Technology in Modern Life

Technology has played an important role in the modern workplace. Gone are the days of using paper and pencil to keep track of revenue, cash received, and other vital business statistics. Work that previously required human labor such as answering the phone has now been replaced with automated machines which can direct the same call at a cheaper price. Furthermore, information technology has allowed businesses to keep records on customers in order to advertise directly to them. Modern technology has improved the efficiency of the modern workplace. Computers are more savvy than ever and can perform complex tasks in far less time than humans.I was looking for more information and found it here. Due to this efficiency, business owners have reduced human labor greatly. A receptionist is no longer needed in the modern workplace. Work that needed several people to accomplish without a computer can be accomplished by a single person with one. It is this desire for maximum effiency that has s een technology play its largest role. With companies demanding more and more production for less and less cost, technology has played a crucial role in modern business. Using a computer, a company can easily plan its inventory cycle without a single employee.Computer programs can compute how much inventory is on hand and then figure out the most efficient way to disperse the inventory to customers. With the help of modern technology, an employee may only be needed to help with delivery and to enter information to the customer. A bar scanner is a great example of modern technology changing the workplace. The bar scanner can not only scan an item, but it can also update inventory. Additionally, it can alert the computer program to order more of a particular item when it becomes understocked. Due to this, the modern workplace has become far more efficient and robust.

Educational administrators Essay

A stakeholder is an individual or an entity that stand to gain or lose from the success or failure of a system or an organization. From a business perspective the stakeholder analysis theory asserts that an organization should pay greater attention to its stakeholders’ suggestions and interests in order to incorporate them in the overall decision-making process. Just like it is in the business world, school organizations (institutions) involve several stakeholders such as students, teachers, the parents’, the government, community, etc. [Gross & Godwin, 2006] Each stakeholder has got a distinct role to play for instance; students are expected to be disciplined, participate in various school activities, and to perform excellently in their academics, the teachers on the other hand are expected to live to the expectations of the professional code of conduct, and to do all what pertains instructions giving, the parents on their part are expected to collaborate with changing demands of the school and to promptly pay fees. The government is expected to offer, technical, professional, and monetary assistance to the schools, while the community is expected pay taxes that are used in the running of the school activities. Just as the stakeholders roles differ, so does their expectations. Students expect an all-inclusive school environment that is rich in quality instructional giving methods and other social amenities such entertainment, sport facilities, etc; the teachers expect to be given reasonable remuneration packages and enough working space to professionally deliver to the students; the parents expect quality education for their children that will result into good results at the end of the school life; the government expects maximum adherence to the school curriculum and the production of happy and useful school products (students) who will fit well in various sectors of the economy; on the other hand the community expects the school to produce happy and useful products who will be called upon to play various tasks in the society. [ESD, 2005-11] Irrespective of whether the school performance is excellent or on a downward trend, all the stakeholders should work together, relate, share, and communicate more often in order to maintain the good performance or impr ove on the nose-diving performance. [Gallagher, Bagin, & Moore, 2005: p. 12] For the smooth running of the school, a proper communication system must be maintained. An administrator will not accomplish any goals in the school without adequate communication. A good communication system should always allow for the receiver to respond to the communicated message. It has been noted that school administrators fail not because they want to but due to their failure to plan. However, a good communication system will not exist without a proper plan. [Holliday (1988)] For, Harris, (2004) â€Å"Good communication does not happen by accident, it is planned, †¦ However, principals with a specific communication plan are able to provide needed support that leads to effective relationship building. † (p. 19). In a school setting communication is paramount in keeping the stakeholders fully informed about well-meaning changes that affect the realization of the school core objectives and also to keep a constant track of any changes in stakeholder expectations. One such well-meaning change in a school is curriculum development. The importance of curriculum changes is seen in the sense that a curriculum is the prime plan of the course of study that provides the learner with proper learning experiences under the guidance of a school. If a curriculum is not meeting the set goals of education then its change is always imperative. Again, it can be changed in order to meet the global innovations and changes of stakeholders’ expectations. [Walkin (1982)] However, to change a curriculum all the stakeholders must be contacted and their views collected. The current curriculum being used by the high schools in our state was lastly developed ten years ago. Many people have been complaining about it, and calls for its change have been received from several stakeholders in the state. As the chief principal in my school, the task of contacting all the stakeholders in order to get their views concerning the current curriculum efficacy lies wholly in my docket. I will prepare a comprehensive report concerning curriculum matters and a questionnaire; the two documents will be sent to students, teachers, parents, the state education department officials, and some members of the School Board of Governance. The response to these messages and others from other schools will be used to push the state education department to come up with a committee that will embark on the process of reviewing the current curriculum and facilitate changes were necessary. [Gallagher, Bagin, & Moore, 2005] In order to convince the stakeholders that a change of the current curriculum is necessary I will prepare a detailed report that will describe the national goals of education, the objectives of the current curriculum relative to the national education goals, my school performance in state tests for the last five years, and the performance or the last five years of other five schools in different school districts in the state. The report will also include several articles published in some of the leading newspapers and education journals in the state calling outlining the importance of changing the current curriculum. The purpose of this compressive report will be to impart the stakeholders with the necessary knowledge that will enable them to make a decision as to whether a change is necessary or not. In accompaniment of the report will be a five-question questionnaire that will be prompting the stakeholders to sincerely state their opinions on the issue. To compile the report I will need the assistance of several people. The students from various classes, class teachers, the subject heads, head of departments, principals of other schools in different school districts in the state, local education department officers, and several curriculum experts in the state. Two sources of data will be utilized in the study i. e. the primary and the secondary data sources; the primary source will include the data that will be collected direct from the people through observations or verbal interviews while the secondary ones will comprise of stored records, newspapers, and journal articles. In order to collect reliable and valid data I will employ two qualitative methods of data collection. These methods will be verbal and over the phone interviews and scrutinizing of test results presented to me by the respective class teachers, and other written materials. [Taylor & Bogdan, 1984] These two methods will enable me to get a clear picture of subject teachers’ comments, how the students have been performing relative to the national goals of education, curriculum objectives, and the syllabus requirements, and experts’ views on the impact of the current curriculum in meeting the socio-economic, cultural, and political needs of the students and the society at large. The construction of the five-question questionnaire will be guided by the above reports conclusions. Teachers will collect their reports and the questionnaire from the staffroom while the students will be given theirs via their respective class teachers, for those other stakeholders the post office mailing service will be the obvious option. Stakeholders will be required to take three to six days to study the report fill the questionnaire and mail back the questionnaire. [Gallagher, Bagin, & Moore, 2005] The returned questionnaires will then be analyzed the overall stakeholders verdict recorded. If a clear majority shows that they are for a change – which is the most probable verdict, then another report that describes the new stakeholders’ expectations in my school will be prepared but this time not targeting all the stakeholders but the state education department office whose one of its core mandate is to constantly review the existing curriculum. The report will also be copied to the school heads of all the schools in the state through their respective school district offices, and they will also be carrying out their own change communications, their reports will also be forward to the state education department. [Gallagher, Bagin, & Moore, 2005] In order to provide a feedback to all my schools stakeholders who participated in the change-communication process, I will publish the analyzed results in the local daily newspapers, local educational journals, and even non-print media. Students will also be issued with the same reports to read and to take to their parents, and thus as much people as will be practically possible will definitely be reached through these communication methods. These will help to build a sense of trust on the school among the school stakeholders, as their true feelings will be reflected in the communicated report. Again, this will serve as a positive precedent for future communications of positive changes. [Harris, (2004)] This report will also be made the main agenda in the normal biannual stakeholder meetings, and therefore there will be still a chance to convince the skeptics on the importance of the changes and also develop a time frame, and the other important deliberations that pertains the changes. In these biannual meetings other important changes pertaining the smooth running of the school will also be discussed such as entering into agreements with local colleges and universities in order to facilitate a smooth transition from high school to college education for our school graduates. [Gallagher, Bagin, & Moore, 2005] References: Bogdan, R. C. and Taylor, S. J. (1975). Introduction to qualitative research methods: A phenomenological approach to the social sciences, Boston: Allyn & Bacon, available at; http://www. universitybusiness. com,accessed on March 10, 2009 Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), 2005-2011. UNESCO, available at; http://portal. unesco. org/education/en/ev. phpURL_ID=23304&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201. html, accessed on March 10, 2009 Gallagher, D. R. , Bagin, D. , & Moore, E. H. (2005). The school and community relations, (pp. 16-39). Boston: Pearson Allyn and Bacon, accessed on March 10, 2009 Gross, K. & Godwin, P. (2006). Education’s Many Stakeholders: Educational administrators are increasingly recognizing what business have long understood: customer satisfaction matters, accessed on March 10, 2009 Harris, S. (Ed) (2004). Bravo principal: building relationships with actions that value others. Larchmont, N. Y. : Eye on Education, accessed on March 10, 2009 Holliday, A. E. (1988). In search of and answer: What is school public relations? Journal of educational Public Relations. 11 (2), p. 12, accessed on March 10, 2009 Walkin, L. (1982). Instructional Techniques and Practice. Chetrenham: Stanley Thomes Ltd, accessed on March 10, 2009

