Co-existence and co-development: the sociological perspective Essay

One of the early sociologist who tackled suicide is Emile Durkheim who related polarities in social integration and control with suicide. There are four types of reasoning which would account for suicidal or self annihilating moves (Durkheim, 1951). Altruistic reasoning is when a person feels his act of suicide will serve a social purpose. This is more like a self sacrifice and is associated with high social integration. Egoistic reasoning is when a person feels alienated and socially isolated lacking social support. Such reasoning is associated with low social integration. Fatalistic reasoning behind suicidal acts is associated with aversion to control deemed undesirable like slavery even if it means getting killed in the attempt of gaining freedom. Such an act is associated in this conception with high regulation or control. Anomic reasoning refers to cope with undesirable situational changes (Durkheim, 1951). Such early works on suicide were important attempts in systematization of an approach to a particular social issue which marked sociology as scientific discipline and opened the possibility of mapping social situations which may lead to particular set of actions like committing suicide. Another theory which explored social integration and regulation is Kolberg’s stages of moral development. Kolberg’s theory is a take off from the moral judgment model of Piaget who introduced development or changes associated with growing up (Crain, 1985). Piaget observed differences in age levels as far as perceptions on moral dilemmas. Younger children view rules for example as fixed and absolute but older children tend to recognize that rules as tools of cooperation and an agreement on rules are important. Another insight was that younger children tend to view consequences as compared to older children who tend to value motivation behind a particular action (Crain, 1985). Kolberg expanded on this notion and identified six stages of moral development essential in the development of particular social formations. Level I is preconventional morality which comprised stage 1 obedience and punishment orientation and stage 2 individualism and exchange. The marked change is similar to Piaget’s that is, recognition of the relativity of right and wrong (Crain, 1985). Level II is conventional morality made up of stage 3 in moral development, good interpersonal relationships which corresponds to early teens. Here the young person learns of what is expected of his/her behavior, what is and not acceptable. Stage 4 is maintaining the social order. At stage 4, the concept of society as a structure and functions is more or less fairly developed (Crain, 1985). Level III is postconventional morality made up of stage 5 social contract and individual rights. Stage 5 is abstraction of society and what ought to be the attributes of good governance. Consensus and participation in such a consensus system is the main virtue at this stage. Dissonance and value judgment is more profound as delineation between what is moral and what is legal may not coincide and difficult conflict to resolve may arise (Crain, 1985). Stage 6 in Kolberg’s social construct is universal principles. Adherence to higher ideals like justice and dignity of a human being. Thus impartiality and equal opportunity as a higher standard of behavior if moral dilemmas are to be resolved (Crain, 1985). There are theoretical dilemmas in the model as the scale system in Kolberg’s model failed to fully distinguish between stage 5 and 6 though intuitively the difference between the two stages is quite clear. In stage 6 an invitation for action to change society is embedded (Crain, 1985). The importance of such conceptions of social order hence how people would be integrated and agree on forms of regulation and at what point will there be a break and hence opens possibility for risk situations such as those that would reinforce self-annihilating acts (Crain, 1985). We take note that at this point of discussion that at any time in the developmental stages of a human being, the psychological premises are operative. Cognition is essential to Kolberg’s model recognizing behavior patterns as so complicated that it would be impossible to teach every detail of certain behavior pattern. Still the notion of each according to his/her configuration is very much evident. The individual learns because he has the ability and others are important as models or patterns which they too can do (Crain, 1985). And here is perhaps a thread we can to track suicidal tendencies, suicide acts affects other people, invoking the possibility. An invitation into the domain of death. Death is a loaded word with different layers of meaning. Just how do people convey meaning? What could be the unit of sharing and comparing abstractions and theories so essential in gaining knowledge. Another perspective which shed more light on how could people agree or reach a consensus on a moral dilemma or coming into a critical decision is symbolic interactionism. This thinking maintains that the mind is a dynamic process of creating and sharing significant symbols embedded with defined and clear meanings. This is a product of interaction resulting to social symbols. With such a perspective, it would be easy to recognize that a consensus or an agreement is agreement first on the particular symbol to use to construct such agreements. Language remains the more potent symbolic system universal across human societies. According to this view, learning is not simply observing as contended by Kolb or an imitation as Bandura maintained but according to Mead, an ability of â€Å"taking the role of the other† through empathy enabling a continuing internal dialogue. Blumer the social psychologist who coined symbolic interactionism summed up the three premises underlying this concept. The first premise is that humans behave towards things according to meanings attributes to such things. The second premise is that these meanings are products of social interactions with others. The third premise holds that such meaning undergoes interpretation and modification. By and large, though there are disagreements, one thing is emerging thus far, that the dynamic relationship between nature and learned is a continuing and developing process leading perhaps to the question of what is the ultimate potential or purpose of life and how could a divergence such a violent act against others or self-annihilation could transpire. What is apparent though that understanding a suicidal act could be seen as a process leading to the risk situations of increasing likelihood of committing such acts (Sandstorm, Martin, & Fine, no date).

What does Safety Mean To Me

The second definition was first used in 1881. â€Å"Safety' has quite some history, but my definition has I Tots Of meanings. To me, safety means protecting from danger that may hurt us or endanger o r lives. Unsafe practice is a great risk to life and property. For example, a two wheeler who RI des recklessly not only risks his own life, but the others on roads. That's because of their lack of know ledge about overall safety, be it â€Å"die† road. While crossing the road, you mustn't run across in blind d panic.Wait until the raffia policeman or the Walk' signal appears. Even then look for some vehicle drivers who jump signals and cross â€Å"die† road with the others. So always be cautious, and some one once said, â€Å"Better a thousand times careful than once dead. † Next, be safe at work. This is really important, because once you know the par testicular hazards of your job or workplace, you can take steps to reduce your risk of workplace I injury or illne ss. Also always stay awake while working at dangerous places, for example, at fire deep rodents.If you don't, when you are rescuing lives in a burning house, you'll risk your life and the pee pole's too. So, you need to always stay awake. Something that happened recently over the past years is accessibility. Lots o f kids and teens keep getting bullied online, and sometimes it can go from never leaving your home to almost committing suicide. I just feel really bad for those people, and it's sad to hear stories about that. Everyone is different in the world and that's a great thing.There is no need of anyone to be getting bullied because no one is the same, everyone is unique. Therefore, you need to extra safe on the internet. You can do this by never talking to strangers when you are social me As you can see, safety means a lot to me. Now you should stop and think ABA UT what it means to you. Of course, we will have different meanings, but some may be alike. On e of my favorite quot es are â€Å"Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety. † by William Shakes pare. What does safety mean to you?

Business Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Business Environment - Essay Example This paper approves that the PMT brand of organic products is also part of a monopolistically competitive industry, but a recent visit to their business advisor informed them that the Price Elasticity of Demand for their products is inelastic. But being in the monopolistically competitive industry, the stiff competition from rival businesses does not affect the profit margins of PMT. There is a niche market for the PMT products, which are unique in their own way and add to the variety of organic cosmetics, soaps and perfumes. People who buy such products will prefer to have variety, and so a good number of buyers will regularly come back to the PMT brand, though they test out other brands in the mean time. The factors that would affect this demand curve and hence the PED include the variety of substitutes available for buyers to try around, the proportion of income required for the item and degree of necessity or luxury. This essay makes a conclusion that disposable income is the amount of income a person or an organization has, after the taxes have been deducted from the total amount. It is being assumed that disposable incomes are going to fall in the next two years. With the decrease in the people’s income, the Income Elasticity Demand for the organic products would turn positive or high positive and the niche market catered to would reduce. The organic perfumes, soaps and cosmetics would thus, come under the category of luxury goods.But the fall in disposable income is not likely to affect the services offered by the salon, since people would still be catering to their basic needs. The income elasticity demand for the services is likely to fall between one and zero.

Compare and Contrast Two Gothic Cathedrals Assignment

Compare and Contrast Two Gothic Cathedrals - Assignment Example Monumental sculpture was the earliest art situated on the walls of Abbeys and Cathedrals. It was a style used in expressing power as its characteristics were used to express emotions (Newman, 2001). Gothic architecture has been used in many different places like the guild halls, palaces castles and town halls among others. In this research we are going to rely on the gothic in the middle-age period which is between 1350 to 1520 CE. We will mainly observe compare and contrast the Chartres gothic cathedral and Amiens cathedral- Western Faà §ade (Rudolph, 2006). They are both used as places of worship by believers (Rudolph, 2006). This means that they act as churches and the advisors among a given group during that period. This promoted religion to move widely as compared to past Era. 3. Amiens Cathedral-Western Faà §ades made from France and during that time limestone was very available thereby being used in its construction. England at that time had coarse limestone and also red sandstone which was used in its construction (Harvey, 2006). 7. They both have message as they mainly target the society. This gives an idea or religious beliefs and also information to the society and population at large. The gothic was also used in representing the universe in the microcosm and also used as a way of preaching to the public. 8. Religion is the main subject of the cathedrals. This is because they are used as a sacred place for worship. They were used for biblical teaching taking an example of the Virgin Mary’s gothic to express the kind of love to their believer. 13. Symbolism is used by the drawings on the wall representing people from the bible like the prophets of the bible. There is the example of the trinity portal which is in three parts representing God the father, the son and the Holy Spirit (Harvey, 2006). 15. The function of the gothic artwork is to attract people to the churches in order to spread

