Cyber attack why and how Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Cyber attack why and how - Research Paper Example ernet governance is subjected to various political and economic difficulties along with lack of opportunities for assessing different regulatory policies (Shackelford, 2014, p.3). Those who engage in cyber attacks are taking advantage of the fact that any kind of cyber security is far from foolproof. It is possible to exert attack on any secured computer network providing the attacker has the time and resources. This paper will focus on the reasons and process of cyber attacks. Human beings are today increasingly becoming dependent on the Internet with purposes as varied as basic browsing for garnering information to business and monetary transactions. This has no doubt emphasized the expanse of cyberspace and with it enhanced cyber security against potential cyber threats which has been described as â€Å"criminal acts committed using electronic communications networks and information systems or against such networks and systems† (Lagazio et al., 2014, p.59). There are typically three categories of cyber attacks. First, unauthorized intrusions which means the attacker enters another computer system by hacking techniques. Second, viruses or worms that can be transmitted through emails in order to disrupt or delete all data in another computer. Third is denial of service attacks which destroys the functionality of another computer by inundating it with communications (Howitt & Pangi, 2003, p.221). The ubiquity of the Internet has opened avenues for c riminals to execute cyber crimes and use cyber space as their criminal den. When organizations and individuals perform their personal and business activities on the Internet, they remain unaware that the same cyber space is also becoming grounds for criminals to base their cyber attacks. Although this is an indisputable fact that cyber space needs to be protected from such criminals, it is at the same time true that computer engineers have yet to fully comprehend the extent of cyber crime and its consequences. This lack

Images of globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Images of globalization - Essay Example Another example in which consumer goods have been boycotted due to cultural beliefs is McDonald’s. In Malaysia, many Muslim consumers have been calling for Malaysian citizens to boycott the restaurant due to a recent promotion intended to celebrate the Chinese New Year. One of the toys included in the promotional package was a pig, designed to offer support for the twelve different animals of the Chinese zodiac. However, in Muslim society, the pig is considered to be an abhorrence and consumption of pig meat is strictly forbidden. Muslims believed that McDonald’s was being insensitive to the customs and religious beliefs of devoted followers of the Muslim faith, even though the restaurant was not actually attempting to create any conflict with this religious group. Muslims were so outraged that McDonald’s illustrated a pig in a positive light that Muslim boycotters actually started a social media campaign in an effort to gain international support for shunning al l products being offered by the organization. This is yet another example of the images of

ITM 301 MOD 3 SLP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ITM 301 MOD 3 SLP - Essay Example In addition, tabs such as News, Analysis, Blogs, Videos, and Slideshows are also visible on the home page. Overall look and feel Its overall structure meets the standard of a professional website, and covers wide ranges of technological information. However, the exceeding priority given to advertisements undermines the genuineness of its fundamental objectives. It mainly targets people who are interested in technological innovations or people working in Technical field. It also provides useful information to business executives and other professional individuals who would purchase technical devices. Useful features of the site Obviously, the various tabs on the tope of the home page make the website more user-friendly. Similarly, the CIO provides links to social networking sites such as facebook and twitter. It assists the users to share important information through their favorite social networks. Despite their excessiveness, advertisements seen on each page of the website would aid the users to select their best option. The whole resources on the website are free to users; and evidently, the site meets its maintenance costs and other expenses from advertisers. The search option at the top-right corner of the home page enables the users to access required information by entering a key word or phrase.

