The Social and Political Thought of Martin Luther King Essay

The Social and Political Thought of Martin Luther King - Essay Example It was the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a year-long protest in Montgomery, Alabama, that inflamed the American Civil Rights Movement and catapulted King to national fame. In December 1955, 42,000 black residents of Montgomery began a year-long boycott of city buses (Montgomery Bus Boycott)1 to protest racially segregated seating. The Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) was formed and King was elected as its president. That evening King inspired the audience with his words: "There comes a time when people get tired of being trampled over by the iron feet of oppression." With this speech, King was able to ignite the African-Americans' collective outrage into a grassroots movement that would sustain the boycott. King's nonviolent resistance was the mission statement that captained the cause of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, even in the face of violent opposition from the police and the whites. Even though the boycott was challenged throughout by violent protests, King did not let people forget that Christian principles were the base of the protest. He urged the black protestors when faced with violence, to "turn the other cheek". This set the tone for all of King's subsequent campaigns. The protest propelled the Civil Rights Movement into national consciousness and Martin Luther King Jr. into the public eye. In the words of King: "We have gained a new sense of dignity and destiny. We have discovered a new and powerful weapon-nonviolent resistance." After 381 days of intense struggle, African Americans eventually won their fight to desegregate seating on public buses, not only in Montgomery, but throughout the United States. With the success of the Montgomery bus boycott, King had begun his journey along the road of civil rights, whose ultimate destination was the realization of human rights, not only for the blacks but to all the underprivileged of America. Thomas F.Jackson begins his book, "From Civil Rights to Human Rights" by stating "Over the course of his public ministry, between the Montgomery bus boycott of 1956 and the Memphis sanitation workers' Strike of 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr., wove together African American dreams of freedom with global dreams of political and economic equality. King opposed racism, imperialism, poverty, and political disfranchisement in increasingly radical terms. Often he referred to the American civil rights movement as simply one expression of an international human rights revolution that demanded economic rights to work, income, housing, and security." Jackson argues that King's ideas and his socio-political thoughts did not undergo a sudden change towards economic justice in the final few years of his life but had begun taking root even in the initial years of his involvement in the civil rights movement. The fact that the theme of economic justice was central to King's thoughts throughout his career is evident from the way King attacked the unequal distribution of American wealth twice before the NAACP2.He even pointed out to a January MIA mass meeting

Consumer Attitudes and Purchase Intentions in Relation to Organic Foods Essay Example for Free

