Contemporary issues in marketing Essay

Contemporary issues in marketing Introduction                   Tesco is a UK-based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain. In the recent past, Tesco has undertaken an array of marketing activities to benefit its marketing strategies and corporate social responsibility. The company has invested in a range of own-label products, in-depth market research with customers, established such in-store facilities as bakeries and meat counters and baby change roofs, as launched first-class training program to enable its staff to offer service to customers the best way possible (Chaffey & Smith 2008, p.55). This focus on customer-centric culture has been signified by the positive impacts of the Tesco Club Card and Tesco Direct. Tesco Club Card                   Use of customer loyalty programs has become increasingly pronounced in many industries, the retail sector being no exception. Retailers are increasingly adopting customer club cards to encourage customer loyalty by providing value to them. This tapping into customer loyalty for mutual benefit is a basic technique of relationship marketing which also involves other variables of trust, commitment, satisfaction, and value (Palmer 2005, p.125). Compared to its major competitors, Tesco has the most successful customer loyalty program known as Tesco Club Card. This has given Tesco competitive advantage as the competition has only succeeded in creating false loyalty. Whilst other companies have designed good loyalty programs, they have failed to create value to their brands in the eye of the consumer leading to customer dissatisfaction.                   The Tesco Club card scheme, launched in 1995, has direct benefits to card-holding customers who receive a point for  £1 spent at Tesco stores or at Tesco’s website, as well as double points right71755on special offers by the supermarket. The points are stored and accumulated and the card holder is awarded with vouchers for the value of points they have built up at four times a year (Gummesson 2008, p.55). These vouches can then be used for shopping in store or on Club card Deals where their value is quadrupled. In addition, Club Card holders qualify for free access to a number of Club card clubs by Tesco such as healthy food, baby and toddler, food and Christmas clubs. Tesco card-holding customers also benefit from the convenience of purchasing air miles using their club card points following Tesco’s partnership with Virgin Atlantic.                   The Tesco Club card system also benefits customers by rewarding â€Å"green points† to them when they contribute to environment sustainability measures through bringing their own carrier bags during shopping. This is part of Tesco’s 10-point Community Plan intended to increase â€Å"greenness† at all Tesco stores and improve the chain’s positing within the community (Charlesworth 2009, p.85). The plan also entails Tesco’s efforts to introduce thicker and degradable bags. Through this plan, Tesco customers are able to adopt environmentally friendly behavior and significantly contribute to sustainability.                   Similarly, Tesco itself substantially benefits from the Tesco Club Card scheme. The benefits afforded to the customers allows Tesco to understand consumer behavior and micro-segment them in terms of lifestyle habits. Data obtained from this enables Tesco to target the customers with more personalized promotions along with other marketing programmes (Gummesson 2008, p.86). Tesco is able to gather detailed data about individual customers’ buying habits while at the same time maintaining feedback channels by which the stores communicate directly with their customers and build loyalty. The wealth of information obtained from the Tesco Club Card system, which is constantly updated and refreshed, has significantly contributed to the supermarket chain’s knowledge of its customer base, increased sales and commitment from customers. In addition, Tesco enjoys such operational benefits as refined stock selection, display as well as staffing levels (Hu mby 2008, p.47).                   Tesco Company has also revolutionized its use of personalized club card data through online marketing strategy. Considerable changes have been made to the company’s website, Tesco.com. Club card has been turned digital, where data about individual consumer habits are correlated with other sources of data such as mobile phone data, social networking data, payment methods to enable delivery of even more personalized offers to customers (Hart 2003, p.203). As such, value offers flash up to its most price-sensitive customers whilst finest products are the core of personalized messages to the more â€Å"up-market† club card holders. Tesco’s Home Delivery Service                   Tesco.com, previously known as Tesco Direct, has attracted a huge loyal customer base as a result of the company’s excellent home grocery delivery service. It was initially targeted at time-precious consumers needing to buy Tesco products online. This was done with the understanding that only a particular subset of the customers wanted to buy online. As such, Tesco adopted a user-friendly operating system together to produce a flexible home delivery system carefully tailored to meet the needs and expectations of the target market (Hart 2003, p.206). Tesco,com has grown to become a strong business model complimented by Tesco’s Club card loyalty programme, and helped the leading supermarket chain with identifying, segmenting and incentivizing the most potential customer for less than $250 a head (Humby et al. 2008,, p.221).                   