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Thing Fall Apart Essay Research Paper Things free essay sample

Thing Fall Apart Essay, Research Paper Thingss self-destruct All the civic establishments in a greater or littler class had ever been ...

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Legal and Social Environment of Business Ethical Dilemmas Essay Example

Legal and Social Environment of Business Ethical Dilemmas Paper In this particular case, Kent Graham faces various normative theories of ethics. The situation faced by Kent Graham is very much important to be discussed as it deals with a very general situation which are faced by several people in their professional lives these days and also it gives a wide scope to study and analyze the various ethical dimensions of normative ethics. The situation faced by Kent Graham major constitutes of an ethical dilemma, which is the decision he has attempted and made. Cants ethics is also reasonably highlighted in this case as he is torn into two minds between a professional account manager and a responsible family head. One of the most important ethics that Kent Graham displays in this case is his egoism, which is compensated by his act as it also includes virtue ethics. Utilitarianism has also been highlighted in the decisions and situations faced by Kent Graham in this particular case study. One of the most considered and repeatedly occurring problem in ethical dimensions is the ethical dilemma. Ethical dilemma defines itself as a situation in which there is no obvious right or wrong decision. These arguments can be refuted in various ways, for example by showing that the claimed ethical dilemma is only apparent and does not really exist (thus is not a paradox logically), or that the solution to the ethical dilemma involves choosing the greater good and lesser evil, or that the whole framing of the problem is omitting creative alternatives, or more recently that situational ethics or situated ethics must apply because the case cannot be removed from context and still be understood (wisped). We will write a custom essay sample on Legal and Social Environment of Business Ethical Dilemmas specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Legal and Social Environment of Business Ethical Dilemmas specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Legal and Social Environment of Business Ethical Dilemmas specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Rules-based reasoning is concerned with how we make the decision, not its consequences. Rules-based seasoning argues that the ends can never really be known until long after weve made our decision, so therefore we can only guess as to the likely ends or consequences, and that this is very unreliable (Bowel, 2006). In this situation Of the particular case study, Kant Graham tackles a major ethical dilemma. He is torn between the two completely different tracks of decision to make. On one side he has to start closing some big accounts, which would benefit his company, and he would personally gain benefits, which would lead to his family welfare. On the other hand he feels tinged with uncertainty and lilt, as he has not revealed the truth to the Spray-On Inc. Company. If the receiving company came to know that the deal was not completely true and the goods were out sourced, then the Durra-Stick Company as well as him personally will face many complicated problems. But he is bound to his duty and faces heavy confusion to make the right decision and faces the ethical dilemma. Today we tend to approach the study of ethics from the point of view of individuals, with each person having his or her own special personal interests and relationships (Roger Cants ethics is considered to be an important section of ethical dimension. Kant sought moral principles that do not rest on contingencies and that define actions as inherently right or wrong apart from any particular circumstances (Shaw ; Barry). He believed that moral rules in principle, be known as a result of reason alone and are not based on observations. Kant basically emphasizes on the good will hidden in the actions of an individuals activities. For Kant, an absolute moral truth must b logical consistent, free from internal contradictions. For example if, it is contradiction to say that an effect does not have a cause. Kant aimed to ensure that his absolute moral law would avoid such contradictions. If he formulate such a rule, he maintained, everyone would be obliged to follow it without exception. Cants ethics can be well applied for this situation of Kent Graham. Kent is in a situation where his bonds of duty to his family hold him in making a decision that will profit him personally. He is under the pressure to support his family and this thought cannot be considered wrong or as a crime. Kent took the decision to negotiate the firms deal, which is an act that loud be right or moral as it came from the cause of good will and duty. Like Rousseau and Hobbes, we at least think of the state as if it had arisen out of social contracts with people. Another ethic to put light on for this situation is the Egoism. Ethics has defined egoism as the view that equates morality with self-interest. Egoism contends that an act is morally right if and only if it best promotes an agents long-term interest (Shaw ; Barry). Moral philosophers distinguish between two kinds of egoism: personal and impersonal. Both are more overly based on the long-term interests. In this situation Kent Graham portrays a great deal of egoism, which can be further related to personal egoism. In order to retain his position in the firm and also for the welfare of his family, Kent graham goes ahead in negotiating his deal to Jack Olson at Spray-On Inc. And also his own company Durra-stick. Kent also fears that his time with Durra Stick might be limited unless he starts closing some big accounts. When Jack described his need for a seven-color label with very precise graphics, Kent welcomed it as his big account, which might in turn do well for his company s well as himself. This power of egoism inside him made him to negotiate the larger prices to his company. Kent gave the sample to Marty Klein, who was responsible for coordinating the costs and price quotes for new opportunities. The company gave its quote on the basis of its profits, which itself portrays the impersonal egoism. Kent shadows importance to his professional life in order to live and maintain good standards for his family. This made Kent to hide the true fact that the products to be supplied will be out sourced from another company. Only by hiding this fact did he receive he good news that he had secured his largest order as an account manager. The activities of Kent can be traced back to his personal benefits, which is the core for egoism. The egoism can be neutralized by moral reasoning, which states itself as defining ones decisions by moral standards. In this situation Kent can morally reason out his egoistic decision by the fact of his job as well as supporting his family. An important ethic to highlight is the utilitarianism. Utilitarianism describes itself as the greatest good for the greatest number of people or in simpler terms emphasis the overall good. Utilitarianism is considered to be consequential as it focuses major on the final consequences, which is, the ends justify the means. There might be situations in which lying will produce greater overall good than telling the truth. In such a situation, it would be ethically right to tell a lie. Kant Grahams decision in securing his largest order can be ethically right from this viewpoint of utilitarianism. This is because Cants decision has benefited the whole Durra-Stick Label Products Company, which will in turn increase the companys profits. As the companys profit increases, the stock market values will increase which increases the profits for stakeholders and share markets. In a famous passage, Mill claims that of two pleasures, if there be one to which all or almost all have experience of both give a decided preference That is the most desirable pleasure. Kent Graham had secured his largest order as an account manager for Durra Stick Label Products, which displays the utilitarianism involved in it. Putting light on virtue ethics is quite considerable in this situation. Virtue ethics is based upon the belief that the most important thing in ethics and social relationships is not necessarily in action that are taken but rather the quality of the person who undertakes it. The book The Affluent Sockeye opened with the following quotation from Alfred Marshall: The economist, like everyone else, must concern himself with the ultimate aims of man. This perspective relies on developing character as opposed to discovering the right action in any particular case. Wides alternative to such approaches is to examine the virtues and vices at stake in manipulation advertising (1987, 73). Stanley Been sounds the same note when he suggests that the key question about advertising is whether it promotes a valuable kind of life, with this determination d epending on some objective assessment of what constitutes excellence in human beings (1 987, 73). In this particular case Kent Graham displays virtue ethics as the root cause of his actions is his dedication and devotion to his family. On such a perspective his quality as man devoted for welfare of family is portrayed. His deal negotiation may not be considered wrong but as a result of the person he is with his priorities and preferences. The case study Sticky Situation has helped to demonstrate the understanding and application of the ethical dimensions of business decision- making. Cants situation has neatly unfolded the various ethical issues in business studies.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Iconic plane Essays