History of Corrections in America Research Paper - 1

History of Corrections in America - Research Paper Example After this period a medical model was adopted widely from 1930s to 1960s when it was replaced by the community model which lasted till 1970s. Crime control model emerged after this with heightened level of crime and sophistication. This short overview shows that numerous changes have occurred and can be a perfect indicator that judging from the past, a great deal is still on the way. This paper will concentrate on the history of corrections in America by touching on evolution of punishment, William penny and Pennsylvania system and related models as they have unfolded with time. For quite a long time colonial America did not have state or federal prisons. This is because the first prisons emerged after the Revolutionary War. Local towns had the responsibility of constructing their own jails. These jails however incarcerated only those sentenced to hanging or other forms of executions. Many states at the time enjoyed separate laws and punishment systems but in general terms, criminal acts were punished through physical means. Some of these physical punishments were quite severe even in those days’ standards for example mutilations of body parts e.g. noses and ears (Cole & Smith, 2007). Others included branding with hot iron, flogging, banishment and hangings among others. Depriving offenders of their liberty was not a common scenario and huge emphasis laid on infliction of pain. It is after the Revolutionary War that people went back to the drawing board to develop new mechanisms of dealing with crime and punishment. At this time America had just rece ived its independence from England and liberty was the most important of all individual assets. Those in positions of governance at the time thought that depriving a person of this treasured asset was a better punishment than the traditional pain-related punishments borrowed from England. Much of Americas and to some extent the world, owe the current developed state of prisons to Philadelphia and

Giving adice to another student how well to do on test,why it is Essay

Giving adice to another student how well to do on test,why it is important it is to do well - Essay Example First of all, I advise that you study your lessons first thing, early in the morning while your mind is well rested and free from any worries. This will allow you to easily grasp information and remember them because your brain is not yet worked up. Moreover, the silence in the early morning allows your mind to work more efficiently without the disturbances or distractions noise and other things could bring. Secondly, it would be most helpful if you plan what you study starting from what is most difficult for you. Subjects you are having difficulty with requires more efforts to understand than those you usually enjoy so while your brain is still freshly rejuvenated, take the chance of devouring and understanding information which are difficult. Lastly, study your own notes because it is easier to remember things that you have written yourself. Of this demands that you take notes during lectures and that you have to listen well so you know the important information you need to jot

Lean Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Lean Management - Essay Example From the research it can be comprehended that the models and concepts which influence the pricing decisions of a firm are management accounting decisions. The pricing strategy of a firm is influenced by several factors which include the fixed and variable costs of the firm and the environmental factors which include legal analysis and competitor analysis. Some of the specific concepts in cost accounting are lean accounting, resource consumption accounting, transfer pricing etc. Manufacturers need to consider various fields like the supply chain process, the assets risk to low cost etc. while determining an appropriate costing strategy for the firm. The term Lean Management means the principles that are used for lean production. The basic idea of the concept of lean manufacturing is to reduce the wastages incurred in any form in the firm. The wastages of the firm which can be minimized through the use of Lean Management principles are the defects in production as there is no proper ut ility of the product. The overproduction factor in firms usually leads to excess finished stock, inappropriate inventory control and the efficient less production system used. The concept of Lean Management is a derivative of the Toyota Production Systems (TPS). The TPS policy reduces the time gap between the customers’ order and the delivery to the customer. The JIT system of inventory also helps in nil wastage of stocks. Resource consumption accounting is a type of principle based management accounting which provides the managers with a decision sustain system for the organization. Another concept which affects the pricing decision is transfer pricing. Transfer pricing is quite applicable in case of the manufacturing organizations. Transfer pricing helps in reducing the operating costs and also helps in lowering the effective tax cost of global operations. â€Å"Using transfer pricing economics to map all the transactions in which the new plant will participate, with suppl iers and customers as well as with related parties, reveals hidden opportunities† (Transfer Pricing in the Automotive Industry 2006, p. 3). Resource consumption accounting is another model which provides managers with adequate management accounting system in order to support pricing or costing decisions in a firm. This concept was specially developed for advanced manufacturing. The resource based cost accounting involves resources, their costs, the quantity based modeling, the cost behavior. Lean management accounting and Toyota Production System are the most suitable models which can be quickly and beneficially applied in Maniac Plc. The lean management system will be useful in taking pricing decisions of the firm. â€Å"The lean management system is structured around three necessities of lean production: strategic planning, organizational structure and human resource capabilities† (Jackson & Jones 1996, p. 18). 2) Maniac Plc practices both standard costing as well as activity based costing system. Standard costing and variance costing are both costing types which play an important role in management accounting. The standard costing system is the estimation of the costs which are necessary for the procedure of

Dynamics of Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Dynamics of Strategy - Essay Example The implementation of the same has also been discussed in alignment with the chosen strategic option. The conclusion summarises the points discussed and provides some enriching revelation. Toyota Motor Corporation, based in Japan, is one of the world’s leading automobile manufacturers. Having started in the year 1937, the company has extended its operation to include 170 countries world wide. Some of the leading brands of this company are Toyota, Lexus, Scion and a part of Daihatsu brands. TMC’s consolidated total revenue for the period 2009-2010, has increased to 18.5 trillion yen. The net earnings amount has increased to 1.25 trillion yen to 1.59 trillion yen after some revised profit activities. Toyota overtook Chrysler and Ford in global sales and outshone General Motors in the year 2008 (Hoovers, 2010). This section deals with the external environmental factors that impact the automobile industry. It is very much important to asses the environmental factors as this helps the organisation to fix its strategies in alignment with the external environmental factors. Government laws pertaining to environment and safety are significant for the operation of automobile industry. Toyota is a multinational organisation with its operations spread across the world. There can be trade barriers and fare restrictions in many countries. Such deciding political factors need to be taken care of to ensure a smooth run in the automobile industry. There are some emergent markets in India and China where the buying power of the customers have enhanced since the last few years. Companies must tap these markets to fetch the advantage. The recent financial downturn has adversely affected the consumer spending worldwide. This has put the automobile industry in difficult situation. The fuel prices have increased due to inflation as well as due to fuel squeeze in certain parts. This has in turn adversely affected the automobile sales. The

