Short Paragraph on Plastic Money

WHAT IS PLASTIC MONEY? Plastic money are the alternative to the cash or  the standard ‘Money'.Plastic money is the generic term for  all types of  bank cards, credit cards, debit cards, smart cards, etc.DEFINITION The â€Å"plastic† portion of this term refers to the plastic construction of credit cards, as opposed to paper and metal of currency. The money portion is an erroneous reference to credit cards as a form of money, which they are not. Although credit cards do facilitate transactions, because they are a liability rather than an asset, they are not money and not part of the economy’s money supply. INTRODUCTIONPaper money was first used in China around the seventh century AD, only to be outlawed in 1455. The use of folding currency re-emerged in England in 1694. The biggest  problem which was occurring with the paper note is the wear; the paper note has very small life due to shifting of ownership by time to time and their usage. Firstly Australia was the first who develop the plastic note which have longer life but after wore they are recycled for further utilizing. The plastic notes also secure the government for copying  because paper note easily copied but plastic note cannot be copied.PLASTIC MONEY OR POLYMER MONEY WAS FIRST INTRODUCED IN 1950SThe plastic note are same as paper but the only difference is that they are made of plastic and more secured but in traveling and shopping people used to carry huge cash which was very unsecured and also increasing crime rate. Then the cards are introduced in the world to resolve the issue of carrying huge cash. Then the cards ar e known as Plastic Money. The usage of plastic money(Cards) has increased in the mode of payment of huge amount and time by time there are lots of different types of plastic money has introduced which enhanced the features of plastic money like we can use it to anywhere in the world and etc.Now the world is becoming globalize so every card is accepted everywhere with the power of VISA which interconnect the  different countries. As we have the different type of card as listed below:Credit CardDebit CardCharge CardAmex  CardMasterCard ; VisaSmart CardDinners  Club  CardPhoto CardGlobal  CardCo-branded  CardAffinity  CardAdd-on Card.These cards are performing the function of money with different ways. These cards are accepted worldwide, in which you can utilize your own money and also bank’s money. The card through which you spend your own money is known as debit card.The card through which you spend the amount of bank as loan is called credit card. 1. Credit card s  and  debit cards  as an alternative to  cash. People prefer using  plastic money  as it reduces chances of being misused The  plastic money  brought in a lot of joy to every American home, buy today and pay later, seemed to have worked wonders for some time. Although it is easy to be careless using a credit card, the  plastic moneycan be useful for more important purchases.CREDIT CARDSOne of the most important financial tools in modern times is the credit card. Their uses in varied places are opening up new avenues of personal finance.People prefer using  plastic  money  as it reduces chances of being misused. The use of credit cards operates on a complex network that ensures safety of the user. Many websites are enabling credit card processing for increasing their client base. Online business is booming. Credit card processing has enabled consumers to purchase items without moving out of their houses. To be able to accept credit cards has taking online bu siness to another level. Credit card processing is now deemed as the key to successful online business. The primary function of credit card processing is to accept credit cards.The online business efficiency is also increased manifold. Payment procedures are automated through credit card processing. When a website owner is able to accept credit cards, he is making  money  transactions for his customers and himself easier. The experience of buying online has never been so simple. Gone are the days when one had to place orders over the telephone or use checks for payments. Now, all one needs to do is enter the details of his/her credit card and the rest is handled by the credit card processing service providers. Credit card processing has been able to save a lot of time and energy.Online business operates 24Ãâ€"7. Consumers from all time zones avail the products and services of online business. Credit card processing has rendered this simpler. Being able to accept credit cards ha s made it possible to transact 24 hours a day virtually. Automation has proved to be a contributing factor in the success of online business. Credit card processing has given online business owners freedom from sitting at the desk constantly to monitor the transfer ofmoney. Online business owners need to have an online merchant account to be able to accept credit cards from consumers.This service is needed for processing all the orders. Various kinds of online merchant account providers are available to cater to the different kinds of online business needing credit card processing. The changes of online merchant accounts may vary from the number of payments to monthly payments. The constant competition of the various service providers and the launch of new service providers are expected to pull down the rates in the near future. Online business owners should consider the reliability, the customer support system and security of the credit card processing service providers before they zero in on one of them.Choosing the cheapest service provider is not always a wise decision. Free credit card processing services are also available. These are meant for newcomers in online business. Website owners have to go through verification of the credit card number, its expiry date and other details after they accept credit cards. Beginners have to pay a nominal amount for every transaction and enjoy the services. They do not need to purchase costly credit card processing software or pay huge fees for customer services like regular credit card processing services.A good amount of research is needed to know about the best service providers. Did you find this article useful? For more useful tips and hints, points to ponder and keep in mind, techniques, and insights pertaining to computer Virus, do please browse for more information at our websites. Dinner It is not until 1950 that the Dinner Club Card was created by a restaurant patron who forgot his wallet and realized there needed to be an alternative to cash only. This started the first credit card specifically for widespread use, even though it was primarily used for entertainment and travel expenses.

Role of the Learning Mentor

A 2, 500 word assignment which examines the role of the learning mentor and analyses the strategies used in supporting science, evaluating the impact on pupils’ learning. This essay will explore and evaluate the role, the responsibilities and the purpose of the learning mentor. It will highlight and review strategies used in schools today to support children’s education, assisting them to develop skills and achieve their full potential. The learning mentor has a large range of duties which require the ability to encourage social inclusion, collaborate with external agencies for specialist support and expand care to families and carers.Responsibilities also include the contribution to the assessment of pupils, the transition and pastoral care of vulnerable students and to identify and remove barriers to learning that some young people are faced with during their time in education. All of these areas will be considered and analysed. I will thoroughly examine current pract ice, theory and reflect upon my own development. Whilst examining the role of the learning mentor, I will be specifically looking at science and how it is taught and supported in schools today.My aim is to highlight the importance of the learning mentor and the impact they have on a child’s achievement and success. It will also indicate how the learning mentor’s holistic approach builds self confidence, a sense of emotional belonging and overall creates the best conditions for students to flourish academically as well as personally. Consequently, this will allow me to develop and improve my own practice and professional progression in the future. Education has not always recognised the holistic needs and development of children.However, over the years, the education system has seen a considerable amount of changes. It has been revolutionalised, transforming teaching from learning by rote to a multisensory, child centred, personalised education. This is due to many fact ors such as the development of technology, changes in society, values and attitudes, the recognition of children with additional needs and the implementation of learning mentors and support staff. So, when were learning mentors first introduced into schools and why?In 1999, as an out come from the 1997 White Paper, the Excellence in Cities (EiC) initiative was launched by the government to raise standards of attainment and was first piloted in disadvantaged, inner-city schools. As stated in Excellence in Cities: The National Evaluation of a Policy to Raise Standards in Urban Schools 2000-2003 (2005), Britain was in need of ‘inclusive schooling that recognises the different talents of all children and delivers excellence for everyone’. To achieve this objective, EiC implemented a gifted and talented programme, to provide extra support for 5-10 per cent of pupils in each school.Learning Support Units (LSU’s) were also introduced to provide intervention teaching and support programmes for difficult or vulnerable students and learning mentors were created to help students overcome educational or behaviour problems, ensuring that schools were inclusive of all. As highlighted by M. K Smith (1999) schools were able to utilise Learning Mentors for different matters according to their individuality, however the government did set out for the leaning mentor, four main objectives. These core beliefs from EiC are explained in Good Practice Guidelines for Learning Mentors (DFES 2001).Firstly, the learning mentor should have high expectations for every pupil, meeting the needs of all and taking an individualised approach to teaching and learning, ensuring barriers are removed so children can aspire regardless of the difficulties they may come up against. Barriers to opportunities could include family problems, bullying, low self esteem and poor social skills. The learning mentor must also establish good working relationships with pupils, parents, the com munity and other outside agencies.By creating a network, schools are able to work collaboratively to promote diversity, share good teaching practice and enhance performance throughout the area. The role of the learning mentor was not only introduced to improve the progress of low ability students, following a report by J. Freeman in 1998 which investigated research on the teaching and learning of high ability children, the government recognised that ‘provision for the highly able was not satisfactory’ and that children who are gifted and talented ‘have as much of an entitlement to have their needs addressed’ OFSTED (2001).Therefore, learning mentors provide extended learning opportunities to pupils to assure the prevention of a ‘glass ceiling’ that could potentially restrict performance. Besides from the objectives set out by the government, the role of the learning mentor is complex and extensive. Good Practice Guidelines for Learning Mentors (DFES 2001) makes clear that they are disciplinarians, nor classroom assistants. They are an active listener, a role model, a guide who negotiates targets and supports pupils, carers and parents whilst remaining reliable, non judgemental and realistic. R.Rose and M Doveston (2008:145) defines mentoring as ‘learning within a social context’ with learning mentors recognising ‘the necessity to ensure that students feel both comfortable with and in control of the learning process. ’ This social collaboration is clearly influenced by Vygotsky (1962) and his theory of social constructivism. A key point of Vygotskys theory is the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). As explain by Oakley (2004), the ZPD is the gap between a child’s actual level and the level of which the child could achieve with the guidance from an experienced adult, in this case, the learning mentor.This adult intervention can also be linked to the idea that Bruner put forward, labelling th is type of assistance as ‘scaffolding’. A concept where a more able person provides guidance and support until the learner becomes independent. When evaluating the helping relationship, G. Egan’s theory takes a holistic, person centred approach, resulting in the ability to ‘develop more options in their lives’, Egan (1990:7). The changes brought about by EiC have shaped the way education system is today, with teachers and learning mentors taking on a child centred, holistic, inclusive and personalised approach.In 2006, the Department for Education and Skills published the 2020 vision: report of the Teaching and Learning in 2020 Review presenting a vision to provide pupils with personalised learning offering a more adaptable curriculum. The 2020 vision: report of the Teaching and Learning in 2020 Review (2006:3) points out that ‘When taken as a whole across the education system, in all schools, for all pupils, we think personalising learning has the potential to transform education. ’ The Assessment for Learning Strategy 2008 explains the importance of assessment in education.It aims to ensure every child is aware of their performance and how to improve allowing them to become independent initiators of their own learning and by informing parents and carers of assessment outcomes, children are also supported at home. In schools, assessment for learning happens constantly by teachers, learning mentors, teaching assistant and peers. Examples of formative assessment are precise learning objectives, peer and self assessment and immediate verbal or written feedback. Summative assessment gives a broader view of improvement and uses standardised tests.Assessment is essential for schools to plan the next steps for pupils in order to close the gap in attainment and is vital to effective personalised teaching and learning. In 2008, OFSTED evaluated the impact of assessment for learning on inclusion identifying that it is benef icial to pupils with special educational needs (SEN), providing pupils with the opportunity to discuss, question, explore and review ‘builds an understanding of what success looks like and how to apply skills’ OFSTED (2008:21).Assessment for learning therefore clearly goes hand in hand with personalised learning allowing children, teachers, learning mentors and parents to reflect, evaluate and advance. Subsequently, as indicated by Capel and Gervis (2009: 135) when feedback is given in conjunction with praise, pupils are more motivated to continue to make effort with a positive approach to the activity. Maslow (1970) made this very argument with his hierarchy of needs theory explaining that in order to feel the need to fulfil one’s potential, other needs such as self esteem or love and belonging must be met first. Aspects of Maslow’s theory can also be seen in government frameworks used in schools. Although currently under review, Every Child Matters (2003 ) has five outcomes, areas which are central to the learning mentors work. For example for children to ‘be healthy’, the learning mentor may be involved with setting up breakfast clubs, arrange sporting activities or promote healthy dinners. As for ‘staying safe’ they might organise police visits, implement a listening room or create an anti bullying initiative.For children to ‘enjoy and achieve’ they may perhaps provide one to one intervention to support achievement, have homework clubs and offer assistance for transition. The learning mentor could also arrange community work, school council groups and circle time, giving pupils the opportunity to ‘make a positive contribution’. And to allow children to achieve economic well-being, the learning mentor may possibly organise work experience, seek career advice and work with parents and other outside agencies. As a teaching assistant, my role differs from that of the learning mentor. The responsibitlies of the teaching assistant, although still aim to support pupils to reach their full potential are not as broad at the support offered by a learning mentor and is approached from a somewhat different angle. This is highlighted in a video at teachermedia. co. uk 2 outlining the differences between these two roles. From my experience, teaching assistants are usually classroom based; however work together with teachers and learning mentors to ensure the best type of individual support can be provided for all.With experience of supporting and teaching the national curriculum in year 3, I have observed the learning and development of many children. One subject which always usually requires a range of support strategies is science. Science is not just the teaching of facts and theories. As stated in the report, Primary Science (2003), teaching science equips pupils with indispensable skills that are transferable throughout different parts of the curriculum. The report e xplains how the main aim of primary science is to ‘stimulate pupil’s curiosity in the world around them and encourage critical and creative thinking’ (2003:1).The National Curriculum (1999) sets out the statutory programme of study for science, the four main areas of teaching are, life processes and living things, physical processes, materials and their properties and scientific enquiry. For pupils to achieve in science there is a balance needed between teaching factual knowledge and the skills of scientific enquiry. For example, students must be given the opportunity to address questions scientifically, plan and carrying out experiments, build on previous knowledge and interests, evaluate and discuss ideas.The teaching of science is essential as it promotes learning across the curriculum including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, key skills, thinking skills, communication, application of number, working with others and information technology. à ¢â‚¬ËœSuccessful Science’, a report by OFSTED (2011) found that the impact of good teaching could be seen when more practical science lessons were taught, when pupils were involved in peer and self-evaluation and when the pupils were given the opportunity to develop the skills of scientific enquiry by taking part in decision-making, discussion and research.Teaching was seen to be more engaging when the science that they were learning about had relevance to their lives and experiences. When I was asked to plan and teach block of lessons on magnets to a group of middle ability year 3 children, it was important to take into account many factors. How much science motivates children? What teaching strategies and theories to use? Would it need to be differentiated and how could I ensure progress had been made? The plan involved a range of multisensory activities such as testing magnetic materials around the school, finding the strongest magnet, watching videos, labelling the irecti ons of force. Such activities were tailored for multiple intelligences, Gardner (1983) and also exercised both right and left brain skills ensuring the engagement and motivation of both boys and girls, Cheminais (2008). The lessons had clear, precise learning objectives as research shows that this works as classical conditioning, the action of providing a lesson objective will result in the learner’s response in knowing what to expect to learn, Gange and Medker (1996). Theories that influenced the teaching strategies used include both constructivists and social constructivist teaching.For example, for the pupils to develop their scientific enquiry skills, the activities were designed to allow them to construct their own learning through experiences. This meant that by planning and carrying out an experiment to find the strongest magnets, the students gained the knowledge that the strongest magnet is not always the largest magnet. Alfrey (2003) explains that Piaget thought tha t children have to assemble their own comprehension and ‘assimilate’ from such experiences, creating mental structures called ‘schemas’.Piagetian theory views the role of the adult as someone who is to provide a rich, stimulating environment for children to naturally discover, explore and actively build their own schemas through stage appropriate activities and tasks that will eventually support assimilation and accommodation. Some aspects of social constructivist teaching methods were used in the lesson, for instance the pupils were collaboratively seeking answers, and they shared their ideas, had group discussion and developed their listening skills.During the session the children asked lots of questions, this again showed just how involved the children were and how they were actively seeking answers and explanations. Talking Science Pedagogy (2008) summarises five teaching models used in science. Direct interactive teaching was used in the lessons when t he magnets were first introduced to the children. Scientific vocabulary was taught such as north and south pole, magnetic field, attracts and repel.When the children learnt that opposites attract and the same repel, we used girls and boys to create an analogy in order to help them to picture it. During the lesson some issues did arise that could have potentially affect learning. The children had their own presumptions about magnets which lead to misconceptions. To identify these, the students were asked to discuss what they already knew about magnets, and then create a mind map with the findings. These included, ‘they stick to stuff’, ‘they stick to anything metal’ and ‘big magnets are strongest’. .

