Consumer behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Consumer behavior - Essay Example A manager has to come up with a strategy that will ensure that the sales promotion efforts put in place are profitable and achieving the set goals by the company. In the case of the first problem of increasing the sales volume of the company, a manger should make an analysis of the previous sales levels before the sales promotions and the new sales volume achieved after the sales promotion strategies. The aim of sales promotion is to increase the sales volume. Therefore, if the promotions will have no effect on the sales volume, then it would be appropriate to scrap off the sales promotions. Sales promotions are usually the capital intensive, therefore, the management should ensure that benefits outweigh the costs. That means that a high pricing strategy should be formulated to ensure that the high prices compensate for the increased costs. The sales promotions should also be tailor made for the target market and regions that the company has not ventured in. that will ensure an incre ase in the market share of the company. In the problem of the issue of the promotions being profitable as expected, a company can list down the profits against the costs of the company. The strategies formulated should be aimed at increasing profits and the market share of the company. In such a situation, the company can set a relatively higher price and aim at increasing the sales volume (Feinberg 281).The manager should ensure that efficiency is maximized to cut down on the costs of the company.

Theories in Mass Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Theories in Mass Communication - Essay Example It provides different and revealing perspectives on issues and represents the desire for knowledge through 'aposteriori' methods of discovery rather than 'apriori' methods of tradition. There are different schools of thought on how social phenomena should be discussed and interpreted. Post-positivist theories are those that reject the view of the world in a purely scientific manner. This is because human knowledge is not founded on unchallengeable, rock solid-foundations and is in fact fallible. While experimental methodology can be used to investigate social phenomena, it is often impossible or unethical to use the kind of carefully controlled laboratory studies characteristic of physics or chemistry for social phenomena. Conceptually, it is often noted that unlike the subjects of natural science, people are reflexive. That is, they may alter their behavior based on the presence or findings of the researcher. This implies that there is no single, unifying all-encompassing truth emphasizing the need for multiple measures and observations.