Iconic plane Essays Iconic plane Essay Iconic plane Essay Essay Topic: The Chrysanthemums This Is still part of the semiotic approach since It Is still based on the signifier- signified relationship. But here it Is not that material elements of the work that are dealt with as In the basic semiotic plane, but this has to do with the particular features, aspects, and qualities of the Image which are the signifier. The Image Is regarded as an iconic sign which means, beyond its narrow associations with religious images in the Byzantine style, that it is a unique sign with a unique, particular and highly nuanced meaning, as different from a conventional sign such as traffic or street sign which has a single literal meaning. The iconic plane includes the choice of the subject which may bear social and political implications. An example in art history is the French realist artist Gustavo Coursers choice of workers and ordinary people in his paintings, instead of the Olympian gods and goddesses or heroes from Greek and Roman antiquity that were the staple of classical and academic art up to the nineteenth century. We can ask the question: Is the subject meaningful In terms of the socio-cultural context, does It reflect or have a bearing on the values and Ideologies arising In a particular place ND time? One proceeds to consider the presentation of the image and its relationship to the viewer. If the subject is a human figure, does it address the viewer directly; is it self- contained or self-absorbed? What kind of subject-viewer relationship is implied by the subject through his facial expression, body language, costume and accessories, natural or social background? Is it a relationship of peers or one of dominance and subordination? Is It a friendly, ironic, aggressive, or hostile relationship, and all possible nuances thereof? Most examples of Philippine genre, for instance, are based n the concept of the stage or tableau which Is oriented towards a large public audience which It Is aware of and directly addresses?a mark of the social cohesiveness of rural peasant society as well as the extended Filipino family system in which all members of society have their kinship appellations. John Berger in his Ways of Seeing has an engrossing study of paintings with the female nude as subject, many of which he demonstrates as stemming from sexist attitudes refrying (reducing to object status) or commingling women with respect to the implied male viewer. Also part of the iconic plane is the positioning of the figure or figures, whether frontal, in profile, three-fourths, etc. And the significations that arise from these different presentations. Does the painting show strong central focusing with the principal figure occupying the center space or Is It decremented and the painting asymmetrical In composition? How do these presentations contribute to different meanings? Does the subject or subjects have a formal or a casual air? How does one describe the central figures stance: poised, relaxed, indifferent, provocative, or aloof? ND accessories? O the setting, natural, social or domestic? What is the relative scaling of the figures from large to small? What bearing does this have to the meaning of the work? Ulnas Tampon brings to the fore the artists sensitivity to body language. How do the postures of the man and the woman convey their emotional attitudes? In portraits, where is the gaze of the subject directed? This is important not only in defining the relationship of subject and viewer but also in describing pictorial space. Degas painting Woman with Chrysanthemums shows a middle-aged woman beside a large vase of flowers. More importantly, her intense and scheming look projects an imaginary line to a figure or figures that are the objects of her gaze outside the pictorial field of the painting into an implied open and expanded space. This work deconstructs the classical conventions of portraiture. Is there cropping of the figure or figures? What is the significance of the kind of cropping used? Some kinds of cropping are intended to create a random, arbitrary effect as against the deliberate and controlled. Other kinds isolate a segment of the subject, such as the hand or the feet, in order to draw attention to its physical ululateswhen a part stands for the whole, a peasants bare feet can tell us about an entire life of labor and exploitation. Some artists use cropping as a device to imply the extension of the figure into the viewers space. Here one also takes into account the relationship of the figures to one another, whether massed, isolated, or Juxtaposed in terms of affinity or contrast. A painting may expand or multiply its space by having not Just one integral image but several sets of images in montage form, from the same or different times and places. These may occur in temporal sequence to constitute a narrative or may take the form of emulations facets or aspects of reality. Serial images which show an image multiplied many times, as in Andy Whorls Marilyn Monroe or Campbell Soup Cans, convey significations arising from the blatant consumerism of the advanced capitalist societies of the First World. The style of figuration is an important part of the iconic plane. The figurative style is not mere caprice, passing fashion, or the artists personal scripture; beyond these, it implies a particular re-presentation or interpretation of the world, a world view, if not ideology. Classical figuration basically follows the proportion of 7 1/2 to 8 heads to he entire figure in its pursuit of ideal form, as in a formal studio portrait with the subject enhanced by make-up, all imperfections concealed. Realist figuration is based on the keen observation of people, nature, and society in the concern for truth of representation, thus creating true portraits of individuals or exposing the poverty and squalor that arise from social inequities. Impressionist figuration is fluid and informal, often catching the subject unawares like a candid camera. Expressionist figuration follows emotional impulses and drives, thus often involving distortion that comes from strong emotion. However, the viewer should not be too anxious to find original styles that have gone far obeyed the School of Paris. It is important to be sensitive to the meaning-conveying potential of highly individual styles. In the basic semiotic plane which deals with the material aspect of the work and in the iconic plane which deals with the features of the image itself, one can see that as the signifier cannot be separated from the signified, concrete fact or material data cannot be divorced from value; in other words, fact is value-laden and value or ideological meaning is derived from material fact.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Distribution channel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Distribution channel - Essay Example Efficient distribution channel is essential for every business as it allows smooth movement of the product from producer to the final consumer. Majority organizations make use of intermediaries including retailers, sales persons and wholesalers to sell their product to the final consumers. In my view, the best way of getting your product to the market is through having your own distribution channel. Advertising through internet will certainly help increase sales and reduce cost. Dell Computers, without any third party’s assistance has been selling its product through internet and is quite successful. There is a possibility that the third party’s involvement in the distribution might disrupt availability of the product to the customers on time due to hoarding or personal benefits or even might result in inability or failure to meet the targets. Role of advertising in the marketing process Advertising is basically a marketing communication channel through which a product is communicated to the target consumers. Today, media has advanced so much that the message can be disseminated throughout the world in seconds. Hence, the role of advertising in the marketing process has also increased world-wide.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Example of an asset that is NOT recorded on a Balance Sheet Essay