Consumer Attitudes and Purchase Intentions in Relation to Organic Foods Essay Abstract The aim of this study is to find out the three (3) significant variables forming the positive attitude towards the buying the organic food in Peninsula Malaysia, which eventually lead to the ultimate intention in buying the organically-produced food. The different variables are focused on demographic characteristics on household income, product attributes and lastly the perceived value to the customers. This study shows that the household income is seemingly appeared to be an important predictor among the targeted segmentation in consuming organic food. Organic food attributes such as pricing, availability and environmentally friendliness of such organic food may influence consumer buying decision. Lastly, the perceived value from the customers towards organic food on its health effects, sensory appeal, nutrition-worth and belief of perceived benefits, often play an important role in cultivating the intention towards buying organic food. Introduction and Background of the Study Over the last two decades, there has been a remarkable increase in demand for organic-produced food or products. Organic food is often seen and marketed as health-conscious food which contains fewer contaminants, more nutrients and most importantly having a positive effect on the environment. It is known that some of these attributes are difficult to quantify, with the contrary that some of researcher has proved that they may cause such potential harm during the organic production. The organic market back in 80’s, while remaining a niche sector, has grown to be able to grab a share from the total spending on food in some countries in the recent years. Organic fruit and vegetables are amongst the products which have been expanding in the rapid production. The demand for organically-produced meat and dairy products has undergone the same rapid progress, with a corresponding increase in the need for organically grown forage and feed crops. This has led to a fast growth in consumer demand whereby the organic food sales have managed to gain a significant market share in the conventional food industry. The market for organically produced crops and commodities has become more structured, looking at the increased number of countries which have adopted uniform standards for organic food production. The standardization has also applied in the organic certification and labelling. While both the production and the marketing of the organic cultivation of temperate crops have developed, there is a trend to be seen whereby the developing country’s farmers are actively involved in the organic farming. Problem Statement and Importance of the Research Organic agriculture industry, no doubt, has offers most of the developing countries a wide range of economic, environment, social and cultural benefits. Certifies organic products have now been growing fast and in the mist of entering the global market. Malaysia, on the other hand, is still in the starting spark-point in adapting the organic-food consumption while the developed countries such as North America and Europe have already gained the biggest market share in this newest industry. Due to expanding markets and attractive price premiums, Malaysia should invent and invest in organically-produced food, taking into consideration of various significant variables which may form the consumer behaviour towards organic food. We would like to highlight that the ultimate goal of this study is to understand consumer’s motivations behind organic food products purchases in order to enable organic producers to develop a more effective strategic marketing plan. The results could be used for the marketing planning of organic food products to enable proper marketing strategies, a proper sales channel and promotion to be targeted to these groups of consumers. Research Questions The present study aims to answer the following questions: †¢ What are demographic characteristics of organic food buyers? †¢ How do demographic characteristics affect consumer attitudes towards organic foods? †¢ How product attributes effect consumer attitudes towards organic foods? †¢ How consumer perceived values influence consumer attitudes towards organic foods? †¢ What is the relationship between consumers’ attitudes towards organic foods and their intentions to purchase? †¢ How can results of the study be applied by managers and marketers? Research Objectives. Regarding to the significance of the growing market of organic foods in the world, and to the previous studies on consumer attitudes towards organic foods and its effects on purchase intentions in several countries (e. g. Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States and Denmark) we intend to carry out such similar studies in Peninsula Malaysia with objectives as the following: †¢ To report the descriptive analysis on the organic buyers’ demographic characteristics †¢ To identify the effects of demographic characteristics (specifically level of households income) on consumer attitudes towards organic foods. †¢ To determine effects of product attributes on consumer attitudes towards organic foods †¢ To investigate the relation of consumer perceived values to consumer attitudes towards organic foods †¢ To determine the relationship between consumers’ attitudes towards organic foods and their intentions to purchase †¢ To clarify implications for managers and marketers Literature Review Demographics Based on findings from previous research, demographic characteristics were evaluated as one of the major predictors in gaining intention to purchase the organic food in Peninsula Malaysia. According to Robinson R. and Smith C. (2002), the demographic of consumers consist of various characteristics namely the gender, age, household income and education level. Each element has been contributed in forming the valued attitudes towards buying the organic products. Hence, the demographic characteristics, especially on household income is seemingly significant and being the focus in this research. This will eventually lead to the desired intention in buying such products for daily consumption. Level of Household Income. Whilst referring to the studies done in the US, it is seemingly apparent that the demographic variables which herby refer as the income distribution, is significant predictors (Bartels Reinders, 2009). The research on this particular subject has proven that income positively influenced buying behaviour which in turn may cause the perceived buying behaviour towards the organic food. A same result has shown in Germany as well (Bartels Reinders, 2009). In Germany, demographic variables such as household income distribution have played an important role in developing significant effect on organic buying behaviour. However, the overall inevitability of the demographic characteristics was relatively different, taking into consideration of research carried in various Western countries. These findings verify the results of earlier studies by Clark Goldsmith (2006) and Im et al. (2003) proven that the intellectual practice on using the demographic characteristics such as household income distribution and domain specific innovativeness will be seen as strategic tools for market segmentation. In the Western countries, research has identified that the demand and willingness in expenditure on organic goods often affiliated closely with various socioeconomic and demographic variables (Wier et al. , 2008). In addition, Menghi (1997) found that the majority households with middle and higher income levels showed a greater tendency in purchase and consuming organic foods. However, it is shown that almost all of these studies are based upon hypothesized future behaviour rather than observed behaviour in both Denmark and UK. Hence, studies have been carried out by researchers to further invent on the influences of demographic characteristics especially in household income in guiding the intention of buying the organic goods. Through the research it is revealed that higher disposable household income (approximated by total food expenditure) will lead to higher positive intention in purchasing the organic food. Consumers with a lower household income alongside with lower level of education are found to be least likely to have heard of organic agriculture (Roitner-Schobesberger et al. , 2008). On a contrary, those who have a higher income and hold an academic degree are more likely to be the target segmentation in purchasing organic products (Roitner-Schobesberger et al. , 2008). It is also mentioned that the correlation between the household income level is very much linked to the level of education as well. As mentioned by Robinson R. and Smith C. (2002), intended purchases of sustainably produced foods did not differ for demographic characteristics such as household annual income educational attainment. Through the research carried out by Ross NJ.et al. (2000), they have suggested that consumers with a higher earning incomes were more likely to have purchased locally produced food, mainly focus on the organic consumption by various segmentations. Their research and findings were supported earlier by Govindasamy R. and Italia J. (1998) whereby the same results applied. Groups with a higher household income tend to have purchased foods produced with reduced pesticides. In UK particularly, social group is employed as an indicator of income brackets (Wier et al. , 2008). Research has revealed that the tendency in purchase the organic goods seem to increase in accordance to the given social status. However, the highest organic budget shares are observed for middle class households whilst shares in the upper middle class being in fact lower. Quite captivatingly, a similar phenomenon is observed to be happened in Denmark as well. Organic Food Attributes Organic food attributes influence consumer buying decision. Several empirical studies have been performed on customer perceptions of organic food attributes and how they formed the consumer attitudes towards food. In the present research, among different product attributes, we have selected: price of organic food, environmentally friendliness of organic food and organic food availability. Price of Organic Food Organic foods are often of a price premium above conventional products. According to Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008) in Thailand the price difference between organic and non-labeled conventional vegetables in Bangkok varied between 50 percent and 170 percent and in some cases even 400 percent. However, in some countries such as Finland there were not significant premium prices for organic foods (Tarkiainen and Sundqvist, 2005). As Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008) pointed out that despite the price difference of organic and non-organic food, nearly 60% of the ‘organic buyers’ said that the price of organic products was not a problem. In addition, ‘non-organic buyers’ ranked some other items as a reason of not purchasing organic food rather than higher prices. Chryssohoidis Krystallis (2005) claimed that while 100 percent of people would prefer organic to conventional products with the assumption of similar price, this percentages dropped by only 20 percent when the same question was posed regardless the higher price of organic food. In other words, higher price is an important obstacle for a limited percentage of consumers. Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008) found out that in Bangkok men were more likely to purchase organic foods than women and concluded that it might be due to the reason of men being willing to pay a higher price premium for organic products than women. Similarly, a study in Klang Valey, Malaysia showed that women werre more likely than men to agree that they would purchase more organic foods if they were less expensive (Ahmed, 2010). Additionally, heavy users were on average stage whereby they are willing to pay higher price premiums than medium and light users (Wier et. al, 2008). Environmentally friendliness of organic food Consumers are getting more conscious and concerned with the consumption of chemical substance used in farming and preserving environment is becoming a strong attitude among consumers. According to Tarkiainen and Sundqvist (2005), subjective norms’ effect on attitudes has been mainly found in behaviors, that involved some kind of ethical decision, and also buying organic food can be seen as ethical decision reflecting environmental concern. In addition, perceived quality is associated with environmentally friendly practices (Ness et. al, 2009). The perception of organic food products as environmentally friendly was a common intuition and has been examined in several studies (Ahmed, 2010; Honkanen et. al, 2006). It is believed that when the consumers have more concern about their health and environmental protection, they will be more likely to have a positive attitude to organic foods (Ness et. al, 2010). Honkanen et. al (2006) found that ecologically oriented consumers were more likely to form intentions to purchase and consume organic food. In other words, the more people are concerned about environment, the more positive attitude they have towards organic food. Organic Food Availability Lack of organic food availability and variety in store is considered as one of the barriers to consumer purchase. Fresh vegetables (which include fresh herbs) were considered the most widely available organic product group rather than other organic foods (Roitner-Schobesberger et. al, 2008). Chryssohoidis Krystallis (2005) stated that limited availability was the main factor that hinders organic purchasing. Although according to Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008), in Thailand, majority of organic buyers were satisfied with availability of organic products. Most of them reported that they would like to buy more organic products, especially a wider range of vegetables. Value to the Customer. In every product that consumer purchased and used, they in turn are expecting value from it. Value can be defined as a benefit that consumer is receiving by using a product. Benefits here mean sensory appeal of the product, taste, fun, freshness, quality and healthiness of the products. These are some main reasons that encouraged consumer to purchase the organic food. The value may vary from one consumer to another; however there will definitely be one value that effect the buying attitude which motivate the buying intention of consumers. Health Effect of Organic Food Several perceptions contributed to health attribute include the reason of being good for health, good for children, not containing pesticides, high in fiber, natural and nutritious and safer to eat (Roitner-Schobesberger, et. al, 2008; Saher et. al 2006; Lockie et. al, 2002; Ness et. al, 2009). The perceived potential hazards of modern agricultural practices such as the use of pesticides and their residues in food were perceived to be associated with long term and unknown effects on health (Miles and Frewer, 2001;Wilkins Hillers, 1994; Williams Hammit, 2001). Saher et. al (2006) revealed that there is very little scientific support for the common beliefs that organic food would be more healthy or nutritious than regular foods, but the belief that they have these properties remains quite strong in consumer’s mindset. The claim is debatable whether marketers can use the health claim for marketing purposes because most of the research concluded that there was no evidence that organic food was healthier or more nutritious than conventional food (Honkanen et. al, 2006). However, most studies in this area suggested that consumer’s perception of organic food as a healthy nutrition is one the most significant motives for buyers. Lockie et al. (2002) pointed out that health was the one aspect consumers are least willing to compromise. Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008) in Bangkok, Thailand, examined the motives behind organic food purchase and pointed out that the most important motive was the expected positive health effects. Similarly in Malaysia, organic buyers believed that organic food was healthier compared to conventional grown food (Ahmed, 2010). In Thailand, the health aspect was closely associated with the residues from synthetic chemicals used in agriculture (Roitner-Schobesberger et. al, 2008). In fact, organic products often have a lower level of pesticide residues (Baker et al. , 2002). Lockie et. al (2002) revealed that although price was an important factor, organic consumers consider health has appeared as a more significant factor for purchasing organic food in Australia. These organic food consumers also believed that industrial methods of food processing constitute a threat to customer’s health. Another research by Schifferstein Oude Ophuis (1997) illustrated that well-being was rated among all other motives by organic food buyers. On the other hand, Tarkiainen and Sundqvist (2005) by examining specific organic products (bread and flour) claimed that health consciousness did not explained the general attitudes towards organic food, although they believed this results might be different by examining different organic products. Sensory Appeals Sensory appeals of organic food are part of the factors that provides value to customer. Sensory appeals include the taste, odor and also the texture of the organic product (Prescott et. al, 2002). Sometimes sensory appeals of the organic food need to be combined with the non-sensory factors such as organic food related expectations to create a value to customer which will affect their attitude towards buying organic food (Prescott et. al, 2002). Sensory factors are also influenced by cultures and background of consumers. For example, consumers from Western countries eat less spicy food compared to those from Asia. Spicy organic food might produce high value to consumers in Asian countries compared to Western. Intrinsic cues or sensory appeal that are associated with physical characteristics of the product such as taste, size, color, appearance, smell, feel and flavor were commonly used as indicators of quality on the organic food (Schifferstein et. al,1997). Quality is also value that consumers experiencing by consuming an organic food. Better sensory appeal of organic food will portray a better quality which will influence the attitude of purchasing an organic food and later increase the intention of buying the organic food. One of the most prominent sensory appeals that yield more value to consumer is taste. According to Roitner-Schobesbergeris et. al (2008), taste was the third important motives that consumers purchase organic food (Roitner-Schobesbergeris et. al, 2008). Others studies also emphasized that many organic food buyers believed that organic food products taste better than conventional food even if sensory evaluations have yielded inconsistent results (Fillion and Arazi,2002; McEachern and McClean,2002; Zhao et al. ,2007). Perceived Value. One of the studies conducted in eight countries concluded that individual attitudes towards buying organic food are primarily based on the belief about the benefits (Thogersen, 2000). Benefits or value to consumers such as healthy, taste better and environment friendly supersede all the other factors such as belief about the cost. The same proven in one of the study conducted in Klang Valley. Most of the respondents reported that they choose to buy organic food products because they perceived organic food as very healthy, fresher and natural (Bayaah Ahmad et.all, 2010). As such, value of organic food towards customers’ effect their attitudes towards buying which will motivates their intention of purchasing the organic product. Consumers also value organic food as nutritional food since it is produced using traditional method whereby the original nutrition from the food is preserved. Nutrition belief was one of the reasons that made people appeared to have different food styles and often express themselves as having food adventurousness or pickiness (Chen, 2007). Organic food adds value to consumers who has such belief and it will influence their intention of consuming it by affecting the buying behavior. Besides, Chen (2007) points out that an individual’s personal interests or traits act a part in establishing personal food choice criteria through the values held by the individual. These values comprise nutrition beliefs, weight control concerns, and so on. For instance, people seem to have different food-styles and often express themselves as having food adventurousness or pickiness. Another important motive to purchase organic food as reported by Roitner-Schobesbergeris et. al (2008) is the consumer’s search for new, trendy and attractive food products. Attitudes towards Organic food and Intention to purchase Basically, consumer attitudes are found to be the most important predictor of intention to buy (Honkanen et. al, 2006). Several studies have found that higher perceived product quality leads to more positive re-purchase intentions (Bou-Llusar et. al, 2001; Hult, Kandemir 2004; Tarkiainen Sundqvist, 2005). Chen (7007) highlighted that if the consumer’s attitude towards organic foods is positive, the consumer’s attitude to purchase organic food will be more likely to be positive. This is also consistent with another study performed by Honkanen et. al (2006) indicating that relation between attitude and intention is positive and quite strong, indicating that consumers with positive attitudes towards consumption of organic food are more likely to form intentions to consume such food, therefore converting positive attitudes to intentions. Methodology Theoretical Research Framework [pic] Figure1. Theoretical Research Framework Hypothesis Development: Hypothesis 1: There is a relationship between demographic characteristics of consumers and their attitudes towards organic foods. Hypothesis 2: There is a relationship between organic food attributes and consumer’s attitudes towards the organic food. Hypothesis 3: There is a positive relationship between values of organic food to customer with attitudes towards buying organic foods. Hypothesis 4: When the consumer’s attitude towards organic foods is positive, the consumer’s intentions to purchase organic foods will be more likely to be positive. Research Design. The questionnaires are only designed in English; since the respondents are assumed to be relatively high educated they will be able to answer the questions without any difficulties. Furthermore it will help to keep the original meaning and understanding that respondents perceived to have towards the questions. Types of questions in questionnaires are mostly closed ended question and only two open ended question. This will only consume little time for the respondent to complete the questionnaire which will encourage them to participate in this study. There are three main categories in the prepared questionnaires. The questions in the first category are more towards understanding demographic details of the respondent such as on the age, income level, ethnicity, religion and educational level. This is useful to confirm the background of the organic food consumers. There are also questions on the product attributes which the respondents are asked to identify what are the main attributes that attract the purchase and also to determine whether this factor have a positive effect towards consumer attitude on organic food. Last part in the questionnaires is designed to understand the value of organic food to customers. All these questions are to test four hypotheses of this study. Data Collection The target population consists of organic food buyers in Peninsula Malaysia. In order to carry out the sampling Peninsula Malaysia is divided in to 3 major regions namely Northern, Central and Southern region. Northern region will be represented by Penang, Central region will be Klang Valley and Southern region of Peninsula Malaysia is represented by Johor Bahru. These three areas are chosen based on the economic development and availability of the organic products. From each region shopping complexes and supermarkets that provide organic products are identified. By using random sampling, three shopping complexes and supermarkets in urban areas are selected. Since target respondent with higher educational level and purchasing power are scattered around these urban areas, these will be perfect places to conduct this research. Those three supermarkets and shopping complexes are ensured to be far from each other so that the collected samples will be more accurate in representing the population in each region. Total sample size comprises of 540 individual respondents is collected using convenience sampling and respondents will be approached randomly. Since this study is conducted in large scale, convenient sampling will be more cost effective compared to other types of sampling. Furthermore conducting other types of sampling will be time consuming and the accuracy of the collected samples to represent the actual population will be questionable. In order to collect the data, 60 self-administered consumer questionnaire surveys are distributed in each shopping complexes which will result in 180 questionnaires from each region. Considering the validity of the data, we are expecting a total of about 500 questionnaires to be usable in the later part of data analysis. Although there is no way of knowing if those included are representative of the overall population, the survey is still expected to give a first overview of relevant issues and to allow to derive insights into the perception of organic food buyers in Peninsula Malaysia. Data Analysis After data is collected, data will be edited and coded. Editing data is very essential part of data analysis especially when researches involve open ended questions. Editing is done immediately after data is collected so that the respondent can be contacted if any clarification needed. The edited data are identified through usage of different fond and colors. Coding is done before data processing is conducted. Since most of the data collected involve ordinal scale, coding becomes prudent. By doing this data accurately keyed in and avoid wrong interpretation of data. Base on the three sections in the questionnaire, data is also coded in three main groups. Data processing is done using a software program called SPSS version 17. First of all the edited and coded data is checked and scanned through. Wrongly entered and coded data will be identified using the software through methods like identification of the maximum value. Values like variance, standard deviation, mean and range are used to understand the effectiveness of the questions asked in the questionnaire and how respondents reacted to the questions. The reliability and validity test is done to check the credibility of the data. The reliability test also conducted to test the relationship of the variables through the reliability coefficient. Validity test is done to assess all three factorial validity, convergent validity and also discriminant validity. References Ahmed, S. N. B. , 2010, Organic Food: A Study on Demographic Characteristics and Factors Influencing Purchase Intentions among Consumers in Klang Valley, Malaysia, International Journal of Business and Management 5, No. 2, Baker, B. , Benbrook, C. , Groth, E. , Benbrook, K. , 2002, Pesticide residues in conventional, integrated pest management (IPM)-grown and organic foods: insights from three US data sets. Food Additives and Contaminants 19, 427–446. Bartels J. and Reinders M. J. (2009). Social identification, social representations, and consumer innovativeness in an organic food context: A cross-national comparison, Food and Quality Preferences,1-6, Elsevier Ltd. Bou-Llusar, J. C. , Camison-Zornoza, C. , Escrig-Tena, A. B. , 2001, Measuring the relationship between firm perceived quality and customer satisfaction and its influence on purchase intentions, Total Quality Management, 12, 719–734. Chen, M. F, 2007, Consumer attitudes and purchase intentions in relation to organic foods in Taiwan: Moderating effects of food-related personality traits, Food Quality and Preference 18, 1008–1021. Chryssohoidis, G. M. , Krystallis, A. , 2005, Organic consumers_ personal values research: Testing and validating the list of values (LOV) scale and implementing a value-based segmentation task, Food Quality and Preference 16, 585–599. Clark, R. A. , Goldsmith, R. E. (2006). Interpersonal influence and consumer innovativeness. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 30(1), 34–43. Govindasamy R, Italia J. (1998). A willingness to purchase comparison of integrated pest management and conventional produce. Agribusiness. 14:403-414. Honkanen, P. , Verplanken, B. Olsen, S. O., 2006, Ethical values and motives driving organic food choice, Journal of Consumer Behaviour 5, 420–430. Fillion,L. ,Arazi,S. ,2002. Does organic food taste better? A claim substantiation approach. Nutrition and Food Science 32, 153-157. Im, S. , Bayus, B. L. , Mason, C. H. (2003). An empirical study of innate consumer innovativeness, personal characteristics, and new-product adoption behavior. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 31(1), 61–73. Keillor, B. D. , Hult, G. T. M. , Kandemir, D. (2004). A study of the service encounter in eight countries. Journal of International Marketing, 12, 9–35. Lockie, S., Lyons, K. , Lawrence, G. , Mummery, K. , 2002. Eating ‘green’: Motivations behind organic food consumption in Australia. Sociologia Ruralis 42, 23–40. McEachern,M. ,McClean,P. ,2002. Organic purchasing motivations and attitudes: are they ethical? International Journal of consumer studies 26, 85-92. Menghi, A. (1997). Consumer Response to Ecological Milk in Sweden. 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Folklore Traditions and Paleontology