DEAF REFLECTION #2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

DEAF REFLECTION #2 - Coursework Example The writer tries to envision if the whole world was a bilingual community where everybody was taught sign language in the same manner they were taught how to speak using their tongues This is an important notion as people were be able to communicate easily with their and extended family of the Vineyard society. This means that there was no language barrier, and by proxy, no social barrier in this society. The writer acknowledges that there were no difficulties that the deaf children suffered on the Vineyard as the society acted as an extended family for them. From childhood, one could obtain families where one or two children in the family were deaf so this would not be a major concern in another child was born deaf. The deaf children stood a better of continuing with their education than students who could be able to hear. This is evident when the writer claims that â€Å"the recommended period of instruction in Hartford was five years but education for the deaf was available up to ten years†. On social aspects, the deaf on Martha’s Vineyard married freely. Though the number of children that were born deaf was quite high and in an alarming rate. The deaf were also able to be independent as they were able to make a living of the talents and skills they had for example a carpenter. With respect to families, the fertility was higher and there was much comparison between the children who are born when hearing and those who were deaf. The Vineyard was a safe heaven for the deaf. However s time went by things started to change, to them deafness was treated like a stigma ans something to be ashamed of. In schools, other student made fun of the deaf students as the student who could hear made fun of them and nobody wanted to learn sign language anymore. This forced the society to open schools for the deaf and lead to a total split-up of those who could hear and the deaf in the society. A perception that the society tends to uphold up to

Leonardo da vinci and the science work Research Paper

Leonardo da vinci and the science work - Research Paper Example This paper details a brief account of Leonardo Da Vinci’s life, his achievements and discoveries and an analysis of his life based on the parts of creativity. Brief Biography Leonardo was born on 15th April, 1452, in Vinci, Italy, out of wedlock and raised by his father, ser Piero, and his step mother. In the modern sense, Leonardo had no surname and was named â€Å"da Vinci† meaning â€Å"of Vinci†. However, his full names were â€Å"Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci† implying â€Å"Leonardo, son of ser Peiro, from Vinci†. Little literature is available about Leonardo’s early life. According to Vasari (23-32), Leonardo lived in Achiano, his mother’s home, for the first five years of his life and later moved to his father’s household in Vinci. His father had remarried numerous times. Fig. 1 Leonardo’s portrait Leonardo attained informal education on mathematics, geometry and Latin language. He joined Verrocchio’s work shop at the age of fourteen. He was exposed to chemistry, leather working, mechanics, carpentry, drawing, painting and metallurgy (Buchholz 35-40). He graduated at the age of twenty as a qualified master in the union of doctors of medicine and artists. At the age of 22, court records indicate that Leonardo Da Vinci was charged and exonerated of sodomy (Vasari 58). In 1482, Leonardo was commissioned by Lorenzo de Medici to create a silver lyre in the shape of a horse’s head. ... Within his life, his â€Å"great strength and generosity, outstanding physical beauty, and aspects of life† attracted the curiosity of many people (Vasari 67). Leonardo had numerous friends who are also renowned for their contributions in history and other fields. He kept his private life discrete and was involved in numerous intimate relationships with his pupils. Accomplishments Buchholz (76) regards Leonardo as a genius and a renaissance man. Additionally, he is described as a man whose immeasurable inquisitiveness was made equal only by his powers of invention. Arguably, his talents stretched further than his artistic works. Like most of the renaissance leaders, he did not observe any separation and distinction between art and science. Leonardo is primarily known as a painter (Moon 83). Two of his paintings, the Mona Lisa and The last Supper, are the most celebrated, reproduced and imitated paintings. Leonardo’s iconic drawing of the Vitruvian Man is renowned. He al so made numerous notebooks where he made scientific drawings, and diagrams. However, since he did not publish his diagrams, nobody else knew about the whereabouts of the notebooks and, therefore, they were discovered long later after he had died (Capra 21). As an engineer, Leonardo’s thoughts and ideas were hugely in advance of his period. He hypothesized a tank, a helicopter, solar power, calculator, and the elementary theory of plate tectonics. However, a few of his designs were feasible during his period. Some of his inventions came into the world of manufacturing unannounced and unpredicted. As a scientist, he immensely enhanced the state of knowledge on areas such as optics, hydrodynamics and anatomy (Capra 107-13). Leonardo was captivated by birds. He observed them, drew them

Concept Analysis on Pain Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Concept Analysis on Pain - Research Paper Example Pain is the most recurrent diagnosis used in nursing as well as the most common problem through which patients seek help in a clinical setting. Unrelieved pain has an effect on the quality of life of an individual. It affects a person both physically and emotionally, impacts his family as well as the individual and the entire society (Ferrel, 1995). Pain is therefore a vital problem in the health care system. Pain is discussed by four major theories namely; specificity theory, gate control theory, pattern theory and psychological/ behavioral theory. The Gate Control Theory (GCT) is the most commonly used theory in the professional field. The insight of involves three interactive cerebral processes; motivational-effective, sensory discriminative and cognitive-evaluation (Melzack and Wall, 1965). Sensory-discriminative dimension speaks of the nerve transmission to the brain from the periphery through the spinal cord. This neospinothalamic projection system that is found in the brain serves to develop information that is sensory discriminative about duration, location and intensity to the stimulus. The limbic system and the formation of the brain brainstem reticular, which provoke the aversive and motivational drive are referred to as the motivational-affective dimension. Cognitive activities are referred to in the cognitive-evaluation dimension. These cognitive activities include attention , anxiety and cultural values. The cognitive-evaluation dimension places its basis on the analysis of multi-modal information, response strategies and past experience. This dimension also has effects on the other dimensions. According to Melzack and Wall, pain is a continuing process and not a sole sensation and response procedure. Pain includes a series of responses by a system of actions that start with reflex responses and continues with

Effects of the Differences of Technology and Leadership have on the Essay

Effects of the Differences of Technology and Leadership have on the Conflict in Mesoamerica after the Arrival of the Spanish - Essay Example An empire was destroyed. â€Å"The people of Mexico struggled to survive and adapt to the new Spanish colonial regime and to a new religion, Catholicism. In many ways the conquest represented both the death of a political state, or more exactly states, and much of their way of life and the birth of a new colonial regime in its place.†1 This essay will discuss the effects of the differences in technology and leadership to the different indigenous groups after the arrival and conquest of Mexico by the Spanish and how well they adapted. Prior to the conquest of Mexico, imperial states already existed, with its own culture, tradition and skills in agriculture, mathematics and astronomy, architecture and sculpture. The existing civilization even drew wonders among the Spaniards who came to conquer them. As narrated in â€Å"Victors and Vanquished†, Bernal Diaz, the young soldier who saw the city in 1519 gave voice to the awe that many of his companions felt: ‘Gazing on such wonderful sights, we did not know what to say, or whether what appeared before us was real, for or one side, on the land there were great cities, and in the lake there were so many more, and the lake was crowded with canoes, and in the causeway were many bridges at intervals, and in front of us stood the great city of Mexico.’ ... The book Victors and Vanquished Spanish and Nahua Views of the Conquest of Mexico, featured both the conquerors’ and the conquered’s sides but one thing remains true. Even after the fall of Tenochtitlan, even though the peoples of Mexico did not form a single political entity which led to the success of the Spanish conquest, most of the other Mesoamerican cultures were intact. They never disappeared at the time of the decline of Classic period or the arrival of the Spanish. But after years of colonialism, the Mexicans were dispossessed of their lands, languages and heritage which resulted to human suffering and cultural destruction. The introduction of technology and change in leadership only intensified the conflicts between indigenous groups and the aim of breaking free from those in control. These, together with political conflicts between them helped weaken the empire as a whole. They were welcomed as guests; as gods even because of their skin color. Little did they know that it would be the start of the downfall of a great civilization. Heavy exploitation followed the initial shock of the conquest. The natives were suffering and adapting to the destructive effects of the colonization in their way of life. The existing system of a great civilization was swept aside for the conquerors’ traditional, cultural and political standards. They created a community in the Spanish style. A civil government was created to be run by a Spaniard. The establishment of a new political standard resulted in the people relatively becoming rural peasants. Change was inevitable. The greatest change perhaps is the introduction of iron and steel. Indigenous peoples were technologically primitive, with weapons such as bows and arrows and wooden sword set with obsidian blades and so