Example of an asset that is NOT recorded on a Balance Sheet - Essay Example While scrutinizing a business and assessing its worth it is of almost importance to get a thorough and detailed understanding of the particulars recorded in the balance sheet and how are they measured . In the balance sheet, assets denotes the resources of a business that it has attained over a time and which have some economic value. Companies usually acquire assets through investing activities, operating activities or financing activities. Liquidity refers to the concept of how fast can an asset be converted into cash. Therefore, assets in a balance sheet are listed according to the order of liquidity. The category of assets section is divided in to two sub-categories namely, current assets and non-current assets. Currents Assets are those assets which are predicted to stay with the business for more than twelve months. Both current and non current assets belong to the tangible form of assets. This also, infers that the assets that are recorded in the balance sheet or any other fin ancial statement are actually tangible asset that are those assets which have some physical form and value where as the assets that can not be evaluated and seen physically are called intangible assets. Such assets as intangible assets can not be recorded in any financial statement, particularly not in the balance sheet. Goodwill of a company falls under the heading of an intangible asset and thus, it is not recorded in the books of the companies as it is defined in terms of the positive reputation of a firm that does not have a physical existence, but is of utmost importance for a business. Patents, copyrights, and trademarks are also other examples of intangible assets which are not recorded in the balance sheet. Good customer relations, a strong brand name, good employee relations, any patents or propriety