Folklore Traditions and Paleontology The scientific process frames information using empirical reason, a system that extracts valuable and seemingly unbiased facts of nature while often affording less room for sources of knowledge that defy its exacting methodology. As a result, information coming from oral histories, myth and ritual is not always regarded as valuable, or at least not as valuable as that which can be tested in a laboratory setting. Even so, traditions of folklore and so-called pure science have interacted across time, and the focus of this paper will be to question in what ways folklore has informed research in the field of paleontology. How did traditions of myth affect early impressions of dinosaur fossils, has folklore ever aided paleontologists work, and how have dinosaurs shaped myth itself these are all questions I intend to answer, focusing mostly on fossils and folklore indigenous to North America and East Asia. Like any other field, science reflects the changing perspectives of people through different time periods. By examining the role folklore plays in paleontology, I am also interested in tracking larger themes of skepticism toward non-Western sources, conflicts between scientific and cultural beliefs, and how scientists understanding of what constitutes valid information changes. It would be shortsighted to state the case simply as one pitting European viewpoints against those of Native American and Asian cultures. Beginning with Georges Cuvier and the theory of extinction, then later with Charles Darwin and the theory of evolution, Western ideas themselves have long had to contend with the Christian narrative of intelligent design. As scientist and historian Adrienne Mayor points out, even some Western folklore owe their beginnings to dinosaur fossils. I will be drawing much of my material from Mayors 2013 book Fossil Legends and the First Americans which discusses the additional obst acles encountered in accessing and publishing information from indigenous sources. All of this is to show how multiple perspectives often shape scientific studies and how the cut and dry methodology we often associate with Western research is often more nuanced than it appears. Dinosaur fossil finds have occurred as long as people have walked the Earth, and it is not surprising to see how myths from around the world take shape from encounters with dinosaur remains. Robert Plot in 1677 was likely the first to put a fossil discovery in scientific terms, though not without mythical overtones. Part of a femur later described as belonging to Megalosaurus was called Scrotus Humanum by Robert Plot who included it in his book The Natural History of Oxfordshire. Coming long before dinosaurs were understood with any accuracy, Plot discusses multiple sources for the bone, which he does recognize as a thigh bone. He starts by suggesting it belonged to a Roman war elephant, then compares it to myths of giants, both in the Bible and in more modern history. Goliath features as evidence in Plots analysis along with a giant believed to have been in the Tartar army that invaded Eastern Europe in 1575: a Man of ordinary stature might go upright between his legs when he did st ride (Plot). He concludes that the bone is very likely a man or womans, one whose kind was perhaps wiped out by the Flood because the skeletons of modern humans have not shrunken by any remarkable degree. Apart from Robert Plots biblical references, his other observations are a blend of history and hearsay. Biblical references themselves are myths of their own kind, not so much in the sense of being fantastical, but insofar as they are stories used to explain reality. Taken in that light, they are equivalent to the myths about dinosaurs arising in Native American and Chinese folklore traditions. Given his time and place, myths naturally informed his judgement, even in a scientific study. The other notable feature of Plots observation is the idea that a catastrophe, such as the biblical Flood, was responsible for the disappearance of whatever could have had such a huge femur. Georges Cuvier, who made a huge contribution to the study of paleontology about a century after Plot, also appealed to the idea of catastrophes wiping out species, a view known as catastrophism. He used catastrophism to reason the phenomenon of extinction, an idea that at first conflicted with Cuviers own sense of the world as created perfectly by God. Why would a species go extinct if it was part of the divine creation, or why would God make it go extinct? The discovery of dinosaurs and the resulting theories about life did much in reshaping Western notions of natural history. Though some beliefs were upset by these large fossils, others were stabilized and encouraged. Cuvier, presumably after reconciling with the reality of extinction, developed his views on catastrophism largely with the help of Native American sources. Having never traveled to North America, he relied on interpretations of indigenous folklore, journals and actual fossil specimens sent by natural scientists (Mayor). Mayor discusses how Cuvier had amassed a considerable trove of material, among which were fragments of mastodon tusks recovered from a branch of the Susquehanna River; as it so happened, the Delaware and Lenape name for that section of the river is chemung, which translates to place of the horns (Mayor). Though it is not clear to what extent paleontologists have been led to excavation sites by the help of indigenous folklore, or in this case a simple translation and interpretation, it seems fairly likely that corroborations such as these proved helpful in some regard. Of course, what proved doubly helpful to Cuviers burgeoning theories was the existing Native American tales about the fossils they had found, which came to his attention through the work of Rembrandt Peale. Peale published a large amount of Native folklore, including the legend that the colossal creatures to whom the fossils belonged had once roamed the Earth, but were destroyed by a lighting bolt of the good Spirit in a brief but cataclysmic moment. Similar lore about the grandfather buffalo existed, no doubt because Natives had encountered the giant skeletons of Pleistocene bison which were widespread (Mayor). All this information reached Cuvier, who cited Peale in his own work and used Native myths of violent catastrophes to bolster his theories behind their extinction (Mayor). Again, though it is difficult to tell how much Native lore impacted Cuviers views, the very fact that he referenced their myths is what a skeptical scientist might deem an ad hoc hypothesis, convenient for how it upholds the perspective he already finds compelling. While Mayor shows how myths were useful to Cuviers understanding of North American natural history, along with that of other figures like Thomas Jefferson, Phil Senter in a 2013 article discusses how myths have also been used more recently to debunk scientific theories. Senters piece titled Dinosaurs and pterosaurs in Greek and Roman art and literature? An investigation of young-earth creationist claimsfocuses on how fossil observations made during the ancient Greco-Roman civilizations have been re-interpreted by modern Christians looking to debunk the theory of evolution. Illustrations that Senter describes as reflecting encounters with Mesozoic reptile skeletons are claimed instead to be those of mammals and reptiles common today in an attempt to cast doubt on the separation of humans and such animals by millions of years (Senter). As this case clearly shows, mythology is a tool that can also be used to discredit science. Though this may, for some, be more incentive to steer clear from incorporating folklore into scientific narratives, Senter proves that it can be redeemed with a little research. If not to improve the general understanding of a subject by expanding the context in which it is studied, then folklore approached through science presents a way to overturn misconceptions at odds with commonly accepted scientific theories. Folklore in paleontology, or what Mayor calls fossil legends, can also work the other way around, aiding our understanding of myth creation itself. For instance, the Western myth of griffins is possibly the result of traders along the silk route in Central Asia encountering skulls belonging to Protoceratops (Mayor Heaney). Instead of myths informing the study of dinosaurs and the history of paleontology, as is the case with Native American folklore and fossils discovered in North America, this is an example of how paleontology can contribute to the study of myth and ancient cultural exchange. Though this particular connection between griffins and dinosaurs is disputed by some archeologists, it does not detract from the reality that mythology and science taken together can add the multiple fields of study, such as anthropology and history in general (Tartaron). Another example of fossils informing cultural myths can be found in the popular beliefs of dragons in China. According to pa leontologist Dong Zhiming in his 1992 book Dinosaur Faunas of China, dinosaur remains from the Jurassic to Cretaceous Periods continue to be regarded as belonging to mythical dragons (Zhiming). In some parts of China, fossil remains are still extracted, crushed into powder, and consumed with the belief that they contain magical healing properties (AMNH). Similar beliefs were present in Lakota Native American culture. Beginning around the time of Cope and Marshs infamous Bone Wars, contact between indigenous figures and paleontologists was renewed. James Cook, a hunter who was friendly with the Lakota Sioux and who was shown a giant jawbone fossil by a man named Afraid of His Horses, introduced Othniel Marsh to famous Lakota Chief Red Cloud and persuaded the Sioux that Marsh was interested in bones, not gold. Marsh became good friends with Red Cloud, and incorporated the Lakota view that large fossils belong to extinct Thunder Beasts in his naming of Brontosaurus: Thunder Reptile (Mayor). Mayor also discusses Cooks ranch in Nebraska where Native Americans and paleontologists regularly interacted, but from which there is a frustrating lack of evidence directly linking Native folklore and knowledge to major excavation sites. In spite of that, the friendship of Marsh and Red Cloud is also testament to the role Native Americans personally helped in paleontological efforts. Though their myths did not accord with the scientists views, which by this time had outgrown Cuviers speculations, they show a clear awareness of fossils. Without getting into larger questions of discovery and what defines a paleontologist, I cannot help but underscore, as Mayor does in her book, the highly contrasting views that many Western scientists showed toward indigenous history. George Rogers Clark of the Lewis and Clark exhibition once wrote, I see no reason why [indigenous tradition] should not be received as good History, at least as good as a great part of ours, but the same broadmindedness was not forthcoming in other authorities. George Gaylord Simpson, professor at Columbia and Curator at the American Museum of Natural History, could not have been more dismissive of Native American claims to fossil discovery: Indians certainly found and occasionally collected fossil bonesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ but these discoveries are no real part of paleontological history (Mayor). This quote is one of Simpsons many showing his blatant disregard for work done outside the framework of traditional scientific methodology. It is not an overstatem ent to suggest that he was simply racist. Yet this is equally a part of the history of fossil discoveries, and it is worth discussing to see how much naturalists and paleontologists across time may have deliberately limited their own knowledge by abandoning non-conforming sources of information. Many of paleontologys major steps forward were, and still are, occasioned by untraditional methods of accessing information. Folklore is hard pressed on its own to describe where fossil remains may be found, but the example of Marsh, as well as his nemesis Edward Drinker Cope, proves that it was at the very least a tool of communication between Western scientists and Native guides. Cope was not as intrepid as Othniel Marsh, but he did travel to the Badlands in South Dakota where he arranged to have a Sioux scout lead him to where the remains of Thunder Birds and Water Monsters could be found. At one spot, he recovered the skull of a duck-billed dinosaur as well as fossils from 21 other dinosaur species (Mayor). By accepting folklore as a means of communication, Cope and Marsh were able to receive help in finding these bones, not to mention persuade understandably hostile Natives that they were not interested in appropriating their land. Suffice it to say that someone who disregarded the possibility that Natives had any knowledge of fossils would not have been so lucky as to be led to major excavation sites , or at least not on friendly terms. As the Sioux tradition regards monsters from the ancient past as having been killed by divine lightning, they avoid touching the bones lest they incur a similar fate. This type of special, even sacred approach to the unknown is paralleled by the Chinese belief in the magical properties of dinosaur (dragon) bones. It is the argument of a less enlightened scientist to denigrate these cultural understandings of the deep past simply because they lack the same framework as Western scientific inquiry. Even within the sterile and precise parameters of paleontology, is there not some deep-seated awe of dinosaurs and the world they occupied? Is this not comparable to that of people who relate to it in terms of myth and lore? Yet another larger point to be gleaned from this comparative study of folklore and paleontology is how certainty can exist in multiple forms. The legend of Thunder Birds is as real to Native Americans as the efforts of geologic dating and excavation are to Western minds. To prioritize one over the other is to overlook the unique and intrinsic value of each as a system of knowledge in itself. The absurdity of disregarding non-Western fossil legends is increased all the more when one finds how the Greeks and Romans, the forbears of all Western civilization, also drew upon mythology in their own discoveries of fossils. In another book by Adrienne Mayor, The First Fossil Hunters, she discusses how the Greeks also drew upon the oral culture of Homer and Hesiod. Much like Robert Plots speculations, Greek myths of monsters, giants, and titans were well known and held a place closer to reality than any modern reader of the classics might understand (Mayor). As such, giant bones found around the Mediterranean Sea also came with convenient explanations. Or like the example of dragon myths in China, it is even more likely that their myths themselves came from fossil discoveries. Interestingly enough, the Greeks also were of the opinion that lightning smote the oversized monsters of the past; the modern consensus in the scientific community about the actual demise of the dinosaurs b y asteroid collision is not very far off from this common myth. Yet again, the distinction between relied-upon science and the myths of world cultures come to remarkably similar conclusions despite accessing different knowledge sources in the process. Coming, at last, back to the question of whether folklore has played a role in paleontology, the answer is yes. This role, however, is marked by a departure from traditional scientific method what folklore adds to science instead comes via interpersonal relations, interpretive meanings and subjective experiences. In the case of Marsh, Cope and the Sioux, folklore itself may not have lead the naturalists to their excavation sites, but a respect for the tradition as it was, clearly did play a role. The overriding evidence presented in this paper shows that myths work indirectly, and indeed interdependently with paleontology. The examples of Chinese dragon lore and Western myths of griffins shows that working backward through paleontology can also explain myths. Incorporating myth and legend into the study of dinosaurs and their fossil remains creates a more interdisciplinary, and therefore deeper, study of dinosaurs and their histories. In the more nuanced paleontological discussions going on today about dinosaur appearance and primitive characteristics, it becomes clear how much scientists own subjectivity was formerly at play in the depiction of dinosaurs. Without evidence of feathers, for instance, scaly reptilian images become the norm, images that might have simply made the most sense to scientists rather than being empirically proven. Myth functions in much the same way. Robert Plot and Georges Cuvier, by making conclusions using biblical myth as well as Native American folklore, in Cuviers case, are excellent examples of how folklore influenced the early study of dinosaurs. Indeed, the founding fathers of paleontology are still extolled in spite of their now-ridiculous sounding evidence, which shows the racism lurking behind other naturalists work when they discredited on sight the knowledge of indigenous peoples. What I have especially tried to show is how folklore and fossil legends represent unique and equally valuable sources of information. Though their content might not be directly relatable to the study of a particular fossil in a specific period, there is ample evidence to show that having at least a respect for other traditions experiences with fossils can prove beneficial in unseen ways. We should never forget how ridiculous some formerly common beliefs about dinosaurs seem to us now, such as naked and sometimes anthropomorphic renderings made in the recent and distant past. Myth and folklore surround us and inform our thinking in more ways that we are aware of. Acknowledging this and respecting those traditions for what they are can only further our understanding. Works Cited AMNH. Natural History of Dragons. AMNH. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2017. . Asia-Pacific | Dinosaur Bones used as Medicine. BBC News. BBC, 06 July 2007. Web. 23 Mar. 2017. . Mayor, Adrienne. The First Fossil Hunters: Paleontology in Greek and Roman times. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2000. Print. Mayor, Adrienne. Fossil Legends of the First Americans. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2013. Print. Mayor, A., Heaney, M. (1993). Griffins and Arimaspeans. Folklore, 104(1-2), 40-66. Plot, Robert. The Natural History of Oxford-shire. Newport Pagnell: Minet, 1677. Print. Senter, Phil. Dinosaurs in Greco-Roman Art? Palaeontologia Electronica. N.p., 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2017. . Tartaron, T. F. (2014). Cross-Cultural Interaction in the Greek World: Culture Contact Issues and Theories. In Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology (pp. 1804-1821). Springer New York. Zhiming, Dong. Dinosaurian Faunas of China. Chinese Ocean Press, 14 Mar. 2017. Web. 22 Mar. 2017. .