Porter forces five Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Porter forces five - Essay Example However, several forces shape the competition within the business industry. Porter identifies five distinct forces that affect the competition involving industries. These involve the bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers and the threat of new entrants in to the market (Hill and Jones, 2010). In addition, the threat of substitute products as well as the rivalry between the existing competitors also forms the key factors that shape the industry. It is significant to note that new entrants may bring several changes in the market. These entrants may come up with good products that favorably compete the already existing ones. This follows that such entries always follow an up to date research. The entry of such new industries can pose major challenges to the already existing industries offering the same products (Hill and Jones, 2010). As such, the entry can lead to fluctuation in prices of goods thereby minimizing the profits made by the other industries. Such new entrants may also command a large customer base following their improved products sold at low prices, thus posing greater risks to the other rival industries. The rivalry amongst the existing competitors can also shape the business industry in many ways. Such rivalries may lead to price fluctuations (Ahlstrom and Bruton, 2010). This makes the consumers purchase goods at very low prices at the expense of the industry. In this case, the industry generally makes losses since they are forced to lower their prices to suit the current state of the market. Again, if such rivals compete on price, it presents a good opportunity for entry of new entrepreneurs in to the market, thereby flooding the market with well-researched goods (Henry, 2011). This leads to reduction in profits to such industries. The bargaining power of buyers also affects the industries in several perspectives. When the bargaining power of the buyers is very high, it means several goods will be bought at a

Case 8 Battle Of The Beers Beer Essay Example for Free

Case 8 Battle Of The Beers Beer Essay Introduction This case is about the intense battle between beer rivals in the United States, particularly between Anheuser-Busch (A-B), the world’s largest brewer, and SABMiller, the world’s second largest brewer. It discusses about how the companies used advertising in their brand positioning in order to compete with each other and increase the sales. This case starts by describing the strategies used by the both company when the battle began since the South African Breweries (SAB) purchased Miller Brewing Company in 2002. The 2 leading beer brewing companies uses different strategies to fight with each other in order to communicate how its beer differ from competition to draw in more consumers. First, Miller emphasized on the light beer, taking advantage of the health conscious trend where consumers were looking for low-carb beer by using comparative advertising campaign claiming that the Miller Lite has half the carbs than Bud Light. This prompted counteroffensives from A-B that mock Miller Lite’s low-carbs claims and challenge beer drinkers to choose on taste. To counter that, Miller then attack back by emphasizing also on the taste of the light beer. Things become worse when Miller also launched a new offensive campaign which lampooned Budweiser for its self-proclaimed title as â€Å"King of Beers† and Budweiser lashed back by labelled Miller Lite as â€Å"Queen of Carbs†. Miller filed a lawsuit against Budweiser asserting the false and misleading claims by Budweiser to Miller Light which will definitely affect the image of SABMiller. Then, Miller used blind taste tests and shifted to emphasizing taste and flavour instead of stuck with a carb positioning. In 2004, the companies used comparative advertising, where Miller launched new advertising campaign attacking Budweiser, and A-B also launched direct counterattack, and this made the battle become even more intense that others are being pulled into the fray. Television networks were refusing commercials on both sides because their unduly disparaging or appear to contain taste claims that are unsubstantiated and misleading. While Miller continue to press on the taste issue, A-B introduced a new product promoting as having no lingering aftertaste and also emphasizing the freshness of its beer. The battle between the 2 companies goes back and forth. Questions: 1. What attributes are most important in determining beer purchasing decisions? How does this vary by market segments? There are many important attributes that need to be considered in determining beer purchasing decisions. As described in the case, these includes taste, aroma, and appearance. (i) Taste/Flavour/Aroma Taste is the most important attribute in determining beer purchasing decisions as consumers buy beer for the taste. As evident in the case, Miller spent huge amounts on advertising the taste advantage they hold over Budweiser. They held blind taste tests where consumers were seen to choose Miller over Budweiser in the tests. Their success in providing good taste led to Miller recording a 2.6 % increase in sales volume in 2003 as consumers felt that Miller beers were better in taste. Aroma is extremely important to beer’s overall taste and it determines the purchase decision of a beer. The market segments that emphasize on aroma in their beer purchasing decision are mostly experienced beer drinkers. The repeat beer purchase will takes place when the taste of the beer suit the customers. Health-conscious consumers who are looking to reduce their carbohydrate intake might