Monday, November 18, 2019

Forming of Diamond Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Forming of Diamond - Research Paper Example This study focuses upon Diamond as the hardest mineral on earth. It is a natural mineral and is the hardest on Mohs hardness scale that is used to determine the hardness of solids, particularly minerals. This scale that lists the softest to the hardest solids has diamond as its hardest material with a ranking of 10. Although, graphite is also formed of carbon atoms, it is not as strong as diamond. However, graphite is being used in man-made diamonds due to its similarities in composition, where the ring-like structure of carbon atoms of graphite is altered to form a crystalline structure. It is a carbon component found in the form of an ore that is processed and used. The unique molecular structure of the material is what gives it its strength, as five carbon atoms forming a tetrahedron by each atom forming covalent bonds with four other carbon atoms gives diamond its unique stability which is hard to break. It is a crystalline structure with billions of carbon atoms bonding together under very high pressure and temperatures inside the Earth’s mantle at about 100 miles below its crust. These crystals are carried to the surface of the Earth by violent volcanic eruptions. Diamond is chemically inert to most of the acids and alkalis, has low thermal expansion, has a negative electron affinity, is a good thermal conductor, is least compressible, has high specific gravity, and has high refractive index and reflection. Common morphologies or or isometric crystal structures of diamond are: cubical, octahedral and do-decahedron. (Composition and properties of diamond, 2008). Advantages: Diamonds are usually transparent or pale blue but some coloured diamonds are also found due to the presence of impurities in the lattice structure. Traces of Boron, Nitrogen and other gases result in the blue, yellow and other colours of diamonds. Diamonds are found in Kimberlite and Lamproite rocks that are brought to the Earth’