Motivation Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Motivation Plan - Research Paper Example These efforts will then set the stage for the Job enrichment program. It is hoped that these efforts will generate the targeted measures. However, beyond those figures, it is hoped that these motivation plan will bring back the confidence of the GM employees to the company and help bring General Motors back to its pre-crisis stature as one of the most admired companies in the U.S. and one of the foremost automobile manufacturer in the world. Organization: General Motors Corporation (GM) General Motors Corporation (GM) was among the biggest casualties during the â€Å"Great Recession† that rocked the entire global economy. It is the biggest automobile manufacturer in the United States and one of the highest employers of the nation. GM manufactures Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and many other brands of cars and trucks sold to over 30 countries worldwide. Last June 2009, GM filed for bankruptcy wiping out jobs and share value in drastically affecting employees and investors alike. A lso, retirees have been affected with some cuts in their health care benefits and pensions have been threatened (Isidore). Prior to the credit crunch of 2008, the historic surrender of one of the biggest and oldest companies was practically unthinkable. In fact, people have generally held the â€Å"General† in high regard. ... Need for a Motivational Plan, Benefits & Selection Process There are three important goals for employees namely equity, achievement and camaraderie. As such, employees need to feel that there is equal treatment which must apply to all the basics aspects of their job such as the compensation, the benefits accorded to them and of course the way they are treated. Also, they must feel secure about the job and this must be a general feeling within the whole organization. Likewise, employees ought to be able to take pride in what they are doing, what they have done and of course who they are doing these things for. At the same time, employees are able to be more motivated if they have a mutually beneficial working condition with their colleagues (Sirota, Mischkind, Meltzer). These have been practically decimated when General Motors Corporation (GM) succumbed to the recession. In fact, there remains an underlying uncertainty as to what the future will hold for these employees. Thus, this mo tivational plan is prepared to help improve the morale of the employees by designing a program that will help line leaders be motivated as well as their employees through a spill over effect. The motivation plan will be integrated on the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) so that it can be measured easily. This is a very important aspect to ensure that the motivational plan is followed through since having the capability to measure work affects employee behavior. Likewise, the BSC will enable the policymakers to have a quick clear view of what is going on in the organization. This is possible since the BSC not only focuses on the traditional measure of finance but considers other key perspectives as well such as the customer perspective, internal business

Juvenile Delinquency Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Juvenile Delinquency - Assignment Example These experimentations usually lead them to engaging in at least one illegal demeanor like drinking or disobeying their parents. Some minors get caught and penalized for their illegal behavior while others remain unpunished. It leaves an impression as to what delinquent behaviors are punishable and forgivable? Sadly, its legal definition does not provide a clear distinction as to who are being caught and freed for engaging in illegal behavior. Response to Question #2: Different states have different age limits that help them determine whether an offender will be subjected to a juvenile court jurisdiction or to the jurisdiction of adult court. On average, once individuals reach the age of 18, they already are considered adults and therefore get tried in an adult court jurisdiction. The main concern here, however, is that it is difficult to quantify the level of maturity and cognitive capability of a person. Indeed, an individual can be 18 years old but it does not mean that he/she alr eady has the mental capacity and maturity of an adult. Another problem with using age as the fundamental determinant of adulthood is that it generalizes the social and psychological development of all youths. It fails to look at the differences of young individuals, specifically differences in their experiences, rate of development, and learning ability. Response to Question #3: The very system of juvenile justice varies in different states hence it is a great challenge to provide a description of it that would apply nationwide. The lack of uniformity in juvenile delinquency law in different states in America makes it difficult to standardized juvenile justice practices in the country. Consider that every state has different age definition of who can be considered juveniles. In addition, each state has its own way of handling or preventing certain juvenile behaviors because of people’s differences in their social, political, and economic circumstances. In some states, for ins tance, shoplifting is already a violation of the law and therefore merits a certain punishment. On the contrary, other states which are more tolerant about their juvenile delinquency law might have a different response to a person who commits the same offense. Moreover, although the law on juvenile delinquency is already in situ, local officers within juvenile justice still have their freedom to choose how to respond on a certain juvenile behavior. Response to Question #4: Since the subject of juvenile delinquency mainly concerns about the youths’ present life and future, the public throughout time fundamentally perceives it as an important social and political problem that needs to be looked closely and addressed. Most people believe that juvenile crime incidences are rapidly increasing and, therefore, need to be taken care of in tougher ways. Although the public’s perception is almost always unsupported, they are able influence juvenile justice in one way or another. Normally, the insights of the public about juvenile crime leads to a certain change in the way local governments respond to delinquency problem. Response to Question #5: Based on the UCR information provided in the text, juvenile

Research method and statistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Research method and statistics - Essay Example The following points are needed to be elucidated: The article does not reveal the level of engagement while discussing the listening and understanding on the basis of communication. The dependent variable i.e. communication level must have been clarified by interlinking it to the independent variable in order to interpret the concepts in the variables of hypothesis. The author must have been elaborated the concept communication level in a therapy so that the readers could fully comprehend with the ideas the author intended to explore. In order to examine the article and points given in it, it comes to know that the authors have failed to allude to the relevant literature as well as any research work so that the theme could be carried more weight. Further, the relevant material would have been supportive to for any new research article and expressed the broad knowledge and deep study of the writer. It has limited the views within the structure of the thoughts of the present authors. Moreover, the article looks unable to clarify the duration of the counseling they applied in respect of hydrotherapy treatment. The timings and the duration of the therapeutic counseling must be determined for the better understanding of the readers and patients interested in adopting the therapy for the cure. What the hydrotherapy sessions include, what kind of activities they use, who takes part in these activities and also how many times per week they applied the hydrotherapy. The article lacked the details of the therapeutic process and activities involved in it, as well as methodology implemented in the treatment technique. It does not focus why and when the patients should avail themselves of the hydrotherapy for their cure. The authors lack comprehension and ignore most fundamental principles while preparing a research work. They look unable to classify the variables even. They

Final exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Final exam - Essay Example Socrates Socrates had taken a crucial role of caring for people’s souls in their life, and they had a conviction that the real persons are the souls; thus, through their arguments it is evident that a person’s soul is the center of their character (Richard and Elder, 1). Moreover, the Socrates argued that the souls is the basis through which people think, feel, set values and make decision; thus, it a significant determinant of a person’s foolishness of brilliance. One of the significant ideas that can be derived from their teachings and be applied in life is that people’s souls should be kept healthy like their bodies (Richard and Elder, 1). Furthermore, Socrates proposed that the souls can be kept healthy by not being ignorant in life. Besides, these philosophers suggested that people should take tasks in realizing their potential. Plato The teaching of this philosopher is focused on the concept of Absolute Goodness, whereby Plato portrayed high consciou sness in his profundity regarding the subject; thus, he had interest in discovering the Creator and Father of the universe, and an exploration of his operations (Wilder, 1). Nonetheless, he discovered that there was an impossibility of revealing this, but he considered justice, truth, and beauty to be element of the creator and father of the universe. On the other hand, Plato’s study has a high consideration of Good as a branch and concepts he introduced are highly applicable in people life through their soul in numerous ways (Wilder, 1). In fact, people experience them in their life, while others have been recognizing them as universal principles that are infinite and absolute (Wilder, 1). Nevertheless, they may seem to be hidden or abstract, but they are aroused, thereby enabling people to make a distinction between wrong from right. Therefore, knowledge acquired from Plato is substantial in understanding a person’s inner most being and their external world. Aristotl e Aristotle made a significant contribution to science and philosophy, and his contribution is beyond scope that can be exhibited by this paper; thus, an overview of this contribution indicate that Aristotle’s ideas has a direct association with reality and eternal forms, which are identified through reflection and purpose. He had real perception towards objects through experience; thus, a lot can be gathered from his teaching such as reality in perception towards organisms (Waggoner, 1). For instance, Aristotle offered an explanation of organisms in terms of their potential, matter, forms, and reality; in fact, he suggested that a block of marble matter determines the shape created by sculptor, just like the embryo had the ability to develop to a living plant or animal (Waggoner, 1). In addition, information acquired from the Aristotle’s teaching can be applied people to classify their way of life based in their actions and their roles. Augustine Some of the things le arnt from Augustine are the notion that people should see themselves in a little book as mirror. He