Contract Law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Contract Law - Coursework Example The two situations involve contracts that are governed by observance of There are therefore various legal principles that will govern the two situations to have involved formation of binding contracts. A contract is defined as an agreement made between two or more parties that is legally binding. Parties to a contract usually expect a win-win situation where they can both benefit from the contract. However the there is usually no certainty for both parties to attain this situation.2 One party may end up having a legal liability towards the other party. Any contract made whether in an attorney’s office or just written by the involved parties is valid and binding provided that the legal principles involved are understandable to both parties. The contract becomes valid on the acceptance of an offer, provided it is in compliance with the laws of the state. The first principle is the legal capacity which for many states the parties are expected to have attained the majority age of 18 years. The parties are as well expected to be in their sound mental capacity to understand the terms of the contract and consequences for non performance.3 The party representing a business organization is in a position to sign the contract thus binding the business to the contract.4 The second principle is the offer and acceptance. A contract comes to existence upon acceptance of the offer. A person may reject an offer and opt for a counter offer if they fail to agree to the terms allowed. Once accepted, offer can be revoked at any time. A contract is therefore formed on acceptance of offer or counteroffer by both parties. The third principle in formation of a legal contract is the exchange of value or consideration. This is the payment made for the performance of the contract. Consideration may be anything valuable for instance cash or goods and services. Where the consideration made is not stated

Strategic management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 4

Strategic management - Essay Example From the report, it is clear that the greatest threats that face Kepak Group are the increase in costs for the beef industry in terms of technology and the threat from cheaper beef from South America. However, they have major opportunities in the increase of population and evolving diets in Asia. This has informed their strategy. Table of Contents Contents Page 1. Executive Summary†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2 2. Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4 3. Kepak’s Business Environment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦......4 4. Kepak’s current strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 5. Appraisal of Kepak’s Business Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...10 6. References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.12 7. Appendix†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..13 REVIEW OF THE STRATEGIC SITUATION OF KEPAK Introduction Kepak Group is a dynamic and young business that has become a leading company for food processing in Europe. Their success has been informed by their belief in pursuing a partnership approach through the development of customer relationships. The company is dedicated to consumer focus, brand management, innovation, as well as unwavering commitment to ensuring food safety. Because of volatile market requirements, Kepak Group continues to provide its consumers with quality products at prices that are competitive. Their operations are divided into three business units that comprise of Agra Trading, Kepak Convenience Foods, and Kepak Meat Division. Each of this division plays a crucial role in the expansion and growth of Kepak Grou p. The group processes more than 25,000 tons of consumer foods, 1.5 million lambs, and 30,000 cattle every year and has more than â‚ ¬750 million in turnover, employing in excess of 2,000 people. They have nine facilities for manufacturing across Ireland, as well as the UK, with sales presence in major countries in the EU and globally and a South American operations office. Kepak’s Business Environment PEST Analysis Political factors: With regards to the WTO, the lift from a successful DOHA Round deal would have to be balanced, as well as take Ireland’s agricultural interests into account. Ireland’s department of Agriculture continues to show strong reservations concerning current agricultural proposals in agricultural, particularly its potential effects on the Irish beef industry (Garavan, 2011: p43). It is estimated that Irish cattle prices could drop by 9% with output value of Irish beef dropping by â‚ ¬120m. A tariff reduction of 23%, furthermore, unde r sensitive designation of products would see beef imports increasing in the EU by 30%. Alternatively, if beef is not designated as a sensitive product, its negative impact on agriculture in Ireland could be higher. These circumstances, which would lead to a 70% tariff cut, would result in a drop in price for Irish beef, by more than 28% before the year 2017 and an annual beef output fall of â‚ ¬380m every year. Economic factors: The recent years have seen fluctuations of commodity prices, especially for beef and cereals. The medium-term products concerning agricultural commodities, despite the economic crisis, are promising (Garavan, 2011: p45). Changing dietary patterns, improved living

Evaluation of a Study Involving Faculty Development Essay

Evaluation of a Study Involving Faculty Development - Essay Example This paper evaluates a scholarly journal article in which 17 participants involved in nursing education were interviewed in relation to their opinion regarding knowledge, skills development, and the variety of teaching directly related to their in-house professional environment. There are many challenges involved with coordinating an effective EPR program that are largely due to the type of educational facility structure and current level of skills acquisition by teaching staff. The Study’s Intention The research study consisted of qualitative interviews after the researchers selected a sample population of 17 different educators with varying skills acquisition and level of nursing education experience. A portion of the sample consisted of full-time educators, part-time educators, and those categorized as clinical faculty members. The majority of participants maintained what was considered to be higher-level skills accessibility and were thus mostly considered experts in their field of education. The sample chosen was designed to offer a cross-section of skills application to understand whether needs associated with faculty development were diverse or whether needs in faculty development were similar. ... An objective of this qualitative methodology was to ensure that individual respondents could define their opinion of what constituted a peer in the EPR process as well as their belief regarding what tools would be best effective when designing a future EPR program. The goal of this interview structure was to identify what practices might be ineffective for future EPR programs and also highlight what systems or processes might be most beneficial in a real-time teaching environment. As previously identified, by using expert respondents in the sample chosen, practice versus theory in EPR could be more appropriately identified. Thibault (2011) identifies that if faculty development programs are not structured in a way that is meaningful to the educator, they are not likely to be sustainable over the long-term. â€Å"If the interprofessional teaching is regarded as ‘extra’ or as something that faculty do on a volunteer basis on their own time, it is not likely to be sustaina ble† (Thibault, 2011, p.314). This assessment by Thibault is supported by the selected research article as the participants in the study identified many different systems-based challenges that frustrated their educator development goals. Two of these challenges included frustration over not understanding how they fit within the system and â€Å"lack of stability in courses being taught† (Toth & McKey, 2010, p.56). The article provided results that clearly indicated that there must be a sense of regularity regarding educational peer review programs with marginal room for flexibility in order to gain support or for the educator to find long-term value in the program structure. In general, short of a few exceptions in the chosen sample group, there was a

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - Research Paper Example Experts reveal that the urge to repeat certain things result from the need to alleviate the stressful thoughts. The prevalence of the disorder is on the rise according to recent reports. The recent report conducted by the National Institute for Mental Health revealed that approximately 3% of Americans have OCD disorder (Rachman and de Silva, 2009). The report also indicated that the disorder affect people from all races, ethnic groups, and sexes in almost equal measure. The researchers also discovered that the disorder affects male at an early age than female. According to the National Institute for Mental Health report, the OCD disorder affects boys between the age of 6 and 15 years, while girls, the disorder tends to manifest mostly between the age of 20 and 30 years. Individuals with OCD tend to show certain behaviors that a rational person considers abnormal. The most common symptom of the disorder, according to National Alliance of Mental Illness (2012), is that, individuals suffering from OCD tend to double-check things excessively and repeatedly. For instance, an individual with OCD may end up double checking switches, locks and other electrical appliances 20 times before feeling satisfied that everything is in order. They do this due in an attempt to alleviate the compulsive stressful thoughts. Secondly, individuals with OCD tend to feel over obsessed with certain things. Because of over obsession, people suffering from OCD normally appear fearful and concerned about everything that happens around them. For example, such people may demonstrate fear and concern of thieves breaking into their houses as noted by Rachman and de Silva (2009). This makes them appear restless and pre-occupied by unreasonable thoughts. Individuals with OCD tend to be extra cautious in whatever they do for fear of harming themselves or others around them. Hyman and Pedrick (2011) also noted that such people focus much on morals and