The Discovery Of America

The Discovery Of America The discovery of America is one of the most argued and controversial issues discussed today by historians and different groups of interest. Many people think that Columbus deserves the praise for the discovery of America while, others believe that he deserves no credit because when he landed on the Island there were already natural inhabitants there who had been living there for centuries. Certainly, historical scriptures show that Columbus was not the first one to step on the new world. There were other people who expedited to America, some with the aim of finding a new world and some for discovering other places. However, still in todays new world much acknowledgment is given officially to Christopher Columbus for discovering their place without recognizing that other people who visited before the new land have set the prerequisites for Columbus to continue with his search. Thus, before Columbus made the giant leap on the new world, there were already existing footprints of the Vik ings, Leif Erikson, and Prince Madoc of Wales. The Vikings society is known in the history as first notated discovery proving that Columbus wasnt the first to discover the New World. The Vikings were the oldest and largest Dark Age re-enactment society in the United Kingdom, and probably the world. Columbus discovery occurred in 1492 but, the discoveries from the Vikings go all the way back to the period of 790 to 1066. The truth about Vikings colonization of North America was uncovered in 1961 at LAnse-aux-Meadows, Newfoundland, by a team of archaeologists lead by Helge Ingstad. They unearthed the remains of a Viking settlement dated to around 1000 AD. By 1973, archaeologists had uncovered the remains of seven Viking houses, a blacksmiths shop, and a host of medieval artifacts, including rusty nails, fragments of iron, a small piece of smelted copper, a stone lamp, a Norse cloak pin and a spindle whorl for making wool. Radiocarbon tests dated the at least a dozen objects to about AD1000, plus or minus 70 years (Fulton, 41). Viki ng rune stones have been discovered in Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island Minnesota, Oklahoma and Massachusetts. And a rusty though perfectly good battle axe at Rocky Point, Cape Ann (Fulton, 41). Thus, it is argued that the Vikings were among the first to step on the new world that made a major impact on European history through trade, travel and, many advances in art and family life. In addition, Lefi Erikson played an important role in discovering America. To begin with, the earliest documented claim for the discovery of America belongs to a Norse Captain named Bjarni Herjolfsson. Professor Samuel Wilson of the University of Texas writes of Bjarni, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦sailed from Iceland for Greenland in search of his father. During his journey he ran into bad weather and was blown off course to a coast that did not fit the formidable mountains and glaciers of Greenland.(18). Only wanting to find his father, Bjarni corrected his course and sailed for Greenland without landing on these new shores. Gerald Parshall writes, When Bjarni finally reached Greenland, he reported the flat wooden country he had sited to Erik the Red. (3). Erik was the Norwegian explorer who discovered and colonized Greenland and the father of Leif Erikson. When Leif heard the story of the lands to the west, he bought Bjarnis boat and sailed west to explore this newfound land. As he sailed, Leif explored and named three countries: Helluland (flat stone land), a rocky and barren land, probably Baffin Island, Markland (woodland), a low forested coast, most certainly Labrador or Newfoundland. (Wilford, 4). Leif continued south along the coast perhaps as far as New England and named these lands Vinland (grassland). Many scholars believe that Columbus learned of this discovery as a young sailor on one of his voyages to Iceland on the 1460s. Finally, the late 12th century has yet another explorer claiming the discovery of a new world. In 1170, Prince Madoc of Wales made two trips to North America after the death of his father, the king of North Wales. On his second trip, he returned to the New World with ten shiploads of settlers. The most popular theory is that Madocs colonists intermarried with the Indians and eventually migrated to the Dakotas, they were known as Mandan Indians, Mandan being the corruption of Madagwys, as the followers of Prince Madoc were called (Jackson, 78). President Thomas Jefferson, no less, told Lewis and Clark to keep an eye pealed for those Welsh Indians when he sent the explorers out in 1804. And Meriweather Lewis later reported that he had found the tribe (Parshall, 3). George Catlin, the American artist who lived with the Mandans for part of 1832, was persuaded that they were Madocs people by their fair complexion, blue and gray eyes, language parallels, and similarities in the round wicke r boats favored by both the Mandan and Welsh tribes (Jackson, 78). The story was considered as fact in many American book and also different events and memorials were built on this chronicle. To conclude, the discovery of America can be attributed to many different explorers. It was the combination of explorers and discoveries that resulted in the development of the Americas. Each of these explorers deserves to be celebrated and honored for their accomplishments. Without their combined efforts the American continent may never have become the place it is today. America was never undiscovered or forgotten as some of the Columbus supporters claim. Columbus used his knowledge of the earlier discoveries to continue previous attempts to colonize America. To attribute the whole discovery of the now promised land is not right and accurate historically. As shown above, facts tell us about discoveries of the land made before Columbus. Therefore, the history and the people should recognize all of those who contributed to the eventual creation of the new world.