Frivolous Lawsuits :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

Frivolous Lawsuits As children our parents tried to instill in all of us good moral judgment and common sense. However, if I was to open the newspaper I would surely find any number of articles on the latest frivolous lawsuit, these being even more outrageous than the ones in yesterday’s paper. How have we as a society, which is completely capable of rational thinking, allowed ourselves to become so intertwined in the blaming game? Americans file about 15 million lawsuits a year. (Cannell) A fourth of all lawsuits filed are either frivolous or fraudulent. Perhaps, the careless point of view about the seriousness of lawsuits is perpetuated by the false representation on the many law shows on TV, such as Ally McBeal and Law and Order, in which the case is neatly rapped up in an hour. In reality most court cases take about 19 months from start to finish. In order to analyze our â€Å"sue happy† society one must first find out, what actually is a lawsuit? A lawsuit is a legal action brought by a plaintiff, a person who claims to have been wronged, against a defendant, the person being sued. If a judge decides that a case has enough evidence to go to trial then the verdict may be decided by either a judge or a jury. Yet, 90 percent of cases reach a settlement out of court. (Cannell) The scary truth about lawsuits is that anyone can file a suit for anything! It is for the judge to decide if the case meets two criteria: there must have been a wrongful act committed and the plaintiff must have suffered. (Cannell) The way in which liability is determined seems to be an irony in itself. The civil law requires people to act with reasonable care, meaning not hurting others or damaging property. Also it requires the defendant to do what a reasonable person would have done. (Cannell) However, my question is, if a person is not using a reasonable mind then isn’t that person insane or otherwise mentally handicapped?

Business Decision Mapping Essay

The Shamrock Manufacturing Chicago plant manager, Sean Fitzpatrick is contemplating replacing a large piece of manufacturing equipment. Mr. Fitzpatrick is also inline for a promotion to Shamrocks larger Houston plant within the next year, and is hesitant to make any decisions that will reduce short-run operating income and his performance evaluation. While the prospective replacement equipment promises to reduce cash operating costs, it costs $90,000, as well as the loss on disposal cost of the old equipment, which has not fully depreciated. Prior to making a decision, Mr. Fitzgerald must identify all relevant costs and chose a decision for the best interest of Shamrock (Datar, Rajan, 2013). Analysis The available data to consider in this case is the old machines purchase price ($150,000); the current book value of the old machine ($60,000); the market value of the old machine ($36,000); the cost of the new equipment ($90,000); and the reduction in annual cash operating costs ($32,500). All historical costs are considered irrelevant, as they have already occurred and have no effect on future costs. The only relevant costs that should be considered for this decision are the future cash operating costs, the disposal value of the old machine, and the cost of the new machine that will be deprecated over the next two years. Based on the #1 and #2 worksheets in Appendix A of this document, year one yields an increase in expenditures of $6500, but includes the $24,000 loss of disposal of the old machine, which is irrelevant. The only relevant data is the total two-year costs shown on worksheet #2 that shows a reduction in total relevant cash flow of $11,000. The results of worksheet #1 are not beneficial for Mr. Fitzgerald, but the overall results in year two benefit Shamrock. Based on the #3 worksheet, with a lower new equipment cost ($77,000), year one breaks even, which is irrelevant, and the total two-year reductions in total relevant cash flow are $24,000. Conclusion Based solely on the worksheet information (Appendix A), the company should replace the equipment. All relevant costs located in worksheets #2, and #3 indicate that Shamrock manufacturing will benefit by replacing the machines at either equipment cost. However, worksheet #1 presents a problem for Mr. Fitzgerald as it shows a $6500 increase in the first year expenses, which are irrelevant in the long-run, but may encourage Mr. Fitzgerald not to purchase the new equipment because it may reflect badly on the short-run net operating income of his plant during the evaluation period for his promotion. Worksheet #3 offers a breakeven scenario in the first year and a $24,000 reduction in relevant cash flows in year two, which is the best option for Mr. Fitzgerald and Shamrock, if available. Reference: Datar, S., Rajan, M., (2013). Financial and Managerial accounting, custom edition, Pearson Learning Solutions, Ch. 9 Appendix A Shamrock Manufacturing relevant cash flow analysis Appendix B 5-Step Critical Thinking Decision-Making Process Matrix Step 1: Identify the problem(s) and uncertainties. What exactly is the problem†¦ Sean Fitzpatrick has an opportunity to decrease long-run cash flow by replacing a large piece of plant equipment. The problem is this †¦ Mr. Fitzpatrick is up for a promotion and is concerned that any short-run decreases in operating income will affect his performance evaluation. This is an important problem because†¦ Mr. Fitzpatrick’s decision may be good for the company, but could hurt his career aspirations. The key question(s) that needs to be answered to solve this problem is†¦ What is the best decision for shamrock in the long-run? Step 2: Obtain information. The following information is needed to answer this question†¦ What are the relevant costs that impact the decision to keep or replace the equipment? Based on the #1 and #2 worksheets, what decision would be made in years one and two? Based on the #3 worksheet, would the decision be different for years one and two compared to the initial cost of the new equipment? Some important assumptions I am using in my thinking are†¦ I believe that the best decision for Shamrock is not the best decision for Mr. Fitzpatrick, which creates an ethical dilemma. The points of view relevant to this problem belong to†¦ Sean Fitzpatrick. Note: Remember to view the information you have obtained for potential bias. This is from the perspective of your own bias to the research and the bias of the authors who compiled the data and the research you gathered. In other words, do not discount the importance of other’s data because of your own bias(is). Step 3: Make predictions about the future. If this problem gets solved, some important implications are†¦ Long-run relevant cash flows will be reduced, and operating income will increase. If this problem does not get solved, some important implications are†¦ An opportunity to decrease relevant cash flows will be missed. The potential alternative solutions to solve the problem are†¦ Keep the status quo or make a tough decision that will benefit Shamrock in the long-run. Note: if the problem is one-dimensional, there may be just one correct solution. Step 4: Make decisions by choosing among alternatives. What is the best solution and why†¦ By the new equipment, because it decreases long-run relevant cash flows. Step 5: Implement the decision, evaluate performance, and learn. In business, the fifth step in the decision making process is implementation. In the MBA program, most times you will end with Step 4 since you will not have the opportunity to implement. You may be asked to develop an implementation plan and recommend how you will evaluate performance in some assignments.