John Mill and Immanuel Kant Essay Example for Free

John Mill and Immanuel Kant Essay The following is a conceptual paper that I have written to address the following questions: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What is enlightenment for Kant? What is the public use of reason? 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Mill, how do people develop understandings of the world? Do most people have sound understandings? Question 1 Kant observed that: â€Å"If it is now asked: Do we presently live in an enlightened age? the answer is, No, but we do live in an age of enlightenment. (Kant, p.4) So, Kant characterized the state of society and separate individuals as imperfect, and pointed, that Enlightenment is a long-lasting process. Kant explained Enlightenment as â€Å"mans emergence from his self-imposed immaturity† (Kant, p.1). Such immaturity for him meant inability to use own reason and to â€Å"think with own head†. The basic characteristic of immaturity is that it is caused not by lack of understanding or ability, but by lack of will and desire to think. Under Kant’s teaching, most of the individuals would rather prefer to rely on other’s understanding, than on their own. So, they gladly follow orders of teacher’s, priests and government authorities (Kant, p. 2).   So, Kant believed, that the purpose of Enlightenment was to tech people think for themselves. Kant separated that, what he called â€Å"private use of reason† from that what he called â€Å"public use of reason†.   Generally, public use of reason is defined as ability to think and argue reasonably before authorities. The situation of public use of reason may be potentially unpleasant or even dangerous for an individual, however, an enlightened person should not be afraid to think rationally and reject unfounded claims of, for example, taxman or pastor. Those latter in turn are to apply private reason – ability to think rationally, attributable to persons, filling public positions (Kant, p.3). Under Kant, in case most of the individuals in a particular society are able to apply both public and private reason, such society may be considered as enlightened. Question 2 According to Mill, only one person out of hundred is able to judge a fact, in case it is not obvious, and even this one, who is able to judge, possesses only comparative abilities for the matter (Mill, p.2). Existing opinions of those, who are relatively able to think, are influenced by historic development of people’s understanding. Mill notes the following contradiction: humans aim to think rationally, but the rationality of their affairs and conduct remains in desperate conditions. Therefore, human acts and opinions need to be corrected, taking into account experience, and being proved by discussion. Experience alone may appear to be vague, due to false application in previous cases. Therefore, discussion becomes a tool for investigation of experience and reduction of probability of misuse (Mill, p.3). Another function of discussion is providing broader approach to a particular problem. Under Mill, even the wisest person can never obtain complete understanding of the subject, without hearing opinions of the others, and examining a variety of ideas about the matter. A feature of a wise man is an ability and readiness to take even contradictory points of view into account, in spite of avoiding them (Mill, p.5). Mill believed, that his society restricted necessary discussion, because people were not really sure about their beliefs and fearful to loose them, because loosing them means a necessity to change. And in order to avoid changes, society oppresses opinions by authority,   by refusal to hear, or by condemnation. The way out for Mill was mental well-being and education of humanity, combined with freedom of expressing opinions. An opinion should not only be proposed, but suffered by an individual, and this makes a particular opinion his own (Mill, p. 6).

Robin Hood Swot Essay Example for Free

Robin Hood Swot Essay 1) Perform a basic SWOT analysis on the situation Robin Hood is in. List the top 3-4 Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats that Robin Hood faces. Strengths * The more people that join Robin Hood the better to outnumber the Sherriff * His close friends have a good understanding of their duties * Are pretty organized and have a clear goal Weaknesses * Group became too large * Discipline was not in reach once such a large group banded together, many arguments ensued * Became more disorganized as group grew * Less accommodations were available Opportunities * Restoring power to King Richard will solve Robin Hoods issue with the Sheriff * King Richard may recognize Robin Hood abilities and make him his right hand man * Robin Hood could make a name for himself and be in history books due to his accomplishments Threats * Sheriff’s backing was becoming stronger and organized * Sheriff has political connections and influential allies * Sheriff’s men could kill them all 2) Are the various Threats that Robin Hood faces and the Weaknesses he has getting worse or getting better? As the days went on, the threats and weaknesses were mounting against Robin Hood. Since there wasn’t any filtering of persons joining the group, they did not weed out the unscrupulous ones. The group was running out of the necessary supplies to survive and couldn’t contain the madness. When all of this was happening, people started leaving Robin’s group to back the sheriff. His allegiances and organization was very attractive to Robin’s men. 3) The case describes several different options (the Opportunities in your SWOT analysis) that Robin Hood could choose to follow to fix his problems: a. Implement a fixed Transit Tax b. Expand to a larger area within/around the forest c. Kill the Sheriff d. Join the Barons in a plan to free the King Richard. Which ONE of the opportunities described in the case do you think will do the best job of addressing the situation that Robin Hood’s group is in and fixing their long term problems? Why? I would say that the best choice for Robin Hood to fix his problems would be to join the Barons in a plan to free King Richard. I think that Robin Hood could bring his people (the ones that remained) together and build some sort of a structured environment. Once that is completed, they could join forces and free King Richard. In a successful rescue and â€Å"re-throning†, he will be able to address the people’s concerns and bring happiness to all. Maybe then they will not be anymore â€Å"stealing from the rich to give to the poor†.