The home delivery service strives to recreate as much as possible the experience of shopping at a local Tesco store. The home delivery model is a product of Tesco’s determination to know its customer more than rival supermarkets and other internet retailers. It has benefitted Tesco’s reputation of listening to customers and responding to their wishes accordingly (Chaffey & Smith 2008, p.98). Tesco has at least 3,200-strong fleet of light commercials that facilitate about 500,000 deliveries per week. The supermarket chain’s home delivery vehicles are in operation seven days a week for a maximum 16 hours daily, resulting in substantial positive effect on their customer service levels. Using a powerful satellite navigational system, Tesco drivers follow most efficient delivery routes that enable them to meet delivery schedules at all times. This is helped by the fact that the company has a team of high skilled pickers who take care of o nline orders. Marketing Relationships Between Organization And Its Stakeholders Tesco’s Relationship Marketing                   The existence of a business depends on its ability to build relationships between employers, employees, investors, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders, and efforts done to attain success. Tesco builds marketing relationships with its stakeholders through listening to them: pursues partnership approach with suppliers, employees and suppliers due to its belief in open and constructive relationships (Thoenig & Waldman 2007, p.152). Similarly, Tesco listens and partners with communities in which they do business for the purpose of understanding local issues and needs. Tesco as a publicly trade limited company has diverse ownership, meaning that the investment community has greater degree of leverage over retailer strategy as well greater degree of freedom of the supermarket to promote sustainability even in instances where it is against short-term financial interests.                   Considering that Tesco operates in a highly competitive marketplace where products, tastes, consumer buying behaviors and even store are constantly changing, it always have to devise proactive measures to deal with these changes. The company’s slogan, ‘Every Little helps’, describes its way of working with all its stakeholders.                   Tesco has a history of appealing to both ‘up-graders’ and ‘down-graders’, which has helped the supermarket store to significantly broaden its demographic base. Tesco strives to fulfill its aims and objectives of creating value for its customers and gain their lifetime loyalty by promoting deals and sales of products via direct mail and emails to customers. The messages are tailored for individual customers depending on their history of purchases retrieved from Tesco’s customer database developed from information gathered by Tesco Club card (Humby 2008, p.87). Tesco builds strong relationships with customers by striving to understand them and be the first to meet their needs. Tesco customers constantly receive notifications about the latest new products in stores as well on Tesco.com website. The supermarket chain also offers deals and discounts on its products in line with the customers’ needs.                   Tesco also makes use of relationship marketing on its website to market special offers to customers during such holiday seasons as Easter. The website carries a range of products and presents from which customers can pick from to purchase. Customers are also afforded the option to pre-order their deliveries, enabling customers to book in advance products they desire to purchase online and be home delivered. Tesco’s Cause-Related Marketing (CRM)                   Phrases such as ‘corporate reputation’ and ‘corporate citizenship’ have increasingly become common additions to marketing speak as brands recognize the need to be perceived as responsible players by customers and the society. Cause-related marketing refers to any partnership between an organization and a charity program which markets a product, service, or an image for mutual benefit (Hassan & Parves 2013, p.6). Tesco is at the top of an illustrious group of companies that have integrated major cause-related marketing programs into their marketing activities. This has been informed by Tesco’s understanding of the significance of CRM – substantial benefits to the organization and positive impact on the community at large. CRM programs have proved necessary due to changing expectations of stakeholders who increasingly demanding greater accountability and responsibilities from organizations.                   CRM activities have positively benefitted Tesco’s communication and marketing power. For instance, the supermarket chain has utilized major advertising spending in supporting a number of community involvements e.g. â€Å"Computers for Schools† and â€Å"Sports for Schools and Clubs†. When customers spend in excess of  £10 at Tesco stores or at Tesco’s website, they are awarded vouchers than can be given to schools and clubs (Thoenig & Waldman 2007, p.149).                   Tesco has also build reputation as a â€Å"responsible business† due to proprietary involvement in healthy eating initiatives such as it inclusion of glycemia index on food-product labeling and a Gi guide lifestyle book for customers. CRM activities through Tesco club card and home delivery services have proved to be an intrinsic component of Tesco’s marketing strategy for enhancing its corporate reputation, brand equity, loyalty, sales, and corporate social responsibility (Thoenig & Waldman 2007, p.157). CRM has strength over more conventional forms of marketing in the sense that it provides both emotional and rational connection with the customer, thus building a much stronger and sustainable relationship between the organization and customer as a stakeholder. Tesco Information Exchange (TIE)                   Tesco has also made significant efforts to boost its previously confrontational relationships with its suppliers as a result of the company’s competing on price with its supplier brands through use of copycat store brands (Thoenig & Waldman 2007, p.150). Since 1997, Tesco has been partnering with its suppliers to jointly develop a differentiated marketing approach – the Tesco Information Exchange (TIE). Through TIE, Tesco supplies its supplies with real-time information pertaining to store sales of their products. This would help in marketing analysis together with logistical planning. This arrangement enables Tesco’s supplier to give input that contributes to the improvement of Tesco’s marketing efficacy.                   