An Analysis of Marijuana Legalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

An Analysis of Marijuana Legalization - Essay Example One might posit that the reason for such a differential has to do with the overall level of harm differential that exists between these two drugs; however, when one considers the fact that both drugs are ultimately damaging to one’s health – if inhaled – the level of differential between them, from a quality of health standpoint, is negligible. Within such an understanding, the following analysis will seek to compare and contrast the objective and subjective effects of both nicotine and marijuana. Moreover, an analysis of the different government policies and regulations that constrain their usage will be analyzed alongside a discussion of the health risks that utilizing these substances necessarily portend. It is the hope of this author that such an analysis will land the reader to have a more actionable and definitive understanding of current drug policy had whether or not it represents an effective and ethical response to issues of public health are evidenced within current society (Hendricks et al., 2012). Although it is not the place of this brief analysis to advocate a safe entirely new approach to drug policy within the United States, it is the hope of this research that a greater level of inference with regards to the appropriate response framework that government represents will be able to be inferred. A great deal of debate has centered on the use of marijuana as a means of treating a variety of medical conditions; most notably with regards to terminally ill patients that are working to deal with a host of pain management problems. However, the overall legitimacy of marijuana as both a drug and a treatment plan is an issue that is slightly more nuanced than either side of the debate would likely let on. The fact of the matter is that marijuana, when used to treat illness, has like any medical drug a series of pros and cons; i.e. benefits and side effects. Although marijuana is not unique in that its implementation has both a series of side effects and benefits, this analysis will attempt to categorize this, discuss their nature, and draw inference as to the overall balance sheet with regards to whether medical marijuana is worthy of continuing to be used as a drug due to the preponderance of its inherent benefits or should be discontinued as a drug/treatment as a function of the r isk it poses to the individual. With respect to some of the most important side effects that have been medically demonstrable, one has to note that the smoking of any substance provides a greatly increased risk of developing a host of cancers. These include but are in no way limited to the following: lip cancer, tongue cancer, cheek cancer, esophageal cancer, and lung cancer but to name a few (Cohen 655). Similarly, it has been proven that smoking marijuana also demonstrably weakens the body’s immune system. This is of vital importance to many individuals who will be taking it to assist in providing them with a means to survive a given illness or extreme situation that requires such a method. In this way, the individual is likely to prolong the amount of time that they are suffering from an illness due to the fact that the prolonged use of marijuana has a negative effect on the total white blood cell count and the body’s inherent ability to fight off infection. In addi tion to the increased risk of a litany of cancers, the user is also at a highly increased risk of respiratory illness due to the fact that inhaling the smoke from even 1 joint per day can noticeably affect the bronchial linings in the air way which serve to protect the individual from a host of

Comparative Industrial Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Comparative Industrial Relations - Essay Example These three concepts actually signify the administration and handling of people. At times ‘industry’ is related to manufacturing only. However, the principle of Industrial relations is not so limited. The principle entails to enclose the associations amid managers and their employees in aspects of trade and industry activity. The main issue under consideration in the industrial relations is employment. Thus, industrial relations cover all the economic activities where a human resource works under the control of an employer and obtains a salary in exchange of his work. Consequently, industrial relations do not take into account domestic labour as well as self-employed individuals (Edward, n.d., p 1). Industrial relations play a vital role from the employers’ point of view. This is mainly because, in the present times, capital as well as technologies have become increasing obtainable for the companies. And hence, the competitive situation of a company relies on the knowledge and expertise of its human resources to a large extent. Furthermore, it should be noted that the human resources are distinct from any other form of resources. This is owing to the fact that human resources cannot be detached from the individuals in whom they are present. As a result, industrial relations are concerned with managing human resources in view of the productive goals of the business as well as the objectives of the workers (Edward, n.d., p 2). The point of view of industrial relation is fundamentally collective as well as pluralist. It involves the associations and dealings which take place at and out of the place of work. Thereby, it comprises of the relationships amid individual employees, the relationships amid the employees and their manager, the associations the companies and their employees have with the institutes created to support and safeguard their individual interests, in addition to the association-ship amongst those institutes among others. In ad dition, industrial relations takes account of the practices by means of which these associations and dealings are expressed, for instance collective bargaining; employee participation in decision-making; and settlement of complaints as well as disagreements. Furthermore, it also includes the handling of disagreements amongst managers, employees and trade unions, as and when it occurs. These associations as well as practices are subjective to the policies, regulations, and programmes formulated by the government and its agencies. Additionally, these practices are also influenced by the overall political, social, cultural, economic and technological attributes of each nation. Consequently, the industrial relation strategy and its framework in a particular nation are built up in the course of bipartite review procedures (to be precise between the company and its employee representatives, and by them, separately, with the government) as well as tripartite discussion and collaboration (c oncerning government and other social associates) (Macdonald, 1997, pp. 3-4). Components of Industrial Relations The employment relationship or industrial relationship consists of two segments, to be precise, managerial relations as well

Meeting the Challenge of Educating English Language Learners Scholarship Essay

Meeting the Challenge of Educating English Language Learners - Scholarship Essay Example BIBLIOGRAPHY noted that these foreign students are the fastest growing group entering our schools, especially in urban settings. Although there are millions of immigrants in this country and endless resources geared towards their education, the educational performance of our new community members is one of the lowest in the country ( BIBLIOGRAPHY). As an educator for over seventeen years, the author of this paper believes that the challenge of educating English as Second Language learners is without a question a task which has been adequately explored by only a few districts. These districts are the ones that are truly prepared to see the value of language and culture as an opportunity to educate learners and to effectively integrate them into our schools and community at large. Hence, it is imperative for all districts to understand the magnitude of the challenge of teaching language and content to English as Second Language learners within the same hours of a day and in the same nu mber of days per year as English learners. The Challenge Despite the efforts of educational leaders to educate all students it is interesting to analyze the impact of this education on newcomers. Firstly, although school districts continuously develop new initiatives and interventions the end result is usually the same - the initiatives essentially create a lack of access to meaningful education to the newcomer. Thus, one can conclude that school districts are still in the dark about how to specifically and effectively educate newcomers since most of the interventions become new failing attempts to successfully educate these students from foreign countries. A second rationale for the lack of effectiveness of these new initiatives is the fact that former immigrant students were intimately connected to members with the same cultural and language background. The author of this paper believes that it is this network of support which provided a source of strength and acculturation for th e continued success of a given group. However, it is evident that the United States is now experiencing a tremendously large increase of students who are new immigrants who are isolated from mainstream society due to the lack of connections, resources and networking experienced by the former immigrants. At an alarmingly rapid rate more and more immigrants from oppressed nations are entering our cities, usually, as refugees. As such the challenges of these immigrant students are more severe than any of the previous groups. Consequently, it is has become critical to bridge the cultural and linguistic gaps of these immigrant students. Educational institutions within the school districts are not prepared or equipped to assimilate the multiple academic and socio emotional needs of these new students and their families. Accordingly, the institutions are faced with the daunting task of educating individuals who not only have diverse language and cultural backgrounds in English but also ind ividuals who have limited exposure to formal education. Moreover, many of these students have experienced trauma in their home land and are now facing the acculturation shock of trying to fit in to our communities. The assimilation process which incorporates student engagement, parent engagement, discipline problems and eventually student exclusion has a significant impact in the culture of the school. Exclusion, the foremost by-product of

Mary Wollstonecraft and Gender Inequality in Our Modern World Essay Example for Free

Mary Wollstonecraft and Gender Inequality in Our Modern World Essay Ridgeway states that â€Å"In the United States as in many other societies, gender relationships are changing and inequalities between men and women are questioned in virtually every sphere – at work, in the home, and in public affairs.† In Mary Wollstonecraft’s â€Å"A Vindication of the Rights of Women,† she argues different issues about women’s role in society, and she called for equality between men and women. However, even now women still demand equal rights with men because gender inequality still exists throughout different countries in the world. Since â€Å"A Vindication of the Rights of Women,† many issues have changed for women in society in various fields such as education, employment, and politics, but some specific problems exist now. In the modern world, there are many gaps between men and women in different positions. Wollstonecraft’s piece still applies to women in the modern world because of social, economic, and political inequality. Wollstonecraft argues that women’s societies are neglected when she wrote hundreds of years ago. This is still true in the present day because in most societies men and women are allocated diverse duties, rights, and privileges. Women and men have different roles in society. Gender inequality is characterized by the social process individuals deal with. According to Wollstonecraft, â€Å"There must be more equality established in society or morality will never gain ground, and this virtuous equality will not rest firmly even when founded on a rock† (198). This means that society plays an important role in determining the position role of the women, and that role depends on religion, traditions, and customs. They are attached to values joined to human well-being and prosperity. Research shows that â€Å"Sex categorization unconsciously primes gender stereotypes. This allows the stereotypes to become cognitively available to affect our behavior and judgments† (Fisk ). Regardless, how much they truly do shape our conduct can vary from inconsequential to huge depending on the particular situation and our own specific goals and interests. For example, in general, men are accepted by society to be particularly more skilled than women in male work -settings such as engineering, sports, and positions of expertise, while women are advantaged in female- work settings such as childcare and communication. In other words, Wollstonecraft acknowledges society expects a different thing from men and women. Also, Wollstonecraft writes about the role of women in the economy is not as clear and concrete as it is for men. Wollstonecraft mentions that â€Å"Business of various kinds they might likewise pursue if they were educated in a more orderly manner, which might save many from common and legal prostitution† (205). In other words, people don’t know what women can accomplish because they have never been allowed to fully participate in the economy because of gender-defined jobs. In most of the world, women spend more hours working than men. In addition, they spend a lot of energy doing housework which is unpaid and along these lines not considered when economists analysts measure the amount of work done by men and women. Indeed, even women who have full-time occupations do the majority of housework in the household. In most countries, women possess an exceptionally small percentage of the basic leadership positions in the upper economic range. Although women work more hours than men, the wage gap between the genders remains generally static between women and men working full time according to the study in the article, â€Å"Women still make only about 80% of what men earn for full-time work† (Ridgeway). Also, corporations should assist in treating both women and men similarly because when women choose to have kids and stay home for maternity leaves they dont make it up the chain of leadership. However, companies should significantly assist in executing approaches that incorporate women again into the workforce in senior positions after having children including more flexible advancement processes and activities as strategic scheduling. Furthermore, Wollstonecraft discusses that women’s politics has been intangible for many years and still exists in the modern world. According to the article, â€Å"Women are less likely to hold managerial or supervisory positions, and when they do, their positions carry less authority† (Ridgeway). Men have had the monopoly on political power for a long time which indicates gender inequality and led to its continuation. Even in democratic societies, gender segregation happens in governmental issues both concerning assumptions about political devotions that fall along gender lines, and dissimilar gender representation inside delegate vote based systems. Truly, this is considered obvious when women couldn’t even vote. Wollstonecraft writes that â€Å"They might also study political, and settle their benevolence on broadest basis, for the reading of history will scarcely be more useful than the perusal of romances† (205). The participation of women in politic al life is one of the most important elements of the democratic process in a country. Therefore, the weakness of democratic mechanisms and forces in society contributes to the marginalization of women’s political participation. Public and private communities should strengthen their capacities to contribute to the development of their female population. It should be noted that traditional societies are more likely to recognize women’s political rights. This is important because women with access to political power might have an opportunity to change her situation thus disrupting the narrative that men are the traditionally powerful ones in society. Obviously, when Wollstonecraft wrote the â€Å"Vindication of the Rights of Women,† she opened the doors for women’s rights. Wollstonecraft piece is still applicable to women in the modern world because of social, economic, and political systems. Although women have equal rights in some fields, some issues of equality regarding society’s rights and duties are still with us today because it depends on society how people think about and respects women. Works Cited Fisk, Susan, â€Å"How Does Gender Inequality Persist?.† Gender.stanford.edu, Monday,2 May. 2011, http://gender.stanford.edu/news/2011/how-does-gender-inequality-persist. Ridgeway, Cecilia. L, â€Å"HOW GENDER INEQUALITY PERSISTS IN THE MODERN WORLD.† Scholarsstrategynetwork.org, June. 2013, http://www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org/brief/how-gender-inequality-persists-modern-world. Jacobus, Lee, editor. A World of Ideas. Bedford /St. Martin’s, 2017. Mary, Wollstonecraft. â€Å"Of the Pernicious Effects Which Arise from the Unnatural Distinctions Established in Society†. Bedford /St. Martin’s, 2017, pp. 198-205. NSCC Grading Rubric for Composition I and II Note: All essays are marked for errors and include comments. This rubric shows the breakdown of your score. Any essay that does not meet the requirements of the assignment may not be graded and may receive a zero. Any essay that contains an abundance of major grammatical errors or numerous repetitive errors that negatively affect the meaning and readability may lose extra points. A. Content Topic Fits assignment, narrowed appropriately, focused, original, shows independent thought, creative Thesis Statement Clear, strong, focused, logical, and insightful Rhetorical Technique Adheres to assigned rhetorical technique or blends rhetorical techniques effectively to enhance the strength of content Support Evidence, details, examples, and explanations are sufficient, thorough, accurate, logical, well-developed, and effectively support claims, ideas, and the topic Critical Thinking Appropriate level of analysis, evaluation, inference, or deduction of issues related to the topic Comments Possible Score Your Score 25 B. Organization Thesis Placement Thesis statement is logically placed for the specific essay Introduction Catches reader’s attention, accurately introduces scope of paper, interesting Conclusion Leaves reader with a sense of completion reemphasizes point and/or motivates reader, the appropriate ending for essay Paragraphs Each paragraph is well developed and relates to the thesis has a strong topic sentence and presents solid supporting information Sequencing Careful development of related ideas in coherent, sequential paragraphs with smooth and logical transitions that create a smooth flow of the essay Comments Possible Score Your Score 25 C. Editing Grammar Essay is free from major errors, such as fragments, comma splices, run-ons, and agreement errors, and minor errors, such as punctuation and capitalization Style Tone is mature, consistent, and suitable, a voice is appropriate for academic writing, and awareness of audience is evident Language Sentences are forceful, clear, and logical, a variety of sentence structures are present, and diction is precise and expressive using college-level vocabulary Presentation Correct MLA style formatting, including MLA style heading, double-spacing, correct margins, and font style and size, with a strong title and indented paragraphs Comments Possible Score Your Score 25 D. Documentation Sources Appropriate amount of research is used from credible and quality sources instead of sources such as encyclopedias, SparkNotes, eNotes, BookRags, Wikipedia, answers.com, or the like; sources support rather than overwhelm the writer’s ideas Borrowed Information Quotations use quotation marks or are put in block format if needed and are written exactly as the author intended, paraphrases and summaries are written well and do not change the meaning of the original, information is integrated smoothly into text and thoroughly discussed, and quantity and quality of information is appropriate In-text Citations Formatted correctly with a signal phrase and a citation that matches the first element of the works cited the entry Works Cited Page Starts a new page, entries are double-spaced and indented correctly, information is incorrect order and complete, and no extra sources are listed that are not cited in the essay Comments Possible Score Your Score 25 Total Score Possible Score Your Score 100