Literature Review Definition Of Marketing Marketing Essay

Literature Review Definition Of Marketing Marketing Essay Marketing is managing profitable customer relationships, the twofold goal of marketing is to attract new customers by promising superior value and to keep and grow current customers by delivering satisfaction (Armstrong Kotler, 2007 p. 5). People often think marketing as selling and advertising, which is just a small part of marketing. The marketer does a good job when he understands superior customer value, prices, distributes and promotes them effectively; the products will sell very easily then. This tells that selling and advertising are just a part of marketing as a marketing mix; a set of marketing tools that work together to satisfy customer needs and build customer relationships. (Armstrong Kotler, 2007 p. 5). Figure: A simple model of the marketing process Source: Armstrong G and Kotler P, (2007, p. 6). Marketing: an introduction. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education. Marketing mix According to Mohammed Rafiq and Pervaiz K. Ahmed (1995), the term marketing mix was first used by Borden and that it was suggested to him by Cullitons (1948) description of a business executive as mixer ingredients. Borden did not define the marketing mix; it simply consisted of important elements of ingredients that make up a marketing programme (Borden, 1965, p. 389). McCarthy (1964, p. 35) refined this further and defined the marketing mix as a combination of all of the factors at a marketing managers command to satisfy the target market. Later McCarthy and Perreault (1987) together defined the marketing mix as the controllable variables that an organisation can co-ordinate to satisfy its target market, which is widely accepted as the set of controllable marketing variables that the firm blends to produce the response it wants in the target market (Kotler and Armstrong, 1989, p. 45). According to Jonathan Ivy (2008), marketing mix is a set of controllable marketing tools that an i nstitution uses to produce the response it wants from its various target markets. Ronald E. Goldsmith (1999) stated that 4Ps was first formulated by McCarthy (1975) as a pedagogical tool to describe the chief tasks of marketing managers. Marketing managers must develop a systematic plan to sell to the customers after selecting a target market to create long-term relationships (Doyle, 1995). The marketing mix plan consists of 4Ps which consists of decisions about product, place, promotion and price (Goldsmith, 1999). According to Bennet (1997), the concept of marketing outlines a course for the organisation using controllable variables in an environment where many factors are uncontrollable, defined as the external market. Kotler (1967) (cited by Bennet, 1997) broadened this classification into four namely, customer, environmental, competitive and marketing decision variables. Focussing on manufacturing industries, Borden (1964) identifies the four external forces on the organisation as consumer buying behaviour, trade behaviour, competitors position and behaviour and government regulations. Robins (1991) formulated four Cs which is an alternate mnemonic to the marketing mix formulated by McCarthy (1964). Four Cs are defined as Customers who buys goods and services in the market place, Competitors who provide the choice of alternative sources of supply, Capabilities and Company both of them refers to the organisation which has ability to satisfy customer needs. Gronroos (1984) proposes a concept of interactive marketing which was backed by Kotler (1991). This concept emphasizes the relationship between the employee and the customer and identifies it as the key factor in successful market making. Kotler (1991) argues that the employee-customer relationship is an important factor in the success of the market-making process. Booms and Bitner (1981) added three additional factors to the marketing mix elements proposed by McCarthy (1964) namely people, processes and physical evidence. This concept highlights that the model proposed by McCarthy (1964) might lead to too narrow focus on the internal variables, and does not include some of the process variables which is a part of marketing planning system (Bennet, 1997, p. 151). Lings (1999) argues for services industry 4Ps are in adequate and 7Ps marketing mix illustrates the importance of internal factors, as retail sector is not a service based industry traditional 4Ps marketing mix is used to represent the external factors (cite d by Khanh Kandampully, 2004). 4Ps makes the marketing easier handle for the managers in non service based industry; the components of traditional marketing mix can change a firms competitive position (Gronroos, 1994). Even with the deficiencies, the 4Ps remain a staple of the marketing mix (Kent and Brown, 2006). According to the American Marketing Association (1985), marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create exchange and satisfy individual and organisational objectives. Kent (1986) states that the four Ps of the marketing mix as the holy quadruple of the marketing faith written in tablets of stone. According to Armstrong and Kotler (2007) marketing mix tools are classified into four broad groups, called the four Ps of marketing: product, price, place and promotion. In order to deliver on its value proposition, the firm must first create a need-satisfying market offering (product). It must decide how much it will charge for the offer (price) and how it will make the offer available to the target customers (place). It must communicate with target customers about the offers and persuade them of its merits (promotion) (Armstrong and Kotler, 2007 p.53) Baker Hart (2008, p 463) the logic of 4Ps is straight forward; a supplier needs products, needs to price them, to promote them and distribute them to the place where the customer can buy them. According to Dogra Ghuman (2008) some of the variables associated with 4Ps are: Price: price level, credit terms, price changes and discounts. Product: features, packaging, quality and range. Promotion: advertising, publicity, sales promotion and personal selling. Place: inventory, distribution channels and number of intermediaries. Figure: The four Ps of the marketing mix Source: Armstrong G and Kotler P, (2007, p. 6). Marketing: an introduction. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education. Product According to Armstrong and Kotler (2007), product can be defined as the goods and services is a combination the company offers to the target market. Belohlavek (2008) argues that a product or service is the element which satisfies the clients needs. The product or service generates two types of relationships with the prospect: a functional and a linking one. The usefulness of the product bears a relationship with its benefits measured both objectively and subjectively. The products use value is fundamental to the purchasing decision process in its closing stage (Belohlavek, 2008 p.15). For a competitive approach the company has to offer products that are unique and meet customer needs, wants and values. Maintaining the product uniqueness is difficult for a company since the product can be matched by competitors. The company must often compete on price, distribution, or promotion; in order to compete unless the product is of sound quality (Rea Kerzner, 1997 p. 57). Product variety Pine (1993), product variety is defined as the number of different products offered to the customers (cited by Felipe Scavarda, Reichhart, Hamacher, Holweg, 2010). According to Bils Klenow (2001) and Er MacCarthy (2006) product variety is a new development and a trend in many industry sectors worldwide (cited by Felipe Scavarda, Schaffer, Jose Scavarda, Reis Schleich, 2009). Product variety is an effective strategy to increase the market share as it enables the company to serve different kinds of customer segments and to satisfy the customer variety seeking behaviour (Tang, 2006). This involves different product features, packaging, or channels of distribution (Felipe Scavarda, Schaffer, Jose Scavarda, Reis Schleich, 2009). Product variety strategy as a marketing strategy will result in sales growth, profits and meeting more specialised demands (Berry Cooper, 1999). Kim Chhajed (2000) argues that different kinds of product manufacturing results in a decrease in logistics perfor mance or manufacturing performance. Lee Billington (1994) also argues that product variety can result in higher forecast errors and lead to excessive inventory for some products and shortages for other products. If the product variety is to the optimal or to the appropriate level of variety, then product variety will result as economical efficient and will create positive marketing efforts (Lancaster, 1990). According to Pine (1993) and da Silveira (1998), product variety enables the ability to customise products to customer needs and has been identified in achieving competitive advantage over other retailers (cited by Felipe Scavarda, Reichhart, Hamacher, Holweg, 2010). As product variety gives a broader product line and can lead to increased profitability (Kekre and Srinivasan, 1990). Product variety gives rise to the need to consider different products of the individual product variants, as different end items that are fundamentally different do not feature the same variety level for the individual (MacDuffie et al., 1996 Koste and Malhotra, 1999). Price Belohlavek (2008) states that price is a conditioning element for buying a product; price only conditions a product but does not determine it, in accordance to the buyers income makes a monetary value of a given service or goods, which makes them reachable to the goods. Price is a factor which acts as a barrier which when reached in operational terms, thats when the last stage of purchasing action is reached. Price is an element which determines a priority relationship with the value and opportunity creating access to the customer. Kasper et al. (2000, p. 627), pricing is an important management tool to achieve the objectives of the organization. Similarly, Pellinen (2003, p.218) has suggested that pricing is one of the most central management tasks for a service company. It is also the only element of the marketing mix that generates revenues for a firm, while all the others (e.g. new