RACISM TODAY Essays - Racism, Discrimination, Hatred, Covert Racism

RACISM TODAY "...Everybody jumped on him, beat the hell out of him... Everybody was hitting him or kicking him. One guy was kicking at his spine. Another guy hitting on the side of the face... He was unconscious. He was bleeding. Everybody had blood on their forearms. We ran back up the hill laughing... He should have died... He lost so much blood he turned white. He got what he deserved" (Ridgeway 167.) The skinheads who performed this random act of racial violence in 1990, had no reason to brutally beat their victim other than the fact that he was Mexican (Ridgeway 167). Racism is objectively defined as any practice of ethnic discrimination or segregation. Fortunately, racial violence is steadily declining as the turn of the century approaches. Now a new form of racism, covert racism, has recently sprung from the pressures of political correctness. This new form of racism, although slowly declining, still shows signs of strong support (Piazza 86). Covert racism assumes a form of civil disobedience against politically correct thought and speech. Essentially, covert racism is a "hidden" racism, or a racism not easily detected (Piazza 78). "Racism is still strongly prevalent in today's society" (Gudorf 3). The three different basic forms of racism, open racism, violent racism, and covert racism all express forms of hatred towards distinct ethnic groups (Bender 47). These basic forms of racism, although different in form, all have the same main purpose, to promote racism. Open racism expresses freedom of racial thought and speech. Open racists promote their views through strictly persuasionary tactics. This form of racism is allowed in our society because of the First Amendment. Open racism is currently almost nonexistent and steadily declining, because it is considered politically incorrect and socially unacceptable. Violent racism promotes racism through violence, fear, and persuasionary tactics (Leone 49) This form of racism is not protected by the First Amendment because it promotes violence to express its ideas. Unfortunately many violent racial groups claim they do not promote violence, and therefore these groups are protected by the First Amendment because not enough sufficient evidence exists to prove their violent intent (Ridgeway 123). Covert racism expresses ideas of racism in disguised forms; sometimes the covert racist is not even aware of the fact that he is racist. "Racism, it is asserted, is no longer blatant: people nowadays are reluctant to express openly their dislike of and contempt for minorities, indeed are not prepared to express publicly a sentiment that could be interpretted as racist. Racism, it is said, is subtle: it is disguised, kept out of sight" (Enrlich 73) "The suggestion that there is a new racism--a racism that has a new strength precisely because it doesn't appear to be racism--deserves serious consideration" (Piazza 66). Avoiding minorities on the street and denial of a public benefit to a minority which would be awarded to a white are examples of covert racism. "Since it is no longer politically correct to openly express one's racist views, people therefore favor disguised, indirect ways to express their bigotry" (Piazza 68). Covert racism is the most abundant form of racism in our society today. What causes racism? Unfortunately, the answer is much longer and detailed than the question. The three main causes for racism are: racism has become part of our heritage, right-wing racial and political groups, and pride in one's own race. Practically since the dawn of man's existence man has undoubtedly noticed differences between races. "Racism's presence throughout the formation of our culture is quite evident" (Tucker 17). Frequently throughout history the ethnic group with the most power has assumed that its race and culture are superior to others. The same incident even occurred in America with the introduction of slaves. Throughout American history, racism has been strongly prevalent. "Racism's roots lie deep within the foundation of our society" (Tucker 19). These roots undoubtedly are the source for a great many of the racist groups and covert racism ideas found throughout our society. Extremist social and political groups, particularly those advocating right-wing policies of racial inequality, promote racism as well. These groups serve as the epitome of racial thought and speech (Ridgeway 10). The following represent various racist groups found

man versus nature essays

man versus nature essays So God created man in His own image And God saw every thing that He had made, And, behold, it was very good. From the beginning of time, writers and philosophers alike have been setting Man apart from beast, but what is it that makes this partition factual? It is widely believed that Man, by nature, has the capability of consciously contemplating a situation and determining whether the outcome is right or wrong, that Man reacts to a situation by ruling of outlook rather than stimuli, and that Man has more priorities than self-fulfillment; such as religious obligation, parental duties, and cooperative behavior amongst his own kind through social contract. Though these positive characteristics that separate us from our other earthly inhabitants seem superior, these same characteristics may lead us to our own destruction, as well as that of our own planet. Author Mary Shelley discusses the issue of Mans nature through her greatly renowned novel Frankenstein, in which a knowledge crazed scientist is determined to put himself on the scientific map by creating a human-like creature of enormo us strength but with a less than human state of mind. Another author who approaches this idealistic matter is John Locke, who makes clear of this issue in his Political Writings, particularly in Chapter Two: Of the State of Nature. Through the examination of these well-respected minds as well as my personal experience, it is made clear that certain unique characteristics separate Man from animal. As one observes a pet, it is obvious that there are tremendous differences between the observer and the animal. My seven-year-old obese beagle, Muggsy, has no value of right and wrong. He holds no respect towards those who supply him with the necessities of living or the requirements of comfort. For example, Muggsy tends to steal objects around the house and refuses to giveback the item. He...

Organization and Managing People Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organization and Managing People - Term Paper Example Organization and Managing People When the launch of consultation tactics within the organization involves requesting for the other party’s assistance in the matter or altering the proposal so as to convince them that their consultation on the matter is invaluable and thus, required. Empowerment is the key to promoting employee motivation and launching power distribution to reaffirm an employee’s belief that the organization trusts his/her skills, knowledge and decision-making abilities. An example of this measure is a Finance Manager granting the Assistant Finance Manager the right to authorize daily sales reports which previously required the former’s signature. Participative management allows employees to adopt a more direct role in the entire decision-making process by setting goals and resolving organizational issues to achieve the identified objectives. It allows managers to distribute power in the company through the promotion of autonomy. A manager needs to consider the following factors to make delegation effective: providing appropriate training to employees to ensure that they are able to manage tasks, encourage managers to delegate work, boost a system of participative management in the organization. By using rational persuasion on the basis of logical argumentation and evidence a manager can ensure that his employees commit to health guidelines in a company. The same could also be achieved through the tactic of pressure as a result of which constant reminders are placed in the company to promote compliance.

Business Research Method2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business Research Method2 - Essay Example The metamorphosis of education industry is visible at all levels such as primary education, secondary education, higher education, adult education and alternative education. The change has been with the curriculum, learning modalities, teaching, technology, and economics. Education at preschool levels: Education at the preschool level has seen enormous changes in the last two decades. Preschool or Childcare was initially started with an intention to serve those working couple who have to leave the child in a creche, which can take care of the child during the day. Gradually these creche started converting themselves into education providers for the little toddlers. Creches not only provide care for children of working mothers but also play an educational role, with the pre-school education play a key part in child's development (Vlok 1996, pg.403). These schools fulfills the basic issues which the parents would like their children to achieve including personal, social, and emotional development apart from communication, knowledge and understanding of the world Since the initiation of the globalization process, the education industry has changed completely. Now educational institutions can spread their wings globally to any part of the world where potential exists including in developing but potential countries like China, India, etc. Educational institutions try to enter new markets through entry strategies like the franchisee system. According to a report â€Å"the preschool industry in India accounts for 985million$ and the largest chain of pre schools in India comprises of just 550 schools, less than 4% of the total market potential of 15,000 preschools†. (Kumar 2008). Though the above mentioned fact, it is very clear that in a country like India there is a huge potential to start preschool businesses. Modern pre schools which would like to distinguish from the rest and stay away from cut throat competition, now offers other extra curricular activitie s to the children who enroll with them like playing, teamwork, self help skills, scientific thinking, creative arts, etc. As far as the pre school industry is concerned the competition is from the unorganized sector. Parents wanting to put their wards in the best schools located at far away places have left many a school go vacant in the UK. In December 2008, revised school admission code was formulated and was presented in the parliament. One of the agenda is to â€Å"improve the application process so that parents can apply for a school place to the local authority in which they live, instead of the authorities where their preferred schools are located† (nfer.ac.uk) With the visible improvement in the lifestyle of the people, the demand for a well structured, branded pre-school will grow leaps and bounds in the years to come. â€Å"The preschools which have a good track record and look for new things to inculcate in their curriculum remain successful. Moreover, the educati on and training sector is ever growing and everyone wants to try his or her hand at it.† (Arora 2010). The other issue plaguing the pre-school sector is the shortage of teachers, which has become a universal challenge. The global teaching force in primary education has expanded since 1971 but, has slowed down ever since 2000. In primary education sector, education providers who can provide a decent pay to the teachers could stay afloat in serious competition.