Celebrity Endorsement in India Essay

In India, celebrities are idolized as Gods and marketers have been trying their best to tap on this emotional connect of the people with the celebrities. Today, most of the popular brands are being endorsed by a famous personality either from entertainment industry or sports arena. Strategic brand positioning and effective communication are the keys to success in today’s market where many brands compete in the same category for the market share. Companies are employing their maximum might to promote their brands and occupy a long lasting image in the minds of the consumers. In India, television is the most popular and effective means of the mass communication. There are over three million television commercials being aired every year. However, 80 percent of them are forgotten by the people in a day or two. So, it is imperative for the marketers to ensure that their ad campaign stands out amongst the crowd (Suhalka, n.d.). Since advertising is a highly critical tool for luring customers to make purchases, Indian firms are investing millions of rupees on celebrity advertising (Khatri, 2006). Celebrity endorsements are also an easy option for Indian marketers because of the disparities of the Indian consumer base in terms of religion, ethinicity, value system and most importantly economic variations. Therefore, advertisers in India emphasis a lot on brand recall and customer persuasion for differentiating their ad campaigns from those of the counterparts. It is here that celebrity endorsement provides a tremendous boost (Surana, 2008). For instance, one of the strongest celebrity endorser is cricketer Sachin Tendulkar who is a youth icon and endorses many successful brands like, Pepsi, Boost, Aviva Life Insurance, TVS, Britannia Biscuits, Visa, Airtel etc. Like, Shahrukh Khan, Amitabh Bac hchan, Kareena Kapoor also have many brands in their kitties. Indians love their celebrities and blindly follow their suit. This has proved to be a boon for the marketers and celebrity endorsement is just getting better by the day. It has now become an indispensible part of the marketing communication strategy. It is a win ?win situation for both the celebrities and the brands. However, the consumers are ones who are least benefitted as they end up paying more for the products and services. References: †¢ Khatri, P., 2006. Celebrity Endorsement: A Strategic Promotion Perspective. Indian Media Studies Journal, 1(1).Pp. 25-37 †¢ Suhalka,G.n.d. Celebrity Endorsers and Endorsements in India- The Rise and the Impact [pdf] Available at: http://www.ndtvmi.com/b4/dopesheets/garima.pdf [Accessed 18 February 2012] †¢ Surana,R., 2008. The Effectiveness of Celebrity Endorsement in India [pdf] Available at: http://edissertations.nottingham.ac.uk/2069/1/08MAlixrs13.pdf [Accessed 18 February 2012] Commentary | Theses | Dissertations | Journals & Articles | Proposals & Synopsis | Essays | Promotional Writing | Press Release Copyright  © 2005 – 2012 Project Guru India. All rights reserved. www.ProjectGuru.in

Free Essays on Concepts Of Marketing

The first lesson deals with setting priorities when dealing with money. First, you must narrow your goals and realize which are more important then others. You must also start early, the sooner you begin taking control of your finances the more time you have to achieve your goals. You should make a list of your goals and rank them from most important to least important and it is also important to include other members of your family in your plans. Other important things to remember are not to sweat the small stuff, but worry about the bigger things and be prepared to alter your lifestyle to achieve your new financial goals. The second lesson focuses on making a budget. The most important thing to know about making a budget is the three steps that are used to create one. You must identify how you spend money, evaluate your current spending status and set goals, and lastly track your spending to stay within the budget you set for yourself. Furthermore, you must beware of unnecessary purchases however, you don’t have to be too obsessive. A good budget would be to only spend 90% of your income. The third lesson deals with banking and saving. It is important for people to realize that their money is safe in banks and benefits from being there. When choosing a bank it is also good to know that not all banks are the same. Some have different interest rates so it is a good idea to shop around for a good bank before you sign up for an account. Also, there are alternative methods of banking like certificates of deposit however, they’re more risky. ATM’s are also something to watch out for as some carry a service charge. The fourth lesson talks about strategies used for investing. There are two main types of investments stocks and bonds. Bonds are more safe however usually don’t turn as great of a profit. Stocks on the other hand are more of an all or nothing investment and usually the riskier the stock the more profit you will gain... Free Essays on Concepts Of Marketing Free Essays on Concepts Of Marketing The first lesson deals with setting priorities when dealing with money. First, you must narrow your goals and realize which are more important then others. You must also start early, the sooner you begin taking control of your finances the more time you have to achieve your goals. You should make a list of your goals and rank them from most important to least important and it is also important to include other members of your family in your plans. Other important things to remember are not to sweat the small stuff, but worry about the bigger things and be prepared to alter your lifestyle to achieve your new financial goals. The second lesson focuses on making a budget. The most important thing to know about making a budget is the three steps that are used to create one. You must identify how you spend money, evaluate your current spending status and set goals, and lastly track your spending to stay within the budget you set for yourself. Furthermore, you must beware of unnecessary purchases however, you don’t have to be too obsessive. A good budget would be to only spend 90% of your income. The third lesson deals with banking and saving. It is important for people to realize that their money is safe in banks and benefits from being there. When choosing a bank it is also good to know that not all banks are the same. Some have different interest rates so it is a good idea to shop around for a good bank before you sign up for an account. Also, there are alternative methods of banking like certificates of deposit however, they’re more risky. ATM’s are also something to watch out for as some carry a service charge. The fourth lesson talks about strategies used for investing. There are two main types of investments stocks and bonds. Bonds are more safe however usually don’t turn as great of a profit. Stocks on the other hand are more of an all or nothing investment and usually the riskier the stock the more profit you will gain...

Skype A Huge Advancement in Communication Systems

Skype A Huge Advancement in Communication Systems Introduction Skype can be considered a significant advancement in information technologies because it offers a number of efficient communication devices promoting interaction between people (Skype, 2012).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Skype: A Huge Advancement in Communication Systems specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The software has a number of useful functions ensuring successful information exchange, including video calling, conference calling, calling from ordinary phones and calling from Skype to telephones (Skype, 2012). Instant messages are also possible and, people can communicate freely regardless of the distance and location. What is more important is that Skype allows communicating with friends and relatives for free. Background The emergence and development of Skype dates back to 2003 when Janus Friss and Niklas Zennstrom founded the communication system (Mohr et al., 2009). At the end of 2005, Skype wa s purchased by eBay for assisting the company to increase the number of users, as well as extend its revenues (Mohr et al., 2009). Three years later, about 276 million users all over the world communicated via Skype using free video and voice calls. However, the software owners were not satisfied with the number of registered users because of poor revenues received from the service. Main Discussion Potential Benefits Zennstrom and Friss’s invention introduces voice communication of exceptional quality to any user having Internet connection all over the world. Easy download and installing is among the main benefits of the Skype software. Other than that, the program ensures free video and conference calls online. The software services also offer low-cost connectivity to mobile and ordinary telephones. In addition, Skype also provides a variety of features, including instant messaging, voicemail, and call forwarding.Advertising Looking for essay on communications media ? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Apart from these functions, the Skype has gained popularity and leadership in almost every country. According to the software founders, â€Å"†¦vision for Skype has always been to build the world’s largest communications business and revolutionize the ease with which people can communication through the Internet† (Furrer, 2010, p. 66). The program, therefore, is a good media platform which manages to fulfill the needs of registered users. Legal and ethical issues EBay, as the current owner of the Skype service, can face serious legal issues leading to the termination of service in future, despite the fact that the company’s officials reject to the possible closure of the software. Specific attention requires the licensing agreement between eBay and Joltid (Randomus, 2009). According to eBay officials were accused by Joltid for violating the agreement. The representa tives of EBay Company put similar counterclaims against Joltid. In 2009, the Skype producers started developing popular video and audio services and they were eligible for launching the service in case the licensing agreement was not concluded (Randomus, 2009). Due to the fact that introducing a new software product is quite time consuming and costly, cooperation with Joltid could significantly forward the introduction. The conflict between two companies eventually prevented eBay developers from fostering their product, despite the fact of possessing over 480 million registered users.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Skype: A Huge Advancement in Communication Systems specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore, the Skype producers are concerned with their position because they should introduce the product before the decline in consumer demand. Skype producers have no doubts concerning the legality and ethically of the ir actions, but still there is a possibility of facing negative consequences because of the failure to negotiate with Joltid officials. The point is that Skype initiated the development of alternative software licensed through Joltid. The software can fail as a result the loss of functionality and, therefore, there is a potential threat to lose consumers. Security Concerns The Skype, as a vast VOIP setting, is under the strict focus in terms of security. In particular, the possibility for all people to interact via Skype does not guarantee safety because many of conversations and calls can be carried out for different purposes. According to Svensson (2006), the Skype company is able to introduce 256 but encrypt keys, which are extremely difficult to crack. The encryptions are processed on credit cart numbers during transactions. Although there are certain aspects of the software to be considered in terms of security, Skype continues improving security of communication and informatio n exchange. While talking about Skype as a world-known online social network, it is hard to consider the issues of privacy and security because the software is primarily oriented on the possibility of communicating and making calls from all over the world and, therefore, there are not actual restrictions imposed on performing such a function.Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The most problematic issue about Skype is the possibility of seeing still images without the consent of the recipient (Rogerson, 2008). Once captured, the recipient can experience unlikely endeavors of other users to disturb and manipulate information (Rogerson, 2008). The vulnerability of Skype users is under greater threat due to the risk of using information in unsafe and questionable ways. Despite the potential challenges, there is a still a chance to protect users from possible interruptions. The security is ensured by the possibility for users to either portray or hide their profiles for people they want to talk to. The Skype also allows users to add some personal information, including gender, date-of-birth, location, and some interesting facts (Rogerson, 2008). Details about social interests and hobbies, as well as sporting interests, are also possible to fill out in a user’s profile. However, the users may leave these spaces unfilled to protect themselves from privac y interventions. Social Problems Certainly, the variety of function offered by the Skype producers allows customers to put away their cell phones. As a result, the software can become a potential rival to the producers of telephone communications and technology (Furrer, 2010). However, the Skype also introduces relatively new services that had never been practiced before. In particular, the software is better known as the most effective one in computer-to-computer communications (Furrer, 2010). Unfortunately, some of the functions offered by Skype are not always beneficial in terms of interaction and confidentiality. This is of particular concern to the information represented in a user’s profile. Further Research It has been discovered that Skype has been sufficiently considered in regards to its cost-effectiveness and usability. It has a number of unique functions that other programs never had. However, little research has been done on social value of the VoIP, as well as h ow it influences various spheres of social and cultural life. This is of particular concern to educational field since it can significantly benefit from using online communication, especially video calls and conferences. Conclusion Skype is considered as the most popular social network and communication technology offering a variety of opportunities for online users. Possibility to make video calls and creating conferences is a unique function that users all over the world may take advantage of. Despite the legal and ethical concerns, the Skype still operates in many countries because other related social networks have similar concerns as well. References Furrer, O. (2010). Corporate Level Strategy: Theory and Applications. US: Taylor Francis. Mohr, J.J., Sengupta, S., Slater S.F. (2009). Marketing of High-Technology Products and Innovations. US: Jakki Mohr. Randomus. (2009). Skype Faces Legal Issues; Possible Closure, Myce. Web. Rogerson, S. (2008). VoIP Ethics. ETHIcol in the IM IS Journal. 18(2). Web. Skype (2012). Skype Explained. Web. Svensson, P. (2006). Skype Innovation and Security. Legal and Ethical Issues with the Internet. Web.