opt for beer which are less sugar. Consumers who give more preference to the aroma of beer might look for strong aroma beer or beer which suit his or her taste. Some market segments might prefer beer with no lingering aftertaste. (ii) Appearance The process of purchasing a beer begins with its visual appearance. Many people make hasty judgments of taste (food or beverage) based entirely on sight alone. In terms of beer appearance, what consumers looking for are colour, clarity, and head retention. Although one colour is not necessarily better than the others, and none indicates directly how the beer will taste, but many beer drinkers will just have their own preference and perception of beer colour. Also, if a beer can’t form a head, either it’s improperly carbonated or the vessel into which it’s poured is dirty. Many beer drinkers will most probably emphasize on the appearance of the beer and are obsessed with beer clarity; if the beer is not crystal clear, they would not drink it. Some markets segments might prefer darker beers like stouts whereas others might prefer lighter beers such as wheat beers. (iii) Price Many people judge or determine a product quality based on the price. This is also true for beer purchases, and is especially true for those non-experienced beer drinkers. Higher price could have one of two effects on consumer preference: it could cause the product to seem higher in quality, or it could make the product less desirable because of the extra expense. Although most of the time price may reflect the quality of the beer (higher quality, higher price, and vice versa), but this is not all the time. For those who are emphasize on the quality of the beer, they might probably prefer to buy the higher-priced beer. Higher-income beer drinkers also might choose the higher- priced beer which they perceived that the beer has higher quality. For those market segments who just drink beers for enjoyment for example peers gathering, they might just buy the cheaper beers. (iv). Brand name Brand is the most important non-sensory factors affecting consumers’ choice decisions of products. It seen as a promise, a guarantee or contract with the manufacturer and a symbolic mean and sign of quality. Beer drinkers will choose their beers based on their own beer brand preferences too. Researchers had found that ultrapremium beer was rated higher than inexpensive beer when brand names were unknown, hence shows that brand name do affect beer purchasing decision. In the market segments which earned a higher-income might prefer branded (usually higher-priced) beers. Younger generation might also choose those cheaper but well-known brand due to the exposure of the advertisements and they tend to follow the trend. 2. How would you construct a valid taste to determine beer buyers’ preferences? The methods used to construct a valid taste to determine beer buyer preferences based on different attributes would be as follows: Based on taste/flavour/aroma: Conduct blind-taste tests by providing the participants the cups of different beers to be tested which labelled A through E. Participants will be asked to taste each of the beers, and then spit out the beer into an empty glass. Between each beer taste, participants will rinse out their mouths with water to avoid cross-contamination among trials. After tasting all the beers, participants will rank order the five beers on the basis of the quality of their taste. Based on appearance: Conduct tests by providing the participants different beers with differences colour and level of clarity. For example by providing the participants different cups of beers with different colour and clarity labelled with A, B, C, D, and so forth without the acknowledge the participants what type or brand of the beers are. Differences in preferences across the samples will demonstrate whether consumers prefer one colour (eg. darker colour) than the others. The preference of beer based on the label colour, design, logo, or the shape of the packaging can be tested as well. Based on price: Conduct tests by providing the participants different selections of beer with different prices to assess whether consumers use price to disambiguate taste. For example, the beers selected varied in price, from $7. 99 per six-pack to $2. 69 per six-pack. The prices per six-pack were as follows: Brand A: $7. 99; Brand B: $5. 99; Brand C: $3. 99; Brand D: $3. 49; and Brand E: $2. 69. Participants will rank the different beers according to their own preferences and on the basis of their prior knowledge about these beers. Based on brand name: Conduct tests by providing the participants different selections of beer with different brand names. For example, different beer brands such as Anchor Steam, Samuel Adams, Budweiser, Miller Genuine Draft, and Schlitz will be provided to participants. Participants will be asked to rank the different beers according to their own preferences and on the basis of their prior knowledge about these beers. Conclusion: Consumers’ attitudes, beliefs, and feelings play important role in deciding if they are going to purchase the Anheuser-Busch or SABMiller beer brand such as Budweiser or Miller respectively. The beer marketers need to be able to identify the target markets’ shopping, purchase, spending, and consumption patterns in order to predict what consumers want from such product. Consumer intention acts as a helpful indicator to the types of marketing activities to carry so that they are able to attract the right market segment, thus leading to high profits. In conclusion, understanding consumer behaviour is significant because marketers want to attract the right consumers to purchase their brand.