Social Psychology Essay Example for Free

Social Psychology Essay In social psychology there are many researchers who investigated and challenged different theories within including well respected psychologists including; Sheriff(1935); Jenness(1932); Asch(1951); Crutchfield(1955) and Mann(1969). The aim of the study was; guessing how many sweeties were in the jar in a competition fashion and testing if the participants conformed to their guesses. The hypothesis was people would conform under group pressures of the pre-set guesses. The null hypothesis was that people would not conform under group pressures unless due to extraneous variables. The experiment was a field experiment using the techniques of independent groups design. The experiment was dressed as a competition based on the following three conditions; high pre-set; control pre-set and low pre-set guesses. The group used random selection in three math classes with the senior pupils of three different levels (higher, intermediate one and intermediate two). The IV (independent variable) that was used was the pre-set guesses and the DV (dependent variable) was the level of conformity performed by the participants. The conclusion of the results showed that 31. 5% of the high pre-set guesses conformed (in the reign of 40+), 23. 33% of the low pre-set guesses conformed (in the reign of -30) and 43. 48% of the control pre-set guesses conformed (within the reign of 25-45). The breakdown of the analysis for instance the mean of all conditions and overall, the range of all conditions and control(appendix 13). After the group completed the experiment thought was put into how testing conformity could be continued. The ideas from the experiment could lead to testing the intelligence levels of people who conform and test is this level of intelligence has an effect on the level of conformity. Introduction Social psychology is an area in which investigations are made into the effects of behavioural differences of individuals and how they reflect on future behaviours patterns. Within social psychology there are different sub topics including the chosen topic of conformity. Social psychology studies the effect specific surroundings have on an individual. Conformity is when a person acts or reacts in an expected way or to yield to group pressures. This varies from peer pressure to pressures that the person is not actually aware of. People conform for two reasons; Normative social influence; the feeling of having to fit in; informational social influence; the feeling of always having to be correct. Jenness(1932), Asch(1951), Crutchfield(1955) and Mann(1969) all studied conformity in different ways. Sheriff(1935) also used the auto kinetic theory to test conforming in specific situations, the auto kinetic effect is a visual illusion which tests observation skills in light movement. The participants were asked individually their answers and were apportioned to a similar answer group. This is to test if the person will conform and the three will decide on an answer which is very similar. The conclusion from this is that in a situation which the participants had no confidence which the correct answer is they looked for a sense of guidance from the group to feel included. Due to the ambiguous nature of Sheriff’s research, Asch(1951) used a laboratory experiment with a group of participants. One ‘naive’ member of the group was removed and the remaining participants were shown a picture of three lines of different sizes. The group was instructed to give a specific answer (incorrect) when the second question was asked to the ‘naive’ participant. When the ‘naive’ participant returned they were shown the three lines, and a single line, they were then asked to give their answer. This was a test to confirm whether the individual would go against the wrong answer of the group under pressure. The hypothesis was that the person who was removed would feel pressure to go against their instinct and go with the majority answer. Crutchfield(1955) also used a conformity based theory of ‘the question booth pressure’ which investigated how the person conformed even though it was anonymous. 100 males were used in the study all average age of 34, their profession orientating around good obedience or leadership skills. This experiment was conducted ballot style; male participants joined into five groups in individual booths and were told to remain silent. Answers from the men showed similar wrong answers and questionability over their leadership skills in a group situation. Mann(1969) also used other valid research to vary the terms used in describing aspects of conformity including; normative conformity and compliance which includes the fear of being rejected in a group situation. Informational conformity; level of ignorance, not knowing so turning for some kind of support and receiving it by copying the group (agreement with Sheriff). Internalisation; when the person publically conforms but personally disagrees (in agreement with the auto kinetic effect). Ingratiation; is a need for some kind of reward for conforming Finally the last term used is non-conformity which is the term used for not yielding to group pressures for reasons which include; individuality and trusting their own judgement, or just going against the group’s decision to rebel. Jenness(1932) conducted an experiment with a jar of beans, participants had to correctly guess the number of beans the jar contained. Pre-recorded guesses (the IV) were written prematurely to test conformity, a base line of whether other guesses were influenced by this issue. This unknown pressure was effective as the finding came that the guesses did in fact have an effect on the other participants. This theory was seen as very useful, as the group used this same idea in their experiment. The groups aim was to test conformity when guessing how many sweeties were in the jar in a competitive fashion. For this experiment at study, the experimental hypothesis was; people will conform under group pressures of the pre-set guesses in order to feel included and correct. The null hypothesis was; people will not conform under group pressures of the pre-set guesses in order to feel included or correct unless due to extraneous variables; conforming in result of bullying, personal problems with the individual and intentional corruption of the experiment . The independent variables (IV) were the pre-set guesses made on the sheets before given to the participants. The dependant variables (DV) was the answers which should be averaged around the pre-set guesses. Method Design The experimental method used was a field design involving independent measures. This design was selected as it was felt that if a field situation was used it would help the problem of ecological validity and loosen experimental tensions. This experiment was conducted in three mathematics classrooms. One of these classrooms were of three levels; intermediate 1, intermediate 2 and higher. When the group entered the class, there were three sheets; one high pre-set, one low pre-set and one control pre-set sheet. These sheets were given to the three rows in the class (the layout of all math classes). The control technique that was used was that each sheet was strictly kept between each of the assigned rows. The independent variable was the pre-set guesses, with the conditions of the IV being high, low and control pre-set guesses. The dependent variable is the participant’s guesses. The selected group member stated the standardised instructions; which was clearly said to all classes; as soon as we entered the class. Also the mood/ general emotions of the class were noted. Experimental methods used include; the brief verbal request; which asked if the chosen pupils wanted to participate. The standardised instructions; stated consistently by one group member. The standardised instructions(appendix 13) stated that it was a competition, there was a prize, it was free of charge and anyone who did not want to take part did not have to. A list was made to make sure all group members were fully aware of their roles including sheets they were responsible for. The response sheets with the pre-set guesses were collected and put on a table (appendix 12) to be analysed.