Stereotypes and Stereotyping - I Was a Teenage Hippie Essay -- Example

Stereotyping - I Was a Teenage Hippie Imagine a 17-year-old kid. He is five feet eleven inches tall, weighs 180 lbs., with very long hair and a beard. His hair parts in the middle and stops at his waist, meaning his hair is about three and a half feet long. He dresses not for the fashion of the day, but with old standards: blue jeans and a flannel shirt in the winter or blue jeans and a short sleeve shirt in the summer. Generally, his shirts in summer are T-shirts, typically with some provocative text or an advertisement for a rock group. That kid was me in 1974. I was the stereotypical "hippie," and my social circle during that year and the four years preceding it (two of those years in middle school and two years in high school) included other hippies. The hippie subculture has often been subject to a stereotyped image over the years. The image identified with the hippie is one of an individual that is generally unclean and unkempt, usually lives in squalor, has a drug habit, and is not very smart. Of course, male members of the hippie subculture all had long hair. Though the conservatives stereotyped me and my friends by what they saw, they did not know a single thing about us. The group I was involved with socially was made up of eight other guys besides myself and two girls, but the eleven of us were known by our peers as "The Dirty Dozen." We were looked upon by the conservatives in our town as being "just a bunch of damn hippies." Obviously, The Dirty Dozen was stereotyped because of our appearance. Indeed, it would have been easy for any of us to change our image to something more socially acceptable. For example, cutting my air, shaving off my beard, and changing my... ...day. I find myself not being so quick to judge by looks alone. I find myself consciously thinking that I should not stereotype what I see before me. I do not know the person; I only know the image. I certainly do not want to consider myself so narrow minded that I engage in the very behavior displayed by the conservatives in the 1960s and 1970s. Because of the tendency of people to stereotype others, I hold the belief that I would be subject to stereotyping today. While I maintain views that might be politically incorrect and continue to hold dear a bit of the non-conforming attitude embraced by the hippie subculture, would people guess that to look at me today? Considering my conservative image today, would people guess that on the inside I might still be a "hippie?" Or would they look at me and see me as a "boring old fart" conservative yuppie?

Alfred Adler’s “The Neurotic Constitution” Essay

Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the most common negative attributes an individual possess is insecurity.   Common among adolescents, insecurity can be exhibited through either inferiority complex or superiority complex.   This paper would present Alfred Adler’s theory of personality which concentrated on the reason as to why an individual develops feelings of insecurity and why this remains part of the individual’s behavior despite them reaching adulthood or old age. Adler’s Individual Personality   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As a result of debates with Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler (2007) developed his own theory of personality which he called as the â€Å"Individual Personality.†Ã‚   Adler believed that it is the motivations experienced by an individual that determines his or her role in society as well as being responsible for an individual’s uniqueness.   Under the Individual Personality theory, Adler presented two psychological conditions which he termed as â€Å"inferiority complex† and â€Å"superiority complex.†Ã‚   These conditions are commonly experienced by an individual during the early childhood years and would eventually lead to the individual to suffer neurosis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An individual suffering from either inferior or superiority complex requires an expedient to allow him or her to focus on the uncertainty of his or her existence.   By doing so, the individual is able to do a self-estimation of all evils and considers him or her to feel incompetent, inferior, degraded and insecure.   In order for the individual to find a guiding principle he or she uses either his or her parent who attributed his or her values to (Adler 2007). Based on the study of cause, behavior, manifestation and altered modes of activity, Adler (2007) discovered that there was a link between the individual developing an inferiority complex and the individual having underdeveloped organs resulting to the nervous system to compensate these.   As a result, the individual develops what Adler termed as somatic inferiority and eventually becomes a permanent compelling part of the individual’s psyche.   The only way this could be addressed is through the intervention of a psychologist. Another reason for the development of superior or inferiority complex among individuals is their desire to become what they consider to be great and strong.   This desire then influences their conduct, psychical and physical attitudes.   Oftentimes, individuals would experience temporary denials and discomforts, particularly during the early childhood years.   This leads them to seek the impulse to develop character traits that they would consider as common.    It is also during this period of time that individuals experience feelings of weaknesses, helplessness and feelings of anxiety.   At the same time, the development of these negative behaviors allows the individual to realize his or her strengths which results to the individual a sense of gratitude towards his strengths.   This, along with the development of obedience, allows the individual to develop an accentuation of his or her ego consciousness by assisting him or her to achieve the goal of his or her personality which is to strive for superiority (Adler 2007). Adler (2007) also stated that the parental neglect experienced by an individual as he or she grows up would result to the child developing feelings of aggression and contribution to the individual’s development of inferiority.   This is particularly evident among individuals who have been brought up in large families where the individual has a lot of siblings. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Insecurities are commonplace among each and every individual such that it would seem to be impossible to find an individual who does not possess any form of insecurity.   Adler’s theory provided valid explanations not only as to why individuals possess feelings of insecurity but also why certain individuals are more insecure than others.   Along with his theory, Adler presented factors that cause the emergence of insecurities among individuals.   The first is physical.   Many of people who are insecure are those who are inflicted with what society would consider as physical abnormalities.   They are viewed by society as different and as a result would make them to ridicule and bullying.   Another factor presented was the family.    On one hand, any children feel that they are pressured into following the footsteps of their parents which would let them feel that the only way to be accepted and considered as â€Å"doing the right thing† is if they would follow the footsteps of their parents.   On the other hand, because of the changes in lifestyles of most families, parents tend to have lesser time for their children.   The parental neglect causes the children to feel abandoned and as a result would develop insecurities which they would try to hide by creating an image that they are superior, hence the development of the superiority complex.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All in all, society has played a part in the formation of insecurities of an individual.   Most often than not, individuals are not even aware that they in fact possess feelings of insecurity which is why only through the intervention of a psychologist and an open mind would an individual discover these insecurities and work on these insecurities in order to develop a stronger personality which is the goal of an individual. Reference Adler, A. (2007). The neurotic constitution: the origin and development of the feeling of inferiority. In H. S. Friedman & M. W. Schustack (Eds.), The personality reader (pp. 42-43).   Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