Furthermore, the Tesco-suppliers partnership extends into development of certain products for their customers, undertaking store-specific promotions or incorporation the vendor’s offer to the company’s customers at the store-specific level. The result of this relationship has been its suppliers’ general perception of Tesco as professional, fair, consistent, and committed to its customers (Thoenig & Waldman 2007, p.151). Role of Customer Relationship Management (CRM)                   In recent years, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) has become a powerful marketing tool that has led to massive increase in sales and profit maximization in the retail sector (Stair & Reynolds 2010, p.47). This has especially been the case due to the increasingly competitive modern marketplace in which customers continue to gain vigour, translating that business have to focus more on their customers in order to retain them and attract more others. Customer Relationship Management refers to any initiative or application developed to help a firm optimize its interactions with customers, suppliers, or protests through one or more touch points such as a salesperson, distributor, call center, store, branch office, e-mail, Web etc for the purpose of acquiring, retaining and cross-selling customers (Hassan & Parves 2013, p.2).                   CRM is designed to develop and continuously improve an organization’s relationship with its customers in their real-time transactions, with the greater help of information technology. CRM utilizes such tools as databases, personalized engines, targeted marketing, response function analysis, online preference surveys, and programs designed to track and analyze customer behavior (Hassan & Parves 2013, p.3). It builds on conventional marketing principles and much emphasis is on recognizing and defining what customers perceive as value and strive to deliver it. CRM goes beyond marketing as it involves a range of business practices designed to put the organization into closer touch with its customers so as to learn more about one another, where the overall objective is to make each other more valuable to the firm. Retailers greatly rely on the implementation of CRM policy approaches and frameworks to ensure their business success (Hassan & Parves 2013, p.5).                   Tesco adopted CRM in the early 1990s when the supermarket chain started working with a marketing services firm, Dunnhumby, leading to the launch of the preliminary test of loyalty card scheme in its six stores in 1994. In relation to the Tesco Clubcard, CRM can be best termed to as initiatives designed to improve the supermarket chain’s performance at every point of contact with their customers, to make them happier while making the company richer at the same time. The main motivation behind the Tesco Clubcard was to gain insight into the shopping habits of Tesco’s customers as well as give something back to them. This scheme established a new point-of-sale (POS) technology at Tesco along with a call centre dedicated to handle customer queries. Generally, Tesco has utilized CRM in its processes to create, maintain, and expand relationships with its customers. Tesco’s CRM initiatives involve loyalty cards, home delivery services, comp any service desk, mobile shopper and Point of Sale (POS) till.                   To a larger extent, success of CRM in creating value and benefits for all concerned is dependent on both the supplier and consumers of products or services. However, with the rapid technologies changes, leading companies like Tesco have been able to utilize CRM as a strategic approach best placed to improve the value of its shareholders by achieving proper relationship with key customer bases or customer bases. This is especially because the implementation and affectivity of Customer Relationship Management are strongly dependent on the effective utilization of information technologies together with strategies of relationship marketing to deliver profitable goals in the longer term (Hassan & Parves 2013, p.8).                   Strategies of CRM have greater potential of delivering value for the business organization and its stakeholders because they are exclusively customer oriented. Through CRM, Tesco’s business practices have enabled it to appeal to its existing and potential customers more closely, creating an opportunity for mutual understanding and offering better worth to each other. At the end every three month, more than 150,000 loyal Tesco customers are delivered with magazine from the supermarket chain highlighting the latest and exclusive offers of the company’s products and services, while more than 8 million Tesco shoppers are reached by the CRM tools.                   By and large, Tesco can be termed as the most excelled practitioner of CRM pertaining to its knowledge of the customer thoughts, their perception and feeling regarding grocery shopping. Using demographic data, lifestyle data, information on total dollars spent on food items, and customer response to offers and promotions facilitated by the Tesco Clubcard, Tesco has put much focus on customer satisfaction by developing customer needs segments to which personalized coupons are awarded to individual segments.                   Tesco has also successfully applied CRM approaches to its home delivery services. They have contributed to creation of value for both the company and its customers in the sense that new technology applications (Microsoft-developed website) have resulted in reduced flexibility of delivery time and improved order-picking process. The company uses special software that manages the picking operations including routing and substitution (Stair & Reynolds 2010, p.47). Use of CRM has ensured greater availability of products most likely to be ordered by different customers given that each Tesco store’s server is equipped with each customer’s favourite product history. Also, Tesco stores add value by fine-tuning wholesale order and maintaining regional variation in terms of pricing for the benefit of the customer. Value of extended marketing mix                   As with all types of marketing activities, retail marketers need to developed concrete knowledge of their markets, needs of their customers and the competitive pressures they face in order to develop clear targeted market strategies and considered brand positioning. This requires that an organization devotes significant amount of attention to its marketing mix (Stair & Reynolds 2010, p.79). In the recent past, the traditional 4Ps marketing mix has expanded to extended services marketing mix to include additional 