By outlining in some detail a piece of structural contingency Essay

By outlining in some detail a piece of structural contingency research, evaluate the contributions of this general approach to s - Essay Example The report will discuss the theory in detail and how it affects the performance of an organisation. The report will also discuss the change on the organisation due to the various contingency variables. The contingency cycle, which changes an organisation from fit to misfit, and then again brings it back to fit though organisation structuring, is explained with examples. Discussion Till the late 1950s, school of classical management dominated the organisational structure. According to this school of thought, one single organisational strategy was effective for all kinds of organisational structure. It was categorised by high degree of planning and decision making. There was a strict hierarchy in this structure and the job responsibilities were well detailed to the lower level staff in advance, by the senior management. From 1930 onwards, this school of thought was challenged extensively by the new school of thought, known as school of human relations. According to this approach, indiv idual employees possessed social and psychological needs. Bottom-up approach was followed here and the lower level departments were increasingly motivated to participate in the decision making processes of the organisation. Many researchers and theorists such as J. W. Lorsch and P.R. Lawrence, (1978) suggested that firms which operated in less stable environments were found to be operating more effectively. Less formalization of the organisation leads to more reliance on mutual agreement between the various departments of the organisation. On the other hand, in case of companies operating in a certain and more stable environment, effective functioning was recognised only when the firm was more formalized, decision making was centralised and there was less reliance on the mutual agreement between different departments. There are many theories of contingency approached. But the most accepted and popular ones are those which are related to leadership, management or organisational struc ture (Tuai, 2011). According to the overall approach of this, whatever happens in a firm depends upon particular circumstances or factors. In general, when whole or parts of an organisation fits together, they are referred to as organisational structure. More specifically, structures include factors such as complexity, formalization and centralisation (Martinez-Leon and Martinez-Garcia, 2011). The dimensions of complexity can be categorised as, spatial, vertical and horizontal. In case of formalisation, the options for individuals are little. There is a higher vertical differentiation where a manager’s work is defined by other senior manager and the senior manager’s work is defined by other managers. This results in division of labour and decrease in discretion. It is different than spatial differentiation because in spatial differentiation, there are organisation wide procedures that limit the discretion. Examples of higher formalisation are bank call centres, superma rkets. Examples for lower formalisation include lawyers, doctors, academics and that formalisation which are associated with skill. Centralisation refers to the extent of decision making, authority and power. Centralisation is inversely correlated with complexity because increase in complexity reduces the central power by distributing these powers through hierarchies and functions. Centralization is weakly correlated to