Affective And Cognitive Impulse Buying Behaviour Psychology Essay

Affective And Cognitive Impulse Buying Behaviour Psychology Essay Unplanned purchasing has been concerned by many companies as one of the most important factor which could have a big pact on customers decision making and this later contribute to their sale volume. Therefore, marketing strategies have been adjusted based on consumers preferences to grasp their attention and induce them to buy impulsively. As there were some contradictories about differences of genders associated with impulse buying behaviour, this research hence compares the affective and cognitive impulse buying behaviour on male and female at INTO pre-sessional course. A total of 20 students from Pre-sessional course were selected as sample, divided to be 10 males and 10 females. The students were asked to complete the questionnaire, which was designed to be anonymous in order to allow them to be as honest as possible in providing the actual information. The significant findings showed that both genders are susceptible to impulse buying, however, female seemed to be more affective in buying, while male tended to be more deliberative. Another remarkable point was also found that their most preference product categories could lead them to frequency of spontaneous purchasing. As the results indicate that impulse buying plays vital role on consumer, the paper concludes that further research could attempt to investigate if this behaviour could become compulsory in the future. World industries currently have moved from mass marketing strategy to penetrate in specific market segmentation (Coley and Burgess, 2003) as marketers have noticed that unplanned purchasing behaviour could have an impact on decision making of consumers which later contribute to their sale volume (Assael, 1995; Clover, 1950). As Assael (1995) and Kollat and Willett (1969) point out, supermarket, store, and retailer have been concerned to be the place where associated with consumer the most, therefore the price, promotion, shelf-position, packaging, and even store-displays become more important in grasping attention from customers. Stern (1962) defines unplanned buying as the general term of impulse buying occurred when a shopper experiences a sudden urge purchasing that he or she has not planned in advance, which is related to the process of affective and cognitive responds. Affective is emotional buying or sense making (Wilson and Gilbert, 2005), in the contrary, cognitive is perceptual component which using awareness to measure before making decision (Day, 1972). While several studies have explored the characteristics and important of buying impulsively, there are only a few studies which have focused on male and female behaviour and comparing these significant factors on their gender differences. Some researchers (e.g. Kollat and Willett, 1967) suggest that both men and women have the same degree in being effected by unplanned buying; however, there has been contradictory finding that women are more susceptible to spontaneous purchasing (e.g. Coley and Burgess, 2003). Therefore the purpose of this project i s to compare the cognitive and affective impulse buying behaviour in male and female students of the INTO Newcastle University 2012 Pre-sessional Course. Hopefully that a comparison of these two groups will expose the degrees in which male and female differ in their susceptibility and conditions lead to unplanned purchasing. This may help the students to understand their characteristics which could contribute them to impulse buying and to let them consider more before making a purchase in order to avoid being stated in money tension. Primary information will be gathered from twenty students at Pre-sessional Course. The size of samples will be equal in order to allow a comparison between both groups. Both closed and open questions will be applied to achieve the aim and for the students to express more ideas and provide useful details. Methodology The aim of this project attempted to compare the affective and cognitive impulse buying behaviour on gender differences. As number of researchers have suggested that women are more susceptible to buy impulsively (Coley and Burgess, 2003), therefore, it was decided to compare buying behaviours of male and female, furthermore, this impulsive buying is likely to rise in youth (Coley and Burgess, 2003 cited in Retail World, 2002), students from Pre-sessional course, hence, were considered to be appropriate sample. The students were divided into two groups based on their genders and in order to obtain accurate result of the comparison between these two groups, the size of each group would be equal. There actually should be a very large sample to gather certain and desirable results. However, it was not possible to collect all data due to time restriction. Twenty students from pre-sessional course hence became the largest accessible sample which could be obtained. A written questionnaire w as applied to execute the primary data during the fourth week of pre-sessional program. According to previous study, Coley and Burgess (2003) selected Affective and Cognitive process components which have been successfully developed and used by Beatty and Ferrell (1998). It was decided that the questions should be adapted and followed from previous research in order to allow the comparison with previous findings, therefore these components were used to create multi-item scales divided to be affective components which are irresistible urge to buy, positive buying emotions, and mood management and cognitive components which contain measurements of cognitive deliberation and unplanned buying (Coley and Burgess, 2003: 288) The students were asked to provide their general information about income and shopping frequency, and then rate the level from strongly agree (4) to strongly disagree (0) in responding to the items on the table. In additions, various types of product categories were provided and required students to choose top three they preferred the most, this helped indicated style preferences of male and female which could lead them to buying impulsively. An other category and open question were also included for the student to provide more details. In order to allow the respondents to be as honest as possible, questionnaire was designed to be anonymous. The first question requested students to specify their genders as this would be correlated with the requirement of data collection. Results Part 1: Personal Information Q1. Gender Male: 10 Students Female: 10 Students Q2. Approximate personal income per month Income per Month Male Female  £500  £1000 7 7  £1001  £1500 2 2 more than  £1500 1 1 Q3. How often do you do shopping in a month? Frequency Male Female Once in a month 0 0 Twice in a month 4 2 Three five times in a month 3 5 more than five times in a month 3 3 Part 2: Consumers expression on impulse buying Q4. Please tick à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ to the level which explains your shopping style best Figure 1: Comparing Student Attitudes towards Affective Buying Behaviour Source: adaptation from Amanda Coley and Brigitte Burgess Coley, A. (2002) Affective and Cognitive Processes Involved in Impulse Buying, unpublished Marketing dissertation, University of Georgia, Georgia. Coley, A. and B. Burgess (2003) Gender differences in cognitive and affective impulse buying. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management 7:3, 282-295 Figure 2: Comparing Student Attitudes towards Cognitive Buying Behaviour Source: adaptation from Amanda Coley and Brigitte Burgess Coley, A. (2002) Affective and Cognitive Processes Involved in Impulse Buying, unpublished Marketing dissertation, University of Georgia, Georgia. Coley, A. and B. Burgess (2003) Gender differences in cognitive and affective impulse buying. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management 7:3, 282-295 Part 3: Customers shopping preferences Q5. What product categories often have the most influence on your shopping habits? Please choose Three of the followings: Figure 3: The Most Preferable Products among Male and Female students Source: adaptation from Amanda Coley and Brigitte Burgess Coley, A. and B. Burgess (2003) Gender differences in cognitive and affective impulse buying. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management 7:3, 282-295 Q6. What other factors do you think have induced you to impulsive buying? Female: product discounts product design / creativity of product the stores service promotion, member card, member discount, discount events recommendation / persuasion from friends cheap price, big sale, good quality to experience something new Product discount is the most factor impulse me to buy the interesting products because I sometimes feel regret if I didnt buy it and there is not too much chance to buy the products with a lower price Male: price, discounts, packaging friends recommendation. earns a reward and time to replace new collections discount more than 50% quality and product usability In the previous experience, the price discount is very powerful to attract me to go to the store because I will feel like I get the quality product in the cheap price, as you know you have to snatch and fitting on those products first. Sometime, I know what I would like to buy but it has no more my size at all Summary of Results Figure 1 compares the affective buying behaviour between male and female students, the result shows that female students tended to be more emotional in buying as most of them chose I immediately buy if I really like it. However, male students tend to have more positive buying emotion according to their higher-percentage in choosing I feel very good when buying something new whereas attitude of female students towards shopping is to manage their moods reflected from a very salient percentage shown from I buy something to make myself feel better and reduce stresses (Coley and Burgess, 2003: 288). Figure 2 compares the cognitive behaviour between two groups; male students seemed to have more cognitive deliberation comparing to female students as shown from categories I make a list before shopping and buy only what is on the list and I rarely buy impulsively. In addition, female students had higher degree of susceptibility in unplanned purchased as seen from their percentage on I buy things that I had not intended to purchase and I buy it even though I went shopping for other purposes (Coley and Burgess, 2003: 288). There was a significant result correlation with these two figures. While female students were seemed to engage more with buying impulsively in figure 1 and male students are more deliberative in impulse buying as shown in figure 2. The surprising result indicated that male students tended to spend money as soon as they earn it and very distinctive percentage comparing to female students showed that they find themselves in state of tension as they buy thing they cannot afford (Coley, 2002: 88). Both groups, however, shared the same feeling in I regret buying new things and I experience mixed feelings of pleasure and guilt from buying something without considering (Coley and Burgess, 2003: 288). Another remarkable point is in figure 3, represents the most preferable product categories influencing spontaneous purchasing in male and female students behaviour. Clothing could lead both groups into impulsive buying, female students concerned more about beauty and styles with only one male chose health and beauty category, whereas electronics, or sport memorabilia could induce only male students to buy. Discussion This research has aimed to compare affective and cognitive impulse buying behaviour on the students. As Coley and Burgess (2003) argue that women have higher tendency to be involved with impulsive buying on both affective and cognitive behaviour. In addition, women are attracted by apparel, health and beauty, while electronic, technology and sports entertainment induce men more. The overall results of this research founded that women were more likely than men to make an impulsive buying influenced by their most preference products which are clothing, fashion and beauty; however, they are not deliberative when making a purchase. Some findings of the current study do not support the research of Coley and Burgess (2003) who found the women can be patient spending time on shopping and making a good selection therefore they are more engaged in cognitive deliberation. According to information about shopping frequency provided by male students, most of them go to shopping only twice a month , therefore, they probably spend more time on consideration before making a purchase, furthermore, this questionnaire only focused on the behaviour of pre-sessional students at Newcastle University and this could be the possible reasons why the findings differed. One unexpected aspect of the results was that although the male students seemed to be more deliberative in decision making, their percentage towards affective buying was quite high as well. They were likely to spend money as soon as they earn it and found themselves stated in money tension (Coley, 2002: 88) more than female students. The rational of these findings could be explained by answers provided in open question Q6 as male concerned more about product quality and usability, therefore they might suddenly purchase if they really like it without considering its price, while female concerned more on price and discount. The open question also indicated another significant aspect which could lead both genders to buy impulsively, which was the packaging and design that many companies could apply and try to develop their products in order to gain customers interest more. Conclusion This research aimed to compare the gender differences in affective and cognitive buying behaviour on the students. The results of research indicate that male and female are both susceptible to buying impulsively. Within this, their attitudes towards impulse buying are influenced by their most preference product categories. Male will be liable to spontaneous buying more when they find electronics, and technology, whereas female buy immediately when they find fashionable, health and beauty products. Furthermore, female tend to have distinctive degree related to irresistible urge to buy and unplanned buying while male is more organized and having positive buying emotion e.g. male feel a sense of thrill when buying something new. However, both groups shared the same level of experiencing mixed feeling of pleasure and guilt from buying something on impulse (Coley and Burgess, 2003: 288). This research was successful in examining students impulse buying behaviours based on affective and cognitive factors as it could indicate different attitudes of both genders explicitly and also obtained more information that men, sometimes, concern to the quality more than price, and this could induce them to spend more money than women even though the finding showed they are more deliberative in buying. Surprisingly it also created students awareness to purchasing deliberation as a few students informed that they have started to realize their attitudes towards unplanned purchasing which they have never thought of before after they finished answering this researchs questionnaire. The weakness of this research was the size of sample should be bigger and due to all samples were Asian, hence; there should be more nationalities of respondents in order to gather reliable and certain results in order to compare with the previous research. The questionnaire indicated that impulse buying had a vital impact on student behaviour. Previous researchers have described the characteristics of impulse buying (e.g. Kollat and Willett, 1969; Dittmar et al., 1995; Coley and Burgess,2003), future researcher could attempt to investigate if this behaviour can become compulsive behaviour in order to create awareness of buying deliberation and to prevent potential involuntary expenditures in consumers. Word Count: 1813