3Ps – physical evidence or in-store atmospheres, people, and processes. Physical evidence                   The physical evidence element refers to the tangible elements or in-store atmosphere that customers can evaluate. The physical layout is crucial today as customers increasingly come into contact with products or services in retail stores they expect high standard of presentation (Charlesworth 2009, p.211). While Tesco has not committed large amounts of money in store-design relative to its competitors, its stores are reputed for their warmth and excellent layout of products. Tesco ensures a customer who enters their stores gets exceptional personal experience through adequate amount of lighting, proper sign boards and neatly dressed employees highly knowledgeable about the products on sale in the store. As such, Tesco customers can always expect find their way and locate products around the stores with exceptional ease. The products on the shelves are supplied with sufficient information relating to prices and manufacturing ingredients besides being clea n. High quality physical layout of Tesco is evident at its virtual stores and websites which have simple design and are relatively user-friendly. In addition, Tesco has made effort to provide its customers with tangible evidence about of the quality of their products and services through brochures and magazines given after every three months. People                   The people element relates to the evaluation of personnel providing services in terms of their knowledge, competence, customer relations etc. According to Gummesson (1999), everyone in firm in the service industry is a â€Å"part-time marketer†, thus their every actions have great direct impact on the output received by customers. Thus, employees can be said to be the business and are a vital component of the marketing mix. In this regard, Tesco has strived to enrich its human resource by refining its recruitment methods, training, motivation and rewards schemes for its staff so that they can in turn give excellent service to customers. Tesco staff is divided in six specific groups with particular skills, knowledge and resources to execute their roles to the satisfaction of the customer. Ð ¼Tesco is committed to its values that state â€Å"No one tries harder for customers† as well as â€Å"We treat people how we like to be treated.† The supermarket chain believes that by managing its people well, in a culture of respect and trust, employees will deliver their best to customers while customers will develop loyalty to the company (Tesco 2012, p.2).                   Tesco has also worked hard to establish excellent buying processes for its customers by providing them with an option of visiting their brick-and-mortar stores in different locations or ordering online at Tesco.com. In Tesco stores, customers are presented with two efficient options of checking out their products: till payment or self-service. Tesco has made significant strides in improving the shopping experience of its online consumers by working to decrease the total amount of time spent on completing an order – from the previous one hour to about half an hour. The supermarket chain has also improved its home delivery service by increasing the number of delivery truck, personnel and the overall time it takes to make the deliveries. Processes                   The process element relates to the assessment of the entire experience as provided by the service (Charlesworth 2009, p.215). This is particularly crucial as most consumes increasingly perceive the process of shopping as important as the product they purchase, whether it be the calm efficiency of professionally-run department store or the overall excitement of the sale. An effective marketing process entails a variety of processes such as processes of identifying customer needs and demands, processes of handling customer complaints among others. Tesco is committed to its vision of satisfying customers with their products. In general, there are several rallying calls that attest to Tesco’s utilization of the processes element in its service marketing mix. They include: â€Å"we try to get it right first time†, â€Å"we deliver consistently everyday†, â€Å"we make our jobs easier to do†, and â€Å"we always save time and money †, and â€Å"we know how vital our jobs are†. References Chaffey D. & Smith P.R. 2008. E-Marketing excellence. 3rd Ed. Butterworth Heineman. Charlesworth A. 2009. Internet Marketing – A practical Approach. 1st Ed. Butterworth Heineman. Gummesson E. 2008. Total Relationship Marketing. 3rd Ed. ButterworthHeineman. HART, S. J. (2003). Marketing changes. London, Thomson. Hassan, A. & Parves, M. 2013. A Comparative Case Study Investigating the Adoption of Customer Relationship Management (CRM): The Case of Tesco and Sainsbury’s. International Journal of Managing Value and Supply Chains (IJMVSC) Vol. 4, No. 1.HUMBY, C., HUNT, T., & PHILLIPS, T. (2008). Scoring Points How Tesco Continues to Win Customer Loyalty. London, Kogan Page. Palmer A. 2005. Principles of Services Marketing. 4th Ed. McGraw Hill. STAIR, R. M., & REYNOLDS, G. W. (2010). Principles of information systems: a managerial approach. Boston, Mass, Course Technology, Cengage Learning.THOENIG, J.-C., & WALDMAN, C. (2007). The marking enterprise business success and societal embedding. Basingstoke [England], Palgrave Macmillan. Source document

The Role of Computers in Our Daily Life