Australian Standard 3.2.3 for Food Premises and Equipment Essay Example for Free

Australian Standard 3.2.3 for Food Premises and Equipment Essay In Australia, premises where restaurants, bars etc are to be established have to adhere some standards. These standards have been developed by the Australia New Zealand Food Authority [ANZFA] in collaboration and consultation with both the State and Territory health authorities, the other interested institutions, the food industry and general public. For establishing a restaurant cum bar, one has to follow the rules and regulations set out in the standard 3. 2. 3 Food Premises and Equipment. It is to be noted that new standards mirror international best practice on designing and establishing a restaurant cum bar. These standards have become mandatory with effect from February 2001 in Australia. The main objective of the standard 3. 2. 3 is mainly to make sure that the layout of the premises lessens the chances for food contamination. It is the duty of the food business to make sure that the food premises ,fittings ,fixtures , transport vehicles , equipment are designed in such a way that it is constructed to be cleaned and , wherever essential , sanitised. Further, food business must make sure that the premises are offered with the required services of waste disposal, water, ventilation, light, cleaning and personal hygiene facilities, storage space and free access to toilets. The design and construction of food premises should consist the following: ? It should be suitable for the activities for which the building or premise is employed. ? It should contain enough space for the activities to be carried out on the food premises and for the equipment, furniture and fittings employed for the food activities. ? The food premises should be kept clean and if essential , it should be sanitized; and ? It should try to avoid the following : ? Should avoid dust, dirty, smoke, fumes and other contaminants. ? Not to allow the entry of pests; and ? Not to act as breeding grounds for pests. It is to be noted that if a food business operate without licence or without an accredited food safety program, then it will be liable to fined for 1000 units wherein a penalty unit equal to Australian $ 75. The following assumptions have been made for this research essay. a) The toilet facilities comply with the relevant building and plumbing legislation and the position of the facilities is located as detailed in the plans. b) There is a common bulk waste and recyclables storage area in the on the ground floor of a multi-level shopping complex where the proposed restaurant cum bar is to be located. c) The proposed premise meets all town planning requirements and that an application is not required under the Integrated Planning Act 1997. Steps to be perused before making an application for the approval of design and plan; It should be noted that applicant should prior to undertake any commencement of work on his proposed food premises; he should first take approval from the Council’s health services. The application should include two copies of plan and design for the proposed restaurant cum bar. The plans must adhere to a scale of not less than 1:100 and must include the following:- o Particulars of the proposed layout of the restaurant cum bar exhibiting the position of all benches, equipment, appliances, fixtures and counters. o Details of specification which should list all material to be employed , finishes to floors , ceiling ,walls ,work benches ,cupboards and descriptions /details of all equipments to be employed including the model number and the manufacturer’s name wherever applicable. o Details regarding the types of food involved the specifications if work to be carried out in each area and the total number of proposed employees. o Particulars of capacity of the hot water service which includes the service rating. o Where mechanical ventilation is demanded , additional plans must be forwarded which include: †¢ A full dimensional drawing exhibiting front and end elevation. †¢ Details relating to the filter capacity, rated motor power and provision for make up air. 2. ASSESSING THE APPLICATION AND PLANS; ? It is to be noted that all construction techniques and methods are to be in compliance with the building code of Australia 2005/2006 VOL 1, and should adhere all Australian standards and council building guidelines. ? The walls should be of an approved smooth flat impervious material and finished in light coloured washable glass paint. ? Ceiling to be of an approved smooth non-absorbant imperious material and finished in light coloured glass paint. ? Floors, ceilings and walls should be free from any cracks or crevaces. ? All fittings fixed to the walls shall be sealed with an approved sealant. ? Bench tops should be 1. 2 mm s/s bonded to 18mm waterproof ply backing and painted underside with white glass enamel. ? All ducts ,pipes , electrical wirings and like fittings not concealed in walls shall be mounted on brackets with a minimum 25 millimetres clearance from walls and 150 millimetres clearance from the floor. ? If no approval for a mechanical ventilation system is given separately, then food premises should have only equipment not requiring a mechanical exhaust ventilation system which complies with AS1668. 