Neurobiology of Aging and the Diagnosis of Generalized Degenerative Dis

The neurological deficits of aging may be viewed from a developmental perspective. That is, the decline in functional efficiency and deterioration of highly specialized non-dividing neuronal cells is the end point of a maturation process that occurs throughout adult life. Involution to senescence is a normal, inevitable, and inexorable physiological march; the end phase of which is expressed in generally predictable and specifically unpredictable ways. The earliest of these developmental changes occurs long before senescence and the effects of these physiological events quietly accumulate toward expression late in life. There is a relationship between chronological age and the developmental dimensions of human life, including behavior and intelligence. This relationship begins at conception, and is at that point the only moment when there is exact correspondence between chronology and development. Afterwards, behavior or structural differentiation have shifting reference points: one with some structural differentiation or performance milestone already achieved, the other with the time chronology (age) of the organism. Development refers to a continuum of lifelong biological and psychological processes. Neurological development along the biological scale is swift and complex during the prenatal period and small units of time constitute considerable change. In infancy, there is less neurological change as compared to prenatal development, but it is considerably more than those changes that occur in adult life. Indeed, in adult life, neurological development largely constitutes a diminution in function . Nonetheless, until the onset of senescence, in the absence of organic brain pathology, psychological development and learning co... ...otein and the neurofibrillary pathology of Alzheimer’s disease. TINS. 1993; 16 (11): 460-465. 5.Goldman, J., Cote, L. Aging of the Brain: Dementia of the Alzheimer’s Type. Chapter 62 (reference incomplete). 6.Hansen, L. A. Deteresa, R. Davies, P. I., and Terry, R. D. Neocortical morphometry, lesion counts, and choline acetyl-transferase levels in the age spectrum of Alzheimer’s disease. Neurology, 38: 48-54. 7. Human, B. T., Van Hoesen, G.W., Damasio, A. R. and Barnes, C. L. Alzheimer’s disease: Cell specific pathology isolates the hippocampal formation. Science, 225: 1168-1170. 8. Miyakawa, T., Katsuragi, K., Yamashita, K., Ohuchi, K. Morphological study of amyloid fibrils and preamyloid deposits in the brain with Alzheimer’s disease. Acta Neuropathologica, 1992; 83: 340-346. 9. Rossor, M. Alzheimer’s disease. Brit. Med. J., 1993; 321: 779-782.

Strategic Human Resource Management Essay -- Employment, Change Proces

Writing Assignment #4 Strategic human resource management can be defined as the linking of human resources with strategic goals and objectives in order to improve business performance and develop organizational culture that foster innovation, flexibility and competitive advantage. In an organization SHRM means accepting and involving the HR function as a strategic partner in the formulation and implementation of the company's strategies through HR activities such as recruiting, selecting, training and rewarding personnel (Sinha, 2007). This is the effective way of organizing the workforce by the adoption of a specific strategy, where employees' performance can help to achieve the planned organizational targets, such as increasing revenue or improving the profit margin. However, there is no common strategic human resource definition that fits every situation (Lotinggi, 2008). This paper will focus on strategic human resource management at Smarte Carte, Inc. and attempt to make a determination if the co mpany uses SHRM effectively or if there are areas where improvements could be made. Smarte Carte Inc., is a vending services company that specializes in unattended vending in four segregated markets: luggage carts for rent at airports, shopping carts and baby strollers at shopping malls, electronic locker storage at a variety of locations such as transportation facilities, ski resorts, theme and water parks, and massage chairs located in airports, malls, fitness centers, and now even Wal-Mart. They have operations throughout the U.S. and Canada and a growing presence in Australia and New Zealand. Smarte Carte’s corporate office is located in St. Paul, MN where they employ 65 employees while employing approximately another ... ...ing enough in internal training and compliance audits to lower their risk in expensive employee litigation. Two key strategies that Smarte Carte has implemented in the recent past is a greater reliance on expert outside legal counsel for fighting and resolving labor law cases and adding employment practices liability insurance to prevent or cap large settlements in labor law disputes. With employment law becoming an increasingly complicated dimension of the employment relationship, it is more likely that managers unversed in the changing aspects of laws may commit violations (Mello, 2011). The reality of it boils down to even when you’re correct and did everything right in handling an employee situation, it costs an organization a significant amount of money defending itself. Smarte Carte’s strategy for utilizing outside counsel and EPLI is a good strategy.

Is Religion Just a Joke? Essay -- Religion Religious Essays

Is Religion Just a Joke? Driving with my friend to the movies one evening last winter we discovered a group of people bundled up and picketing by The Safari movie theatre in Moorhead.à  My friend and I didn’t know what movie we wanted to watch, but these protesters made up our mind.à  We decided to see the movie â€Å"Dogma† because that was the very movie these outraged people were boycotting.à  Sometimes people carry their religion to the point where it has an adverse effect on people.à  This was the case that evening. As we watched â€Å"Dogma,† my friend and I laughed hysterically.à  It wasn’t nearly as bad as the protestors suggested.à  The view the â€Å"outraged Christians† and I seemed to disagree on was they took the movie literally, whereas I personally took it as mere fiction.à  In my opinion, it was just another religious comedy to bring the sometimes-scary topic of â€Å"religion† down to a point that seems more human in the eyes of the average American today. By making the topic of religion humorous, we as a society can take a look at the different aspects of this complicated and controversial issue.à  What is ethically right or wrong has been seen in many issues such as cloning, euthanasia, and abortion.à  Religion, along with these other issues, is often hard to confront.à  With the aid of movies, such as â€Å"Dogma† and â€Å"Keeping the Faith,† we are able to delve into the issue of religion more easily.à  Let us now take a look at these two movies.à  â€Å"Keeping the Faith† starts with a priest, Brian Finn, played by Edward Norton, telling his complicated story to the local bartender in New York who thinks he’s heard it all already.à  Brian tells of a childhood friendship between himself, Jake Schram, and a girl named Anna Reilly.à  The three... ...ck Jesus, a thirteenth apostle played by Chris Rock who was written out of the bible because he was black (having a black savior is okay, but not a black apostle), Mary not being a virgin, after all, â€Å"Do you think Joseph would stay around if he wasn’t getting any?,† and God being a woman.à  Anyone who would take these humorous and outrageous suggestions literally is more of a joke than this movie.à  In my opinion, a movie is just a movie and nothing more, other than to bring into focus a difficult subject matter.à  Therefore, funny movies about religion actually help viewers think critically about religion.à  The protestors seemed to want to make the religious comedy genre be blasphemy on God, where that is not what the movie was trying to do.à  Which brings out the question: Who is making religion a joke?à  -The movies? -Or the people carrying their religion too far?