product introductions, promotions) are associated with costs (Zeithaml et al., 2006) (cited by Indounas Avlonitis, 2009). Rea Kerzner (1997) argues that the easiest way to reach and compete with the competitor is to match the price with the competitor. Price is one of the most important criteria that customers use when choosing between competing brands (Huber et al., 2001; Ta and Har, 2000) (cited by Indounas Avlonitis, 2009). Price is the sum of money customers has to pay to acquire the product; often customers buy the product negotiating the price for more accessibility, companies offer discounts to customers adjusting price to sustain the competitive situation (Armstrong Kotler, 2007 p. 52). Price Discount According to Palazon Delgado (2009), Customers are price sensitive and they often look for price related information. Manning et al., (2003), they are vigilant about any information about price and other pricing information (Kukar-Kinney et al., 2007) they spend a lot of time thinking about prices of products, always evaluating savings offered and the convenience by the price discount. Customers with lower levels of price consciousness and value, they are most likely to be influenced by the magnitude of the discount (Alford Biswas, 2002) than the pecuniary value of the discount really offered. (Babin et al., 2007) customers are engaged in searching for more devoted to the task of shopping to the extent that a better price exists in another store. Hardesty Bearden (2003) and Grewal et al., (1996) claims that when the promotional benefit is low, customers are not going to process information extensively about the promotion (price discount) as it has low pecuniary value. Similarly wh en the promotional benefit is high, customers are not sure about the product or the deal they are unlikely to process information extensively as there is less uncertainty about the product. Customers are predicted to analyse the deal moderately whether the benefit are high (Palazon Delgado, 2009). Hardesty Bearden (2003) and Grewal et al., (1996) states that if the promotional benefit is low or high the levels of information processing is low, but for moderate benefit levels information process is high. Chandrashekaran (2004) and Raghubir (2004) argue that high promotional benefits are always evaluated positively. According to Madan Suri (2001) there are different types of price promotions and short term price discounts have been used by the retailers to create short term demand for their products (Monroe, 1990 p 369). Retailers can sell the products very fast without much expensive when they are offering immediate savings to the customers. Short term price discounts are easier to execute and provide immediate price savings to the customers (Madan Suri, 2001). Discounts actually increase the value to the customers and this happens at the intermediate levels of discounts and when the discounts are either very high or very low it decreases the value (Madan Suri, 2001). Promotion The most common promotion is a sale (Levy Weitz, 2007 p 433). Promotion is one of the key Ps in the marketing mix (Dibb et al., 1994). The promotion strategy is used in increasing sales by creating differences in resources which results in a firm being able to outspend a competitor in advertisement, purchase displays, trade shows and other promotional methods (Rea Kerzner, 1997 p. 58). * According to Jennifer Rowley (1998), the objectives of any promotional strategy will be drawn from an appropriate mixture of the following roles of promotion; to: increase sales; maintain or improve market share; create or improve brand recognition; create a favourable climate for future sales; inform and educate the market; create a competitive advantage, relative to competitors products or market position; improve promotional efficiency * According to Jennifer Rowley (1998), an appropriate promotional mix must be created in order to meet the promotional objectives of any given promotion strategy. The promotional mix is the combination of different promotional channels that is used to communicate a promotional message. This will involve an appropriate selection from the range of tools that are available for use as part of the promotional mix. The tools in the promotional mix include: Advertising. Any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services by any identified sponsor. The pages of professional newsletters and magazines are common avenues for advertising information products. Direct marketing. The use of mail, telephone or other non-personal contact tools to communicate with or solicit a response from specific customers and prospects. Mail shots and leaflets inserted in professional magazines are used to promote information products. Sales promotion. Short-term incentives to encourage trial or purchase of a product or service, such as discounts for access to a database over a limited time period. Public relations and publicity. Programmes designed to promote and/or protect a companys image, or those of its products, including product literature, exhibitions and articles about organisations products in professional or in-house newsletters. Personal selling. Face-to-face interactions with one or more prospective purchasers, for the purpose of making sales. This is common within the business-to-business marketing transactions in the information industry, where sales representatives, often also with a support function, are common. Sponsorship. Financial or external support of an event or person by an unrelated organisation or donor, such as is common in respect of the arts, sports and charities. Large organisations, such as major publishing groups like Reed Elsevier, or software houses, such as Microsoft, may engage in sponsorship, but public sector organisations, in education and libraries, are more likely to be the recipient of sponsorship. Place According to Kai Li Hung Hung (2007), place is a marketing mix which describes whether the location is accessible and transport is convenient, place comes out as a heterogeneous phenomenon which is created by the company at each place combining resources; accessibility increases value to the customer. Kotler, et al., (2005) claims that place involves all activities of the company to make all products available to the customers. According to Mason Staude (2009), Place is the least changing marketing tactic. Distribution and availability are used in stabilising dimensions, communicating and creating a control as a link between supplier and customer, and reducing the probability to change suppliers, which actually stabilises the market. Backward and forward integration also reduce the uncertainty of retailer stocking the products, lowering the risks and stabilising the environment (Nilson, 1995). According to Boyle Proctor (2009), in the context of product sales, placement is actually distribution (Biech, 2003). In social marketing, distribution can be defined as dissemination channels (NWPHO, 2006). Clearly for dispersing channels to be effective they must be accessible to the target market (Boyle Proctor, 2009). Store location and layout The location and atmosphere of a store communicates information about the service and pricing to the customer. The physical characteristics play an important role in a customers mind (Levy Weitz, 2007 p 434). Store layout influences customer buying behaviour, stores can attract customers with their design and layout motivating them to make impulsive sales or give them a pleasant shopping experience (Levy Weitz, 2007 p 491). According to Davies Rogers (1984), guy (1980), Jones Simmons (1987) and Birkin et al., (2002) site selection and sales forecasting of retail stores are a important factor in retail management and retail geography (cited by Wood Browne, 2007). Store location is used in sales forecasting for retail stores and for determining the optimal location and sales of the store (Clarkson et al., 1996; Smith Sanchez, 2003). Superstores are one of the main formats through which food is sold increasing the money flow (IGD, 2005). The size of the stores is important and it is very expansive to open up a big store therefore accuracy in location planning is essential (Wrigley, 1996). Retail stores are dependent on the daily purchases made and regular weekly purchases this involves repeated car journeys from the customers homes, which requires space for parking near the store for easy access (Wood Browne, 2007). The location of a store affects the customer with sociological and geographical factor s (Wrigley, 1998; Meyer Johnson, 1996; Rust Donthu, 1995) (cited by Beyon, Griffiths, Marshall, Expert Systems (2002). Pricing strategy According to (Blythe, 2008 p 151), pricing a product is one of the most important issues for marketers; it is significant not only to the profit that is to be made but also to the quantity of products which are to be sold. Pricing also touches on all the elements of the marketing mix, pricing is the indication to the consumer of what a company expects in exchange; for the products being offered. Profitability of the company depends on the pricing strategy (Doyle Stern, 2006 p 225). Price may become a proxy measure for product quality when buyers have difficulty in evaluating complex products (Cravens Piercy, 2006 p 316). Consumers are often confused in choosing a product; price helps them choose a product. A strategic viewpoint on pricing decisions may create new market space and opportunities for the company (Cravens Piercy, 2006 p 317). Figure: Steps in selecting a pricing strategy Source: (Cravens Piercy, 2006 p 321). A pricing strategy must be consistent with the retailers overall image (positioning), sales, profit, and return on investment goals (Berman Evans, 2007 p 498). Various roles of Pricing (Cravens Piercy, 2006 p 320) Pricing has few important roles in the marketing program of a company. Some of the roles are: Signal to the buyer Price is the easiest way to directly communicate with the customer. When comparing with other brands price is a visible difference to the customer. Price is also used in positioning the brand to show its quality or instead give direct competition with other brands (Cravens Piercy, 2006 p 320). Instrument of competition As the competitions between companies are high, Price is an element which can quickly attack competitiors. Price