The Impact Of Advertising On Consumer Price Sensitivity Marketing Essay

The Impact Of Advertising On Consumer Price Sensitivity Marketing Essay Selling things are the focus of any business and to sell a product marketing is a key factor and main step to make people buy the product. In addition, the foremost thing under marketing is advertising, which is the only way with which you can change the perspective of the product in peoples mind. It is actually a form of communication intended to persuade and audience (viewers, listeners or readers) to purchase the product. The intention of actually enlightening on advertising is to know whether advertising has any impact on consumer price sensitivity or not. It does affect the consumer and their buying behavior but to what extent what are the variables and how this is effecting consumers sensitivity toward purchasing a certain product is been elaborated below. H0: Advertising Have an Impact on Willingness to Pay by a Consumer It is relevant to my article because of using demand curve to gather the impacts of advertising on consumer price sensitivity. In this paper The Impact of Advertising on Consumer Price Sensitivity in Experienced Goods Markets written by Tullen Erdem, Michael Keane, Baohong Son (2007), four categories of consumer goods are considered to examine how TV advertising and other marketing activities affect the demand curve facing a brand. Advertising affects consumer demand in many different ways. The authors observed in this article, that advertising is a reason to fall consumers price sensitivity for a particular brand. To understand how advertising effects price sensitivity one needs to estimate how it shifts the shape of the demand curve, which means estimating a demand system for all brands. Estimation of demand among four products, resulting one had a different response in WTP and that is because of focusing on one distinctive feature of the product. The effects of advertising on the shape of the demand curve depend on vertically or horizontally differentiated (attributes) of the product. Advertising stresses on vertical (claims marginal consumers) and horizontal characteristics (a brand perceived as having an advantage) will increase WTP most for those infra-marginal consumers. A supermarket scanner data used on four product categories to examine how advertising use experience, price, promotional activity in the determination of demand. Advertising affect the price elasticity of demand in two different ways: Firstly, advertising affect the limits of the demand functions of individual consumers more or less price sensitive, secondly advertising may affect the number of the set of consumers. The toothpaste and toothbrush panels cover 157 weeks including households in Chicago and Atlanta while ketchup and detergent panels cover 130 weeks included households in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Springfield. Weekly advertising intensity measures gross saving points for each brand in the market and 60% of households linked to TV ads for last 51 weeks restricted only who bought 3 times over the period. The toothpaste panel contains 345 households who made 2880 purchases, toothbrush panel contains 167 households who made 621 purchases; detergent panels contains 581 households who made 3419 purchase and ketchup panel contains 135 households who made 1045 purchases. Advertising provides more soft information in the ketchup category (differentiated horizontally e.g. thickness in Heinz) and more hard information (vertically differentiated like quality, such as cavity fighting power in toothpaste, removal of plaque in toothbrush and cleansing power in detergent) and is obvious that nat ure of ad varies according to product. Advertising is more likely to increase price sensitivity and lead to more pro- competitive effects when the hard information is in advertising (e.g. relative quality information) rather than soft (e.g. image oriented). All products observed by different brands of same category by market share, mean price, ad frequency, display frequency, feature frequency and mean coupon availability. The statistics are in this way that there are three kinds of variables, like percentage of purchases (covers brand loyalty), ad viewing habits, and willingness to pay with reference to prices that offered. For all 18 brands, advertising reduces price sensitive but increases the prices. Advertising is not profitable because it lowers the elasticity of demand, but lifts the level of demand. The more the noisy signs of product attributes in advertisements have lower variance alternative and have greater WTP while non-risky consumers have higher variance even for the same features. This relates to the view that non-price advertising affect differently due to consumers diverse tastes. Advertising raises the level of demand by increasing the equilibrium price elasticity and decreasing the equilibrium price. Price advertising and non-price advertising affects the demand curves by costs of gaining information related to price, types of consumers and consumers tastes that visits the stores. People who are less sensitive to price are uncertain about attributes. Price advertising affects stores demand curves differently if consumers have different costs of acquiring price information, and differe nt types of consumers visit each store. It means that advertising is complimentary to consumption and is consistent with models where advertising increases WTP for a brand by producing artificial differentiation and conveying information about brand attributes Variables: Brand choice, Information and market power, Quality of the brand, Existence of the brand, Heterogeneity of consumers tastes, Attributes of the brand, Awareness of substitutes, Ad design, Brand differentiation, Barriers to entry and Experience. H0: consumer price sensitivity moderated by brand credibility This article How Advertising Influences Brand Credibility and Consumer Price Sensitivity written by Tulin Erdem, Joffre Swait, Jordan Louviere (2001), connects with my topic in this way that it explains the implication brand credibility of an advertised brand on consumer price sensitivity. Every brand has different affects on consumers on various stages on their decision of choices of a brand. It passes through different utility functions. The paper enlightens the fact, brand effects with information economics depth to analyze whether consumer price sensitivity, consumer valuation of a products overall attractiveness or utility, has an impact by brand credibility, after making a choice of a brand by advertising. The impact of brand credibility on consumer price sensitivity across class that absorbs different levels of consumer ambiguity, four different types of products utility analyzed which are Frozen concentrated juice (Dole, Minute Maid, Sunkist, Tropicana and Welshs); Jeans (Cal vin Klein, Gap, Lee, Levis, Wranglers); Shampoos (Clairol, Herbal Essence, Pantene Pro- V, Pert Plus, Salon Selective) and Personal computers (Apple, Compaq, Dell, Gateway, IBM) Two types of data relevant the hypothesis; firstly, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to obtain brand credibility of the most advertised brands at individual level in each of the four categories; and secondly, by price manipulations of the same brand to know the credibility. Subjects rated all five brands individually to estimate the credibility by them and completed a simple pricing choice experiment involving 17 choice sets in each of two product categories in addition to this, there was a distracter task that includes questions regarding their personal values to minimize the chances of linking two tasks. These four products chosen subjects could relate to them. They asked to assess how confident they would feel measuring new products in 21 different product categories before trial, after one trial and after a year of use (using 7- point agree/disagree scales) These results suggested that, as a group, the subjects viewed frozen juice concentrate more as a search good, jeans and shampoo as more short- to medium-term experience goods, and a PC as a longer-term experience good. Subjects in the pre-test (n = 31), main and supplementary (n = 170) surveys were undergraduate students at two major North American universities. Final sample sizes for the main survey were, respectively, 221, 232, 217 and 198 for juice, jeans, shampoo and PCs. The main survey took approximately 35-40 minutes to complete. Brand credibility decreases price sensitivity but the intensity of the consumers choices differs with products. The emphasis is on the product category factors that could affect the impact of brand credibility on price sensitivity. Consumer characteristics also might determine the level of impact of brand credibility and price sensitivity. Observed results suggest that the interaction between brand price and credibility is heterogeneous, which suggests that it is likely to be associated with consumer specific characteristics and the level of advertisement occur in certain period. These types differ in consumer uncertainty about product attributes plus in specific features in categories that affect sensitivity to uncertainty. It argues on the impact of price on consumption of a credible brand when there is asymmetric information through advertising. Economic framework suggests that brand credibility moderates price sensitivity under uncertainty. In high latent risk and high involvement categories, in which consumer purchase decisions may be quite complicated, the predicted effect was bigger. Price effects strongly recommend that credibility offer number of consumer benefits, which decreases price sensitivity. Variables: Brand credibility (trustworthiness, expertise, usage), Brand choice, Product category, Product attributes, Brand name and Consumer benefits. H0: online medium effects consumer price sensitivity more than offline medium To see the impact of online advertisement on advertising price sensitivity is the reason behind choosing this article. According to article The online medium and consumer price sensitivity written by Venkatesh Shankar, Arvind Rangaswamy, Michael Pusater (1999), paper explains a logical framework regarding the assumption that internet increases price sensitivity and intensify price competition and factors characterizing the online medium, consumers and intermediaries to explain the main reasonable effects of the online medium in price sensitivity. The articles inspect two main aspects of price sensitivity, the intensity of customer attaches to price relative to other attributes (Price importance and price search). About 1/4th of revenues in online shopping industry come from travel services, data set 1comprises of both medium but specified only to Marriott international and a same with data set 2 for making different hotel reservation but for any hotel chose by the respondent with same questionnaires. They asked questions regarding most recent online reservation and most recent offline reservations. Investigation in data set 1extends from the brand level to the product category level and overcomes problems due to self- selection bias in data set 1, to reduce impartiality, the differences in the frequency of shopping between the samples accounted for analysis. For data set 1 primary data collected for the customers of Marriott international and comparing the attitudes and behavior demographically to the population that differ in the medium usage, examine the online medium moderation on price sensitivity and lastly stresses the effects of website factors on price sensitivity. For offline medium consumers questionnaires mailed to customers through Marriott international customers data while for online customers, the survey posted on Marriotts website with a new tag. Only 214 form online and 306 from offline usable recipients (15%) enabled to respond. Data set 2 had to go through a test provided by hospitality sales and marketing association international and customers chose on the basis of using both online and offline medium, Receiving 144 responses from a sample of 2000 customers randomly selected from the list, who chose hotel both online and offline (a response rate of 7.2%) Talking about online medium factors interactivity and perceived depth of the message helps dampen price importance but at the same time ease of price search increases price importance, content and information interactivity does not give any significant result. Using an intermediary and product/price bundling increases price comparison and price importance. Brand loyalty and time value reduces online price search. Looking at offline medium, the perceived range of option does not diminish price importance or price search; but price search reduce because of product/price bundling by an intermediary. Price comparisons using intermediaries has a much stronger impact on price search offline than online. For both sets, the result is consistent as the online and offline models are similar. Online medium effects price importance more because Highlights the range of product options and price bundling by an intermediary to diminish the price importance then it put emphasis on brand loyalty which decreases price search and the effect of price comparison by an intermediary and lastly it is easier to search for price information which reduces the search cost and time as well. Price/product bundling proves to be a strategic advantage for the firms, more online than offline. The price comparison using intermediaries will be more beneficial if online intermediaries are used and provide proper service/ good description with prices and get it linked to the other sites as well. Variables: Price search, Price importance, Price information, Non-pricing advertising, Web-site design, Targeting distribution, Brand loyalty, value of time, frequency of shopping, Alliance strategies, Online attributes price importance influence by medium- product category, demographics. H0: Advertising Effects Evaluates In Three-Dimensional Space of Product (Experience, Affect, Cognition) This paper named How Advertising Works written Demetrios Vakratsas, Tim Ambler (1999) by related to my topic in this way that it talks about the impacts of advertising on consumers which helps observe what features of ads influences consumer behavior or changing their buying behavior. The authors gather the information about how advertising affects the consumer. Advertising effects classified into intermediate effects, for example, on consumer beliefs and attitudes, and behavioral effects, which relate to purchasing behavior, for example, on brand choice. The authors propose that advertising effects studied in a space, with affect, cognition, and experience as the three dimensions. The EAC Space adjusted according to the context: product category, competitive environment, other marketing mix components, stage of the product life cycle, and target audience. The article has reviewed former research of intermediate and behavioral effects of advertising using models from market response. Advertising can be estimate in a three-dimensional space using the dimensions of experience, affect, and cognition (the EAC Space). The coordinates of the three dimensions can verify the importance of a specific advertising promotion. The article have classified and reconsider preceding research of intermediate and behavioral effects of advertising using a arrangement of models preliminary from market response and ending with integrative and nonhierarchical models. The principal overview concerned the persuasive hierarchy (CA) category of models of advertising effects. Although such models dynamically engaged for 100 years but still flawed on two bases: the concept of hierarchy on which its origin cannot empirically sustained, and have eliminated experience effects. The article suggest that behavioral (brand choice, market share) and cognitive and affective (beliefs, attitudes, awareness) directed industry to analyze the edge of context, intermediate effects, and long- and short-term behavior. In this attempt, determination of affective reactions from cognitive partiality evaluated and this is especially important for low-involvement products for which habit and affect are much more important than cognition. On the contrary, it is safe to say that effects of advertising can calculated by (EAC) space of any product but the dimensions can vary from product to product and hence the importance of dimensions as well. Variables: Consumers beliefs, Consumers attitudes, Purchasing behavior, Brand choice, Ads goal diversity, Product category, Competition, Stage of product cycle, Target market, Market share and Awareness H0: Price Advertising Positioning Tactics Increases Brand Equity, Price Importance and Consumer Price Sensitivity H1: Non-Price Advertising Positioning Tactics Decreases Brand Equity, Price Importance and Consumer Price Sensitivity The article The impact of advertising positioning strategies on consumer price sensitivity written by Ajay Kalra and Ronald C. Goodstein (1998) examines the relationship of brands positioning strategies through advertising with consumer price sensitivity. The authors examine the link between advertising and price effects and that this bond depends on the definite advertising positioning strategies. The advertising has different objective, depending on the competitive perspective of the brand and others positioned to narrow the supposed difference between brands. The authors recognize that price- oriented advertising raises sensitivity while non-price oriented advertising decreases sensitivity. Non-price advertising examines two tactics that fail to increase brand price equity: value-oriented positioning, attribute (meaningless) differentiation, while comparative tactics increase price importance and sensitivity at the category level. In addition, findings bring about that advertising effectiveness measured at both the brand and category levels. The hypothesis tested in two experiments transversely different product categories, entailing that advertising effectiveness must extend other than brand rate related to attitude. Testing of how non-price advertising positioning strategies affect brand equity, price importance, and category price sensitivity. Opposing to the accepted vision, numerous types of non-price positioning tactics can diminish equity and increase price sensitivity. Ninety graduate students at a major west coast university volunteered to contribute in experiment carry out in one of four experimental surroundings and as an incentive for $100 lottery given. They asked to analyze a rough advertisement for a new product and under high-involvement, circumstances and advertising positioning varied without the alteration in the brand attribute information in the advertising copy. The experiment designed within one factor and four level of advertisement positioning. An advertisement can have particularly dissimilar effects at each level like at comparative level will be beneficial for minor brands but not for premium brands, because it will increase price sensitivity for whole product category. The results also suggest that brand equity and advertising effects must assess in terms of both attitudes and behavioral manifestation. Pricing effects happen because of advertising, when attitudes extracted from the analysis. Nevertheless, the case is different in low involvement where meaningless attribute positioning and celebrity endorsements could significantly affect brand equity and category price sensitivity. Emotional appeals and fear appeals as attitudinal effects also influence advertisements in a cognitive manner. On this note, the conclusion made that non-price advertising positioning strategies affect brand equity, price importance, and price sensitivity and promotional price advertising increases price sensitivity, whereas non-price advertising decreases price sensitivity. Several types of non-price positioning tactics can decrease equity and increase price sensitivity and brand equity measures extend beyond attitudes and include the ability to demand a premium price. Variables: Advertising- positioning strategies, Brand equity, Celebrity endorses positioning, Meaningless attribute differentiation, unique features positioning, Brand comparison and Value positioning H0: Price Sensitivity is Measureable The paper Price Sensitivity Measurement written by Robert C. Lewis and Stowe Shoemaker (1997) elaborates on the measurement of price sensitivity through hospitality industry, to see the determinants of price sensitivity are the reason of choosing this article. Instead of using price methods on trial basis and error to determine the right price for products or services, a hotel or restaurant operator can use a relatively simple survey tool to measure customers price sensitivity. The prices for services faces at least three complicating factors: Customers often have inaccurate or limited reference prices (i.e. right prices) for services, they use price as a key signal for quality and monetary price is the only cost for service customers. Reference prices have complicated the different needs of customers in two ways: The interpretation of price (value based) on the buyers view and the relationship between price and value. A price sensitivity measurement determines how consumers percepti ons of the value affected by the interaction of price and quantity. A study conducted in which consumers asked to state the highest and lowest prices to which they purchase selected inexpensive items, showed that price act as a quality indication but not an absolute barrier to purchase. Actually, the price sensitivity measurement examines price perceptions by determining levels of customers resistance as they relate to perceived quality and the market range of acceptable prices for a specific product or services. Authors examined the application of the price sensitivity measurement model (PSM) to the association meeting market. The five components of our hypothesis are as follows: firstly, a point at which hotel room rates considered cheap or expensive; the price considered too cheap and quality questioned; no matter what the quality and price is, it is too expensive and purchase is beyond consideration and lastly a way to measure the above points. In addition, these are the questions to analyze the value of a product or service. The last two questions are actually to measure the optimal price point. Room rates are a definite factor in the meeting planners purchase decision. The hypothetical situation considered was to plan an annual convention for organization to hold in Des Monte with expected attendance of 300- 500 attendance, which will last four days, and hosted in first class hotel. Rooms single occupied and participants will stay at the same hotel and the chosen (four) hotels without a ny prior experience. Final decision based on four questions and the design made with two objectives in mind: to minimize the intervening variables that might enter into the situation, thereby affecting their respondents and expect respondents to projects their associations needs and into the situation. Survey to send to a random sample of 443 association-meeting planners and received 115 usable responses (constituting 33% response rate). The study has indicated the existence of a range of acceptable prices for meeting planners. it can be helpful in determining to compare the perception of specific brands, the competition and variables within a product line. The result showed that the price sensitivity measurement technique could most likely apply to the hotel industry though there is no basis for interpreting the results. It could give the indifferent point, an indifference percentage, and an optimum pricing point, a stress level and a range of acceptable prices on lodging industry benchmarks with which to compare those values. In addition, the conclusion made that some meeting planners have in mind threshold prices outside of which price will inhibit their decisions to purchase. The degree to which they are price sensitive (respondents) is difficult to determine. Variables: Quality, Product features, and consumers perception of value H0: An increase in non-price advertising leads to lower price sensitivity among consumers H1: The use of price advertising leads to lower prices H2: An increase in price advertising leads to higher price sensitivity among consumers The paper Empirical Generalizations about the Impact of Advertising on Price Sensitivity and Pricewritten by Anil Kaul and Dick R. Wittink (1995), is linked to my topic in this way that this paper have made generalization statements which works as a medium for measuring the impact of advertising on consumer price sensitivity. The term empirical generalizations suggest the same results comes out in different circumstances and are gathered on outcomes from varied marketing strategies and the result will help estimating the price insensitivities and making a strategic decision about market segmentation, price-marketing activities and competitive market strategies. Two types of advertising are Non-price advertising (national advertising) gives the information about the brand positioning and its intentions to communicate about the characteristics (unique) of the brand and Price advertising (local characteristics) gives the information related to price and availability of the brand. A chan ge in price sensitivity is measured either by Researchers employing experiments (interaction between advertising and price) or by econometric researchers (use price elasticity). It generates a set of three empirical generalizations after studying the previous marketing methods: The approach is to analyze the characteristics and results of previous studies providing explanations on the relevance of these generalizations means the relationship between advertising and price sensitivity observed by an overview of 18 studies. The observations made from a large set of products e.g., new products, mature products, consumer (non-durables) and durables, services with identification the type of product, the number of brands, the type of advertising, the measure of advertising and price sensitivity, and the type of interaction (result). Three implications considered to assess the link between advertising and price sensitivity: Firstly, the difference between price sensitivity of current consumers from additional consumers attracted by increased advertising. Secondly, the measurement of price sensitivity whether aggregate (price elasticity) or disaggregate (brand choice to price) data. Third consideration is about target market. If market were highly price-sensitive, t hen the ceiling effect would be a partial effect of price advertising on sensitivity but if it is of price-insensitive, non-price advertising will slightly influence the price receptiveness. The results specify that in nine studies price sensitivity increases with higher advertising, in seven studies it decreases with higher advertising, and in two cases both effects are attained. Considering only those cases where at least three studies have provided the same result. Focus is on the area of price advertising as moderators such as market share, similarity of brands characteristics or benefits, product life cycle, and the number of competitors, in affecting this relationship and is large enough to alter the brand choice. Moreover, creates variation on price sensitivity due to increase advertising from 20% to 180%. Considering this fact that product-related and other factors that affect the amount of change in price sensitivity in such situations, the conclusion is that non-price advertising reduces the price sensitivity( accepts H0 ) and falsifies H1 and H2. Variables: Brand positioning, Product information, Product differentiation, Brand loyalty, Brand choice, Product market level, Type of product (new products, mature products, consumer nondurables and durables, services), Advertising content, Market share, Similarity of brands characteristics or benefits, Product life cycle and Number of competitors. H0: Advertising Builds Market Power Similar to above article this article Price Sensitivity and Television Exposures written by Vinay Kanetkar, Charles B. Weinberg, Doyle L. Weiss (1992) elaborates the contradictory findings with regard to increases in brand advertising activities lead to increase /decrease in price sensitivity. Mentioning the lack of data to measure the revelation of ones households to advertisements and to restrain competitive activities has been a major limitation to date. This paper finds in high-level of publicity of the product, house- holds brands choice and price sensitivity can decrease for two frequently purchased products though it says that increased advertising linked with increase households brand choice and price sensitivity as well. For a number of decades researchers have been attempting to understand the impact of marketing mix variables (price and advertising) on sales (or market share) of purchased goods. However, the interaction of price and advertising has not completely measured. Set of models designed to examine the effects of advertisings on price sensitivity. Dry dog food accounts for about 60% of total consumer expenditures and eighteen of the 39 brands have large differences in advertising intensity with only one brand had a market share greater than 10%, there were 186 unique brand available to consumers. Because of so many brand choices, minor brands combined into aggregate brand categories. In addition, brand-sizes ignored for three reasons. First, television advertising focuses on brand benefits and does not deal with package size. Second, the package size decision is likely, not a purchase-to-purchase decision. Finally, for the sample households, more than 70% of the dog food purchases were for a package size of five pounds. To reduce the number of alternatives to a manageable size, brands grouped into aggregate categories according to the size of their market share of 5% and brands advertised and not advertised, so the number of alternative comes down to 11. All brands attributes compared to each other as alternative of others. A similar procedure applied to the aluminum foil data. The aluminum foil market (in the test city) was aggregated to consist of three brands or choice alternatives, one major brand, private brands, and generic brands. Only the major brand advertised on television and the results were similar of that dog food. The results are steady with the point of view that increased advertising is associated with increased brand choice and price sensitivity. In light of the effect of advertising on sales, several points noted. Firstly, the purchases vary in buying behavior of households and reflect only short run effects for advertising and the other mix variables. Price sensitivity effects are generally short-lived. In addition, results show that the indirect effects of advertising have an important effect on price sensitivity; usually that the immediate impact of advertising is still low as compared to that of other variables. In turn, the hypothesis is constant with the confirmation that the information conveyed to consumers may not be underpinned the distinct traits and attributes of a brand. Rather, advertising may be increasing consumers brand awareness, strengthen resemblance with other brands, and increasing price competition at the retail level. The interpretation of this means that good advertising that builds market power is difficult to develop and maintain. Variables: Brand choice, Market share, preferred brands, Direct competition, Awareness among consumers, Search costs, Brand equity, Display activities, and Brand loyalty. H0: Advertising diminishes the effect of Consumer Price Sensitivity The article The Effects of Advertising on Co