Friday, November 15, 2019

Analyzing Groundhog Day

Analyzing Groundhog Day Bill Murray plays Phil, an arrogant, self obsessed weather forecaster who goes to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, in preparation of a broadcast for the next day about the annual occurrence of the coming out of the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil. As he wakes up in the morning and does records his coverage of the event, he is annoyed to find out that he will have to spend another night in Punxsutawney because of an incoming snowstorm. This is where things start to go wrong for Phil as in his earlier forecast; ironically, he predicted that the following days are going to be sunny. When he wakes up the next morning in his room he is very surprised to see that it almost looks like a repetition of the previous day! Everything that happened to him a day earlier at the top of the stairs the same person trying to talk to him; the old high school friend, Ned, recognizing him on the street, the ceremony of the groundhog day everything starts to repeat. Phil spends the day in shock and thinking it is a bad dream but at the end of the day he is stuck in Punxsutawney because of the snowstorm again. When he wakes up the next morning, everything is the same as the previous days, and he again gets stuck in the town for the snowstorm. By this time Phil realizes that this is not just a bad dream, so he starts to look for ways to get out of the situation and remove him from this time loop. Soon Phil realizes that if he doesnt change anything, the events repeat themselves similarly to the first day. But if he only changes his behavior towards the townsfolk, they respond to his actions, which eventually help him reach his goal of winning the heart of Rita. With each repeating day, Phil is the only one who remembers what happened in previous iteration of the same day. At first Phil is awed by this surreal event. As the days keep repeating Phil begins to treat life as a game since nothing he does seem to matter, and the next day is a fresh start of the same scenario: no matter what he does, time resets and he wakes up as if nothing happened. But as the days pass endlessly repeating itself, Phil eventually finds a purpose: get to know as much as he can about Rita, so he can seduce her. When all his tries to win Ritas heart fails day after day, his despair deepens, and he loses his will to live and begins to spend his days killing himself. In desperation, he reveals his plight to Rita and hesitantly she spends the night with him. But again, Phil wakes up to the same music of Sonny and Cher. But, spending a night with Rita makes him realize that someone actually liked him for who he is, he comes to a revelation he begins to live the life he never lived before. Phil starts to take control of circumstances, aided by the fact that he has plenty of time and the safety of starting from scratch if he messes up. He begins to take piano lessons, he learns how to be an ice sculptor, and he becomes more generous. Phil, knowing how the events in the day will happen, begins to use this knowledge to start helping towns people. As he suffered through the repeating days to come to this point, Phil starts to transform and empathizes with other peoples suffering. He becomes a local hero in Punxsutawney. Finally, Rita falls in love with the new Phil, attracted by his generous personality and maturity. He falls asleep by the side of her and when he wakes up she is still there and the curse is broken. In her expert analytical article The Spiritual Power of Repetitive Form: Steps Toward Transcendence in Groundhog Day, Suzanne M. Daughton explains how a modern romantic comedy such as Groundhog Day has a deeper meaning than just entertainment for the viewers. She explains that the movie portrays the lead actor as a stereotypical male figure with ego boundary that, at the start of the film, keeps every other character away from him. When he is trapped in the time loop of repeating days it takes Phil nearly 34 days to break all the barriers and to finally embrace the situation to use it to his advantage. Daughton describes Phils character before transformation as: Phil Connors, miserable cynic: self-centered, abrasive, and deservedly friendless. When Phil progresses to different transformations in the movie Daughton lists these stages that Phil goes through as: cynicism, alarm, hedonism, depression and anger, denial and avoidance, resignation, acceptance and growth. The list describes all the emotions Phil goes though to reach his final stage where is becomes the ideal male and is able to win Ritas heart and break the curse. Groundhog Day shows that the turning point in Phils life is when he starts to build relations with the common people and start to communicate. According to Daughton, Groundhog Day has more to do with its protagonist coming to appreciate the stereotypically feminine focus on connection with others, than with reinscribing the stereotypically masculine individuation and domination glorified in films. Unlike other change-of-heart films, Connors does not renounce independent thought and retreat to little-boy status; instead he grows out of certain boyhood beliefs and practices. At the end of the film Phil starts his acceptance and growth phase where he breaks the traditional stereotypical masculinity and accepts feminism to break the loop. Favorite film and its communication relevance My favorite film is When Harry Met Sally.. It is a simple romantic comedy on the surface but digging deeper into the characters reveals a lot about how males and females communicate with each other within their gender and how this gender based communication is very different than that of their counterparts. Harry approaches Sally as if she was his male buddy and very soon he steps out of the boundary of their newly formed relationship by asking her questions such as has she ever had great sex. This is not an appropriate question for that stage of the relationship, and it makes Sally defensive and uncomfortable. Harry portrays himself as an accomplished, cocky person and Sally starts to reveal more about her personal life to prove to Harry that she also has led a successful life like Harry. In the movie both character experiences interpersonal communication. Our text Reflect and relate defines it as a dynamic form of communication between two or more people in which the messages excha nged significantly influence their thoughts, emotions, behaviors and relationships. An example of this is the scene when Harry and Sally happen to run into each other at the bookstore; they talk and communicate as matured person, unlike the first time they met. As their friendship deepens and they both deal with their breakups, they start to depend on each other for support and their friendship deepens. Eventually we see that they begin to fall for each other. This is interpersonal communication by definition as their communication is changing the way they feel about each other. At the party, seeing one another with other dates become a concern even though, they did not reveal to each other that they want to move to the next step. They both share things with the other that they wouldnt share with anyone else. These are all examples of interpersonal communication developed by the characters in the film where their actions are being influenced by their relationship. Film I didnt care for The film I didnt care for is Children of a Lesser God. The film revolves around the characters Sarah and James, and their relationship. Sarah is deaf and does not use her voice; James is a new teacher at the school who is not deaf and falls in love with Sarah. There are several communication issues presented throughout the film such as: the dialectical tension of autonomy between Sarah and James, social exchange theory which explains why people are drawn to those people that can offer them substantial benefits, social penetration theory, uncertainty reduction in a relationship etc. The film shows very well how to progress in a relationship when it is new and when it has matured. We see Sarah and James eventually realize that even though they want to be independent and live their own way, if they want to stay in a relationship the best way to move forward is to compromise and come to a middle ground that both can live with. The reason why I dont care for this film is because of the pl ot and background of the movie which is not a good fit for the majority of the people who has never experienced being a deaf or mute. While the film opens our eyes to the deaf culture and brings many communication issues to light, it is hard to relate to in comparison with our regular life. To me it feels like the film has almost a documentary like feeling to it than a movie. On the other hand I can relate to characters like Harry from When Harry Met Sally, or Phil Connors from Groundhog Day because we have seen people like them in real world. We have all met with someone at some point who was cocky and annoying or someone who asked inappropriate questions. That is the only fundamental flaw of the Children of a Lesser God in my opinion. Useful concepts in RR, and the articles There are several useful concepts from RR which helped to analyze the films such as interpersonal communication, self-fulfilling prophecy, communication competence, supportiveness and empathy, uncertainty reduction, pseudo-listening and active listening etc. The articles were also helpful in finding even deeper meaning behind the character and plot of the film, but I feel like some of them went too deep for the scope of the class such as SM Daughtons Groundhog Day article that explained a lot about how the character breaks out of stereotypical male model and embraces feminism to grow and mature. My favorite article is Crossing the barriers to friendship between men and women by Lee west et al. The film When Harry Met Sally, and the article helps a lot in understanding which mistakes males typically make when communicating with other gender. How can we make the relationship smoother and what are the things to avoid. This is a good learning opportunity for all of us presented in a come dic way by the film. Overall all the films and articles touched on different topic within communication that will be helpful in our daily lives as we strive to create better, fulfilling relationship with other around us. Works Cited Groundhog Day: The Movie. Groundhog Day: The Movie. Transparency, n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2017. . The spiritual power of repetitive form: Steps toward transcendence in Groundhog Day, Daughton SM. Critical Studies in Mass Communication, 1996 McCornack, Steven. Interpersonal Communication. Reflect Relate: An Introduction to Interpersonal Communication. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2016. N. pag. Print.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Effect of Colors Essay -- Health, Bright Colors, Emotions