can also be used by a company to stay away from the competition if used strategically; pricing strategy is always related to competition with other brands or companies (Cravens Piercy, 2006 p 320). Improving financial performance Using a pricing strategy wisely, companies can generate revenues by forecasting about a product or brand to increase the financial statement in the short term or in the long term in order to survive the global competition (Cravens Piercy, 2006 p 320). pricing strategy has the biggest impact on the profit and loss statement of the company in the short run, Pricing is even more crucial in the long run; the primary purpose of business strategy is to offer consumers enhanced value so that price can be raised considerably above costs (Doyle Stern, 2006 p 225). Marketing program consideration Companies pay a price for marketing, in order to maintain or penetrate in to the market. Price strategy is also used for promoting products (Cravens Piercy, 2006 p 320). Consumer behaviour Blackwell, et al., (2006) defined consumer behaviour as the activities people undertake when obtaining, consuming and disposing of products and services. The activities are divided into three, they are: obtaining, consuming and disposing (Blackwell, et al., 2006 p. 4). Obtaining According to Blackwell, et al., (2006 p. 4) it is the process of purchasing or getting a product. This process includes comparing with other similar products, alternative brands and searching for more information of the product before obtaining it. Analysts often study these purchases in order to improve the understanding of the market; consumer buying behaviour is studied whether they are buying for themselves or as gifts, payment methods, and product transportation or delivery, how they get information about other alternative brands and how the brands influence the consumers product choices. Consuming According to Blackwell, et al., (2006 p. 4), it is the process or activity of using a product by the customer to his/her needs. Based on the consumption of the products researchers can study the consumer decisions whether the product is bought to be consumed in the office or at home, or for entertainment purpose or for its functional purpose, do they consume the product or do they dispose it without using it even once. Based on the consumption these buying behaviours are studied in order to understand the needs of the customers. Disposing According to Blackwell, et al., (2006 p.4), it is the process of getting rid of the product after its use or its packaging. And how do they dispose the product remains or the packaging, whether the packaging is biodegradable. Analysts think in the ecological point of view for this process. Consumer buying behaviour According to McCall, et al., (2009), purchasing decisions happen on daily basis and the most important factor influencing these decisions is the price of the product. For buying any product, price is often the most silent feature (Nagle and Holden, 2002). This can be used as an advantage to increase the overall sales by offering discounts (promotions) to the price sensitive customers (Soman, 1998). According to Saha, et al., (2010), Consumer behaviour is the study of how individuals spend their available resources on consumption-related items. It includes the study of what they buy, why they buy it, when they buy it, where they buy it, how often they buy it, and how often they use it (Schiffman and Kanuk, 1996). The main objective of marketing in the consumer buying behaviour context is to satisfy the needs and wants of the target customer. As a subject consumer behaviour also deals with the factors that affect the buying behaviour of a consumer. The study of consumer behaviour gives a clear idea that how consumer select, buy, use and dispose the product, service, experiences to please the needs and requirements (Kotler, 2003). Stimulus response model is the starting point of understanding consumer buying behaviour. The buyers characteristic and decision process leads to the purchase decision; a consumers buying behaviour is influenced by 4ps, cultural, social and personal factors (Kotler, 2003). The role of marketing mix is also important in making the buying decision by any consumer. The marketing mix consists of everything the firm can do to influence the demand for the product. The many possibilities can be collected into four groups of variables known as the Four Ps that is product, price, place and promotion (Saha, et al., 2010). According to Mowat and Collins (2000), for successful development in business, the company needs to understand and meet the consumer needs and expectations (Douglas, 1993; Knox and Theisen, 1981). Store layout plays (place) an important effect in consumer behaviour besides price and consumer expectation (Kotler, 1973; Eroglu and Machleit, 1990; Bitner, 1992; Baker et al., 1993; Baker et al., 1994; Grewal and Baker, 1994; Simonson, 1999; Baker, et al., 2002) (cited by Vrechopoulos Atherinos, 2009). According to Solomon, et al., (2006), consumer purchase is a response to a problem and a customer goes through a series of steps in order to make a purchase. These steps can be described as (1) problem recognition (2) information search (3) evaluation of alternatives and (4) product choice. After the decision is made, the quality of that decision affects the finals steps in the process, when the learning occurs based on how well the choice worked out. The learning process influences the likelihood that the same choice will be made next time the need for a similar decision occurs (Solomon et al, 2007 p.258). Brin (2004, p 85) argues that it is important to understand the characteristics of the consumers and their buying decision process in order to target them with the most appropriate and effective marketing methods, the management needs to understand and study this decision process on what particular product or service the consumers choose from; the brand they select, from which outlet they buy, what kind of product and the amount spent. It is useful to understand what influences the consumer (Brin, 2004 p 85). Some of the influences in buying roles in the consumer buying process are (Brin, 2004 p 85): The initiator: the very first person who thinks about buying a product The influencer: the person who influences other consumers in taking the final step of the buying decision The decider: the person who takes the final decision The buyer: the person who actually buys a product The user: the customer. There are different types of consumer buying behaviour, and the type of consumer buying behaviour changes according to the type of buying decisions. The main influence is the brands available to the consumer and the personal attachment towards the decision which influences the consumer to become a loyalty customer (Phillips, et al., 1994; p 85). Involvement can be a major factor in decision making; consumers often tend to develop a form of emotional attachments to products and most people would be familiar with the feeling of having fallen in love with a product, even when the product is totally unreasonable though the purchase may not have an important practical outcome for the consumer; the consumers future behaviour does not always materialise (Blythe, 2005 p 53, 54). Low involvement, low price, low risk High involvement, High price, high risk Few differences between brands Brand loyal Repeat purchasing Influenced by price And sales promotional offers Buying process is relatively quick because of the limited differences Significant differences between brands Brand switching but limited information gathering Information gathering and processing is important. Purchase decision is important Figure: Four types of buying behaviour Source: Phillips, et al., (1994; p 85) (Adapted from Assael, 1985 Kotler, 1988). According to Kapoor Kulshrestha (2009), Products convey different meanings to different people and this differing forms an attachment towards the products. According to Zaichkowsky (1985), attachment means the interest, the enthusiasm, the emotional level expressed by the consumer regarding a product (cited by Steichen Terrien, 2009). The meaning of the product depends on the nature of the consumers rather than the nature of the products (Martin, 1998; Rochberg-Halton, 1981). The consumer plays a role in his or her choices (Steichen Terrien, 2009); the decisions are principally based on personal perception followed by the cues sent by the environment with personal interpretation (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975; Fazio, 1985). These choices have different attributes, and some of them are very salient; the choice of salient attributes also depends on the personal characteristics of the consumer (Steichen Terrien, 2009). Based on Uncles and Ellis (1989) the interplay of costs and benefits affects the retailers in making huge gross margins, many retailers are establishing their own labels as a part of retailing today. This allows the retailer selling products under their own name to differentiate their products and stock, from other retailers. Also, allowing them to have a full control over product price, quality and stocks (cited by Rothe Lamont, 1973; McGoldrick, 1984; Simmons Meredith, 1984). This will actually generate higher gross margins. For competitive edge over other stores and brands, retailers hope to build a relationship with the customer by lowering price and offering consumers better value for money without narrowing the product range (Simmons Meredith, 1984). Customer relationship strategy Relationships can obtain competitive advantage (Kanter, 1994; Kay, 1995; Huxham, 1996; Stone and Mason, 1997) (cited by Donaldson O Toole, 2002). Customer relationship strategy is based on mutual trust with the customers creating long term relationships; many researches conclude that customer relationship strategy has increased the profit margin for many firms (based on Lawrence, 2002). Long-time customers are less costly to serve and smooth running of relationships are inexpensive and less resource intensive (Lawrence, 2002). Long term relationships benefit both the buyers and suppliers (Szmigin, 1998). For the strategy to be effective, the component elements should be inter-related. When there is a strong synergy between the component elements the strategy will be eff

