings that a person may encounter as well as the effect it has on the relationships with others around them and the world they now feel secluded in. Dodson makes his readers think about their own experiences, which many will be able to relate to his arguments. Dodson gets in to the minds of his reader’s by analyzing what people do compared to what they should be doing. He is successfully persuasive in how he presents his arguments because the reader’s may already know that with lack of interaction and socialization comes the feeling of depression. Dodson observes trends in Canadians and uses statistical data published by the Washington post in 2006 to help argue that Americans spend less time with their families and more time at work. Dodson’s argument is persuasive once again. He makes a strong correlation between working and the time spent with family. Less time with family equals more time eating along and less human contact, which is needed for the growth of humans and maintaining mental health. Less time with family can leas to depression because more time is taken consumed in work you would rather not do. Dodson is persuasive because he takes a sensitive topic such as family and he breaks it down to show how family is one of the strongest and significant structure needed in anyone’s life. He proves that without much of a family structure or the necessary time spent with family, people tend to feel more isolated and less supported. Dobson makes clear that without one another, especially those who mean a lot to you then we don’t have much to build happiness from. With all the trends and repetitive behavior Dodson put into perspective, the readers are easily persuaded to believe that we as people and as a society are moving down a path with a dead end. We tend to assume that those with high standards of living should automatically be happy. Dodson makes clear with facts that material goods can only allow people to live comfortably but in no way does this guarantee happiness. Dodson is persuasive because he states facts that are easily agreed with. People in society can understand what it takes to be happy and understand that having wealth and material things can possibly harm us rather than do us any good because it simply doesn’t fulfill our deepest desires. It actually suppresses it causing more of a void and desire to be happy. Having to buy the latest fashion and keep up with trends while losing more sleep can all lead to stress. The thought alone is tiresome. This is what Dodson tries to get his readers to understand and relate to. He paints a picture to his readers about how easy it is for these activities to lead to lowered self esteem and reduced sense of well being, which is nothing close to rewarding. This alone is a huge trigger for depression. Dodson uses his own analysis and it is successfully used to persuade his readers that there is a certain lifestyle to be lived by for regular people. He makes clear on what leads to depression and what we should be doing to cure this illness. The supporting evidence used helps the readers to understand the point of view and put themselves in relatable situations. Dodson persuades his readers that we are not on the correct path and are actually steered away from what the true meaning of happiness is. Dodson Summary In the article â€Å"Buying Happiness: The Depressing Reality Of Materialism†, by Peter Dodson, he analyses the causes of depression in society as well as potential cures. He argues that society is on a dead path to happiness and that levels of depression are actually at all time high. Money buys happiness† is one of the notions our society abides by which is actually hindering and the leading cause of depression. We are nowhere near happiness because we are misguided by what we believe true happiness to be. The author addresses the issues and correlation between money and material goods. He addresses the assumption that people who have high standards of living are believed to be happy, which is fal se. Money and material goods only provide a comfortable lifestyle but in no way does it guarantee happiness. Studies have actually shown that in addiction to this, intense pursuit of wealth and material goods can actually lead a person to become ill. Dodson argues that people are more prone to depression when they embrace materialism. Materialistic people tend to participate in activities, which actually provide them with no physical, mental or emotional benefits. They are only provided with short-term satisfaction but nothing to truly fulfill their deepest desires. Engaging in these activities also leads to lack of social interaction and doing things that are better for their well being. Dodson also addresses the fact that more people are working more thus leading to less time spent with family, which is an important part of growth. We require interaction with others and the less this is being done the more depressed people become. More time is spent doing activities alone such as: eating, watching tv and none to discuss personal problems with. With the many different trends Dodson proves how we are moving in the wrong direction and need to change a lot of our activities and mindset in order to move away from depression and towards happiness.