American Values essay

How American Family Values have change on the last 20 years The values of the cozy mid-80’s American family entertained us and sold us refrigerators, cars, and cigarettes, but they were the exception, not the rule. This was the world of the white suburban minority that exerted media dominance over the rest of the nation. Televison took them into our living rooms, convincing us this was the American family. In reality, this was the world of â€Å"separate but equal† family values. This was the world of living on the right or the wrong side of the tracks family values. These were the values that put minorities in the from of the bus.These were never the actual family values of the period. They were the values we were sold by the newly developing television industry. The nostalgic family values of the 80s are the subject of legend and myth. During the mid-Twentieth Century middle and upper class White Americans prospered. This is what is depicted in Life Magazine, The Dina h Shore Show, and Ed Sullivan's Sunday night TV extravaganza. Minority Americans, poor Americans, single Americans valued survival, not prosperity, and struggled against the glamorized stereotype for opportunity. Family values change because times and families change.Those who so fondly point to the â€Å"Happy Days† as the symbol of American family values fail to consider the majority of American families of the time period. In the real world of the nostalgic 80s, most families did not live in three-bedroom suburban homes and drive new automobiles. Have all heard it said many times before, â€Å"Oh well, times have changed, and we must change along with them. † The title of this article alone is enough to make one laugh a sarcastic snicker. The truth of the matter is that as much as people seem to have a need to believe it to be so, times do not change. People change.People have become more complacent in these modern days. Anything goes, and if anyone dares speak out in disagreement, the politically correct police will be on them in a New York second. It is true, one word of displeasure voiced against another’s lack of morality will win the speaker an instant title as an ill-informed, unyielding, old fashioned, bigot. Skirts too short†¦Ã¢â‚¬ you are so old fashioned. † Bad language shows lack of creativity and intellect†¦ â€Å"It’s just a word. †Ã‚   Teenage role model performing a public lap dance†¦ even the out of touch, Hollywood, best friend type of dad answers, â€Å"Oh well, that's what teenagers do these ays. † And all of those worshiping this one man suddenly jump to his defense, and begin parroting his horrible parenting skills. This is howAmerica was founded on Christian principles, but would you know it to look around? With the moral degradation in America, maybe it's time we took a look at our values. First, let's define morals: Moral applies to personal character and behavior, espec ially sexual conduct: â€Å"Our moral sense dictates a clearcut preference for these societies which share with us an abiding respect for individual human rights† (Jimmy Carter).Ethical stresses idealistic standards of right and wrong: â€Å"Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants† (Omar N. Bradley). Virtuous implies moral excellence and loftiness of character: â€Å"The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, tru thful, and virtuous† (Frederick Douglass). Righteous emphasizes moral uprightness; when it is applied to actions, reactions, or impulses, it often implies justifiable outrage: â€Å"He was†¦ stirred by righteous wrath† (John Galsworthy). Values are the beliefs of a group of people shared as a whole, unlike morals which are individual to every person. Generally, an emotional investment coincides with the values. Typically, the term is used by the media to refer to Christian values, but in a 1998 Harris sur vey it was defined as â€Å"loving, taking care of, and supporting each other† by 52% of women and 42% of men, as â€Å"knowing right from wrong and having good values† by 38% of women and 35% of men, and as the traditional family by 2% of women and 1% men.The survey also noted that 93% of women thought that society should value all types of families. [3] [edit] Conservative definitions Since 1980, the