Affirmative Action Essay Example for Free

Affirmative Action Essay Affirmative Action has remained one of the most controversial social issues of our time. Aggressive non-discrimination was the original intention, but it soon became clear that merely promising not to discriminate would have little effect on the racial bias in our society. My own opinion was first formed by my father and influenced by the conservative environment in which I lived. Since then, I have experienced a much broader view of American society. I have heard many different opinions on affirmative action from all aspects of our culture and I have changed my mind. The roots of affirmative action can be traced back to the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, where legislation redefined public and private behavior. The act states that to discriminate in private is legal, but anything regarding business or public discrimination is illegal (Affirmative 13). There are two instances when opposing affirmative action might seem the wrong thing to do. First, the nobility of the cause to help others. Second, affirmative action was a great starter for equality in the work place. The case against affirmative action ests heavily on myth and misunderstanding, and following illustrates that an absence of affirmative action in todays society will only reinforce racial injustice. Myth 1: The only way to create a color-blind society is to adopt color-blind policies. Although this statement sounds unthinkingly possible, the reality is that colorblind policies often put racial minorities at a disadvantage. For instance, color-blind seniority system tends to protect white workers against job layoffs, because senior employees are usually white (Ezorsky, 1991). Myth 2: Affirmative action has not succeeded in increasing female and minority representation. Several studies have documented important gains in racial and gender equality as a direct result of affirmative action (Bowen Bok, 1998; Murrell Jones, 1996). For example, affirmative action has helped five million minorities and six million whites and minority women to be promoted in the workplace. The effect of the affirmative action program previously documented show important gains in racial and gender equality according to, Roger Clegg of the Academic Search Premier. America is known as the land of opportunity. However, it became evident that opportunity was only available to white men. Later, laws were passed to ensure equal opportunity regardless of race, sex, and religion. These affirmative action laws were set in place by our government with the intent of correcting the social evil known as prejudice; but in doing so, they created a monster. Affirmative action has become an ineffective, outdated, and socially harmful policy that is weakening our great nation. Should Affirmative Action be mended or ended? Affirmative action is an attempt to correct unequal distribution of benefits (status, income and wealth, power and authority,) and burdens associated with ethnic and gender differences. When we become citizens of this nation, at birth or otherwise, we get a warranty. That warranty is supposed to be honored by every government franchise in every village and hamlet of this nation. It is non transferable, and it is good for the life of the vehicle. We are guaranteed the right to vote, the right to due process; the right to be free, not to be enslaved, as long as we conduct ourselves in accordance with the laws of our nation; and the right to equal treatment under the law, regardless of our race, color, sex, religion national origin. These are rights which attach to us as individuals, not as members of a group. Affirmative action has its roots in that passion for fairness. When President Lyndon Johnson explained affirmative action to the nation, it is significant that he said, You cant bring a man to the starting line who has been hobbled by chains and expect him to run the race competitively. Fairness dictated that the nation pursue affirmative action to compensate black Americans for the wrong that had been done. Affirmative action was a technique for jump-starting the process of integrating black Americans into the fabric of American society, for changing the culture of America from an exclusive society into an inclusive one. I will never abandon my faith that America can become Ronald Reagans shining city on the hill, a society in which a persons gender or race or ethnic background are irrelevant in the transactions of their government. Let us not mourn the death of affirmative action. Instead, let us proclaim our belief that the spirit of equal opportunity, which affirmative action engendered, has become a permanent fixture of Americas social, economic, and political landscape. Let us have faith in our own sense of fair play and keep affirmative action alive. Efficiency is important to the success of any machine, including economic machines. Affirmative action increases diversity, but it does so at a cost. The cost is that it promotes racism indirectly by focusing on differences. I have a better idea. The main goal behind affirmative action is to promote unity and efficiency. So the question is what is the best way to do that? One way, is to simply provide unity incentives. Instead of punishing qualified white males, we should instead provide incentives to white males to promote diversity and unity. The best way to do this is to use the tax system. Greater unity should mean lower taxes, meaning tax incentives to anyone who promotes unity. The more women you hire, the lower your taxes. The more minorities you hire, the lower your taxes. If your business is diverse according to guidelines, you should actually be able to earn money for promoting diversity and unity. Affirmative action is wrong; you should not punish qualified employees. You should instead reward shareholders, CEOs, and the corporation itself for doing what is rational, and in the best interest of the bottom line. So one replacement for affirmative action could be unity tax deductions. Another replacement for affirmative action could be unity credits, where individuals who choose to run their business or give to charities which promote unity, can actually receive credits for doing so and abolish affirmative action. That great American pastime—baseball—is a reminder of the intensity of our passion for fairness as we encourage the crowd to kill the umpire if he makes what we consider an unfair call. As we drive home at the end of the day, our hands gripping the steering wheel, our bumper kissing the one ahead, when to our right a vehicle speeds along the curb and merges ahead of us at the moment when an opening appears, our passion for fairness surfaces. The protrusion of one of our fingers signals our belief that one of the rules of fairness has been violated. In every sport I can think of—baseball, basketball, football, tennis—one is expected to play between the white lines. To do otherwise is unfair and carries a penalty. The problem with affirmative action is that it singles out a particular ethnic subsection of the lower class, while leaving many deserving people behind solely because of their heritage. Instead, this society should focus on raising the bar for all members of the lower and middle class who wish to educate themselves and better their economic, intellectual and cultural positions in life. We should do this by providing more lower class young adults of all colors and creeds with inexpensive higher education. I strongly believe that only when affirmative action is unnecessary and outmoded should we abolish it. We should not destroy our current solution without creating a newer, better one. In conclusion, affirmative action policies, as they exist right now, are ineffective, outdated, hypocritical, and harmful. On the other hand, affirmative action is the best thing since peanut butter, where all people of all race can enjoy a good sandwich. Though all of these may be argued well by both sides, this last point is indisputable. Affirmative Action, no matter how it is explained, rationalized, justified, or disguised, will still be the center of social issues in our time and the time to come.