Student Uniforms :: essays research papers

Students are always complaining about the dress codes at their school, and totally rejecting the idea of school uniforms, but I feel there are many benefits to this proposal. These days everyone is so concerned about being attractive and popular that they forget the real reason for going to school. The increase in academic performance and school spirit, along with the decrease in violence, is more important than looking cool for your friends. South Carolina school systems have the lowest test scores in the nation. Our students are not daft; they just do not consider schoolwork a top priority. With uniforms for every student, there would be less focus on fashion and more emphasis on education. Our report cards would be posted on the refrigerators for everyone to see, rather than stuffing them in the bottom of our backpacks. The students would be rewarded for their efforts, therefore their self esteem would also rise. Teen violence has reached its peak in our schools. Last year, numerous killings took place at schools around the country, largely due to taunting amongst the students. Uniforms would prohibit the wearing of chains, large pockets for hiding weapons, and gang colors worn to incite fights. Less students would be teased for their attire, and sexual harassment caused by provocative clothing would come to an end. Our schools would provide a more secure environment in which we all could learn. School spirit in South Carolina is extremely lacking, and it shows. Our athletic teams have very limited support, and it affects their performance greatly. A student could be missing on a field trip, and they would not be located for hours because they simply â€Å"blended† with the crowds from other schools. If we were obligated to wear uniforms, we would be more recognizable in public surroundings, and our sense of school pride would blossom. To quote Henry David Thoreau, â€Å"take the earth at your feet, and paint your house that color.† School spirit should shine eminently in all students’ lives; not fizzle out like a dampened fuse. Many students argue about the restrictions on their personal freedom. They do not realize that they could still select their own trendy accessories, and they can wear whatever they desire at home and on the weekends.

Essays --

ISP ESSAY Danielle Cheung If you are wondering what is The Secret by Rhonda Byrne is all about, I am going to sum up with three words; nothing is impossible, even though it takes time to manifest desires and thoughts, we should believe and have faith towards what we have asked for. Based on the law of attraction and having positive thinking, as well as following the Creative Process and feeling happy on what we are doing, claims that we can create life-changing results. The great secret of life - Law of Attraction, the most powerful law in the universe. We should learn how to use it in order to pursuit the things that we wished to happen. In addition, we should think positive in order to attract positive feeling. According to the Law of Attraction, likes attract likes, meaning that if we are basically positive in attitude, and positively in chasing our dreams, we will attract and create or situations that conform to our positive expectations. If we think positive, fantastic miracle is then going to happen so soon. Our thoughts are magnetic, and they have frequency. Why said so? We never know our minds are composed of the thoughts we think. These thoughts are like magnetic currents. If we think positively about some event, we will attract positive results. If we harbor negative thoughts, the law of attraction occurs and negativity is drawn to our life. In general, thoughts become things. We should make it absolutely clear in our minds what we want. Law of Attraction is everywhere, it will help us attracts like thoughts. Besides, having things to be nothing-is-impossible, we have to focus on things that we want but not on those we do not want. The Secret will help us manifest the things that we are thinking of.... ...g’ said by Bob Doyle, a scientist, inventor and a philosopher. To sum up, our thoughts and feelings create our life. So, nothing is impossible by learning how to master our feelings by summon them through persistent thoughts. Emotions are valuable tools that instantly tell us what we are thinking. ‘Impossible’; the word itself said ‘I’m possible’; whatever we have chosen is right. The power is all ours. Learn the most powerful theory the Law of Attraction, use it well to become our habit. Be optimistic in everything we do, also learn to use the Creative Process to attract what we want. Let go difficulties from the past, as we are the only one who can create the life we deserve. Our dreams do in fact come true, if we know the Secret. We are in the midst of glorious era. As long as we let go of limiting thoughts, we can experience humanity in every area of creation.

Findings Analysis Essay

I have found out my primary information about the idea of ‘slim-line kitchen electrical appliances ‘ by doing a quota sampling, which meant dividing the population into various age groups and backgrounds and carrying out questionnaires. In my results in source 14, which is my questionnaire, the first question shows the gender of the amount of people that help fill in the questionnaire. Out of 150 people that I questioned only 36.6% were males and females a greater percentage of 63.6(%). This shows that on average most of the people I questioned were females. Source 2 also supports this idea as it states that the majority of people living in England are females at 51%. Also the details in source 6 show the gender of people that purchase brown and white goods, the larger percentage goes towards the women at 54%. Also an evidence of this statement that there are more women than men in GB is illustrated in source 2, it shows that in 2003 there were more women than men- and that I think has increased during recent years because source 2 shows that women are at 51% of the population in UK, then source 6 shows women are at 54 and source 14 [the questionnaire] shows they are at 63 percent (you can see that in the chart below that shows these results), and I predict this is going to escalate far more in a years or so time; which means if S and S plc was to choose their target group then in my opinion women should be targeted not only for their percentage as a whole but as for the person that makes decisions about where the kitchen appliances go and what should be bought. The second question in the questionnaire asks for the age groups of the person that is filling in the questionnaire; the most widely held answer is the 45-54 age group. On a percentage out of 150 people 48% of the people come in that particular age group. Although my source 2 says that the majority of the people living in Great Britain are either between the age group of 35-44 or above 65, however my source is over 3 years old, which could make big difference as related to new market, but maybe the area that I was doing the questionnaire in; the majority of the people were between 45 and 54. The rest of the questionnaire still supports the idea of what S and S plc is trying to introduce. This means they have now got an idea of what the population’s wants and needs are. S and S plc need to confirm the target age group and then plan sale strategies. Question 4 asks the people what newspapers they read. Out of a variety of newspapers most of the people wrote their answer as ‘The Daily Telegraph’, 62% out of 150 people. This question is not completely pointless as it is a method of advertising for many companies including electrical stores such as Dixons, Comet and Currys. According to my source 12 quite a big percentage of the expenditure that a business is ready to pay for advertising belongs to the press area /newspapers. Out of 10 different electrical stores 76% of the money they spend on advertising is in the press column. Therefore it would be very beneficial for S and S plc to put their ads into the two top particular newspapers ‘Daily Telegraph’ being the top. Another quite high percentage of the advertising goes into the radio, which is also another method for S and S plc to attain more awareness. The next question asks the people how many people live in their household, majority of the people answered ‘4’ to the question. Out of 150 people 30% said ‘4’. Source 4 of my secondary data illustrates that 13.2% of the people out of 25,220 people have 4 persons living in their household and the majority of the people answered ‘2 persons’ out of the same audience 34.9% to be exact, however we know that my secondary information is about 2 years old which only shows me old data that is not accurate but as we know now the majority of the people have 4 persons in their household, because as times go on people make more decisions. This means that there are more people living in a single household now as opposed to 2 years ago, therefore white goods will be necessary for them in their daily life unlike single people living alone don’t need as much white goods because they won’t use it a lot. So if S and S plc were to get targets then goi ng for the more colonized houses because they will be a god idea and these will be their ideal customers. Question six asks the people what circumstances will aid them to consider buying slim white goods to replace them with the old. The choices included from ‘new models introduced’, ‘moving house’, ‘changing their kitchens’ and/or ‘when their old goods break down’. The majority of the people answered as when they move houses, 62.6% out of 150 people agreed to that. This gives S and S plc the opportunity to sell their products, if they know how many people are moving houses on average they can work out the amount of the kitchen electrical appliances that they need to produce, this will maintain the sale of the slim-line white goods as the results in source 5 show the statistics that, there are increasingly more people that either move or as a result separation move to another home alone. If S and S plc want to boost their sales they have to advertise it to the people that are moving houses [as white goods are very important in a househo ld, it is almost a necessity]. Source 3 also shows that the majority of the people in 1 household are 2 persons. And as more people move into the same house there is an even greater need of white goods, and as some houses are quite cramped slim-line white goods is the best option so that sort of people should be target to the S and S plc. Question seven enquires the people how long ago was the last time that they purchased/changed their white good. The majority of the people answered this question as last 5 years which sums up to be 48% out of the total of 150 people. This shows that the majority of people will not spend frequently on white goods as they are only replaced when they are damaged or too much out of date, this is simply because that the people are already used to the way that that particular white good works. Also another reason for people not to change their white goods purchased in last 5 years is that the white goods technology hasn’t changed much in the last 5 years so no reason to change their white goods, but as source 8 of my raw information shows that there is an increasing demand of new technology therefore sale for the slim-line white goods will produce profit to S and S plc as the â€Å"savvy consumers† is the prime driver of the market. The pie chart in the same source reveals th at the second highest percentage of consumers spending on electricals belongs to the household appliances this is a 23% of the expenditure. Question eight asks the people where they purchase their kitchen appliances; the applicants were given four choices out of which 3 were specialist retailers and one non-specialist. However you would expect a specialist such as Curry or Dixon’s to rule this sort of market, but the majority of the people’s answer was ‘other specialist retailer’ as these two retailers I mentioned are not experts and do not sell all brands that the people might be looking for. Some people have had good experiences with some brands that they wish to keep with. I predicted the majority of the shares should be owned by Dixon’s; this is also what my sources show namely source 11; it shows that the majority of the shares in the market belonged to these retailers in 2004. Source 9 of my raw information states that non-specialist such as ASDA and Tesco have a more constant product offering which is a step beyond WIGIG [when its gone its gone offer] that specialist retailers use as their sale strategies. These non-specialists sell varieties of brands and at a low cost too, thus increasing their sales. Source 9 also shows the statistics in the electrical retail market that this has caused. It has attracted customers from other markets such as PC and Audio-Visual markets because people would rather buy the same thing cheaper. This means that S and S plc should also increase and expand the variety of electrical goods the sell and do not necessarily have to be a specialist retailer for white/slim-line goods. This will increase their sales and give them a higher reputation in the electrical retail market. The ninth question in the questionnaire enquires if changes in the circumstances were to occur; [including those mentioned in question six], would they consider buying i.e. replacing them with slim-line versions of the goods. The majority of the people out of 150 answered â€Å"Yes†, this concluded to 86% the rest 14% answered â€Å"No†. People don’t find the urge to replace their existing electrical appliances as quick as any other item in the household, this is because these can be shared and it is only going to be a waste if you used it once and then dispose of it especially when it costs a lot. So as seen in question 6, most people will only replace their kitchen electrical goods when they move house. The idea of slim line appliances in kitchen is new so many people will not be too comfortable with using these, therefore sales for these will not increase soon after the promotion. According to the results I for this question it looks like quite a high percenta ge of people want to try it out and have a vision of what they will be when they buy them, because they know this will save space in their house no matter what the amount of people in the household. There are a number of reasons why people would want to purchase slim-line kitchen electrical goods. One that I think is different than any other is efficiency of the goods. If it saves the customers money, they will defiantly choose this item to last for a long time. Source 7 states ‘The largest amounts of customer spending go on housing/electricity/gas & other fuels’, so slim-line kitchen electrical goods were to decrease the money spent they would be able to buy more goods as they get more ‘disposable income’ SAY SOME STUFF ABOUT THE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE !!. What S and S plc needs to do is to advertise their product so that it illustrates that it is efficient and takes less space they need to take this measurement in the plotting of the sale strategy, this could be S and S plc’s unique selling point, something that distinguishes S and S plc from other retailers. In source 7 [i.e. fig.11] you can see the statistics as to how much people spend on the men tioned factors. From the graph above you can see that even though the expenditures are increasing slowly if not very swiftly. This you can see in the tale where in the %change column you can see that even though expenditures were increasing as a percentage in midyear intervals for many years, it is slowly levelling out/decreasing. Question 10 asks the people if they were given a choice to own a slim-line kitchen electrical good would the replace it with their existing ones. 59.3% of the people answered yes. As I said, for replacement of kitchen electrical goods slim-line kitchen electrical appliances are best suited as they as well as being efficient this will also be more modern and will take less space, so this offers the customers an opportunity to work more efficiently and in a better/ bigger space. HELP!!! Question eleven is entitled to find out what the motivation is that leads the sales of kitchen electrical appliances in the market. The question was ‘ What motivates you to buy a new kitchen electrical appliance?’ We provided them with four possible answers these included the price, its capacity, brand name or energy efficient. A high percentage of people were motivated by looking at the appliance’s capacity, which is vital because if it has to be shared it must be sufficiently big. This added up to 21.3% of the people out of 150 that help fill the questionnaire. The higher percentage [48%] of the people said they were motivated by the price, so if it was cheap and had a big capacity more customers would purchase the product. Not much of the credit went to the brand name, although I would have guessed this would be a bigger motivation to the people because when many people have had experience with one brand they stick to it and pass on their reviews, then again it isn’t very often that people buy kitchen electrical appliances and it’s models changes from year to year. This means that when S and S plc rules the JnK plc companies in Asia, they won’t have much difficulty with introducing new products into the market and sell as much as possible. However more credibility goes to energy efficiency, so some people are interested in saving money per annual rather than once, at the purchase time, this answer was chosen by 12% of the total. This question too links to source 7 as it shows that more people are decreasing the amount of money spent on electricity, gas, & water etc. It shows that less people are ready to pay a lot of money for these appliances. The last question finishes off the questionnaire with asking the people if slim-line kitchen electrical appliances were in the market would the people buy them. The majority of the people chose to buy their goods only if their circumstances were to change. This means that even though slim-line kitchen electrical goods are a big success they will only be purchased when they need to replace them because people don’t want to change their kitchen appliances too frequently, only when they move or if the old one is broken. 42.3% of people chose this for an answer. This means that people are not desperate to own one but they reckon it is a good idea to own one Well this questionnaire gave S and S plc a good guidance on what the market is like and if slim-line kitchen electrical appliances would sell in that market and to choose their target and unique selling point.