Republican Party has used the issue of family values to attract socially conservative voters. [4] While family values remains a rather vague concept, social conservatives usually understand the term to include some combination of the following principles (also referenced in the 2004 Republican Party platform):[5] * Promotion of â€Å"traditional marriage† and opposition to sex outside of conventional marriage, ncluding pre-marital sex, adultery, polygamy, bestiality, and incest[6][7][8][9] * Support for a roll back of aspects of feminism and support for a traditio nal role for women in the family. [10][citation needed] * Opposition to same-sex marriage[5] * Support for traditional education and parental involvement in that education, including such things as vouchers for private, non-secular education. 11] * Opposition to legalization of abortion and support for policies that instead encourage abstinence and adoption[12] * Support for â€Å"abstinence education† exclusively regarding risks associated with early sexual activity such as teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases[5] while not teaching such topics of sex education as human sexual behavior, safe sex and birth control[13] * Support for policies that are said to protect children from obscenity and exploitation[14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Social and religious conservatives often use the term â€Å"family values† to promote conservative ideology that supports traditional morality or Christian values. [21] American Christians often see their religion as the source of morality and consider the nuclear family to be an essential element in society. Some conservative family values advocates believe the government should endorse Christian morality,[22] for example by displaying the Ten Commandments or allowing teachers to conduct prayers in public schools.Religious conservatives often view the United States as a â€Å"Christian nation†[23] For example, â€Å"The American Family Association exists to motivate and equip citizens to change the culture to reflect Biblical truth and traditional family values. â€Å"[24] These groups variously oppose abortion, pornography, pre-marital sex, homosexuality, certain aspects of feminism[25], cohabitation, separation of church and state, and depictions of sexuality in the media. [edit] Liberal definitions Although the term â€Å"family values† remains a core issue for the Republican Party, in recent years the Democratic Party has also used the term, though differing in its definition. For exa mple, in his acceptance speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, John Kerry said â€Å"it is time for those who talk about family values to start valuing families. [26] The Democratic Party definitions of family values often include items that specifically target working families such as support of: * a living wage * universal health care * the acceptance of adoption by gays * the acceptance of the non-traditional family (single parent households, same-sex marriages) * social programs and financial aid for families Other liberals have used the phrase to support such values as family planning, affordable child care, and maternity leave. For example, groups such as People For the American Way, Planned Parenthood, and Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays have attempted to define the concept in a way that promotes the acceptance of single-parent families, same-sex monogamous relationships and marriage.This understanding of family values does not promote conservative moral ity, instead focusing on encouraging and supporting alternative family structures, access to contraception and abortion, increasing the minimum wage, sex education, childcare, and parent-friendly employment laws, which provide for maternity leave and leave for medical emergencies involving children. [27] While conservative sexual ethics focus on preventing premarital or non-procreative sex, liberal sexual ethics are typically directed rather towards consent, regardless of whether or not the partners are married. [28 * The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright  © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. * * Journal of Law, Policy and the Family 2006 Anne Revillard