Purchase behaviour of Malaysians

Purchase behaviour of Malaysians The previous chapter has highlighted the objective and also the importance of this study.This chapter will cover previous literature of each topic area.Literature review are known as the secondary sources obtained from published work such as journals,books,masters thesis,articles,conference proceedings and other reports.It is vital in supporting the hypotheses that will be discussed the next chapter. The changes in Malaysia have been acknowledged by its admirers and critics alike. Two decades of uninterrupted economic growth and political stability have managed to guarantee nearly-full employment and a constant rise in living standards for the population (Noor, 1996). The rise of this consumerist culture would not have been possible had it not been for the loyal support of Malaysias youth, for it is they who are both the patrons and targets of this youth-oriented consumerism (Noor, 1996).T he study conducted by Singhapakdi, et., al. (1999) compared Malaysia and the US in terms of their perceptions of marketing situations, their attitudes toward business and salespeople, and their personal moral philosophies. The survey results reveal some significant differences between the consumers from these two countries. It indicated that Malaysia is more oriented towards cultural leanings than that of the United States. Self-image, product image and their combination, self-congruity, are im portant concepts in consumer behaviour. They have been hypothesised and found to affect significantly product choice and purchase intention. Questern, Karunaratna and Goh (2000) studied two samples (Australia and Malaysia) from contrasting cultural backgrounds are compared in relation to the importance of self-congruity with respect to four brands of two products categories of contrasting involvement levels. Unexpectedly, samples from Australia and Malaysia were found to use differently actual vs ideal self-image in their product evaluation. This confirms overall the role of self-congruence in consumers choice and points to the need for further investigation of this concept in a cross-cultural context.   2.2 Independent Variable 2.2.1 Purchasing Behavior Determining the definite reasons that influence consumers and their purchasing attitudes that directly linked to consumer decision making has become a significant focus of consumer research. Thus, a large number of studies have examined how individual consumers learn what to purchase (Keillor et al., 1996; Moschis and Churchill, 1978; Ward, 1974). According to Sproles and Kendall (1986, Pg. 268), a consumers decision making style is a mental orientation characterising a consumers approach to making choices. To conceptualize these styles a model which composed of eight mental orientations of consumers decision making behaviour was established by Sproles and Kendall (1986). The 8 characteristics are: Perfectionism/Quality conscious decision style that is concerned Shoppers with this decision making style will not settle with products grade as good with perfection. enough Brand conscious decision style that is concerned with getting luxurious, renowned brand. Consumers with this style believe that the higher the price of a goods, the better the quality. These consumers also aware of a brand as a distinct product separate from others as it is related to image and perception Novelty fashion conscious decision style for seeking out new things. The behaviour reflects a taste of innovative products and a motivation to keep up to date with new styles and fashion trends. Habitual and Brand Loyalty Decision style for shopping at the same stores and tendency to buy the same brands each time. Recreational shopping conscious decision style that view shopping as being enjoyable. Buyers with this trait enjoy the stimulation of looking for and choosing products. Price and value conscious decision style that is concerned with getting lower price. It also suggests that the consumer is conscious of sale prices and intends to get the best value for their money. Impulsive and careless tendencies decision style that describes a shopper who does not plan their shopping and appears unconcerned with how much he or she spends. Consumers with this style might regret their decision later. Confused by over choice decision style that reflects a lack of confidence and lack of ability to deal with the number of choices available. Consumers with this trait experience information overload. The eight features describe the most basic mental characteristics of a consumers decision making, which are directly associated to consumer purchase behaviour. Such knowledge is also essential in identifying segments of consumers sharing similar attitudes to shopping (Lyonksi et al., 1996). Besides the eight-factor consumer decision-making orientation model, work by Sproles (1985) and Sproles and Kendall (1986) developed the Consumer Style Inventory (CSI) which is used to evaluate consumer decision-making styles on the basis of a sample of United States (U.S.) teenagers. This method has been applied to different societies in eight different countries, including the U.S. (Sproles, 1985, Sproles and Kendall, 1986, Lysonski et al., 1996), New Zealand (Durvasula et al., 1993, Lysonski et al., 1996), United Kingdom(Mitchell and Bates, 1998), South Korea (Hafstorm et al., 1992), Greece, India (Lysonski et al., 1996), Germany (Walsh et al., 2001) and China (Fan and Xiao, 1998, Hui et al., 1 999, Hui et al., 2000). By using 210 university student samples in New Zealand, there were eight characteristics, same as Sproles (1986) findings, identified in Durvasulas (1993) research. However, in Lysonskis (1996) New Zealand study the factor of price and value consciousness was not found. The three consumer decision-making orientations; brand consciousness, novelty-fashion consciousness and habitual and brand loyalty are commonly found in two developed countries (USA and New Zealand) and two developing countries (Greece and India), identified by Lysonski (1996). The influences of the market environment, in particular the economic environment and market structure on consumer decision-making styles were suggested in the study. Walsh (2001) and Mitchell (1998) and had also applied the CSI in his study in the German and UK consumers respectively. Out of these eight styles, only six were identified in the study for Germans which are brand consciousness, perfectionism, recreational shopping conscious, confused by over choice, careless and impulsive and novelty-fashion consciousness. In addition to these, variety seeking was new style that found in Walshs (2001) Germany study. Besides to Sproless (1986) eight styles structure, Mitchell (1998) suggested that two others styles which are time-energy conserving and store loyal consumers were identified with UK consumers. The CSI has also been administered to the consumers of South Korea and China, in addition to the studies conducted in the western countries. However, varied results were shown in Fans (1998) and Huis (1999 2000) studies on Chinas consumers and only five styles were found in South Korea. Furthermore, as results of various researches relating to consumer behavior; an explanation of diverse purchasing behavior models is extended. The EKB model; a relatively clear, inclusive, and organized theory model concerning consumer behavior by three scholars, Engel, Kollat and Blackwell (EKB), was first presented in 1968. The model assumes that a consumers decision processing is a consecutive processing which leads to solving problems, and which features considering decision processing as the center of merging relations of relevant outside and inside elements. The EKB model has three advantages (Yang, 2001), which consist of: It is process oriented: The EKB model has rather relevant variables, which are collected with signs, are easier for researchers to confirm the relationship of variables, and also benefit hypothesis development and research result interpretation. Thoroughness/attention to detail: The EKB model contains rather complete variables, which are capable of explaining entire processing of consumer behavior. The dynamic feature: The EKB model combines many scholars and experts opinions towards consumer behavior and performs many revisions; therefore, is considered as a fairly thorough consumer behavior model. The EKB model contains four major parts, which include: information involvement; information processing; decision processing; and variables of decision processing. Consequently, based on the EKB concept; Engel et al. (1993) report that, the center concept of the model indicates consumer purchase decision processing, which is also problem-solving processing to consumer decision processing, consist of five stages. The five stages are: demand confirmation, search for information, and evaluation of alternatives, purchasing, and purchasing result. Basically, researches on consumer decision-making issues were mainly focused on the decision-making process. However, consumers may sometimes usually rely on simple approach, rather than going through a series of steps or processes rationally when they made purchase decisions, argues Bettman (1979). Consumer may simply emphasize or evaluate some typical dimensions or characteristics that are obvious and being conscious of (Sproles, 1985). In this regard, Sproles and Kendall (1986) pioneered to examine consumer decision-making processes by profiling consumers into diverse decision-making styles. In Wickliffes (1998) study, such styles have recently been found to be highly correlated with some product characteristics, for example; price, country of origin and brand. A consumer behavior model, Wheel of Consumer Analysis, was created by J. Paul Peter and Jerry C. Olson (1994) as a basis for explaining car buying behavior. According to the American Marketing Association, consumer behavior is defined as the dynamic interaction of affect and cognition, behavior, and environmental events by which human beings conduct the exchange aspects of their lives. (Olson Peter, 1994). Marketers can analyze am consumer behavior situation according to the three elements using the Wheel of Consumer Analysis the environment, behavior, and affect/cognition (see Figure 1). However, because these three factors interact and influence each other, no one factor can be isolated from the other. To understand consumer behavior, marketers must pay close attention to all three elements, each of which is discussed below Affect and Cognition Both affect and cognition are important for understanding consumer behavior, because affect and cognition refer to the internal and psychological reactions that consumers may have in response to objects in the external environment i.e., marketing stimuli, or to their own behavior. In other words, affect concerns feelings, while cognition involves thinking. Affective feelings can be positive and favorable, or negative and unfavorable. Whether positive or negative, they will affect the decisions of consumers. The Chinese consumer presents a good example of this. When Chinese consumers go to car dealers to purchase a car, their emphasis is on the services, including the attitude of sales people and option packages. An important factor for the Chinese is that dealers are sincere when conducting business rather than focusing solely on the price. Many international companies have experience when dealing with the Chinese and they understand that the Chinese like to negotiate, especially on price and service. Behavior The second important component is behavior or the overt acts of consumers. While affect and cognition are concerned with what customers feel and think, behavior deals with what customers actually do. Examples of consumer behavior include watching a TV commercial, visiting a store, or purchasing a product. Chinese consumers typically pay more attention to the informational content than entertainment features of the advertisements. One study found that Chinese customers considered themselves to be sophisticated and knowledgeable in their purchasing choices. (Shen Zhao, 1995) Environment The last component of consumer behavior concerns the environment. The environment refers to all the physical and social characteristics of the consumers external worlds on both a macro and a micro level. Marketers need to know which level of environmental analysis is relevant for the marketing problem and choose or design strategies appropriately. The macro environment includes general environmental factors such as, the climate, demographics, economic conditions, and political system. The micro-environment includes face-to-face social interactions among smaller groups of people such as families and reference groups. (Olson Peter, 1994) Both environments could include the objects, places, or other people who influence consumers affect/ recognition, and behavior. In the Chinese society, friends are good reference providers, particularly in the case of large, durable goods purchases.While the environment in which marketers operate is largely uncontrollable, marketers can influence cert ain aspects of the environment. Therefore, every marketing strategy needs to change or at least adapt to some aspect of the social and physical environments. While attempting to influence consumers affect/cognition and their behaviors, marketing strategies must often be altered to fit the social and physical environments such as, designing cars without ashtrays, reflecting shifting social patterns of reduced smoking 2.2 Literature of Variable 2.2.1 Price Prices range widely and an executive sedan may cost more than ten times the price of a small car (White,2004, 2006). Various studies have applied hedonic price modeling to show that price variation among new cars can be explained by differences in key product characteristics such as horsepower,engine capacity, speed, and safety features (e.g. Couton et al.,1996; Andersson, 2005; Reis and Santos Silva, 2006)Price is probably the most important consideration for the average consumer according to Cadogan and Foster (2000). Price plays an important role in affecting consumers decision towards purchasing a product.The effect of price has been studied extensively for many years. Consumers view price as an important element when purchasing and