The computer is one of the most brilliant gifts of science. This device was originally developed by Charles Babbage. Most countries have developed fast due to computerization. Writing a program is essential for a computer. Speed, accuracy, reliability, and integrity are the main characteristics of a computer. Many of the routine activities today at home and in business are done by computers. The computer has proved a friend and servant of science, technology and industry. Most offices, shops, factories and industries use computers. The Internet is a storehouse of information. The computer is a boon to all.Telecommunication and satellite imageries are computer based. Computers have made the world a global village today. The computer is one of the most brilliant gifts of science. It is an electronic device for storing and analyzing information fed into it, for calculating, or for controlling machinery automatically. Charles Babbage developed this device first in 1812 followed by George Boole in 1854, Howard and Aitten in 1937, Dr. John Nouchly and J. P. Eckert in 1946. These computers were named the first generation equipment. Today, with the ‘Artificial Intelligence' technology, we are using fifth generation computers.Each new generation of computers has been smaller, lighter, speedier and more powerful than the earlier ones. Now note-book sized computers like laptop are fairly common. Computers have been dominating technology since 1970s, and have now entered almost all walks of life. Writing a program is essential for running a computer. This job is done by a software engineer. A computer program is a complete list of instructions which the computer accepts in order to solve a problem. There are many different languages that can be used to programme a computer. BASIC, COBOL, FOR TRAN, C, C++, JAVA and Visual Basic are some of them.Speed, accuracy, reliability and integrity are some of the characteristics of a computer. It can execute over a million instr uctions per second without committing and mistake. It can carry our calculations in just a few minutes that would require days if carried out manually. It helps us in solving many difficult problems of multiple calculations. Computer has a huge memory. It can hold large amount of data. The software technology has seen a spurt of development and firms like Microsoft have established themselves as market leaders, pioneering the IT revolution world over.It has provided us with efficiency and accuracy in our work. Software acts as the medium through which communication and dissemination of information are carried out. In less than 50 years, computers have influenced practically every field of activity. Many of the routine activities today are being performed by computers. Use of computers has reduced the paperwork. Now most of the work is done directly on the computers. The traffic in large cities is controlled by computers. Automation in banks and railway stations has provided relief t o the public and staff alike.Ticketing and reservation have become more efficient and convenient. Various types of games like chess and cards can also be played on computers. In medical diagnosis, computers are being used to locate and investigate accurately and precisely abnormalities and diseases. Business transactions and high volume of associated data are easily managed by using computers. Computer is the backbone of information technology whose major application lies in internet. Internet has some very useful applications in our day to day life. One can get railway and air tickets booked online.This saves one from the trouble of standing in a queue for long hours. One can also apply for a job or admission in a school or a college by filling the application form online. This saves time and energy. One can also see results of any examination on the Internet. Tax returns can also be filed on the Internet. Income Tax form can be downloaded from the Income tax website. The interconn ection of computers worldwide, i. e. , the internet, is revolutionizing the concept and the conduct of business. Visual and audio access to offices worldwide through the network has given rise to virtual offices.One can have easy access to information via internet. It is an ocean of knowledge for the students. It is a huge library. The Internet helps the student to study for the examinations. Students pursuing courses through distance education mode can study the subject online. The internet is the fastest and cheapest way to take admission in a foreign institution, collect geographical information of any region, and chat with anybody in any corner of the world or search for life partner of one's choice. The importance of the internet as an all-pervasive medium of the future has been well recognized in India.A very important indicator is the number of businessmen jumping on to internet related business. E-commerce is gaining popularity in India as it allows trade at low costs and of fers enterprises a chance to enter the global market at the right time. E-commerce helps in various aspects of the business including identifying the customer, promoting sales and advertising, handling orders, taxes, shipping, payment processing, etc. The state governments and the central government have put special emphasis on computer education in India. Computer application is also being extended to legal arena.The Supreme Court of India has become the first court in the country to provide e-filing of cases. Computerization has created a lot of jobs for DTP operators, Programmers, Hardware and Software professionals. It provides tremendous openings for new kinds of entrepreneurs. The computer gives us many benefits. They can be used as typewriters. When equipped with telephone modems, with the help of computer we can chat across the world. Teleconferencing and video conferencing are also possible. The internet helps us to keep in touch with family and friends.One can get informat ion about every subject known to man, ranging from government law and services. trade fairs, conferences, market information, education, society and politics. The computer has proved as a friend and servant to science, technology and industry. The computer through Internet expands business opportunities. Computerization has been done in business, banking, electronic publishing, engineering, creative designing, fashion designing, etc. It is used in railways, airlines, defence service, research establishments. Postal and communication departments, meteorology, medical science, stock-broking etc.In defence, they help radars, missile and rocket launching. They have opened new avenues of shopping and entertainment Telecommunication and satellite imagery is computer based. Computerization can play an important role in rural areas in seed research, crop disease management and software development for rural industries. The computer also has its negative side. The rise of cybercrime, the use of chat rooms for indecent discussion, certain websites, which deal in pornographic material have been noticed. But the advantages and importance outweigh the disadvantages. Through computerization, the world has become a global village today.