Individualized Education Program Essay

Introduction â€Å"Education is important for all children, but even more so for children with disabilities, whose social and economic opportunities may be limited (Aron & Loprest, 2012. ) Depending on the quality of education doors will open and the quality of life will all be determined by one’s education. Over the last decades children with disabilities have received many benefits under the education system. There is early identification of disabilities and greater inclusion. When educators intervene early, problems can be identified, and if a child is identified with a learning disability corrective measures can be taken. Although special education laws have come a long way, there are current and future challenges that have to be overcome. This area interests me because there are huge gaps educationally between disabled children and their non-disabled peers, and it is important that special education children achieve to their full potential. Historical Development and Current Legislation Within the last four decades legal changes have resulted in many major policies in the way of educating children with disabilities. Before the 1970s the children with disabilities had few educational rights. Many children with a disability were denied a public education. However, two federal laws that were enacted in 1975 would bring about changes. These laws were, â€Å"The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). The EHA establishes a right to public education for all children regardless of disability, while the IDEA requires schools provide individualized or special education for children with qualifying disabilities (Correspondent, 2012). In 1990, Public Law 101-476 was enacted which renamed EHA to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This law expanded the eligibility categories to include autism and traumatic brain injuries as well as defining assistive technology devices and services. In 1997, Public Law 105-17 often called IDEA 97 was enacted. This brought the transition plan of the Individual Education Plan (IEP) into effect. An IEP had to set out goals and indicators to fit the needs of a disabled child. â€Å"The IDEA also requires that education occur in the least restrictive environment and requires schools to take a child’s disability into account when enforcing discipline† (Correspondent, 2012). In 2001 and 2004, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) came into being. This act held schools accountable for the quality of special education provided. This act also added technology assistance and loan programs to help schools acquire needed special education resources. According to Aron & Loprest, (2012), â€Å"by the 2004–05 school – year, more than 6. 7 million children (13. 8 percent of all students nationally) were receiving special education services through the law. † The number of children served reached the highest in the middle of the decade. Since then the number of special education students has been gradually declining, and as of the 2009–10, school year, stood at 6. 5 million, or 13. 1 percent, of all students educated in the USA. Current Best Practices in Special Education Best practices in special education are linked to the child’s IEP. The No Child Left behind Act sets out guidelines for having each child achieve comparatively to other children without disabilities. Teachers need to follow through. Goals are set for each child and the curriculum is modified to meet each child’s individual needs. The teaching process is designed to be fluid, so lessons are adjusted, supplement materials are utilized and best practices that are supported by research are utilized. Students are taught in whole class, small group or on an individual basis as the need arises. Many special education students should be taught in inclusion classrooms. If the student has a special disability like Autism, the curriculum needs to be tailored to meet the needs of the student. Since there is network of persons responsible: teacher, counselor, IEP team, parents and so on, they all need to work together, and there are several accountability measures that need to be followed. In relation to associations, The National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) is the only National Membership organization serving the needs of special education teachers. The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international organization for both the gifted and students with disabilities. The National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) is an organization that provides a website with resources like certification, professional courses, e-journals and IEP issues and so on. There is also the National Center to Improve Practice in Special Education and the World associations of Persons with Disabilities. Special Technology and Future Trends Under IDEA, 2004, equal access to technology for all individuals irrespective of their abilities has been the focus. However, although technology in special education has improved within recent years with the focus being on assistive technology, more needs to be accomplished. An assistive service is defined as, â€Å"any service that directly assists a child with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or uses of an assistive technology device† (Bausch & Ault, 2008). On the other hand an assistive technology according to Lee & Templeton is defined as â€Å"any item, piece of equipment, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of a child with a disability. † Service providers must understand the nature of the disability whether cognitive, physical or sensory impairments and recommend the appropriate assistive technology. Once a student is in need of an assistive technology device as recommended in the IEP, the school must provide it at no cost to the parents. Lee & Templeton (2008), identify that â€Å"Four major models that have had significant contribution to the delivery of AT services are The SETT (Student, Environment, Tasks, & Tools) Framework (Zabala, Bowser, & Korsten, 2004), Tech Points (Bowser & Reed, 1995), Chamber’s Model (Chamber, 1997), and Unifying Functional Model (Melichar & Blackhurst, 1993) (Cited in Lee & Templeton, p. 213). However, the law related to assistive technology is vague and providers are challenged to develop effective AT services to meet needs. Many of the technological devices that have recently come on the market have been utilized successfully with special education students. For example, the communication challenges that many learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience have been resolved with newer technology like the iPad. Tools like the iPad can support learning for students with ASD. Children with autism have no control over the pace of information coming at them. Therefore in a regular classroom they would experience brain overload. However, with the iPad they can communicate about ideas, play games and even make puzzles. With the iPad children can utilize the interface unlike a laptop that uses a keyboard and a mouse. Many children with ASD cannot communicate or have limited communication skills therefore the iPad can serve as their voice and communication device. It can help the child to express his/her needs. All the child needs to do is touch a screen or point and sweep. The child touches a picture or words and it speaks out loud for them. There are thousands of APPs out there. For example, the emotion app uses diagrams and photographs and can help people with autism who often have a hard time talking to other people because they have difficulty reading someone’s facial cues. Improvements, Challenges, and Controversial Issues Educational Assessments as an Area of Improvement The passage of No Child Left Behind meant that students identified as disabled should be included in State testing and the standard used to measure how proficient they were performing should be the same as that used to measure progress of their non-disabled peers. However, although the results suggest some progress, there remain huge gaps between disabled and non-disabled peers. In the 2009 reading assessment for twelfth graders, 64 percent of students with disabilities but 24 percent of other students tested below basic proficiency; in math 76 percent of students with disabilities and 34 percent of other students fell below basic proficiency. (Aron, 2012:113). When other grade-levels are assessed they show similar gaps. There seems to be many different reasons for the lower scores among students with disabilities. The factors cited by one study were type of disability, cognitive ability, race, income, parental expectations, school absenteeism, and disciplinary problems. Grades, school mobility, and repeating a grade level were not significantly related to test scores (Aron, 2012:113). Quality of Service as Improvement IDEA and Section 504 are thought to have improved access to education for young people with disabilities. This is attested to be the millions of children who are receiving service. However, critics suggest that special education programs are not always serving the right students, and further many students are not being identified in a timely manner and given the most appropriate and effective services (Aron & Loprest, 2012). Since African Americans are over represented it seems as if some children may be misdiagnosed and inappropriately placed in special education, while others may go unidentified or not receive the services they require. Undoubtedly, many students who eventually receive special education did not receive the early intervention services to which they were entitled. Furthermore, transitions for young children from early childhood programs to preschool to school are not always smooth. When a child receiving Part C services reaches age two and a half, IDEA requires a meeting between the Part C service agency, parents, and the local education agency to determine continuing eligibility for special education services and to ensure a smooth effective transition to preschool. Critics opinion that this transition is not always timely. Funding as a Challenge Funding is a serious challenge. When IDEA was enacted, its intention was to help states provide special education by funding a portion of the additional, or â€Å"excess,† cost of special education over general education. The original legislation set the maximum federal contribution at 40 percent of the estimated excess cost of educating children with disabilities, but federal funding has never come close to this â€Å"full funding† cap. Resources are also limited. â€Å"For example, states are allowed to serve children who are at risk of a developmental delay, but only four states have opted to do so, in part because of funding concerns† (Aron & Loprest, 2012, p. 108). Parental Conflicts and Litigations as Controversial Issues Community Advocacy also seems also to present challenges. There seems to be a lot of parental conflict and confrontations since the inception of the IDEA. This is evident from the number of litigations involving parents of special education students. Schools should provide in-service sessions geared toward avoiding parental confrontation. Ballard and Hulett (2010) suggest that schools should reach out to a broader range of parent and professional education and human service clusters such as those representing all students, educationally disadvantaged students, English language learners, economically and socially disadvantaged students and students challenged in reading, math and science. Effort should also be made to bind the Internet in an effort to utilize this media of mass digital communication to further promote the objectives of the IDEA. In addition the authorities should pay attention to the statement made by Ballard & Hewlett (2010), â€Å"congress should order a national study and report. The charge: How and to what degree the IDEA principle of individualized education can be applied to all students in the nation toward the achievement of proficiency by the NCLB date of school year 2013–2014†. Why I Chose This Field and How It Relates To My Philosophy of Education and Future Professional Goals I chose this field because I believe that through teaching, I can transform students’ lives and help them to fulfill their goals and in so doing help they make the maximum contribution to developing their country and the world. All students could learn and achieve to their full potential if they are allowed to progress at their own pace in collaboration with a knowledgeable teacher or peer who can provide the needed support to allow them to grow cognitively. All students include students with disabilities who are often not encouraged and provided with the resources to achieve to their potential. As a â€Å"transformational teacher† (Stevenson, 2010) I can assist special education students to develop to their full potential through collaboration, questioning and scaffolding. As a program instructor at my previous place of employment, I noticed that there was a great deal of third graders that performed poorly on an IQ test and they were not expected to do well academically. However, there was a fourth grade teacher that I worked closely with and she convinced me that they had great potential and would provide extra support to ensure that they achieved. We placed them in the resource room to work in smaller groups until their levels in basic subjects had improved. This convinced me that students could learn if someone believed in them and provided the necessary support. I want to provide students with this â€Å"scaffold. † Scaffolding can be used as an umbrella metaphor to describe the way that â€Å"teachers or peers supply students with the tools they need in order to learn† (Jacobs, 2001, p.125). According to Vygotsky (1978) students teach through, â€Å"teacher – learner collaboration and negotiation† with teacher and peers. The teacher assists the student to reach the â€Å"zone of proximal development. † This zone is defined as the â€Å"distance between the actual development by independent problem solving and the level of potential development† (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 86. Cited in S. A. McLeod 2010). Transformational teachers are conceptualized as change agents who engage students in active learning activities (reading, writing, discussions), and who develop critical thinking in students (Stevenson, 2010). Transformational teachers have mastered the art of classroom questioning. They therefore use inferential, interpretational, reflective, divergent, and transfer questions in the classroom and they teach students to ask questions (The Teaching Center, 2009). The gaps between what children with disabilities achieve in relation to their non-disabled peers need to be filled. All students could learn and achieve to their full potential if they are allowed to progress at their own pace in collaboration with a knowledgeable teacher who provides the needed support to allow them to grow cognitively. Through being a special education teacher I will make the above philosophy a reality. I aim to provide students with â€Å"scaffolding† or the support they need so they can realize their full potential. Furthermore, I aim to be a change agent in the classroom through utilizing active learning methods, encouraging questions and using technology and by being the catalyst that ignites a passion for learning in students. References Aron, L. & Loprest (2012). Disability and the Education System. Future of children. Vol. 22 (1). P. 97-122. Ballard, J. & Hulett, K. (2010). Future implications for Special Education Law. Council for Exceptional Children. Bausch, M. & Ault, M. (2008). Assistive Technology Implementation Plan. A Tool for Improving Outcomes. Council for Exceptional Children, 41(1) p. 6-14. (Correspondent, 2012) History of Special Education in the United States. Special Education News. Sept. 3rd, 2012. http://www. specialeducationnews. com Jacobs, G. (2001) Providing the Scaffold: A Model for Early Childhood/Primary Teacher Preparation. Early Childhood Education Journal, Vol. 29 (2), p. 125-130. Lee, H. & Templeton, R. (2008). Ensuring equal access to technology: Providing Assistive Technology for students with disabilities. Theory into Practice. 47, p. 212-219. McLeod, S. A. (2010). Zone of Proximal Development. Retrieved from http://www. simplypsychology. org/zone-of-Proximal-Development. html. Stevenson, J. R. (2010). Understanding the role of transformational teacher. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://Bethms. com/articles/pdf_articles/Stevenson_pdf/ The Teaching Center (2009). Washington University, Teaching Center. Wustl. edu Vygotsky, Lev S. (1978). Mind in society: Development of higher psychological processes. Edited by Cole, M. , John-Steiner, V. , Scribner, S. , Souberman, E. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Eco-feminism & political and social movement Essay

Eco-feminism can be defined a political and social movement which aims at combining feminism with environmentalism or, in other words, to unite deep ecology with feminist concepts. Actually, I have chosen eco-feminism as it draws relations between women oppression and degradation of nature. Environmental problems are of great concern now along with women equality. Nature is degrading and women’s rights are still discriminating. Therefore, eco-feminism argues that there is a strong link between degradation of women and oppression of women. Eco-feminism also explores the relations between sexism, racism, domination of nature and social inequality. It is known that eco-feminism originates from union of ecological thinkers and feminist which believe that social mentality is to blame for oppression of women and domination of men. It is directly related to abuse of environment. Eco-feminism is claimed to combine bioregional democracy with eco-anarchism. Eco-feminism strongly proclaims the importance of interrelations between humans and animals, human and insects, and the earth. Central idea of the feminism is that men ownership has resulted in dominator culture promoting food export, tragedy of the commons, abusive land ethics, exploitation of people and over-gazing. Land and animals are viewed only as economic resources and eco-feminism aims at fighting such positioning. The primary goal of eco-feminism is to re-define the views on productivity, attitudes of males and females towards nature and animals, as well as to prevent ill-using of animals and insects. The key figures in the development of eco-feminism are Carol Adams, Helene Aylon, Judi Bari, Mary Daly, Monica Sjoo, etc. For example, Carol Adams is interested in relations between feminism and vegetarianism. In her works she wrote that women ahs to abuse their rights to provide men with the best food. Summing up, the primary goal of eco-feminism is to explain associations between degradation of women and degradation of nature. Works Cited Eco-feminism. Available at http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ecofeminism. Accessed April 20, 2008 List of Feminists. Available at http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/List_of_feminists. Accessed April 20, 2008