2:1991, which is permitted within the food premises. ? The food premises should have adequate artificial or natural lighting, Light fittings shall be recessed or flush mounted and fitted with a cover or diffuser and constructed to prevent contamination of food with dust, dirt or other falling matter. ? The food premises should have coving with a minimum radius of 25 millimetres and continued up all fixtures, walls and plinths for not less than 70millimetres. The coving shall be an integral part of the floor surface. ? The food premises should have wheels or castors on all heavy equipment over 16 kilograms to permit easy movement for cleaning of the floor area ? Premises should have impervious barrier, at least 300mm in height in between the double bowl sink and hand washbasin provided within the front area. ? Food premises should be effectively offer pest proof. The following table will help to analyse the significant factors that have to be considered while assessing the application and plans in the case of a new restaurant cum bar.

Impact of Imaginary Friends on Child Development

Impact of Imaginary Friends on Child Development Introduction Childhood is a stage that is distinct and abundantly filled with cognitive, emotional and physical changes. During this period in a human life, wonder, innocence and imagination are rampant. Many skills and lessons are learned that will assist with the course the childs future will follow. This could be described as one of the most essential periods for the development of the individual they will eventually become. Some scholars have questioned whether each individual has a core self. Using some examples of the research of George Mead and John Hewitt- among others- it reveals that there are key aspects of the self that are developed by interactions within cultures and those inner communities. For some children there is a period of time where an imaginary friend is an essential part of this course of self-development. It is difficult to say if the presence of an imaginary friend is something that comes from the core self or if it arises after a certain amount of socialization. I will examine the presence of imaginary friends in younger children lives, specifically those within the preschool years. My intention is to explore the function(s) these imaginary friends might accomplish in the development of the role, identity and self within the child. DISCUSSION One concept came from work done by George Herbert Mead, who is one of the leading theorists dealing with work of symbolic interactionism and the development of the self. His work established concepts of position, play, game, and other basic theories based on relationships between the self and societal impact. Meads stages of development seem to rest entirely upon relations with others. Mead (1934) saw the self as something which ripens and results from associations with other individuals. One of his theories, the double, is signified by the establishment of the self as an entity. Some experiences can lead to the birth of a double and can be represented by imaginary friends created by the child, and which allows them to control their experiences through play. He suggested that entities are formed by human activity. The goals of those activities have two important inferences; people live in a world of objects and societal conduct is oriented to goals and purposes. (Hewitt, 2003). When one recognizes his/her self as an object, involvement in societal interaction is possible. (Mead, 1934) Another key factor in Meads theory is the development of the generalized other which-he believes- is vital in the maturity of the self. His concept of the generalized other is like a performance, a viewpoint that a person must creatively assume in order to take into account the formation of his/her own conduct which is created with principles, expectations and ideas influenced by the members of a particular societal group (Hewitt, 2003). The game and play stage must be passed through to reach full development. The play stage is identified as a period a child learns to take the identities of others and pretends about being the other. This developmental period, known as the play stage, allows the child to assume the role of another person and imagines him/herself to become that person, trying to assume and foresee what he/she imagines the other person might do.(Handel, 1988). During this stage, very important abilities are acquired; the development of role understanding, the capability to assume the status of others, the sharpened sense of one as an entity, and the ability to establish boundaries within that roleit is a phase a child will discover and expand insight of themselves and others. During this era, a child can learn and increase their understanding of their entire universe, including themselves. While the play stage usually correlates to the time frame children have imaginary companions it is essential to have a complete understanding of the next stage, the game stage. The essential difference between the play and the game stage is that in the latter the child must comprehend the attitude of all the others involved in that game (Mead, 1934). Advancement to the game stage is when children can incorporate and think about not only their accomplishments but identify with