The Stem Cell Life Safers Essay -- Biology, Cells

Envision a euphoric world where a couple insignificant little cells had the possibility to cure horrible chronic diseases like cancer. Picture how incredible that would be. Now imagine this, the only sacrifice you would have to make to save millions of people, would be killing a few babies here and there. Now how does that sound to you? Sounds like a rapidly developing dilemma. If that was your initial thought, you were correct. This dilemma is called embryonic stem cell research, and it has caused conflicts with peoples’ opinions, morals, and religion for years. Being that scientist, doctors, and the public can’t decide if embryonic stem cell research is moral or immoral, the research should just be banned altogether and researchers should begin focusing on other methods of research to find cures for diseases. What are Embryonic Stem Cells, you may ask? Embryonic Stem Cells are cells that are extracted from human embryos. These particular stem cells can transform into more than two hundred varying tissue types. (Birtley, Cate) The embryonic stem cell is a possible life saver. It has the potential to cure diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and eventually the memory loss disease, Alzheimer’s. (Svoboda, Elizabeth. 5) However, stem cells have instances where they shouldn’t be as glorified as they are. According to Don Taylor, the director at the Center for Cardiovascular Repair, at the University of Minnesota, â€Å"Embryonic Stem Cells represent the good, the bad, and the ugly. When they are good, they can be grown to a large number in the lab and used to give rise to tissues, organs, or body parts. When they are bad, they don’t know when to stop growing and they give rise to tumors. The ugly – well we don’t unde... ...om a newborn babies umbilical cord. These stem cells, if they had been left alone to develop further, would have formed into immune system cells or blood cells. Since these cells would’ve eventually become immune system or blood cells, they can’t morph into as large of a variety as embryonic stem cells can. However, they are still very effective in helping patients that are suffering from blood diseases such as leukemia or hepatitis. Cord-blood stem cells also serve as a great alternative to the patients having a bone marrow transplant. While these stem cells are extracted from the stem cells of babies, it is of no harm to the child whatsoever. On the other hand, when you obtain embryonic stem cells, you are extracted them from the undeveloped embryo which ultimately leads to the destruction of the embryo and the death of the child. (Svoboda, Elizabeth 1)

Examine the Key Ideas of Situation Ethics

Examine the Key Ideas of Situation Ethics (21 Marks) In this essay, I am going to examine the key features of Situation Ethics. Situation Ethics is a teleological theory that resolves ethical and moral issues relative to the situation and was developed at a time when society and the church were facing drastic and permanent change. It is most commonly associated with Joseph Fletcher and J. A. T Robinson and also William Barclay.Situation Ethics is also considered to be the method of ethical decision making that states that you must consider â€Å"noble love† (agape) in decision making and that a moral decision is correct if it is the most loving thing to do. The theory is based upon this idea of agape love which is defined by William Barclay as â€Å"unconquerable good will†. Situation Ethics developed during the 1960s and the post war generation was a great influence on this. Between the end of the Second World War and the end of the 1960s, Western Europe and North Amer ica were socially, culturally and morally transformed.Up until the 1960s, many people still followed the â€Å"old fashioned† approach of Divine Command Ethics where by people obeyed the Bible and the teachings presented in them. People believed that by following the teachings of God as directly revealed by Him through scripture and the Church, they were doing good. However, by the 1960s all this changed. This quote was produced in 1966: â€Å"Greater independence; more money†¦the weakening of family bonds and religious influences; the development of earlier maturity, physically, emotionally and mentally; the impact of modern books, television and periodicals†. Sex and Morality, SCM,). This study blamed many things on the fact that many people were turning away from the Church’s rules during the 1960s and more towards abandoning rules. The world was becoming more secular and people had stopped listening to the Church and their teachings on what was ethicall y right. During the 1960s, society and the Church were facing drastic and permanent change. By 1966, women occupied an increasingly prominent place in the work force and there was a universal shock of the foundation of the contraceptive pill. This allowed young women to have sex whenever and with whoever they pleased.The sacred bonds of marriage started to break as more people saw this as a chance to have sex without having to be in a secure marriage or even a relationship. This sexual revolution of non-marital sex caused the levels of promiscuity to rise drastically as paternalism, authority, law and government were ditched. Other moral perspectives that changed the latter half of the 20th Century included fashion, music, politics and the view of religion. The drastic cultural and social changes during the 1960s caused a conflicting reaction by the Church.The British Council of Churches ordered a Working Party on Sex, Marriage and the Family to suggest how a Christian position on s ex and marriage can be communicated to the community. As a result, in 1964, the British Council of Churches, on the advice of its advisory group on Sex, Marriage and the Family, appointed a Working Party that set out to â€Å"Prepare a Statement of the Christian case for abstinence from sexual intercourse before marriage and faithfulness within marriage†¦and to suggest means whereby the Christian position may be effectively presented to the various sections of the Community† (Sex and Morality, SCM, 1966).J. A. T Robinson was a New Testament scholar, author and former Anglican Bishop of Woolwich, England. In 1963, he published his highly controversial book â€Å"Honest to God† which changed people’s perspective of God. As a result of this publication, it caused the Church to be thrown into disagreement. This in turn caused the traditional church to be shaken at its very roots. Robinson challenged the idea of the traditional and conservative view of God. He s aid that Situation Ethics was for â€Å"Man come of age†. In other words, it was for people who were moving away from having to be told what to do by God.As a result, it was right in the middle of Antinomianism and Legalism (which I will discuss later). Robinson and Paul Tillich suggested that God could be understood as ‘the ground of our being’, of ultimate significance, but not a â€Å"dues ex machine†, a supernatural being who intervenes in the world from outside it. In other words God is part of people not this almighty being who gives instructions for us to follow. Fletcher (who I will discuss later) used examples from the Bible to show that a strict application of rules was no longer needed and was in line with whatJesus thought too. Fletcher used quotes from the Bible as an illustration of old versus new morality. He used the example of the adulterous woman when Jesus saved her from being stoned to death even though the law permitted it. This situat ion is a clear example of Personalism which Fletcher used to illustrate his theory. Another example that Fletcher identified from the Bible was when Jesus confronted the Pharisees over what the Sabbath Day was intended for. In order to follow strict Jewish law absolutely nothing could be done on this day, often to the detriment of people.Jesus wanted people to follow the spirit in which God had given the law rather than following it and acting immorally in some cases. Whilst Fletcher described agape love as the only intrinsically good thing, William Barclay defined agape love as â€Å"unconquerable good will; it is the determination to seek the other man’s highest good, no matter what he does to you†¦nothing but good will. It has been defined as purpose, not passion. It is an attitude to the other person. † This kind of love is highly demanding or as Barclay suggested, â€Å"a highly intelligent thing. Situation Ethics can be applied more to the issue of divorce than the application of oral judgement that divorce is â€Å"always wrong†. Robinson questioned the conservative view of marriage that it is a supernatural unbreakable bond. This idea of marriage for Robinson was too out dated. He believed that it was time for humans to enter into their maturity and seek liberty from such supranaturalist thinking and while allowing the past experience to guide them, be ready to leave behind the restrictions of the old moral law if love was best served by doing so.Joseph Fletcher was an American professor who founded the theory of Situation Ethics in the 1960s. He stated that â€Å"we need to educate people to the idea that the quality of life is more important than the length of life. † Fletcher’s Situation Ethics was based on the New Testament teaching of agape. His work reflected the social change of the 1960’s and centred around the principle of â€Å"Love your neighbour as yourself† (Matthew 22:37). Fletcher ma intained that there were three different ways of making moral decisions. These three approaches to morality were Legalism, Antinomianism and Situationism.He stated that Legalism was a conservative, rule-based morality focused on unalterable laws. Antinomianism was defined as the polar opposite to Legalism – the lawless or unprincipled approach. He also stated that Situationism was a midway between the two other positions and that the Situationalist is prepared to set aside rules if love seems better served by doing so. According to Fletcher, â€Å"The situationist follows a moral law or violates it according to the need†. Fletcher also rejects Legalism because it cannot accommodate ‘exceptions’ to the rule.In addition to this, he also rejects Antinomianism for the reason that it provides no foundation with which to evaluate one’s morality and offers no justification as to why people should live in any other way than they want to. Fletcher proposed a key principle with which to guide moral decision-making rather than rules. This primary principle is that of acting in the most loving way. A fitting quote that is included in the Bible is that â€Å"Christ Jesus†¦abolished the law with its commandments and legal claims† (Ephesians 2:13-15). Fletcher proposed that we should follow the way Jesus taught us to, with unselfish love or agape.Jesus declared that we should â€Å"†¦love the Lord God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself† (Luke 10:27). Fletcher also proposed four presuppositions of Situation Ethics which are the criteria by which this theory is determined and acted upon. They are Pragmatism, Relativism, Positivism and Personalism. The first presupposition is Pragmatism which demands that a proposed course of action should work and that its success or failure should be judged according to the principle.This is pra ctical and works because Legalism and Antinomianism do not. The second presupposition is Relativism which rejects such absolutes such as â€Å"never†, â€Å"always†, â€Å"perfect† and â€Å"complete†. The principle of love is applied relative to each situation so that an appropriate response is made. Situationism is not the same as Antinomianism because the ultimate criterion is â€Å"agapeic love†. Love is the constant in all situations, unlike laws which work for some things but not others. The third presupposition is Positivism which recognises that love is the most important criterion of all.Situation Ethics recognises that love is the most important thing when making a moral choice and echoes the sentiments of the Bible. Therefore, the decision to act in a loving way is a choice we make beforehand based on the notion that other ways do not work, not because we have proved Situationism â€Å"works† prior to the event. The fourth presupp osition is Personalism which demands that people should be put first. Fletcher emphasised the fact that ethics deals with human relations and should therefore put people at the centre.Fletcher also believed that Legalism fails to appreciate that people exist in a social context and that any decision must be beneficial to the wider community rather than just the individual. Where Legalism fails to recognise the complexity of ethical decision-making, Antinomianism fails to recognise the responsibility ethical decision-making has to the wider community. In addition to the four presuppositions, Fletcher also detailed in explaining how agape should be understood and how it applied to the theory of Situation Ethics by using the six working principles.The first working principle is the idea that love is always good. This states that there is no action or moral rule that is good in itself. An action is good only in so far as it brings about agape. Love is intrinsically valuable, it has inhe rent worth. Nothing else has intrinsic value. The second working principle is that love is the only norm or rule and therefore, love replaces the law. The law should only be obeyed in the interests of love and not for the law’s sake. Fletcher rejected Natural Law. He said â€Å"there are no [natural] universal laws held by all men everywhere at all times†.Jesus summarised the entire Jewish law by saying â€Å"love God† and â€Å"love your neighbour†. In the third working principle, Fletcher stated how love and justice are the same. This idea was unique to Fletcher, who claimed that justice is the giving to every person what is their due, and that as the one thing due to everyone is love, then love and justice are the same. Therefore, there can be no love without justice and as a result cannot be parted. For the fourth working principle, Fletcher outlined the idea that love is not liking and that love is discerning and critical, not sentimental.As agape wa s not an emotion, it did not need to include liking. The fifth working principle includes the statement that love justifies the means. Situation Ethics is a teleological theory that identifies the end outcome of an action as the means of assessing its moral worth. Therefore, as a result, it implies that anything might be done if it brings about the most loving action. Lastly, the sixth working principle of, love decides there and then describes how there are no rules about what should or shouldn’t be done, in each situation; you decide there and then what the most loving thing to do is.Fletcher developed his theory by drawing on a wide range of cases that could not be resolved by applying fixed rules and principles. He used examples including the burning house and time to only save one person, your father or a doctor with the formulae for a cure for a killer disease in his head alone. Fletcher also drew on situations that he had experienced firsthand, but most of all he would act situationally to help people.