The Secret Life of Bees by: Sue Monk Kidd

The secret life of bees by: Sue Monk Kidd SUMMARY: The story in The Secret Life of Bees is that of Lily Melissa Owens, a young girl who reaches puberty in rural South Carolina in 1964. Lily's mother dies when Lily is 4 years old. That day, her mother had been packing a suitcase when her father, T. Ray, raged into the house, and a big argument ensued. Her mother took a pistol off the shelf, but sometime after it fell to the floor, her mother was shot. Lily remembers the loud blast, but she can't remember who was holding the gun. Her father tells everyone Lily accidentally shot her mother. T.Ray has a short fuse which leads to lots of verbal abuse and some physical abuse. Lily and her father are opposites. She loves reading and writing, he belittles her for reading. He's a racist and critical of others, she's tolerant and respectful of everyone. After her mother dies, T. Ray hires a black nanny, Rosaleen, to care for her and do the household chores. Lily loves Rosaleen although she thi nks since Rosaleen has never had children of her own, Lily is her guinea pig. Rosaleen, who represents the stereotypical black figure of that time period, loves Lily and treats her as if she is her own.One day Rosaleen and Lily go to town so Rosaleen can register to vote. In town a group of white men taunt Rosaleen and she spills her snuff jar on their feet. The men beat Rosaleen until the police come and take Rosaleen to jail. At the jail, the men beat her some more. T. Ray comes to the jail to take Lily home. Back on the farm, Lily and T. Ray get into an argument, in which he tells Lily that Deborah her mother was going to leave her when she died. Lily gets so angry and she runs away. Lily frees Rosaleen from the hospital, where she was sent after her second beating.Rosaleen and Lily go to Tiburon, South Carolina because Deborah had a picture of a black Madonna on the back of which she wrote â€Å"Tiburon, SC. † Lily figures this town must have been important to Deborah. In a store, Lily sees jars of honey with pictures of the same black Madonna as their labels. Lily asks the storekeeper where the honey comes from. He tells her that a woman named August Boatwright makes the honey and that she lives in a bright pink house. Lily and Rosaleen find the pink house and knock on the door. Inside, they find three African-American sisters–August, June and May. Lily tells them that she is assing through town on the way to her aunt’s house. She tells the sisters that she is an orphan. August tells Lily and Rosaleen that they are welcome to stay for now. She says that Lily can help her with the honey business and Rosaleen can help May with the house work. May is very emotional and often cries so hard that she must go to her wailing wall in the backyard, a wall in which she places prayers for all the things that sadden her. June is not happy about having Lily stay with them because she is white. When Lily overhears June saying that she dislikes her b ecause of her skin color, Lily realizes how absurd racism is.The sisters practice a religion they have created themselves and share with a group called The Daughters of Mary. The women pray to a statue of a black Mary that they call Our Lady of Chains. During her time in the pink house, Lily comes to practice this religion with the women. She loves these women and life in the pink house. Lily comes to feel accepted by the black women. Even June befriends her, eventually. She falls in love with August’s helper, Zach. Zach is an African-American boy, which complicates Lily’s feelings for him. One day, one of Zach’s friends throws a bottle at a white man.Because none of the boys will admit who threw the bottle, they all go to jail. The women try to keep Zach’s imprisonment a secret from May, because it would be too much for her to handle. However, May finds out from a phone call that Zach is in jail and is unable to deal with it. May commits suicide by drown ing herself in the river. May’s friends and family are devastated by her death. Some good things come out of it, however. June decides to marry Neil, a man she has dated for years but always refused to marry because she was hurt once by someone else.Eventually life returns to normal in the pink house and Lily thinks about how she will have to tell August the truth soon. In the meantime, Lily and Zach kiss and he promises they will be together one day. Eventually Lily tells August who she really is. It turns out that August already knew, because she knew Lily’s mother. August worked for Deborah’s family when Deborah was a child. Years later, after Lily was born, Deborah left T. Ray and came to stay with August. August said Deborah was going back to get Lily and then she was going to divorce T. Ray. When she went home, she died.Lily is outraged and saddened to learn that Deborah left her with T. Ray. August tries to explain that Deborah was depressed not thinking clearly, but Lily cannot forgive her. One day, Lily is home alone and T. Ray comes to the door. He found out where she was because she called him collect once. T. Ray went to the place she called from and a woman told him where she was. T. Ray demands that Lily comes home with him. When T. Ray notices the pin Lily is wearing, a pin he gave Deborah, Lily explains that Deborah came to the pink house when she left him. T.Ray goes into a rage and beats Lily, all the while calling her Deborah, August and Rosaleen return to the house. August tells T. Ray that Lily can stay. Ray agrees and leaves. Lily chases his car and asks him if she was responsible for her mother’s death. T. Ray says it was an accident, but Lily killed her. Lily finally learns to forgive her mother and herself. She is happy living with August. She goes to school with Zach. Lily learns the importance of female communities and that women can be mothers to each other. RELEVANCE: Memory is something that lily has lo st of her mother and is trying to gain back throughout the story.There is one specific incident that she can’t forget and it’s the day her mother tried to leave home and lily ends up killing her by shooting her with a gun. Lily goes through a lot of up’s and down’s trying to find out what happened to her mother and since her guardian T. Ray is just bad mouthing lily’s mother and trying to prevent her, she goes to great lengths to get her answers and runs away with Rosaleen. A lot of emotional damage has already been done to lily by T. Ray but she is strong and wants to know about her mother and in the story she stops at nothing to get her answers.Lily and Rosaleen end up at a pink house with three African-American women and ask if they can stay with them, over time they all start getting to know each other. Lily starts to experience emotions that she never knew she could have besides the emotions that she has for Rosaleen. The mistreatment from T. Ray didn’t really allow her to have any space in her heart for better emotions. Lily starts falling in love with the helper but because of his race it complicates things but that emotion for a boy is more than what she expected to find on the adventure of finding out things about her mother.Lily wasn’t just searching for information about her mother or emotions that were better than the ones T. Ray was giving her but also some sense of identity. Lily feels that there’s a big part of her missing because she doesn’t know anything about her mom. According to the text in child development by John W. Santrock â€Å"identity moratorium is a status of individuals who are in the midst of a crisis† and in the story lily is in one. She is trying to get information about someone she cares about but barely knows.Lily does eventually find out the truth about her mother and even though she can’t get her mother back she did gain mother-like figures. CRITIQ UE: I personally like this book because of the depth in the story. Also the lesson learned throughout. The time the story takes place was a very hard time for African-Americans because of the racism and discrimination against them. Lily went through a hard time without her parents and I say in plural parents because T. Ray may have tried to play the father figure but didn't prevail because of his over controlling and demanding ways.Also, the grief and grudge he still holds against Deborah doesn't allow him to move on. Lily spent most of her life feeling guilty when she gained recognition of what did to her mom. She went out searching for information about her mom and gained mothers. The topic of racism and discrimination has always a touchy topic for me because of how bad emotionally wise African-Americans besides physical ways there have been tormented and traumatized and just the details of it in a book affect me deeply as the actions were occurring to me.

The Nature of Qualitative Studies

Merriam was required to travel across the world to Malaysia to conduct her study on how culture influences older adults and identifies the level of learning that transpire. The cost involved in America's (2000) study was also more expensive than the study conducted by Distilled (2000), in addition, the sample size used in America's (2000) study was more diversified. Diesel's (2000) paper is much narrower and more conceded than America's (2000) paper. Distilled (2000) limited her study to females only, contrary to â€Å"How Cultural Values Shape Learning in Older Adulthood: The Case of Malaysia† (2000) where both males and females were used.Divergences. The divergences America's (2000) credentials are included in her paper; whereas, Distilled (2000) has no mention of her level of experience or education that supports her ability to conduct a valid study on her chosen topic. Professional literature review Joined with personal experiences of the researcher is necessary for intric acy of the data. (Glasses, 1978). Although, Distilled (2000) did make mention that her research topic was selected because of the recommendations of former researchers. This statement alone gives merit to the contribution, need, and worth of research on her topic. Main Points.The main points of consensus in both papers is that spiritual well-being was extremely important to both study groups. Distilled (2000) indicated that her study group's spiritual development was not constant and varied from time to time. This is understandable since our environmental changes can persuade what is important and what is not as we go through life. Methodology. Any good research undertaking starts with a topic, problem, and area of interest, as well as a paradigm. Crewel, 1998) Keeping this in mind, Merriam (2000) and Distilled (2000) both conducted their studies by using the qualitative methodology.Perhaps since both studies were based on social issues with populace from elder groups the qualitativ e methodology is the best for conducting interviews and surveys. Qualitative research is a study approach that is many times directed by the human belief system. (Merriam, 2002) Merriam (2000) introduced comparisons between older adults in the Western to the Eastern parts of the world. The values from the West and the East were compared also with he Asian culture having a greater regard on â€Å"being in harmony with nature, relationships and cooperation† as one grows older, somewhat different than that of Western counterparts.The Western senior citizen enjoys competition and independence as they age. Findings from other studies show Westerner's are more prone to sickness and passive behaviors if they loose their independence. It is natural for an American to work in his/her senior years. Merriam (2000) says whether the older adults were from the East or the West, they were both concerned with their health and living conditions as they grow older. Also, the elders in the East take pride in being wiser with age. Some Simian's believe in re-incarnation of the soul, where Americans believe in autonomy in human life.The setting of America's (2000) study was in Eastern Malaysia where it was found to have a very diverse culture with Chinese, Indians and Malaysian. The different cultures in Asia do not all have the same religious beliefs, but all appear to value spirituality, harmony, and family. Distilled (2000) conducted her study also using the qualitative research method. She used a 4. 5 – 3 hour taped interview to gather data. The taped interviews were later transcribed for review and analysis. Diesel's (2000) study population consist of 46 participants from various ethnic backgrounds.Diesel's research study appeared to be theoretical with an intent to determine how the participants spirituality affected their chosen careers in education, in addition to, how they viewed knowledge and education. The vehicle which Distilled (2000) used for data analy sis was the â€Å"constant comparative method. † (Merriam, 5998). Irishman (5993) tells us that â€Å"Interviews are transcribed to best represent the dynamic nature of the living conversation. Purpose and Goals. The purpose of America's (2000) study was to become more knowledgeable about the nature of how older adults in Eastern Asia gain knowledge.Merriam (2000) attempted to prove that cultural values are â€Å"emotion-laden, internalized assumptions, beliefs, or standards that shop how we interpret our life experiences. † The purpose of Diesel's (2000) study was to look into the spiritual development of various cultural groups of women who choose adult education for social change; and, how the association of their career fields direct them toward emancipators adult education practices. Data Collection. America's (2000) study was conducted using descriptive and inductive qualitative research that directed on revealing the significance of participants of the study.Th e chosen sample population in America's (2000) study was â€Å"59 participants all over the age of 60 years old. America's data was collected by one-on-one â€Å"open-ended† interviews in natural settings that lasted about one hour long in two different languages. Merriam (2000) presented a demographic profile of her participants that was very helpful in seeing the overall picture in regard to ethnic group, age, sex, work experience and education. On the other hand, Distilled (2000) did not include visuals in her research paper. Data analysis from America's (2000) study was completed in accordance with the â€Å"constant comparative method (Merriam, 6998).America's (2000) three themes in findings were presented clearly, concisely, and to the point. Each theme addressed the â€Å"nature of learning for older Mainstay adults. † (Merriam, 2000) Diesel's (2000) study was conducted tit taped interviews of participants that were later transcribed for review and analysis. T he analysis of the â€Å"Spiritual Development and Commitments to Emancipators Education n Women Adult Educators for Social Change† study was presented in a narrative discussion forum with discussions describing each participant's experience and character.Reported Findings. Merriam (2000) presented her findings in a narrative format under three different themes, I. E. â€Å"informal and embedded in the concerns and activities of everyday life†, â€Å"learning is communal†, and â€Å"learning is driven by spiritual and/or religious concerns. † Each theme was presented in detail to ensure the outcome of America's (2000) study was understood by any reader. Diesel's (2000) paper was also presented in a narrative format. I believe Diesel's (2000) overall study including her conclusion is very abrupt and diminutive.Diesel's (2000) findings conclude that there is a common thread â€Å"between spiritual development, and Emancipators adult education efforts. â₠¬  Structure. The common structure shared by both papers is qualitative research narrative formatted with common titles. Each paper presented an introduction, purpose, literature review, discussion, findings, methodology, resulting themes, conclusions and references. Conclusion. With any good qualitative study, developing a problem statement, a purpose statement questions is important.Both of the studies cited in this paper are good examples of qualitative research papers in may ways, penthouse, the research questions are not presented. Both studies present an characteristics of a qualitative study. Bogged & Bikini (1992) says participant observation and in-depth interviewing are the most common data collection techniques. However, the problem statements from both studies are extremely vague. According to Christensen, et al. (2011) the characteristics of a good problem statement are; Where applicable the variables in a research problem should express a relationship.The statement of the robber states the rationale for the study. The statement of the problem should be testable. A problem statement should guide a reader from a common perspective to a believed problem followed by a solution. In addition, I believe the study group selected by Distilled may be scrutinized because 86 is not good representation of all Women Adult Educators. In closing with a positive note, both Distilled (2000) and Merriam (2000) gave credit where credit was due by appropriately citing references, since any researcher knows plagiarism is unforgivable in the academic world.