the actions of others. This awareness comes from interactions with other people. After the game stage has passed the child has arrived, optimistically, at the point they are able to have formed a generalized other and can imagine themselves as another entity, whether it be a person or society. The development of a generalized other and obtaining a sense of roles and boundaries is extremely important in becoming a successful individual within society. Children do not strictly follow the socialization that they are exposed to; asserting ones autonomy is one way of establishing their independence and separation from others. It appears that imaginary friends can help to serve this role. The exact way that an imaginary friend is manifested is unknown-however, much research has been performed on this topic but there is no argument that it is a creation belonging to and originated by the child alone. Marjorie Taylor (1999), a psychologist who has studied children and their imaginary friends, does affirm that typically, an imaginary companion is an excellent example of a private act of fantasy controlled by the child him or herself. The imaginary friend cannot be seen, interacted with or known without the aid of the child. It is a complete product and interaction that belongs solely to the child. There are also signs that even quite young children never completely loose touch with the fantasy status of their imaginary companions (Taylor, 1999). A child who has an imaginary friend is a common phenomenon and does not automatically result from psychological problems or neglect. However, it should be noted that situations, such as psychological issues and/or neglect should not be overlooked when assessing a child with an imaginary friend. Imaginary friends can serve various positive objectives in areas of the childs development. An imaginary friend could aid in creating feelings of importance, power, confidence, and could possibly lead to a greater acceptance of the self. Having an imaginary friend is one of the first independent acts separating the child from his/her mother or the childs primary caretaker. One of the endearing things about imaginary companions is that children can boss them around, direct their activities, and dictate their communication with others. There are a few case studies suggesting that if childrens sense of control over imaginary companions is diminished, the pretend friend sometimes disappears (Taylor, 1999). This interaction can assist a child to exercise his/her autonomy and develop more individual interaction skills. A second function of imaginary friends is the ability to assist the child develop stronger social boundaries. Several scholars consider the importance of imaginary friends to be a catalyst for development. Commonly, imaginary friends offer an outlet which a child can use both reality and fantasy to learn right and wrong as well as what is acceptable in the context of different roles. Machin wrote: fantasy allows children to contemplate moral and social issues at a safe distance in the land of make believe (Machin Davies, 2003). An imaginary friend could possibly be an agent between fantasy and reality and an instrument with which the child can explore their boundaries. One indicator that imaginary friends might be representative of children becoming autonomous is that they usually do share the information with their parents. Research has shown that although the parents lack of knowledge regarding their childs imaginary friend does not automatically come from the childs refusal to reveal information about their friend. An imaginary friend could possibly be a means a child uses to differentiate between fantasy and reality and an instrument with which the child can explore their boundaries. Children learn through the responses of others and that their behaviors have consequences (Handel, 1988). A childs creation of an imaginary world also offers an alternate place where children can learn about the needs, feelings, and expectations of others. Discovering about roles and societal boundaries and expectations from imaginary friends could possibly tie into the transition between Meads play and game stages, bridging the gap between the play and game stage since the child not only interacts with the imaginary friend but also exhibits its reactions and thoughts. It is complicated to identify if imaginary friends serve a positive function in a childs development of sense of self, role acquisition, and identity based on this research. Research of prior studies led to my theory that imaginary friends may serve with developing identity in children and assist the child learn societal boundaries. The growth of these characteristics in a child usually results in their ability to function well when interacting with others, allows a certain level of confidence in themselves, and provides a level of independence and/or willingness which will assist the child to implement their autonomy. Fundamentally, it appears that imaginary friends offer those that have them a chance to find structure in a non traditional fashion. According to many previous studies, approximately one third of all children between the ages of two and a half to four years of age have one or more imaginary friends and they tend to be more frequent among females. Some