Do Colors Have an Effect on One’s Current Mood? Colors are a part of one’s everyday life and are introduced into one’s life starting at birth. For example, when a baby is born, the baby is showered with gifts and the color of the gifts is determined by his or her gender (e.g., blue for boys and pink for girls). Children often are dressed in colors associated with their gender. Furthermore, as individuals age and as their vocabulary increases, they tend to learn about associations between moods and colors and sometimes make those associations for themselves. For example, â€Å"I’m red with rage† or â€Å"I’ve got the blues† are common phrases used when describing feelings. Most research about the psychology of colors involves preference or association between colors and moods, and thus, the present study seeks to examine whether manipulating the colors of questionnaires will influence one’s self-reported mood. Mood An individual’s mood can be described as depicting an individual’s emotional state which is divided into two broad dimensions: positive and negative affect. Positive affect is characterized as the extent to which one experiences pleasurable engagement with the environment (Clark, Watson, & Leeka, 1989). On the other hand, negative affect is characterized as subjective distress and negative emotional states (Clark et al., 1989). Moreover, one who is high in positive affect is low in negative affect, and vice versa. Descriptors of positive affect include: active, alert, attentive, enthusiastic, interested, joyful, etc. Negative affect descriptors include: afraid, nervous, hostile, guilty, sad, etc. Preferences of Color and Emotional State Meerum Terwogt and Hoeksma (1995) examined whether individuals’ separate preferenc... ...hat individuals who had colorful work environments rated their emotional status as higher throughout the year. However, most of the work environments were neutral or subdued, and thus, the authors suggest that a moderate increase of color in work environments will be beneficial for employees’ moods. Weller and Livingston (1988) examined whether the colored paper of the questionnaires affected the participants’ responses to three vignettes describing a murder or rape. The colors used for the questionnaires were pink, blue, and white, and the participants were randomly assigned the colored questionnaires. The authors found that the pink questionnaires had less emotional responses than did the blue questionnaires; thus, suggesting that pink is a calmer color than blue which is contradictory to previously mentioned studies associating blue to relaxation and calmness.