China’s Economic Development since the 1950s

The last 50 years have witnessed a remarkable economic and political change in China. For many, the rise of the modern Chinese state is equaled to economic and political miracle; in reality, not the miracle, but a whole set of realistic reforms laid the foundation for the rapid economic growth in China. Chinese model of economic growth was not perfect, and evidently, the country had to pay a definite price for its wonderful and almost unbelievable achievements. However, even at times of serious economic and political crises, China did not lose the sense of its national dignity and pride. To understand the essence and the implications of the Chinese economic development means to understand the way the country was able to embrace the benefits of the communist system and the best features of the market economy; and China’s â€Å"putting people first† is the best and the most appropriate social perspective that can be used to analyze the rapid Chinese transformation over the course of 50 years. China’s Economic Development since the 1950s Introduction The last 50 years have witnessed a remarkable economic and political change in China. For many, the rise of the modern Chinese state is equaled to economic and political miracle; in reality, not the miracle, but a whole set of realistic reforms laid the foundation for the rapid economic growth in China. Chinese model of economic growth was not perfect, and evidently, the country had to pay a definite price for its wonderful and almost unbelievable achievements. However, even at times of serious economic and political crises, China did not lose the sense of its national dignity and pride. To understand the essence and the implications of the Chinese development means to understand the way the country was able to embrace the benefits of the communist system and the best features of the market economy; and China’s â€Å"putting people first† is the best and the most appropriate social perspective that can be used to analyze the rapid Chinese transformation over the course of 50 years. Pre-industrial China: the beginning of the 1950s and the legacy of the past Profound analysis of the Chinese economic and social revolution is impossible without analyzing the state of Chinese economy at the edge of the 1940s. After the Sino-Japanese War, China found itself in the midst of the growing economic crisis. â€Å"Russian troops occupied Manchuria and selectively dismantled industrial installations, carrying them off to the Soviet Union. Only the more modern and up-to-date equipment was carried off; the oldest and the most obsolete machinery was left in place† (Eckstein, 1997). Thus, by the end of the 1940s, the country was facing the deepening industrial crisis, which was accompanied by the need to restructure its system of agriculture, and to provide the national population with reasonable instruments for survival. As a result of industrial devastation, by the beginning of the 1950s Chinese industrial output fell almost 70 percent; the consumer goods output did not exceed 30 percent compared to the previous industrial peak in the 1940s (Riskin, 1987). The production decline was combined with the growing government expenses, and the government’s striving to reduce inflation and further, hyper-inflation. As a result, the nation was seeking the means of economic and social modernization; the communist model of economy and distribution has become the source and the basis of the major economic initiatives in the 1950s’ China. Late Maoism, egalitarianism, and equal distribution: putting people first Despite traditionally negative attitudes toward communism as such, late Maoism actually served the basis for developing and implementing a whole set of egalitarian policies – the policies that promoted redistribution of income and did not welcome the benefits and privileges of the social ranks and statuses. Redistribution and egalitarianism were further combined with industrialization and slow restructuring of the national agriculture. The First Five Year Plan has paved the way to rapid growth of less industrialized Chinese provinces: â€Å"all employee wages in state sector were set nationally and did not vary with labor productivity. Thus although more industrialized provinces had a higher proportion of well paid industrial workers in their industrial labor force, these workers wages were similar to those in less industrialized provinces where labor productivity was lower† (Riskin, 1987). The Great Leap initiative was developed to utilize labor surplus and to promote technological production (Eckstein, 1997). Whether those â€Å"equality† approaches were beneficial for all is not clear; but at that point of economic development the state was making everything it could to provide its citizens with material incentives for economic and social transformation. Maoism was promoting the value of unity, cohesiveness and social mobility, but those seemingly positive elements simultaneously sped up and retarded Chinese social and economic development. On the one hand, Mao was able to build a â€Å"developmentally oriented regime† (Eckstein, 1997), where people were committed to achieving the strategic national goals; on the other hand, conservative beliefs and outdated agricultural system were serious barriers to Chinese economic innovation (Eckstein, 1997). Nevertheless, Maoism was an essential component of Chinese movement to economic and social highs. Maoism positioned a Chinese citizen as the source and the center of the major transformational