Free Essays on Journal

Observation Journal Entry #1 Teaching Style o In my opinion the teacher is pretty much laid back. The entire environment is very different then what I am use to. I went to a suburban catholic high school. The teacher, however, always has control over the class and the students do not seem to take advantage of his laid-back attitude. This I believe can be the basis for better teaching, were the kids do not feel so much pressure. o The teacher uses visual and analytical methods. Since he teaches math he uses drawings for problems so that students can see the picture and the numbers to better help them understand the lesson. He also uses overheads and pictures of the calculator to help students understand and use the calculators better. o The greatest thing that he makes his students do is give him reasons why. For each problem the students are required to write a conclusion. This helps them not only express what they learned but helps their writing skills. Students’ Response to Teaching Style o Most students seem to stay on task, yet you still have a few students that are sleepy or not paying attention, which I think, is normal in most high school classrooms. The biggest problem would probably be the talking. o The students like when the teacher gives different views. He will explain one problem from many different views or angles. Just by looking around the classroom you could tell which way helped which student. They all seemed to be excited to find out that they finally got it. Assignments o I think that all of the assignments are fair, in that they are directly related to the lessons taught in class. o Each night the students are assigned problems to work on, sometimes they are to be handed in or to be done in the copybooks. They seemed to be always allowed to start them in class. o Each assignment includes writing. Even though it is a math class each student writes a conclusio... Free Essays on Journal Free Essays on Journal Observation Journal Entry #1 Teaching Style o In my opinion the teacher is pretty much laid back. The entire environment is very different then what I am use to. I went to a suburban catholic high school. The teacher, however, always has control over the class and the students do not seem to take advantage of his laid-back attitude. This I believe can be the basis for better teaching, were the kids do not feel so much pressure. o The teacher uses visual and analytical methods. Since he teaches math he uses drawings for problems so that students can see the picture and the numbers to better help them understand the lesson. He also uses overheads and pictures of the calculator to help students understand and use the calculators better. o The greatest thing that he makes his students do is give him reasons why. For each problem the students are required to write a conclusion. This helps them not only express what they learned but helps their writing skills. Students’ Response to Teaching Style o Most students seem to stay on task, yet you still have a few students that are sleepy or not paying attention, which I think, is normal in most high school classrooms. The biggest problem would probably be the talking. o The students like when the teacher gives different views. He will explain one problem from many different views or angles. Just by looking around the classroom you could tell which way helped which student. They all seemed to be excited to find out that they finally got it. Assignments o I think that all of the assignments are fair, in that they are directly related to the lessons taught in class. o Each night the students are assigned problems to work on, sometimes they are to be handed in or to be done in the copybooks. They seemed to be always allowed to start them in class. o Each assignment includes writing. Even though it is a math class each student writes a conclusio... Free Essays on Journal Entry # 1: Today was my first day at Midwood High School, where I observed three European History classes. All classes were majority sophomores and a few freshmen that were ahead of the game as well as a few juniors and seniors that fell behind. To estimate each class has, give or take, thirty five students on average. By request the three classes that I observed was on a different tracking level. The first class was an honors class that was composed primarily of Asian students, some Caucasian student and a very small percentage of African American and Hispanic students: to estimate I would say approximately four. The average class that I observed seemed to be very heterogeneous mixture of every ethnicity, race, and religion. It was so equally mixed that I was unable to estimate how many students belong to each subgroup. Finally, my low level class seemed to be majority African American, some Hispanic and three students belong to what I will very uneasily call the Caucasian group. Behavior wise my honors class could not be beat. They were eager to participate, quite down upon the request of the teacher, and seemed to truly be interested in the material that they were learning. They always appeared to be in competition with one another to give the right answer. I found it incredibly interesting how these students not only knew the material very well, but seemed to do the reading before class. They read the newspaper and watch the news to make sure that they are up to date on current events and took great pride in incorporating this knowledge to class discussion even without the teacher’s request. When the teacher spoke anything, these students immediately wrote it down: a skill I am still to this day unable to pick up. They were assigned an extremely large amount of homework every day that was due the following day. This is probably about two to three hours worth of hard work and the students did not seem to mind. By looking at ...