it has a large influence on consumers satisfaction judgments (Hermann, Xia, Monroe Huber, 2007). Price is an important factor of customer satisfaction since whenever consumers the value of an acquired product or service, they usually always think price (Zeithaml, 1998). Price is more likely used by consumers as a cue in forming product expectations when they are faced with performance or quality uncertainty (Urbany, 1997). Customers who view a firms pricing practices as unfair, are most likely to respond negatively. These include immediate attitudinal and affective responses such as dissatisfaction and lower purchase intentions (Oliver Swan, 1989). Consumers have the perception of high price giving high quality products and a number of academic works have shown that low prices are associated with low quality (Huang, 2004). According to the range theory, people use the range of remembered price experiences to set lower and upper bounds on price expectations, such that the attractiveness of a market price is a function of its position within this range (Janiszewski and Lichtenstein, 1999).Consumer have a strong belief in the price and value of their brands so much that they would compare and evaluate prices with alternative brands(Evans et al.,1996;Keller,2003). According to Helegeson and Beatty, (1985),consumers rely on various information cues or product attributes in their decisionmaking including price. The general consensus in research is that price is one of the most important reasons in purchasing decision factor. According to Bucklin et al. (1998), price significantly influences consumer choice and incidence of purchase. He emphasized that discount pricing makes households switch brands and buy products earlier than needed. Price is described as the quantity of payment or compensation for something. It indicates price as an exchange ratio between goods that pay for each other. Price also communicates to the market the companys intended value positioning of its product or brand. Price consciousness is defined as finding the best value, buying at sale prices or the lowest price choice (Sproles and Kendall, 1986). Additionally, consumers generally evaluated market price against an internal reference price, before they decide on the attractiveness of the retail price. 2.2.2 Brand According to Bhimrao M. Ghodeswar (2008), brand is defined as a distinguishing name or symbol such as logo, trademark, or package design that intended to identify the goods or services of either one seller or a group of sellers, and to differentiate those goods or services from those of competitors.Consumer brand-knowledge can be defined in terms of the personal meaning about a brand stored in consumer memory, that is, all descriptive and evaluative brand-related information(Keller 2003). A brand act as signals to the customer the source of the product, and protects both the customer and the producer from competitors who would attempt to provide products that appear to be identical (Aaker, 1991). Brands provide the basis upon which consumers can identify and bond with a product or service or a group of products or services (Weilbacher, 1995)Consumer decisions about brand choices follow a certain sequence (Bettman, 1979).A brand can be defined as the total accumulation of all his/her experiences, and is built at all points of contact with the customer from the customers point of view (Kapferer, 2004)The way consumers perceive brand is a key determinant of long-term business-consumer relationship (Fournier, 1998). Consumer attitude towards a brand is an extension of the psychological assessment of the brand in terms of favoritism and is about positive or negative predisposition held towards a product (Churchill Iacobucci, 2005).The way consumers perceive brand is a key determinant of long-term business-consumer relationship (Fournier, 1998).Consumers have been found to be more willing to pay extra for a symbolic brand or a brand with symbolic value (Wu Shing, 2006). Mithall (1989) establishes that when it comes to purchasing, customers care about brands, perception on brand differences, importance of brand choice and feeling concerned about brand decision. As consumers become more familiar with a brand, their knowledge structure about the brand changes so and their uncertainty about the brand decreases. Brands have been perceived as providing a greater security and a higher level of performance while eliminating alternatives by providing a better overall customization of perceived preference s (Jiang, 2004). Gardner Levy (2005) found that consumers were not just looking for product functionality, but also brand status or the symbolic meaning or property of the brand. Brand status depends largely on the consumers perception of the brands association with symbolism and prestige (Baht Reddy, 1998). The modern day consumer has also started to build emotional bonds with brands, becoming friends with them and are even said to be seduced to look like, eat like and be alike (Klein, 2000). Famous brand names can disseminate product benefits and lead to higher recall of advertised benefits than non-famous brand names (Keller, 2003). There are many unfamiliar brand names and alternatives available in the market place. Consumers may prefer to trust major famous brand names. These prestigious brand names and their images attract consumers to purchase the brand and bring about repeat purchasing behaviour and reduce price related switching behaviours (Cadogan and Foster, 2000). Furthermore, brand personality provides links to the brands emotional and self-expressive benefits for differentiation. This is important for brands which have only minor physical differences and are consumed in a social setting where the brand can create a visible image about the consumer itself. Consumers are usually able to evaluate each of International Journal of Economics and Management the products and brand name attributes (Keller, 2003). It is noteworthy that this information is essential for marketing managers to make informed decisions concerning product positioning, repositioning and differential advantages. According to Kohli and Thakor (1997), brand name is the creation of an image or the development of a brand identity and is an expensive and time consuming process. The development of a brand name is an essential part of the process since the name is the basis of a brands image. Brand name is important for the firm to attract customers to purchase the product and influence repeat purchasing behaviour. Consumers tend to perceive the products from an overall perspective, associating with the brand name all the attributes and satisfaction experienced by the purchase and use of the product. 2.2.3 Appearance Appearance is defined by HunterLab(2008) as a combination of its chromatic attributes(color) and geometric attributes(shape,texture,shinines,haze and translucency)and both types of these attributes should be measured and accounted for when making visual or instrumental assessments appearance.Appearance is the foremost and most impressive product message because when customers have a choice and all other factors are equal,they buy what looks best(HunterLab 2008).Also according to HunterLab,buyers will expect uniformity of appearance within any group of the same product and when customers see a difference between them on display,they will associated the difference with poor quality. Product design has been recognized as an opportunity for differential advantage in the market place and the appearance of a product influences consumer product choice in several ways(Marielle and Jan,2005).The appearance of the product influences consumer perception of aspects such as ease of operation, weight, and stability, which affect the perceived ease of use of a product(Marielle and Jan,2005). Consumers may use product appearance for categorization (Bloch, 1995; Veryzer, 1995). According toYamamoto and Lambert(1994) , even for industrial products, appearance has an influence on product preference. A products appearance communicates messages(Murdoch and Flurscheim, 1983), as it may look cheerful, boring, friendly, expensive, rude, or childish. Furthermore, the product or package appearance can reinforce the image of a brand, as the identity of a brand is expressed visually in the appearance of products (Schmitt and Simonson, 1997). The aesthetic value of a product pertains to the pleasure derived from seeing the product, without consideration of utility (Holbrook, 1980). Car manufacturers often try to keep different car models recognizable as belonging to the same brand. The distinctive radiator grill of BMW automobiles is an example of a recognizable design element. The linking of brand meaning to elements of the product appearance will be easier when the associations these elements engender by themselves because they are innate or are determined by culture correspond to the desired brand image.Color preferences differ between cultures and in time (Whitfieldand Wiltshire, 1983). Garber (1995) defined visual typicality as the look or appearance that most consumers would associatewith a product category, and by which they identify brands that belong to the category. For example, use of bright colors and a large size, which is associated with aggression (Murdoch and Flurscheim, 1983), will make it easier to position a car brand as aggressive. In addition, personal factors, such as design acumen, prior experience, and personality influence the design taste of consumers (Bloch, 1995) 2.2.4 Safety According to BBC Science article, moving cars have kinetic energy and energy cannot be created or destroyed.When the car brakes this energy will transfer to the surroundings and this happen during the car collisions.The safety feature were design to absorb this kind of energy at the same time avoiding serious injury.The typical features were seat belts, air bags and crumple zones.The modern safety features in new automobiles including Anti-lock braking system(ABS),traction control,safety cage,electric windows,cruise control,paddle shift controls and adjustable seats. In 2003,The Dohring Company which is the North Americas largest provider of custom market research has conducted a random survey of 7.995 American drivers intending to purchase a new vehicle in the near future.The result of this survey stated that 83% of the participants reported that vehicle safety would be an important or very important consideration when purchasing their next vehicle(The Dohring Company,2003).Based on the Safety Advisory Committe I(SARAC I 2001) reviewed on incidential consumer survey in Europe,United States and Australia,safety had become an important attribute when purchasing a new vehicle (Zeidler,Kullgren,Fildres,Morris ONeill,2001) . According to the research of SARAC II(2005),one of the main aims of the research was to determine how important the vehicle safety in new vehicle purchase process in Sweden and Spain.The research finding indicate that while vehicle safety has become increasingly important to new consumer ,it is not the primary consideration in the vehicles purchase decision.However when the participant were ask to rate and select the importance vehicles factors from the list,most participant select the vehicle safety as the most important factor. In similar case when the participant of this research were ask to select the vehicles features,most of the participant selected the safety related features for example air bag and advanced braking system.Overall,the participants from both countries were most likely select safety related factor and safety related features from the list of factors and features as their highest priorities in the new vehicles process.The Swedish new private vehicle consumer significantly more concern in vehicles safety features compare to the Spanish new private vehicles consumer. According to the Roy Morgan Research Centre (MUARC,1992) on the consumers willingness to pay for vehicle safety features,consumers who purchased more expensive vehicles tended to be more willing to pay for the safety packages and however the author noted that the willingness to pay was still quite high for consumers who purchased vehicles from the lowest price range.In the summary most private vehicle purchasers would willing to pay the best estimate retail price or more for both the airbag and non airbag package.The factor were influence by age,gender,parents,household income,size of car and cost of the vehicle. According to European Road Safety Observatory, the design of the vehicle are the most important and basic critirea to a safe traffic system that requires safe interaction between users, vehicles and the road environment. Vehicle design, which takes account of the behavioural and physical limitations of road users, can address a range of risk factors and help to reduce exposure to risk, crash involvement and crash injury severity.Up untill now, vehicle engineering for improved safety has usually been directed towards modifying and designing a vehicle in order to help the driver avoid a crash, or to protect the passenger inside the vehicle during a crash.Recently, attention in  Europe  has been given to crash protective design for those outside the vehicle Key system risk factors Human Vehicles and equipments Road Exposure traffic system use too early access to driving or riding a motor vehicle availability of high performance motor vehicles poor land-use planning, user mix Pre-crash crash occurrence speeding, impairment poor lighting, braking, handling, speed management poor road design or layout, absence of speed limits and pedestrian facilities Crash injury during the crash non-use of restraints or helmets poor crash protective design absence of forgiving roadside (e.g. crash barriers) Post-crash post crash injury poor access to care poor evacuation absence of rescue facility European Road Safety Observation on the vehicle design contribution Based on Broughton, J. et al. (2000) research on a review of the effectiveness of casualty reduction measures in the  United Kingdom  between 1980 and 1996.The Author found that the greatest contribution to casualty reduction was secondary safety or crash protection in vehicles. This accounted for around 15% of the reduction, compared with 11% for drink-drive measures and 6.5% for road safety engineering measures.