London – Stan Marshal

The city of Lonetown, now in its 21st century, is one of the most popular, urbanised capitals of the world. It is a place of opportunity, commotion and great excitement, bringing the public together from all four corners of the world. The towering landscape and the everlasting history not only anthropomorphises the exciting and unique British quality of life but also the many doubts that are brought about by such a popular city overall. The barriers that block such this metropolis from the exceptional and idealistic world that we exceptionally want to live in, strangely enough relegate Lonetown to the abysmal and diabolical mess that many people could say was beyond the bounds of possibility. Every insignificant feature that we see in daily British society has some kind of improbable flaw in it, for example; the car that an ordinary person drives brings a source of freedom, fun and, worst of all, road tax. It would be such a disappointment to ruin such an enormously popular city like Lonetown through problems that appear from certain individuals from the depths in society. Nevertheless, we could say that Lonetown is climbing the stairway that leads to the turbulent, hellish point in civilisation rather than the divine utopian society that we all long for, where the devil himself is omnipresent and wicked. What is strange is that few people perceive, let alone care. The drinking, drugs and explicit language set bad examples to the new and forthcoming generations of citizens, yet this is so widespread that society altogether is worsening. Stan Marshal and Louise Clark are two characteristic examples of different people with separate philosophies, who expose the detrimental aspects of society in a battle between what is right and what is wrong. Stan Marshal, a person at the peak of his career and preparing for his spectacular fifth concert. The fans loved him but their parents ostracised him. It was not surprising since he had the looks and the style to be the talented hip-hop rap singer that he is. The teenagers loved his down-to-earth attitude of drinking and drugs, and the shocking language in his songs. On the other hand, Louise Clark, an upbeat single mother, was forced to take her son to the concert promised to be incredible and breathtaking. She was obviously against this and the influence this particular rap singer had on her children. After all, a single mother taking care of three children was a strenuous job and she had passed the last few years without her husband by her side. Everyday was like dija-vu, waking up at six o'clock in the morning and spending the day vacuuming, washing, cleaning and feeding her children. Living in the dilapidated side of Lonetown, she had to handle everything there was- alcohol, drugs abuse and unemployment. Her only hope and motivation now was for her children not to grow up to be the failure that she now is, however this seemed rather bleak considering her eldest child, Michael, seemed obsessed and somewhat manipulated by Stan and his hip-hop music. It is astonishing what a little public acclaim can do. Stan's uprising popularity was not only because of his distinct music to the younger generation but also his momentous yet obscene lifestyle. His consistent intake of alcoholic drinks, smoking cannabis and injecting heroin was not really surprising. It was by this process that made him into such an unusual person, which accordingly made him attract attention easily. Some would say he lived life on the edge, taking extraordinary risks quite recently and eventually ending up in the middle of a clash between two gangs. Parents believed that wherever he walked, he carried trouble along with him, which is why they tried to prevent their children from coming into contact with him in any way. However, every crime that a teenager does at some point in their life is influenced either by peer pressure or by a person similar to Stan's character. This is the reason why Louise felt the need to take a stand. Not only was she apprehensive by the fact that her son was listening to his music, but also the way it may affect her two daughters- Lisa and Rachael and whether they would be manipulated by Stan's crude temperament. With the concert finished, Stan's follower waited for him to leave. They were so devoted to his brilliance in hip-hop music that they were inclined to wait a day if they needed to for his autograph. Michael and his mother were amongst the multitude of people, who fortunately had a clear view of the Limousine and the door Stan was supposed to depart from. Louise was astonished to notice that she was probably the only parent to come to the concert, and worst of all she did not like it. It started with the foul words, as he appeared on the stage with his trademark item- the chainsaw. It ended yet again with the offensive words and to top it all off, some drinking and drugs. Louise wanted to carry Michael away as quickly as she could straight from the moment Stan's obnoxious figure appeared on the stage. Nonetheless she couldn't firstly, because it was Michael's birthday and secondly, because she was interested in the impact Stan made on these pitiful teenagers. Finally, twenty minutes or so after the concert, Stan appeared, cameras flashed and girls screamed. It was quite a spectacle, however it took little time for Stan to walk to his car without somehow caring about the people who surrounded him. He was in the music business for his image, popularity and money and cared little about the assembly of people surrounding him. This is why Louise really felt the need to do something and to make at least one ignorant child in the swarm aware of the kind of character Stan was. She felt the urge of inflicting some kind of damage to his dim-witted character, yet it seemed unwise considering he carried a chainsaw with him. At least she tried to make herself prominent in the mass crowd. Although there were policemen in the way of both Stan and Louise from confronting each other, they still exchanged looks, both realising that they were the opposition's antagonist. Stan made little response in the presence of Louise, however he had a feeling of scepticism and doubt. Louise, on the other hand, felt even more displeasure by looking at his face. She expected a grin from him, almost a smirk of triumph because of his ascendancy and his organisation of loyal fans. She felt the need to retaliate with vengeance or retribution because the way he, like other artists, made a disgrace of society and musical culture overall. So what was her course of action now- to bring to an end his vulgar music and his influence to the teenagers or to leave him with his mass popularity. The answer was easy: to overthrow Stan. To diminish his popularity. To topple his image.