Bruce Dawe

The poet’s role is to challenge the world the see around them. ’ How far is this true for the poetry of Bruce Dawe? How (ie through what techniques) Does Dawe achieve this? Discuss a maximum of 2 poems. Bruce Dawe is one of the most inspirational and truthful poets of our time. Born in 1930, in Geelong, most of Dawe’s poetry concerns the common person – his poems are a recollection on the world and issues around him. The statement ‘The poet’s role is to challenge the world they see around them. Is very true for Bruce Dawe, as his main purpose in his poetry was to depict the unspoken social issues concerning the common Australian suburban resident. His genuine concern for these issues is evident through his mocking approach to the issues he presents in two of his longer poems, ‘Enter without so much as Knocking’ and ‘Life-cycle’. Both poems have a similar theme the cycle of life, the mass-production and lack of unique ness. ‘Enter without so much as Knocking’ shows how consumerism has a negative impact on society. The poem depicts the life of a typical man, living in the suburbs. It starts off with the birth of a child. The sentences are intentionally made short and clear. As the baby begins to conceive the world he has been brought into, he sees signs, commands and expectations. Dawe stresses the point that the first thing that the baby heard was a voice of consumerism on television, as opposed to the voices of his family. The baby has been brought into a materialistic world – a world where such an important event has just occurred, a new member of the family has been born, and yet the television is on and Bobby Dazzler is preaching his false cliches to the household. Hello, hello, hello all you lucky people† Followed by a comment highlighting the innocence of the child – Bobby Dazzler’s false heartiness and slogans do not influence the child. ‘and he really was lucky because it didnt mean a thing to him then’ Dawe believes that the child is lucky because he knows nothing of this repetitive deceit of civilisation. The theme really starts to come through here – these people are brainwashed by television so much so that consumerism is a religion for them. He is ferociously denouncing suburban life and the fact that people worship the television set. In the next stanza his family is described. The household is described with terms that we see as marketing slogans – â€Å"Well-equipped, smoothly-run, economy-size† These terms give the feeling of mass production – just as well-equipped, smoothly-run, economy-size cars, these sorts of households must have been very common. Again the fact that these people lack individuality is being focused on and it is disputed whether this is correct. The rest of the family are presented as stereotypes. â€Å"one economy sized Mum, one Anthony Squires- Coolstream – Summerweight Dad, along with two other kids, Straight off the Junior Department rack. Every aspect of this family is described in a sexist, impersonal, monotonous manner. His siblings aren’t described by their sex or age – they are just summarised as children who wear the same clothes as everyone else. and regulations imposed upon him everywhere he goes. The purpose of this stanza was to show that the car journey described in it is a fairly accurate representation of this boy’s life. The first sign of any emotion in the poem is â€Å"He enjoyed†, the child’s opinion, in the fourth stanza. He is challenging this world of people with iced-over emotions. The child is still innocent in this stage of his life – he is enthralled by nature, uninfluenced by material things, and not staring into the screen watching people make â€Å"incomprehensible and monstrous love† as all of the adults are. Children are innocent until we pollute their minds with the filth of society is what Dawe is saying. Owen describes the sky as â€Å"Littered with stars†, ironically, as the stars are pure and not soiled with the filth of mankind. Thus by saying the sky is littered with stars, he is taking the point of view of society – the fact that they would want to bring order and conformity to everything. These stars are scattered across the sky in an unorderly fashion, and â€Å"no one had got around to fixing [them] up yet†. He is highlighting that society takes beautiful, unadulterated natural things and pollutes them with their rules and regulations. Moving from childhood to the middle ages in but a few lines, highlighting that it’s not worth entioning the rest of his childhood, as it was all had too much of a resemblance to what has already been said. There is a quick and noticeable change of tone as the man is described as a â€Å"money-hungry†, â€Å"back stabbing† and â€Å"miserable†, no longer the image of innocence as he was portrayed in the first 4 stanzas. Not guarded by adolescence any more, he enters the real world and is instantly polluted with the filth of society. He says goodbye to the stars – their natural splendour no longer interests him, he is now a part of the materialistic world. He will no longer show any emotion, and he is now ‘realistic’, in other words, fake. The following dialogue is a symbol of the man’s beliefs, what he has been taught and what he now accepts morally. â€Å"I’m telling you straight, Jim, it’s Number One every time for this chicken, hit wherever you see a head and kick whoever’s down† The basic message behind this dialog is the fact that you have to get your own way in life – thinking of no-one else but yourself. Use people, backstab, kick them when they’re down – everything is justified as long as you end up on top. Bruce Dawe notices that a large percentage of the population live by these morals, and he is showing through the example of this man how futile such a materialistic life really is. An abrupt change in the dialog and we hear the words of the man thanking a woman, Clare, for a lovely evening. The readers hold their breath, thinking that maybe there still is some humanity left in this man who has just said such harsh words. But in the sixth stanza it is revealed that he was merely being two-faced and fake. He is in the car with his wife. There are no signs of affection, his wife is just like another possession to him. I’ve had enough for one night, with that Clare Jessup,† Here he reveals the truth – a total opposite of what he told Clare herself. Or perhaps this too is not the truth, and he is also lying to his wife in order to gain sympathy. At the end of the paragraph Dawe abruptly stops the man in mid sentence and leaves only a dash, showing how quickly and sudde nly one can lose ones life. In the seventh paragraph the true extent of people’s brainwash is underlined. Such a tragic event has just occurred, and the funeral guests pay attention to only the materialist aspects of his death. They notice that he looks very good, tanned, healthy. This could also be a paradox for the fact that what people look like on the outside can be the opposite of what they are – the insincerity in society. The unsympathetic guests are emotionless and fake, just like he was. Dawe then describes the place the man goes after death as an underground metropolis – underground hinting that due to his dishonest nature and lack of morals he went to hell. â€Å"permanent residentials, no parking tickets, no taximeters ticking, no Bobby Dazzlers here, no down payments, nobody grieving over halitosis† It is a place with none of the materialistic beliefs that litter this world. It is imposed that people in our world grieve over halitosis, or bad breath, but as we saw at the funeral, do not grieve over death. He’s six feet down and nobody’s interested – they’re all too busy going about their own selfish, self-centred lives. â€Å"Blink, Blink. . Silence. † The last word is not done in block letters, as all of the other signs – because it is not a sign. There is silence in the cemetery already, and there is no-one to hush up there. â€Å"Momento, homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A definition of this epigraph is very important to the moral of this poem. Remember, man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return. † This ties in with the theme of this man’s whole life going past, and having no impact on the world. Having lost his individuality, he fitted in with society only when he gave into mass-conformity and consumerism. The futile cycle of human lives in a materiali stic world is portrayed in this poem, underlining all of the shallowness and facades in society. It is clear that Bruce Dawe’s purpose in writing this poem was to challenge this cycle that he observed, and to show people, through only a few moments in a person’s life, the extreme of this problem. Blinded by materialistic things this man sacrificed his morals and ethics, no longer caring for his fellow humans, or for nature. And neither did those around him. Dawe is showing us how lonely and emotionless a person’s life can really be. The other poem, ‘Life-cycle’, is one of his well-known poems that deals with how Victorians are influenced by football. It ridicules the fact that football for people has become like a religion. Not speaking of a specific event as in ‘Enter without so Much as Knocking’, this poem describes the general cycle of life of a resident of Victoria. From birth people are encouraged to barrack for their teams, and build a life around football. This ‘religion’ is implied on the ‘innocent monsters’ by their parents and surroundings. â€Å"they are wrapped in the club-colours, laid in beribboned cots, having already begun a lifetime’s barracking† Dawe is showing that this will be the purpose of the child’s life. He will grow up living breathing football, and worshipping it without giving a second thought to the true purpose of life. Using simple structure and simple language, he is able to best convey his morals to the common people that it affects. Gently mocking people with his vibrant expression of the game, with Christian symbolism he compares it to the bible – highlighting that it is, but shouldn’t be regarded of the same importance as Christianity. â€Å"They will forswear the Demons, cling to the saints and behold their team going up the ladder into Heaven† Dawe describes the actual important things in life – marriage, proposals, as just a sidetrack to football, done quickly in between games. Football is the focus of these people’s lives – anything else is merely a diversion to football and should be taken care of quickly so that they can get back to the game. the reckless proposal after the one-point win, the wedding and the honeymoon after the grand-final†¦Ã¢â‚¬  We almost begin to pity these poor people, to whom living their lives has taken second place in importance to football. By using triumphant words such as ‘behold’ ‘passion’ and ‘em pyrean’ Dawe is showing great sarcasm, as he did with the Christian symbolism. It is like he is asking the readers why football is now as important to the Victorians as their religion, and highlighting the fact that it is not supposed to be like this. having seen in the six-foot recruit from Eaglehawk their hope of salvation† Bruce Dawe purposefully makes the last word of the poem salvation. This word, generally associated with heaven, and the fact that living a good, Christian life will lead to our salvation and we will go to heaven, not hell. But it is not from God that these people gain their salvation – they see salvation in the recruit, the strong football player who has come to play for their team and could bring the team victory. With that Dawe makes obvious the skewed priorities of these people, and how futile and pointless their existence is. Carn, carn’ they cry, from birth unto death, never knowing anything else, never living. We can see by Dawe’s techniques and words in both of these poems that his main purpose was to open the public’s eyes to the mishaps of society. He challenges society, pointing out all of the injustices and hardships that ordinary people face every day. He shows us how we can become selfish and materialistic, and how we can become so involved in something that we no longer recognise the beauties of life and nature. He makes these morals accessible to all people through his simple poetry, communicating his ideas and ethics accurately.