in the academic community, as well as, many within the general public do regard the existence of imaginary friends as a wonderful manifestation on the part of the child and will engage in dialogue and recognition of the imaginary friends. However, at the same time as there are those that acknowledge imaginary friends, there are many that do not think that the existence of an imaginary friend presents a positive influence or role in the childs development. It has been noted that the existence of an imaginary friend can actually cause tension within a family due to accommodations to involve this imaginary friend of their childs in family activities. Many parents are also cynical of the imaginary friend due to the possibility that the child may use the imaginary friend as a defense for the child to blame bad behavior upon. However, the suggestion that using the imaginary friend as an excuse is not certain. The most widespread characterization of an imaginary friend is an invisible character, named and referred to in conversation with other persons or played with directly for a period of time, having an air of reality for the child but no apparent objective basis (Taylor, 199) A greater part of imaginary friends take human form, have names, and are believed to really see, think, feel, know or act. Imaginary friends have been depicted as having a high level of importance to the children that still have them and/or to the adults that had them during childhood and these imaginary friends continue to typically complete some sort of nurturing function. Since many of these companions take on traits that are part of a childs daily interaction, one could suggest that these friends are influenced by the social world of the child and also serve to help the child develop more ways of learning how to interact. In addition, connecting with a friend, whether imaginary or not; a child is establishing their concept as an entity. This is important for social interaction and learning about human conduct, expectations and societal boundaries. Imaginary friends serve several levels of companionship functions that divert the child when out with a parent and/or caregiver, desiring play and social interactions, or situations when carrying out day-to-day routines. Some visits from the imaginary friend are very rare, while other times the appearance of the imaginary friend is a daily occurrence. Some children actually engage and play games with their friends while other children will just talk to the friend. One child (me) had their imaginary friend present during a move which correlates to the idea that an imaginary friend can be used as a means to adjust and learn about new situations. It appears these imaginary friends help those who had them- in some way- and performed some beneficial purpose. Though the capacity to evaluate this question would be incredibly difficult, it would be valuable to study where imaginary friends come from and how and why they are created. More research needs to be done with children who currently have an imaginary friend and in a way that information could then be compared and contrasted between those children with imaginary friends and those children without imaginary friends. On the other hand, while it may be ideal to explore this issue further, there are drawbacks to studying children. When interviews are being performed with children, it is uncertain that what they are answering is actually what we are asking them. Additionally, when dealing with imaginary friends and pretend play there is the added component of the childs ability to distinguish between reality and fantasy. Unfortunately, there is no way to approach this issue which would be infallible. CONCLUSION Mead was accurate when he alluded to the fact that imaginary friends play a significant role in the development of the self. There are no blatantly bad indicators that imaginary friends are harmful. Nevertheless, there still exist many negative perceptions, both in research as well as within the general public. These perceptions link imaginary friends to problems later in life, ranging from unacceptable social behavior to forms of mental illness, including psychosis. It must be noted, there are cases where this link can be found, however, these cases include indicators of other problems, mental, emotional or physical. This culture is has become overly dependant on exposure to the media. Imaginary friends are quite often used for entertainment purposes and are frequently misrepresented. Taylor contends that imaginary friends are framed in a negative light; however, not every aspect of media portrayal is negative. Overall the media-meaning movies, books, etc. tends to over-exaggerate circumstances and highlight the negative aspects. Earlier work has shown the opposite and my findings from this research indicate that imaginary friends, more likely than not, could boost childhood development, confidence levels and establish stronger boundaries. Furthermore, while performing and compiling my research on this controversial topic, I have found that more information exists to support that the existence of an imaginary friend can assist a child deal with a myriad of issues and situations that may not be successfully dealt with and/or overcome without the assistance of an imaginary friend.