Current Educational Issues

Current Educational Issues Same-Sex Schools Same sex classrooms were widely practiced in ancient times before the middle of the 20th century (Yates 1971, p. 34). The concept of same sex classrooms works when girls and boys are separated into different classes, buildings or schools where they do not get to interact as freely as they would in the conventional classroom setup.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Current Educational Issues specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Same sex classrooms has been traditionally practiced in the past at specific levels of learning but more especially in high schools and in institutions of higher education. However, recent times have seen the practice infiltrate in practically all levels of education including the elementary level. This has created a new platform for debate as is affirmed by Hayes (2003) who notes that â€Å"Any number of studies show that single-sex education is beneficial for college-age women. Bu t the work done so far to study the issue for students in kindergarten through 12th grade is, at best, spotty and inconclusive† (p. 65). The practice has been evidenced in many parts of the world but it is important to acknowledge that its extensiveness are practically determined by the culture and religious backgrounds of the population group in question. The establishment of single-sex classrooms has for long been a rather controversial issue considering segregating boys and girls are not essentially politically correct. This debate has especially been exacerbated by the fact that it is even applied at elementary levels. This has caused quite a stir in most centers of education across the world. There are obviously a number of advantages and disadvantages associated with single sex classrooms but proponents of the concept note that it improves academic performance while its critics note that it essentially deprives young students from a healthy social life (University Langua ge 2011). The debate about the establishment of single-sex classrooms is very controversial and intense but this study notes that establishing single-sex classrooms especially for young children is not healthy for the comprehensive growth of children at an elementary level. Conceptual Understanding In the United Kingdom (UK) single sex schools have been quite common in a number of the country’s public and grammar schools. However, a number of these schools are currently coeducational but the trend has quickly infiltrated into other lower level of education schools such as elementary schools (Sullivan 2011).Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In UK’s educational system, the commonly known single-sex schools at the primary level are Winterbourne Junior Boys School and Winterbourne Junior Girls School but through a government report released in the year 2007, single- sex classrooms have been approved by the government to uplift educational standards (Sullivan 2010, p. 6). In Britain, the number of single-sex schools has not been commensurate with other parts of the world. For instance, the number of single-sex schools had been approximated to be approximately 2,400 in the past four decades but currently, Britain has approximately 400 such institutions of learning (Sullivan 2009, p. 259). Despite this development, the debate on whether to subject young children to single-sex schools has not slowed down. An all-girl school in Nottingham city for example faced stiff opposition from parents who were against the administration’s move to close down the school because the demand for such schools were evidently dwindling (Asthana 2006). The parents claimed that it was their own personal decisions to take their children to an –all-girl school and the school had no right in closing the school down. This scenario has been replicated in a numb er of destinations across the globe. In the United States (US), the constitutionality of single-sex schools has been challenged at the Supreme Court and subsequent rulings have however made the educational concept constitutional only on the basis that comparable courses, services and facilities are shared by both boys and girls (Forman-Brunell 2001, p. 437). Because of this development in America, the number of public schools in the country has sharply raised from a meager eleven schools in the year 2004 to 549 single sex schools in the year 2009 (the number still continues to rise). Australia poses different statistics with regard to the growth of single-sex schools because it is estimated that there were approximately 51% of boys and 54% of girls in the year 1985 who went to same-sex schools but in 1995, this figure dropped to 42% for male students and 46% for female students (Australian Bureau of Statistics 1998). The situation is also quite different for Arab countries because i n most of the countries it is almost mandatory that students and pupils alike should attend same-sex classrooms (Thomas 2005, p. 792). In Iran for example, almost all public schools are essentially single-sex schools, since the Islamic revolution ended. This situation is more evident in countries which are strongly under the influence of sharia laws but boys and girls alike are accepted in equal measures, in their respective schools.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Current Educational Issues specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Disadvantages of Single–Sex Schools Recent research studies note that there is no significant improvement in performance from the establishment of sing-sex schools. These findings have been advocated by a British researcher by the name Alan Smithers from the University of Birmingham (Covington 2008, p. 175). From these findings, he also suggests that mixed schools are not inferior to singl e-sex schools. He attributes the success seen from single-sex schools (especially girl schools) from the fact that they are essentially independent and are grammar schools and therefore their performance may be exaggerated (Asthana 2006). Smither instead advocated for the fact that teachers and educationists should stop focusing on gender and instead focus on the ability of their children and the background where these children hail from as the main drivers of academic performance. In other words, Smither tried to uphold the view that there were a number of factors (apart from gender) that drove academic performance. The same sentiments are shared by an American educational researcher (cited in Asthana 2006) who affirms that: â€Å"There are a number of bestselling authors that [say] there are important gender differences in the brain and auditory system such that girls and boys see the world differently, so are best educated in single-sex schools. I have studied it and concluded t hat the arguments are not substantiated and miss the bigger agenda in this country [America]. Race and social class are far better predictors of outcomes† (p. 9). This analogy is to affirm that though there are huge volumes of literature suggesting the assumption that single-sex schools are synonymous with excellent academic success, there are research studies done to show some inconsistencies with these findings (Pytel 2006, p. 1). For example, in the Middle East where single-sex schools are almost a norm, not much academic success can be attributed to that part of the world. Instead, some of the most excellent schools and institutions in the world are found elsewhere on the globe. However, it should be understood that education is not only based on academics but also other factors such as earnings, marriages, childbearing social skills and a number of other factors which are not necessarily academic. From this understanding it is important to acknowledge the findings of othe r research studies done to establish the disadvantages of single-sex schools which concluded that single-sex classrooms puts on hold the development of social skills between boys and girls. Though there have been a number of researchers who note that the upheaval of social skills among boys and girls in coeducational setting comes at the expense of academic achievement, there is evidence from research studies done by Marsh (1985 who notes that â€Å"there were social benefits from co-education and these were not at the expense of academic achievement for either girls or boys† (p. 25).Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Moreover, coeducational schools environments bear a close similarity to the real life environment where both boys and girls, men and women exist together, it is therefore improper to expose students to an artificial environment which does not represent the real life setting (Ferguson Career Resource 2006, p. 19). Like acknowledged above, affecting child growth for only five years (or so) at the expense of social skills which will be needed in the rest of the child’s lifetime after school is not justified. It therefore does not make sense for schools to establish single-sex schools for the sake of academic achievement while it is going to affect the child’s life skills in the long run. This fact is reiterated by Robinson Smithers (1999) who affirm that It has been suggested that educating the sexes together is more like real life, and the experience of growing up with the opposite sex makes it easier to move on to the mixed environments of university and employment. (p p. 25-26). Children who are subjected to single-sex schools at a very young age and exposed to the system for very long are therefore likely to find it very difficult to adjust to the real environment as opposed to those who grow up learning in coeducational schools. Moreover, students do not necessarily get to experience the diversity that exists among the student body and more so from the opposite sex (Pytel 2008, p. 12). This observation comes out of research studies observing that boys and girls are very different in their anatomy, the way they think and such like features. Comprehensively, these studies note that girls are different from boys in the sense that they are much more comfortable asking questions in class than boys are; girls respond better to questions touching on matters to do with shopping, girls thrive best or learn best in environments where they work in groups or in pairs and normally, females work best in an environment that is very relaxed (Pytel 2008, p. 12) . Boys would therefore miss to appreciate these sorts of diversity that is synonymous to females but also on the other hand, the girls would miss to appreciate the extensive diversity that is characteristic of males. They include the fact that boys perform better in environments that are competitive i9n nature; boys enjoys lessons that are bound to contain some action; boys enjoy tasks which are time-oriented; boys prefer to keep quiet and refrain from asking questions because they do not want to look less smart than their counterparts and lastly, boys are respond to sports questions as a unique area of interest. There is also enough evidence from psychological research studies done to quantify the probability of single-sex schools that single-sex schools are bound to increase the likelihood of homosexual relationships due to the single-sex environment evident in such schools (Dale 1971, p. 224). This is actually one extreme that has been identified by a number of psychology researc hers because they also identify teat single-sex schools are likely to cause another extreme which is homophobic relationships among affected children in the distant future of their development. Moreover, there is enough evidence gathered to suggest that gender stereotypes are also likely to increase among children subjected to single-sex schools at a young age. The establishment of single-sex classrooms is also disadvantageous to most students because it creates educational inequalities and possibly opens an avenue for discrimination in schools (Portes 2005, p. 55). There are already symptoms of the growing discrimination among boys and girls in research because many educationists have consistently supported the establishment of single-sex schools because it is more advantageous to women. Consequently, there have been very minimal volumes of research talking about the effects of single-sex schools for the boy child and more especially the males. This concern is also shared by Bronsk i (2002) who notes that â€Å"Any number of studies show that single-sex education is beneficial for college-age women. But the work done so far to study the issue for students in kindergarten through 12th grade is, at best, spotty and inconclusive†. This is true because boys and girls do not lean differently and the same educational outcomes expected of one gender are also the same outcomes expected of the other and so there is no reason for segregating boys from girls. Moreover, the learning inputs are the same too. The educational theory purporting the establishment of single-sex schools supports an upheaval of standards of education has in the past been punctured many holes and therefore it has failed to stand the test of time. Same sex schools have also been noted to contravene existing legislations regarding the access of equal education opportunities for children guaranteed by the law (CQ Researcher 2009). In many parts of the developed world, the law does not discrimi nate on access to education for any gender and so single-sex schools go against this provision. This case is especially evident in America where single-sex schools have been touted to contravene the Title IX law which guarantees equal educational experiences for both genders. Women organizations such as ACLU and the national organization for women have been on the forefront in showing their contempt for single-sex schools because they are identified to diminish the effects of the Title IX laws which guarantees equal treatment for both boys and girls in education (Russell 2007). Conclusion This study points out the fact that single-sex schools pose a number of developmental challenges to children who are subjected to it in the long run. However, at the same time, it acknowledges the contribution of past research studies suggesting that single-sex schools essentially increase the academic performance of students in the short run. Nonetheless, this argument is seen to be defective in t he sense that a number of other factors including, social classes, student’s background, and other socioeconomic factors also drive academic achievement to a significant degree. Apart from this fact, this study also identifies that single-sex schools expose students to inadequacies in developing social skills and also from a social standpoint it increases the chances of many students developing gender stereotypes and homophobic symptoms. These factors (among many more) other socio-economic factors contribute to the ongoing debate about whether single-sex schools are appropriate for students. Evidently, considering the intrigues of the above observations, we can conclude that establishing single-sex schools does not compliment student growth. References Asthana, A. (2006) Why Single-Sex Education Is Not the Route to Better Results. (Online) Available at: guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/jun/25/schools.gender2 . Australian Bureau of Statistics. (1998) Official Yearbook of the Commonwealt h of  Australia, Issue. Sydney, Aust. Bureau of Statistics. Covington, P. (2008) Success in Sociology AS for AQA. London, Folens Limited. CQ Researcher. (2009) Issues in K-12 Education: Selections from CQ Researcher. London, SAGE. Dale, R. (1971) Mixed Or Single-Sex School?: Some Social Aspects. London, Taylor Francis. Ferguson Career Resource. (2006) Ferguson Career Resource Guide for Women and  Minorities: Resources for Women. New York, Infobase Publishing. Forman-Brunell, M. (2001) Girlhood in America: An Encyclopedia, Volume 1. New York, ABC-CLIO. Hayes, S. (2003) Equity and Inclusion in Physical Education and Sport: Contemporary  Issues for Teachers, Trainees and Practitioners. London, Routledge. Portes, P. (2005) Dismantling Educational Inequality: A Cultural-Historical Approach to  Closing the Achievement Gap. New York, Peter Lang. Pytel, B. (2006) Single Sex Classrooms. (Online) Available at: suite101.com/content/single-sex-classrooms-a9558 . Pytel, B. (2008) Pros and Cons of Same-Sex Classrooms. (Online) Available at: suite101.com/content/pros-and-cons-of-samesex-classrooms-a80982 . Russell, S. (2007) Same-Sex Schooling Pros and Cons. (Online) Available at: suite101.com/content/samesex-schooling-pros-and-cons-a32700 . Sullivan, A. (2009) Academic self-concept, gender and single-sex schooling. British  Educational Research Journal, 35(2), 259-288. Sullivan, A. (2010) Single-sex Schooling and Academic Attainment at School and through the Lifecourse. American Educational Research Journal, 47(1), 6-36. Sullivan, A. (2011) Single-Sex Schooling and Labour Market Outcomes. Oxford, Oxford Review of Education. Thomas, J. (2005) Sears Youth, Education, and Sexualities: An International  Encyclopedia. London, Greenwood Publishing Group. University Language. (2011) Co-ed vs. Single Sex Schools. (Online) Available at: universitylanguage.com/guides/co-ed-single-sex-schools/ . Yates, A. (1971) The Organization Of Schooling: A Study Of Educational Grou ping  Practices. London, Taylor Francis.