Solid Waste Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Solid Waste Management - Research Paper Example As well, they are major contributors in the current polluted status of the earth. There are many ways by which they can help the cause of source reduction. First, they can offer repair of their broken products, so that consumers will not just easily throw away broken manufactured products such as electrical devices. They can also invest on emission purifier that ensures that whatever they release to their surroundings are free from harmful chemicals. They can also help fund discovery of natural materials that may substitute synthetic, non-biodegradable material that they are currently using. For example, they may opt to use biodegradable cartons for packaging instead of the non-biodegradable Styrofoam, which takes a long time to degrade and pollutes water or even land. Speaking of packaging, manufacturers should work on packaging their products with the least material possible, especially when the consumers throw them away anyway. With these steps, not only will the factories help th e environment, they can also save money through it solid waste management (EPA, 2011). 3.) The Middlemen The supermarkets, considered as one of the middlemen between the manufacturers and consumers, can contribute a lot in solid waste reduction. They may give incentives to the buyers who bring their own bags, probably an old plastic bag, in lieu of getting a new one every time they shop. Supermarkets, as well as other establishments such as schools and restaurants, can also be a venue for nearby households to bring their recyclables to. This way, processing of these recyclables becomes a lot cheaper because no extra manpower is needed to get them from every home (EPA, 2011). Gas...From the research it can be comprehended that the principle of source reduction suggests that the reduction of wastes produced can be achieved by using the minimum amount of resources in units as simple as households or as big as manufacturing. This can be done by the 3 R’s, reuse, reduce, recycle, in which materials can be used again like how it was used before, by making new products with less freshly gathered materials, and by modifying a material so that it can be used differently from how it was used before. For example, scratch papers can be reused again for beddings of pet rodents, can be grind and processed again so that the fresh products that are used to make paper are reduced, and they can be recycled so that it can be used to make lamps out of paper mache. Evidently, regular practice of this 3R’s not only ensures waste reduction, but can save natural resources as well. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, solid waste management plan strictly followed by everyone makes a sustainable community. As what was discussed above, natural resources, which are currently continuously being depleted, are saved. Landfills, which are dedicated for inefficiently managing wastes, can be cleared and used instead as residential areas or parks. Living things can be better protected from the harmful effects of chemicals by properly disposing them. However, solid waste management still poses several disadvantages.

Assess the extent to which the cold war involved the nationas of the Essay

Assess the extent to which the cold war involved the nationas of the middle east and africa - Essay Example This is because of the suspicious relationship that developed between these two nations at the time, whereby nations split into two with some supporting the US, and the others remained in support the USSR. Thus, even within these nations, leaders acted in a divided manner with some supporting the ideologies of the USSR communism, while other countries supported the capitalistic view of the US, and this propagated the social and political division of nations.4 Cold war involvement in Africa Because of its endowment with resources, Africa was a battleground for Cold War for quite a long period that led to many wars, which both sides of the conflict, namely the United States and the Soviet Union blamed on each other. The harassment that was conducted by the Americans and the UK on Mugabe and Al-Bashir of Sudan was heaped on China and Russia with the aim of making the west to appear friendly and clean to Africa.5This has proved to be the new stage being set for fresh crop of Cold War in the African soil, as at the time USSR and US were engaged in Cold War, Africa was still involved in it, as some of the African states were surrogates of the two. Africa is a rich provider of the world’s major raw material for the production of goods for the industries in the west because a country is only able to engage in war if it has enough economic power and political influence for the purpose of protecting its interests.6 Therefore, surrogate African States provide support to one of the side in the cold war for their own interests and for their leaders selfish interest; such support normally involved the use of their state resources, which involved workforce in form of soldiers when they are required. As a result of the Cold War, Zimbabwe being a surrogate to one of the main two countries involved in Cold War, their leader Robert Mugabe murdered and violently overthrew the opposition to the side that supported the Britons, Americans and the western powers.7Moreover, beca use of the Cold War, nationalists and African leaders were frequently overthrown when they did not support the nations in such warfare. For instance, famous leaders like Kwame Nkrumah, Patrice Lumumba or Eduardo Mondlane among others were victims of claims that they were supporters of the Chinese or Russians and the East policies. In these cases, other African leaders have more often than not found themselves behind bars without the hope of ever being freed.8 In addition, the involvement of Africa in the Cold War has greatly affected the continent in terms of its human, society and economy; these impacts are still very fresh with the slow growth of the African continent attributed to the Cold War. Furthermore, African resources that involved agricultural outputs and minerals were

Literary analysis for En Aquel Entonces Readings in Mexican American Essay

Literary analysis for En Aquel Entonces Readings in Mexican American History - Essay Example Subsequently, in 1993, the United States and Mexico entered into another important treaty--the North American Free Trade Agreement (hereinafter NAFTA). NAFTA created considerable controversy in the United States. It governs trade between the NAFTA parties: Canada, Mexico and the United States. The NAFTA parties trade hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods a year. Thus, one can expect that many trade disputes will arise under NAFTA. As a result, NAFTA has provided procedures for dispute resolution. In the 1800s, many in the United States believed it was America's destiny to expand westward so as to govern the entire continent. Writing in 1845, journalist John O'Sullivan explained: The American claim is by the right of our manifest destiny to overspread and to possess the whole of the continent which Providence has given us for the development of the great experiment of liberty and federative self-government entrusted to us. In accordance with this notion of "manifest destiny," in 1846, the United States went to war against Mexico in an effort to incorporate the western territories of California and New Mexico and certain Texas borderlands. At the war's end in 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo required Mexico to cede about half of its then existing territory. Much of the American West and Southwest was acquired by the United States in the 529,000 square mile cession by the Republic of Mexico. Thus, the United States conquered Mexico in 1848. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo completed that conquest and, therefore, completed the conquest of the Southwest. In agreeing to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico--a conquered nation--obviously had much less bargaining power than the United States. The Mexican government was under tremendous political and financial pressure to sign the Treaty. Mexican officials viewed the Treaty as a final opportunity to preserve Mexico. With the American Army just outside of Mexico City, they believed that if the war continued, all of Mexico would have been acquired by the United States. In addition, British money brokers, who had made large loans to Mexico, were pushing Mexican officials to end the war and pay off Mexico's debts. Under these circumstances, the United States virtually dictated the terms of the [Treaty]. So one-sided was the Treaty in favor of the United States that the American political party, the Whigs, who were opponents of the war, concluded that the Treaty was morally bankrupt. In particular, the Whigs argued that it was unethical to require a defeated country to "sell" its territory . Despite this, Mexico sought to provide certain rights for Mexican citizens in the territories ceded under the Treaty to the United States. Experience proves it is possible for one nationality to merge and be absorbed into another: and when it was originally an inferior and more backward portion of the human race absorption is greatly to its advantage. Nobody can suppose that it is not more beneficial to a Breton, or a Basque of French Navarre, to be brought into the current of the ideas and feelings of a highly civilized and cultivated people--to be a member of the French Nationality, admitted on equal terms to all the privileges of French citizenship--than to sulk on his own rocks, the half-savage relic of past times, revolving in his own little mental orbit, without