Consumer Behavior

What does the purchase of a product like Nike mean to Sunder Singh? Sunder Sing, just escaping homelessness is clearly proud that he was able to save and buy a pair of Nikes. He could undoubtedly have purchase a different brand that would have met his physical needs as well for much less money which he does not say why he bought the more expensive Nikes, a reasonable interpretation is that they serve as a visible symbol that Sunder Singh is back as a successful. Sunder Singh is not Unique among low-income consumer in wanting and buying items such as Nike shoes.As one expert says. â€Å"The low income consumer wants the same product and services other consumer want†. He suggests that marketing efforts reflect those desires. Another expert state. There’s this stereotype that they don’t have enough money for toothpaste and that’s just not true. There has been some significance to them being called lower income, but they do buy things. The working poor are for ced to spend a disproportionate present of theirs income on housing, utilities and medical care due to lack of insurance.They generally relay on public transportation, they spend a smaller portion of their relatively small income on meals away from home and all forms of entertainment such as admission, pets and toys; they spend very little on their own financial security. However Sunder Singh illustrated they spend the same percent of their income though a smaller amount on apparel and accessories. 2. What does the story say about our society and the impact of marketing on consumer behavior? â€Å"Society can exist without Marketing, but Marketing cannot exist without Society†Marketing is the management process of anticipating, identifying and satisfying customer’s requirements. The various conventional marketing tools- advertising, branding, direct marketing, sales promotion, publicity & public relations. Effect of marketing on society, in particular on Vulnerable Gro ups Marketing and society, the commensuration of the two words raises a few eyebrows, as it is highly debatable. On the one hand, Society thrives on the marketing efforts of the Companies, while another school of thought argues that marketing makes the society more materialistic.Today, striking a balance between the two is the challenge faced by the Marketers. The society expects the business to be ethical and desires corporate executives, at all levels to apply ethical principles in other words, guidelines as to what is right and wrong, fair and unfair, and morally correct, when they make business decisions. Advertisers are traditionally use techniques to which children and adolescents are more susceptible, such as product placement in TV shows, tie in between movies and fast food restaurants, to mention a few.Therefore there exist many marketing evils that lure people to buy even when not required. Case III Star Airways 1. What is likely to be the decision process in case of choos ing an airline? Buyer decision processes are the decesion making processes undertaken by consumers in regard to a potential market transaction before, during, and after the purchase of a product or service. More generally, decision making is the cognitive process of selecting a course of action from among multiple alternatives. Decision making is said to be a psychological construct.This means that although we can never â€Å"see† a decision, we can infer from observable behaviour that a decision has been made. Therefore we conclude that a psychological event that we call â€Å"decision making† has occurred. It is a construction that imputes commitment to action. That is, based on observable actions, we assume that people have made a commitment to effect the action. In general there are three ways of analysing consumer buying decisions. They are: * Economic models – These models are largely quantitative and are based on the assumptions of rationality and near pe rfect knowledge.The consumer is seen to maximize their utility * Psychological models – These models concentrate on psychological and cognitive processes such as motivation and need recognition. They are qualitative rather than quantitative and build on sociological factors like cultural influences and family influences. * Consumer behaviour models – These are practical models used by marketers. They typically blend both economic and psychological models. Consumer decision making is best summarised in the following diagramProblem recognition: The need for new airlines Consumers of India received a problem with the product that is offered by other similar airlines. The consumer choose product because of their quality and service. Information Search: Surfs the internet to learn about airlines. View TV ad, hear from family members or friends. May read certain magazine when at home or outside Evaluation of Alternative and selection compares several airlines in terms of rep utation and available features, Price point and discount offered free gifts.Purchase decision: Choose on airline it has a feature that really appeals to him and buys it Purchase Behavior dissonance and complex evaluation. 2. Would this plan suggested by the vice president help in convincing the customers to use Star Airways? Give your reasons. Consumer decision making process is a list of steps that are carried out by consumers concerning to a potential market transaction, before, during and after the purchase of a product or service. The process includes identifying the problem, collecting information, evaluating the alternatives, making the purchase decision and evaluating post purchase.Information search when a consumer discovers a problem or a need, he or she is likely to search for more information on how to solve it. The information search stage involves gathering information from various sources in order to make a better-informed decision, it helps clarifies the options open to the consumer which may involve internal search Understanding customer needs is the keystone to Star Airways success. The most successful companies understand the value of their customers as they measure success through the amount of customers they serve each year.Increasing customer base is a goal and a challenge that every company must face. Listening to customers and researching the market will provide a company with opportunities to become an industry leader. Finding cost effective ways to meet customer demands are at the root of the challenge. Star Airways must face this challenge head-on while keeping the customer in the forefront of any action the company takes. They must develop products that will appeal to customers and draw in new business. This problem solution will discuss opportunities and well as analyze an optimal solution.That will assist Star Airways in achieving their goals. The variety of successful strategies in use today was in full display at the ATW Winning Strategies conference in Washington, where some of the airline industry's keenest minds shared their wisdom. Dr. Adam Pilarski, senior VP at consultancy Avitas, opened the conference with a controversial statement, â€Å"the myth of overcapacity is an urban legend,† pointing out that historically high load factors should push fares up. â€Å"If airlines don't make money when they have the highest load factors ever, there is something wrong with their business model. He implied that airline managers over think their strategies and fail to follow what he called â€Å"Adam's Rule: Revenue greater than cost equals good. † The first thing to do is â€Å"Don't be stupid,† he said, adding a list of â€Å"stupid† strategies: Don't insult customers. No extreme yield management. No bad airline names. No adversary relations with employees. Do not have stupid business plans. â€Å"Please remember you are in a service industry,† he said, and try to avoid what former Continental CEO Gordon Bethune referred to as â€Å"sky nazi† cabin service.He criticized â€Å"nickel-and-dime† attitudes toward cutting amenities, scoffing at airlines' publicized moves to remove olives and pillows. You must cut costs in ways that make sense, related to productivity. † Cost control â€Å"has to fit the business model, and must be related to productivity. † The plan suggested by the VP Marketing, Anil Saxena, felt that the company needed to advertise its dedication to quality and rebuild an image of being discussions with the advertising agency to launch a campaign in the near future.Advertising: Convincing the Consumer when a company wants their product to sell to consumers, they give them a reason why their product is better than others. Advertising sells to consumers wants not just to their needs. People need a car but want a Cadillac. They need clothes, but they want Ralph-Lauren. When most people flip though ads the go fairly fast, therefore it must grab their attention. A good ad allows the reader to instantly recognize the concept being communicated. It sends a simple and easy message to the reader of the benefits they will get if they use their product.Cigar, cigarette, and alcohol ads in the mid 1900's persuade the reader that their products provide a beneficial and pleasurable experience. Case IV Mouse-Rid 1. Has Shobha identified the best target market for Mouse-Rid? Why or why not? Shobha has targeted women for the product. She feels that women are the best group to target because they don’t like the mess or the risks created by traditional mouse traps. This is a good marketing segment to start off with but there are a couple of things that Shobha could have improved on.First off, she should have probably segmented women into a couple different groups. In today’s world all women don’t’ stay at home and take care of kids. In fact the population of women that do that is r apidly shrinking and being replaced by independent professionals. In effect, by targeting women that stay at home, Shobha is targeting a shrinking market. She could probably segment women into a couple different categories. For example: working women, single women, house wives, etc. There are also other markets which Shobha could target.Some other market segments that hold large potential for the Trap-Ease are market like environmentalist, animal lovers, corporate business and families. The Trap-Ease mouse trap is re-useable and therefore creates less of a strain on the environment which would make it very attractive things for environmentalists and people who care about the earth. The environmentalist market is also growing as people became more aware of global warming and other problems such as deforestation. Animal lovers would love the Trap-Ease mouse trap because it doesn’t require poison or pose the risk of snapping closed on a paw or tongue of a pet.Corporate Business would probably like the Trap-Ease mouse trap because of its high qualitymore futuristic image and the fact that it would create as much of a mess. They wouldprobably be less hesitant to have them sitting around the office. Families with kidsshould be the primary market segment of Trap-Ease seeing as it will probably be their largest. Mouse traps and poison pose a very large risk to infants and toddlers and caringmothers and fathers would probably happily buy a product which would better protecttheir children.It seems that the Trap-Ease mouse trap has positioned itself in the market as being a veryinnovative and well engineered product. It has done this by winning awards from tradeshows and magazines. If it is better able to connect these features of the mouse traps withthe needs and wants of their target consumers then they should be able to generate alarger demand. They could also try to change it’s position a little bit. Trap-Ease could also position the product as causing less waist because it is re-useable o rthey could lower it’s cost and make it more affordable.By making it â€Å"the mostaffordable, innovative mouse trap† on the market they could probably gain some moredemand. Another way in which they could position their product would be by having an incredibly good customer service team that could deliver services to their customers thatwere having problems using the product. By having a good customer service team theycould build better relationships with their customers and increase their customer equity The marketing mix of a company consists of the four P’s: Product, Price, Place andPromotion.Currently Trap-Ease only has one product, their mouse trap. They probably could create a couple different versions of their mouse trap in order to offer more variety. The higher price of their mouse trap seems to be consistent with a quality differentiationstrategy but they probably could offer a wider range of prices on the differe nt models oftheir trap if they chose to widen their product range. Right now they are trying todistribute their product through stores like Kmart and Safeway. A really good market tohit would probably be the internet.People on in the internet are often times into quality,ease of use, and innovativeness and don’t mind spending a little more money to get whatthey want. It is also a high profit market because it reduces transportation costs and thereare no middle man costs. The promotion of the Trap-Ease mouse trap seems to be one oftheir largest problems. They should promote over the internet for certain on sites thatthey think their target market will be visiting and they should also think about putting outads on TV. In this changing high tech environment magazine ads aren’t enough anymore.Trap-Ease America’s competition is any company that creates mouse traps. They face amarket in which large volume of low quality low cost mouse traps are sold. There arealso poi sons that are sold which are a danger to pets and animals as well as the mice theyare supposed to kill. There are also other versions of live catch mouse traps out there. An example of one of Trap-Ease’s competition is d-CON who offers both baits and traps. They actually also offer a version of a no touch mouse trap in which you don’t have totouch the mouse after you have trapped it.They are selling this for 150 which is higher then the suggested retail price for the Trap-Ease mouse trap which is 1:0 six times more expensive. This would suggest that Trap-Ease has priced lower then some of its competitors which will give it apricing advantage. Companies such as Havahart offer traps which humanely catcheverything from mice to voles and shrews and are competition for the humane factors ofthe Trap-Ease trap. Other competitors include: Victor, JT Eaton and Riddex. The first thing I would do to change Trap-Ease’s marketing strategy would be to increasethe amount of pe ople in their marketing team.Although Martha was probably trying tokeep down costs by not hiring anyone for her marketing team she made one importantmistake. One of the most important things when coming out with a new product is themarketing because until you’ve communicated the benefits of your product to the consumer there will not be sufficient demand for it. Her entry into the market was toosmall scale and chances are that with such an innovative product that the company willdo better in the long run with a larger scale entry. She should have asked for a largerbudget and hired more people for the marketing team.She should have then put muchmore work into the Analysis of her target markets and perhaps expanded her scope oftarget markets while increasing the segmentation. This would allow her to betterdifferentiate her product. I would put in operating controls and strategic controls in order to monitor the marketingteam’s progress and make sure that what they are do ing is consistent with the company’sgoals and strategy. These controls would very important for gathering the informationthat would form the strategies in the coming years.It would also probably help to do amarket audit at some point during the first year just to make sure that things are runningsmoothly and it shouldn’t cost that much to do one at such an early stage in thecompanies development because of the smaller volume of papers to audit. Summary Targeting: The targeting should have been done within a broader demographic area. Slums, warehouses, go downs, docks, kirana shops, retail stores, restaurant, canteens and cold storages must be targeted for potential customers. The segmenting must avail wholesalers and the intermediaries too part from the retailers. Marketing channels like Toll-free numbers, newspaper, television, radio and mobile marketing must be used effectively to target MEN. Pest control companies must be primarily targeted and a joint venture can b e planned if necessary. We should target to environmentalists, animal lovers and corporate business. 