initiatives. Since the beginning of the 1970s, China was able to utilize the best features of Maoist egalitarianism, including personal initiative, inventiveness, innovation, and the willing to implement changes at all levels of the national economic performance. The 1970s, the revolutionary growth, and the new China By the beginning of the 1970s, China has finally realized the weakening potential of communism as the instrument of social change. At that time, the need for a new scientific development concept became evident. At the 10th Session of the Chinese Congress â€Å"the five balanced aspects – balancing urban and rural development, balancing development among regions, balancing economic and social development and opening wider to the outside world – became the major topic of discussion among deputies† (Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Houston, 2008). The need to promote social welfare pushed Chinese authorities to the need for reconsidering the major Maoist policies and reviving them in a more reasonable and measured form. China could no longer solely rely on the outdated communist values. To become an international economic power, the country had to adopt a new set of social and economic visions that would fit into the contemporary international developmental frameworks. International speed of economic development led Chinese policymakers to reevaluating the balance between agriculture, raw materials production, investment, and consumer products output. â€Å"Putting people first† has become the international top priority, and China could not ignore the significance of those humanist trends. Chinese economic openness and the development of the new market initiatives signified Chinese preparedness to a marking shift in its attitudes towards its people and the rest of the world. â€Å"Putting people first† ideals have become the leading factors of the Chinese revolution at the end of the 20th century. Ultimately, â€Å"putting people first† marked the Chinese authorities’ willingness to innovate, stimulate, and learn from their own mistakes. Conclusion â€Å"Putting people first† was the distinctive feature of the Chinese economic revolution throughout the last five decades. China was able to embrace the benefits of Maoist communism and market openness in a way that benefited the nation, and primarily, its people. Regardless whether China was following the economic ideals of equal distribution and industrialization, or whether the country was adapting to the new market order, people were the central elements of the Chinese political ideals; and â€Å"putting people first† is the most appropriate and the most reasonable perspective that can be used to analyze and evaluate Chinese way to economic and social prosperity.

ASSESSMENT 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

ASSESSMENT 2 - Assignment Example Another important aspect that is worth mentioning in the paper is the fact that there was a limited period of time that the company gave when it comes to the claiming of the funds by the owners of the money used in the business operation. This was therefore the means that the company employed to enable it to realize exorbitant sales and so is the profit. It is quite normal that the aim of every business entity is to make profits and so all businesses will do all he possible actions just to enable them reach this aim. During the liquidation, the firm therefore found out it a bit challenging since there was the need for the payment of the moneys that were taken from the mother company, Fone4U to the new subsidiary company Telephony Limited. This is the case that the company is now facing. It therefore calls for the necessity of giving some pieces of advice to the various stakeholders who were involved on this kind of business transactions on he various measures that they can take to sa ve the situation (Alex, 2012). On giving advice to the customers, it is important to highlight that the customers need to take various actions to enable them to get the 60% of the finances that they are entitled to claim from the company. For any transaction that involves parties, it is always very clear to have a written document as proof that kind of show that there was an agreement that was made by the parties. This therefore binds the company with the other parties who are affected in one way or the other based on the actions that the company has taken. Considering this, it is important to note that the customers therefore were in some form of binding agreement with the company that they were to claim the money in limits of three days and because this was quite short for certain customers to make it there, some had to let the money stay and continue with the business operation (Matt, 2011). This was the core factor that made the business to make

Management report regarding the financial performance of the National Essay