If These Walls Could Talk: The Evolution of Abortion Essay -- Abortion

If These Walls Could Talk: The Evolution of Abortion In the year 2001, women can receive legal abortions. That was not the case just a small time ago. Imagine candle light vigils, signs that state â€Å"PRO LIFE IS A WAR TO THE END† and religious fanatics preaching the words â€Å"You Must Repent†. These are the things women must endure to this day just to enter the doors of a women’s clinic. Regardless of a routine Pap smear or a termination the lingering words of a protestor can be heard just to enter a clinic. The movie â€Å"If These Walls Could Talk† takes you through three different time periods, the 50’s, 70’s and the 90’s, and each time period deals with a story of a woman and her dilemma in dealing with abortion. Whether it is legal or not in that time, one idea stays the same. Equality Now, it is our choice as women. The time is 1952; Clare Donnelly (played by Demi Moore) is a widow who is dealing with a pregnancy. The problem that exists is that the father of her child is her deceased husband’s brother. Six months after his death a one-night occurrence happened between them. She was intoxicated, lonely, and severely depressed. They never again spoke of it after that one time. When she comes home from work she shuts all the drapes and sits in the dark drinking. She wants badly to terminate the pregnancy. At work she inquires with a doctor about receiving an abortion. His direct response is of shame. He resents her for even asking him. She is desperate and pleas for his help. His response is, â€Å"you put yourself in this situation†. In extreme desperation she returns home that night and takes an abundance of migraine pills. It only results were vomiting. Her second attempt was approaching a co-worker. Th... ... very controversial topic out into view. Viewers can see just how abortion has evolved through the decades and may change many people’s minds about how they think of abortion. Seeing the desperation on the faces of the women in the three different years never changes. All three are left with only a few choices that they must make on their own, where none of the choices are very appealing, and decide on something that they will have to live with for the rest of their lives. No matter what year it is though, each woman has been left to deal with being pregnant and what to do about it on her own. That is something to think about. This movie achieves a good rating, and is recommended for people who want to see what abortion is about from the view of a victim, someone left to deal with it on her own and make a decision that will follow her for the rest of her life.

Germany: The New Battle :: European Europe History

Germany: The New Battle Thesis: This paper will argue that Germany needs to secure itself as both the economic and political hegemon of Europe inside of the European Union; until its present condition and effectiveness in the global politics changes, instability in the European Union, as well as, basic fear of will always be present. I. Introduction II. Historical Perspective-The two negative factors A. Fear - twice in one century 1) Bismarck/Frederick II 2) Hitler B. Foolishness 1) WWI 2) WWII III. Reunification - The Key A. Economic realities 1) E. Germany's status 2) Infrastructure B. The significance of one Germany 1) Future 2) Politics IV. European Union-The means to and end A. European "check and balance system" 1) Hope for the future 2) Provisions for success B. The answer to a disturbing question 1) Can Germany be strong and peaceful? 2) France and England V. Conclusion The formation of a state can be both a beautiful and terrifying event . As a national you now have a home and place to live with people of a common culture and heritage, an identity. If you are a founder of the new state, there would be a sense of accomplishment of having achieved the fulfillment of a lifetime goal. Other states which deemed this new state as legitimate and recognized it as a self-determined equal, have created a potential ally or enemy. The downside, the premature recognition and the actual struggle for that status, usually entails conflict, loss of life, revolution and even war. A state was formed and recognized in 1871 in the center of Europe. This event has had an enormous impact since its inception. It has been both the salvation of Europe through economic depressions and hard times, as well as, the cause for two world wars and the near decimation of Europe. Its people have been back and forth between rags and riches, democracy and dictatorships, united, broken and then reunited. This state is known as Germany. Modern Germany has been reunified after almost 50 years of separation during the cold war. Once again German power and influence is on the rise. The world watches because Germany has not been able to successfully retain both total sovereignty over its territory and be an economic world power, for a substantial period of time; without plunging the world into an unavoidable conflict. The question of Germany and its position in world politics is one which has plagued statesmen since Germany's formation.