2. Does Shobha have enough needed data on consumer behavior? What type of consumer research should Shobha conduct? Shobha have no enough needed data on consumer behaviour. She should adopt the following data collection methods †¢ DATA COLLECTION METHODS DESK RESEARCH OR SECONDARY DATA â€Å"Secondary data consists of information that already exists somewhere, having been collected for another purpose†. In other words, secondary data are those which have been collected by someone else and which have already been passed through statistical process, there are two sources of this data: Internal sources – this is data which is available within the company, although companies do not make full enough use of the information that is routinely collected. External sources – this is data which has been published for commercial reasons.A key source of secondary data is t he library service and most good libraries have a wide range of sources. Some government data is available free, other secondary data can be very expensive. It is important in a research project to know what data is available since this will guide the structure and format of the fieldwork in the primary data collection stage. It is possible that secondary data sources can provide the complete answer to the problem under scrutiny. The least it will do is save time and money in directing the scope of the field work. It can also influence the choice of data collection methods used in the field ork. Primary Data – Kotler and Armstrong say that â€Å"primary data consists of information collected for the specific purpose at hand†. In other words, primary data are those, which are collected afresh and for first time and thus happen to be original in character. Once the desk research is complete the researcher will have a much clearer idea of: †¢ The up-to-date and relev ant data †¢ What data still needs to be collected to find a solution to the problem under scrutiny. †¢ To achieve the data and information the research teams need to answer certain questions: What is it necessary to know?Who will have the information which is sought? What is the best method (quick and efficient) to use to collect this data? †¢ It is important to streamline the answers to these questions to avoid collecting a mass of irrelevant data by inappropriate or inefficient methods. The two types of data are: Quantitative Data – As the term implies this is data which is expressed in numbers. Quantitative data is quite easy to collect, and a large amount of reliable and valid data can be collected largely by questionnaire in quite a short period of time. It is a fairly formal approach.This data arises from what is termed â€Å"closed questions† because the respondent is restricted in the choice of answer the respondent can give. Qualitative data â⠂¬â€œ Qualitative data is obtained from group discussions or in-depth interviews and its findings are based on content rather than numeric analysis. Qualitative data is said to be much more subjective than its counterpart. Questions are open-ended and can lead to a free ranging and in-depth discussion on a specific point which provides a variety of rich data. There are no numbers or digits in this data and it is not subject to statistical interpretation.TYPES OF PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION 1) OBSERVATION : Observation becomes a scientific tool and the method of data collection for the researcher when it serves a formulated research purpose is systematically planned and recorded and is subjected to checks and controls on validity and reliability. Under the observation method the information is sought by way of investigators own direct observation without asking from respondent. 2) SURVEYS: Surveys are concerned with describing, recording, analyzing and interpreting conditions that exist or existed.The researcher does not manipulate the variable or arrange for events to happen Surveys are only concerned with conditions or relationships that exist, opinions that are held, processes that are going on, effects that are evident or trends that are developing. They are primarily concerned with present but at times do consider past events and influences as they relate to current conditions. 3) Experiment: Experiment may be conducted in lab or in the field. The researcher can test the relative sales appeals for package, designs, price, promotional offers and copy themes etc. , by designing suitable experiments to identify cause and effect.The first thing I would do to change is marketing strategy would be to increasethe amount of people in their marketing team. Although Shobha was probably trying to keep down costs by not hiring anyone for her marketing team she made one important mistake. One of the most important things when coming out with a new product is the marketing because until you’ve communicated the benefits of your product to the consumer there will not be sufficient demand for it. Her entry into the market was too small scale and chances are that with such an innovative product that the company will do better in the long run with a larger scale entry.She should have asked for a larger budget and hired more people for the marketing team. She should have then put much more work into the Analysis of her target markets and perhaps expanded her scope of target markets while increasing the segmentation. This would allow her to better differentiate her product. I would put in operating controls and strategic controls in order to monitor the marketing team’s progress and make sure that what they are doing is consistent with the company’s goals and strategy. These controls would very important for gathering the information that would form the strategies in the coming years.It would also probably help to do amarket audit at som e point during the first year just to make sure that things are runningsmoothly and it shouldn’t cost that much to do one at such an early stage in thecompanies development because of the smaller volume of papers to audit. 3. What type of advertising can influence consumers for this type of product? . The low cost of posters and handbills encouraged a numberof publishers to experiment with other methods. Method were useful fo rinforming and reminding and reminding, they could not do the whole promotional job.Theywere used only to reach each consumer personally. The merchant still used personal persuasiononce the customers were attracted to his store. The invention of hand press increased the potentialities of advertising. times, posters had made their appearance, and assumed the function of fostering demand for the product. CASE VI Impact of Retail Promotions on Consumers 1 Why would some consumers have high-involvement levels in learning about this sales promotion? A good de finition of sales promotion would be as follows: â€Å"An activity designed to boost the sales of a product or service.It may include an advertising campaign, increased PR activity, a free-sample campaign, offering free gifts or trading stamps, arranging demonstrations or exhibitions, setting up competitions with attractive prizes, temporary price reductions, door-to-door calling, telemarketing, personal letters on other methods†. More than any other element of the promotional mix, sales promotion is about â€Å"action†. It is about stimulating customers to buy a product. It is not designed to be informative – a role which advertising is much better suited to. Sales promotion is commonly referred to as â€Å"Below the Line† promotion.Sales promotion can be directed at: †¢ The ultimate consumer (a â€Å"pull strategy† encouraging purchase) †¢ The distribution channel (a â€Å"push strategy† encouraging the channels to stock the prod uct). This is usually known as â€Å"selling into the trade† Some customers show high level of involvement in sales promotion is to know about the features product, competitor’s product which replace the same product, price and discount offered for the product. Additional kit or benefit for the product, and to know what the new arrivals in the market are. Customers will also learn about he stores and its goodwill by such type of sales promotions. Is a level of 75 per cent comprehension realistic among those who become aware of an ad? Why or why not? Results of the study showed that ad exposure was 75 per cent and ad awareness level was 68 per cent and was considered as high. Only 43 percent respondents exposed to and aware of the ad copy could accurately recall important details, such as the name of the store promoting the retail sale. Just 43 per cent correct interpretation was considered as low. Of those who could accurately interpret the ad copy, 32 per cent said th ey intended to respond by purchasing the advertised · products ‘ and 68per cent sad they had no intention to buy.This yields an overall intention to buy of 7 per cent. The largest area of lost opportunity was due to those who did not accurately interpret the ad copy. The post-promotion survey indicated that only 4. 2 per cent of the target market customers made purchases of the promoted products during the promotion period. In terms of how the buyers learned of the promotion, 46 per cent mentioned newspaper A (Hindi), 27 per cent newspaper B (Hindi), 8 per cent newspaper (English), and 15 per cent learned about sale through word-of mouth communication. Do you think such promotions are likely to influence the quality image of the retail store? Explain. Basically, promotion is first introduced in the 4Ps of marketing. The four Ps represents the marketing mix (Product, Price, Place ; Promotion) and the promotional mix is the important term used to explain the set of tools of th e business. This is applied to achieve benefit of its products and services from its consumer and the followings are (Advertising, Public relation, Direct Marketing, Personal selling and Sales promotion) On the other hand consumer behaviour is another important aspect in the retail business sector.Consumers are not always normal/simple buyer. There are many aspects involved in buying decision process. They hold strategic shopping manner at the time of buying a product or services from a company. The main aim and objective of this research is such promotions are likey to influence the qulity immage of the retials store. Such Sales promotion has a great impact and influence on consumer buying behaviour in the retails stores – based on Tesco retail store. Such sales promotion role has a great impact on consumer buying behaviour.It has a great and strong significance role on retail industry sector. Basically sales promotions strategies used as a short-term technique tool which pr incipal objective is to influence the ultimate buyers to try a brand or change their mind to another brand. Sales promotion represent to discount a brand, it can be directly or indirectly, directly price reduction or indirectly through coupons ; premiums. But when the retail stores withdraw the sales promotion, then the normal price should have had a inferior value and the result of this should have had a negative impact on consumer buying behavior.The study focuses the significant attitude, perception of the consumer behaviour and it reflects the consumer loyalty on the basis of customer relationship management. Here the findings and analysis have discovered the vital reason that impacts positively on consumer buying behaviour and in the sales volume. ———————– Need and Problem recognition Information Search Evaluation and Selection Decision Implementation Post Purchase Processes Consumer Behavior 2. What is the basic difference between a fad, a fashion, a classic, and a trend? Provide example of each. A fashion refers to a style that is accepted by a large group of people at a given time such as skinny jeans. Some styles become classics, which are styles that become acceptable and in good taste anytime and place such as the classic black dress. A fad is a short lived fashion that suddenly becomes popular and quickly disappears; generally it only affects a specific group of the population such as low rise jeans wore by juniors. A trend is a general direction or movement as a style begins to be accepted such as the revival of high-waist jeans made from a light denim which also were worn in the 60-70s. 11. State some differences between the positivist and interpretivist approaches to consumer research. For each type of inquiry give examples of product dimensions what would be more usefully explored using that type of research over the other. Positivist assume the nature of reality is objective, tangible, and single, while the interprevisit believe that nature of reality is socially constructed and multiple, this should be used with products that are socially minded and include interactions based on technology such as social networking. Positivist have a goal of prediction which is good when trying to create trend reports and in the process of product development, while interpretivist goal is of understanding, this would be most useful when analyzing behavior toward products already on the market. . What is the difference between an enacted norm and a crescive norm? Identify the set of crescive norms operating when a man and a woman in your culture go out for dinner on a first date. What would they wear? An enacted norm are explicitly decided upon while crescive norms are embedded in a culture and are only discovered through interaction with other members’ of the culture. When a young man and woman go out on a first date, if they are both from the same culture then they are following crescive norms, because they are both following the norms which are accepted within their given culture. If they are both from completely different cultures, then they would be operating on enacted norms. What they would wear would be determined based upon what is accepted in their culture as appropriate wear for the occasion. 3. Read the Article â€Å" Body Ritual Among the Nacirema† and discuss what is going on. Consumer Behavior 2. What is the basic difference between a fad, a fashion, a classic, and a trend? Provide example of each. A fashion refers to a style that is accepted by a large group of people at a given time such as skinny jeans. Some styles become classics, which are styles that become acceptable and in good taste anytime and place such as the classic black dress. A fad is a short lived fashion that suddenly becomes popular and quickly disappears; generally it only affects a specific group of the population such as low rise jeans wore by juniors. A trend is a general direction or movement as a style begins to be accepted such as the revival of high-waist jeans made from a light denim which also were worn in the 60-70s. 11. State some differences between the positivist and interpretivist approaches to consumer research. For each type of inquiry give examples of product dimensions what would be more usefully explored using that type of research over the other. Positivist assume the nature of reality is objective, tangible, and single, while the interprevisit believe that nature of reality is socially constructed and multiple, this should be used with products that are socially minded and include interactions based on technology such as social networking. Positivist have a goal of prediction which is good when trying to create trend reports and in the process of product development, while interpretivist goal is of understanding, this would be most useful when analyzing behavior toward products already on the market. . What is the difference between an enacted norm and a crescive norm? Identify the set of crescive norms operating when a man and a woman in your culture go out for dinner on a first date. What would they wear? An enacted norm are explicitly decided upon while crescive norms are embedded in a culture and are only discovered through interaction with other members’ of the culture. When a young man and woman go out on a first date, if they are both from the same culture then they are following crescive norms, because they are both following the norms which are accepted within their given culture. If they are both from completely different cultures, then they would be operating on enacted norms. What they would wear would be determined based upon what is accepted in their culture as appropriate wear for the occasion. 3. Read the Article â€Å" Body Ritual Among the Nacirema† and discuss what is going on. Consumer Behavior 2. What is the basic difference between a fad, a fashion, a classic, and a trend? Provide example of each. A fashion refers to a style that is accepted by a large group of people at a given time such as skinny jeans. Some styles become classics, which are styles that become acceptable and in good taste anytime and place such as the classic black dress. A fad is a short lived fashion that suddenly becomes popular and quickly disappears; generally it only affects a specific group of the population such as low rise jeans wore by juniors. A trend is a general direction or movement as a style begins to be accepted such as the revival of high-waist jeans made from a light denim which also were worn in the 60-70s. 11. State some differences between the positivist and interpretivist approaches to consumer research. For each type of inquiry give examples of product dimensions what would be more usefully explored using that type of research over the other. Positivist assume the nature of reality is objective, tangible, and single, while the interprevisit believe that nature of reality is socially constructed and multiple, this should be used with products that are socially minded and include interactions based on technology such as social networking. Positivist have a goal of prediction which is good when trying to create trend reports and in the process of product development, while interpretivist goal is of understanding, this would be most useful when analyzing behavior toward products already on the market. . What is the difference between an enacted norm and a crescive norm? Identify the set of crescive norms operating when a man and a woman in your culture go out for dinner on a first date. What would they wear? An enacted norm are explicitly decided upon while crescive norms are embedded in a culture and are only discovered through interaction with other members’ of the culture. When a young man and woman go out on a first date, if they are both from the same culture then they are following crescive norms, because they are both following the norms which are accepted within their given culture. If they are both from completely different cultures, then they would be operating on enacted norms. What they would wear would be determined based upon what is accepted in their culture as appropriate wear for the occasion. 3. Read the Article â€Å" Body Ritual Among the Nacirema† and discuss what is going on.