Night by Elie Wiesel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Night by Elie Wiesel - Essay Example The grave question of Elie Wiesel is how can the Nazis throw the babies into gas chambers and spray bullets to kill them in the most heinous options? The horrid conditions in the concentration camps baffle any sane individual. He and his father are often shifted to different camps and each time they think that it is the last journey and they are not sure of reaching another destination. With each shifting, the count of internees decline. They are killed like animals in a slaughterhouse. Animal slaughter has an economic perspective. Killings human beings with whom the killers have no previous personal enmity are heinous acts. Wiesel is just a boy of fifteen when he is separated from the rest of the family, but his father is with him. He finds inner strength to absorb the effect of such tragic events that engulf one after another only because his father is with him during the most critical phase of his life. Finally they are liberated by the Allied Forces. Wiesel is a writer by compulsion, not by choice. He candidly says that it is not his intention to describe the nature of brutalities and the main purpose of the book are committed to a hearty prayer that such gory incidents shall never be repeated by humanity. The commitment to world peace is possible, not through political philosophies, but change of heart of each individual. Religious tenets as they are practiced today by the followers will not herald the changing process. Not the blind following but practice of true spirituality can bring about the desired change. Spirituality is something that transcends the mind. At that level, all differences cease; conflicts are no more there. We need to give such an orientation to human beings, right from childhood. When the thought process of the individuals changes, the action process also changes! With such noble human beings, universal peace becomes an attainable reality. Notwithstanding his experiences at the portals of near death, wher e survival is a matter of chance, Elie Wiesel remains an optimist. He says in his Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech delivered in Oslo on December 10, 1986, â€Å"Thank you for building bridges between people and generations. Thank you, above all, for helping humankind make peace it’s most urgent and noble aspiration.†(117) He cautions people about complacency, why one must strive one’s best in performing one’s duty to humankind, â€Å"That I have tried to keep memory alive, that I have tried to fight those who would forget. Because if we forget, we are guilty, we are accomplices.†(118) The book is written straight from the heart by Wiesel. It value is, therefore, more than that of a well-researched document. Human heart is the best research laboratory. The devastating circumstances that he encounters as a young boy will turn any individual cynical and one’s belief systems will shatter. But Wiesel gradually draws strength from his inner world to reaffirm his belief that some Supreme Power runs the world. At the same time he lays much importance to the secular efforts that must continue without intermission to build

Aviation history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Aviation history - Essay Example h their mission considering that it had the advantage of using airships, which were only able to drop 300 tons of bombs despite the capability to drop a big number where more damages and loss of lives could have been recorded. Moreover, Germany failed to make any economic value from the war as it incurred more loss from the war owing to its big expenditure budget, which was five time the cost of damage on Britain’s property. Lastly, more than a half of German’s airships were destroyed while only 40% of the German’s service branch engaged in the war were able to return back home (Payne, 2008). According to Payne (2008), the actual impact of the air raids from German’s airships was considerably low but same cannot be said of the psychological effect that it had on the civilians and the kin of British service men who were based overseas. The German airships and in particular the Zeppelin as a weapon of war created more fear among the British citizens and it contributed to a complete lose of military and civil morale, which made it appear as if the Germans had already won the war, since everyone was asking themselves how they will survive such weapons of mass destruction. Payne, D. (2008). The Bombing of Britain in the Great War: The Western Front Association. Retrieved from: http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/component/content/article/121- aerial-warfare/876-bombing-britain-war.html. Accessed on