Management report regarding the financial performance of the National Folk Festival Ltd for year ended 30 June 2007 - Essay Example Net Working Capital is therefore the difference between current assets and current liabilities. (Carey and Towers-Clark 2011) Working capital is relevant since it is a measure of the firm’s liquidity and efficiency because it involves all current assets and current liabilities. (Adams 2006) It is a reflection of the results of a number of other company activities like revenue collection, inventory management, payment to suppliers and debt management. A positive working capital in a firm would be an indicator of its ability to pay off its short-term obligations quickly. On the other hand, a negative working capital indicates that the business is struggling to pay off these short-term liabilities fast enough. (Atrill and McLaney 2011) In the case study of National Folk Festival Ltd, its working capital position for both 2007 and 2006 can be evaluated and compared. The comparison is to ascertain how liquid the firm was in these two years. The working capital of the company can be calculated as shown below: The year 2007 had a higher working capital than 2006. This means that in the year 2007, National Folk Festival Ltd was more liquid than in 2006 since it had more money to pay off its short-term liabilities as and when they fell due. A closer look at the current assets and liabilities for both years reveals that in 2007, the company had more current assets and fewer current liabilities compared to 2006. This was what attributed to the higher working capital in 2007 than in 2006. A comparison of the income statement items for the years 2007 and 2006 shows that the company made significant improvements in 2007. In Appendix 1, a variance analysis shows the increase or decrease of incomes and expenses from 2006 to 2007. An increase in income or decrease in expense is a favourable variance while a decrease in income or an increase in expense is an adverse variance. The tickets sales in the year 2007 were higher than

Concept of Equality and Social Equity Assignment

Concept of Equality and Social Equity - Assignment Example These are important issues which are backed by the international government, NGOs and international agencies across the world. Â  Fleurbaey (2008) asserts that political philosophy and normative economics highlight egalitarian justice that defines social justice in terms of distributive compensation based on responsibility and talent. This is inherently linked to inequity across society but promotes social equity based on a hierarchy of roles within the work environment. This is an important perspective that is visible in the compensation package of the employees. The roles and responsibilities of the public administrators become pertinent issues which require stringent mechanisms of promoting social equity across gender, race, culture, and class. The concepts of equity and equitable distribution of resources based on social equity within and outside public administration, therefore, have emerged as key issues in the current environment of rapid globalization and multicultural societies across the globe. Â  Public policies are essential ingredients of administrative processes that address the issues of public concern and civil liberties. The key objective of the public policy is to enhance social equity that impacts the quality of life and promotes equality across people. In recent times, public administration in American political system has raised critical issue of public liberty. McKelvey (2011) says the civil liberty of people is compromised as the due processes for targeted killing are obscure with unclear law and protocols. Indeed, while the threat of terrorism is real, unsubstantiated accusations of target killing of Americans is not only unwarranted but is also indicative of power play of administration that endangers the freedom of citizens.

Recommendation Memo Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Recommendation Memo - Research Paper Example The gaming consoles are judged on five different criterions based on the information extracted from user reviews from cnet.com, the gaming console's respective websites and from the general public opinion and perception of the brands. The five criterions are Nintendo has always been in the background when it comes to hi-tech graphics machine. Nintendo Wii is an obvious exception to the case as this console tries its level best to compete with the best (Play Station and XBOX). It is sleekest console out there (about the size of three DVD covers), and comes in an iPOD white color. Although it's processing powers aren't that high, an internal storage of 512mb allows the user to store plenty of saved games and other data. And if that's not enough, Wii comes with a standard Secure Digital card slot for additional space. The exclusive feature of Wii Console is its motion sensor remote controller. This new generation device features in most of the games and especially is used in inbuilt Sports game. The remote control like controller has a fewer buttons than its competitors game pads, however, it can be held vertically like a sword or a tennis racket or horizontally like a wheel for further user involvement in the game. Wii's navigational syst em is done via the Wii Channels that uses the WiiConnect24's always-on design used to view weather forecasts, news, messages and even photos and listen to MP3s. The console also allows games of previous Nintendo's game console (GameCube) to work. XBOX 360 Microsoft has been competing with Sony for the top position in the gaming console industry. With the launch of XBOX 360, Microsoft thought that the fight was over. The XBOX 360 premium edition is fully packed with key accessories like a wireless game controller, a communications headset for XBOX Live, a component A/V cable, an Ethernet networking cable, and most importantly a whopping 20GB hard drive. All the games on XBOX 360 are compatible with HDTVs and all the old games are compatible to be played on thi s new edition. The exclusive feature of XBOX Live allows the user to connect to the internet and compete online with friends. Movies can be downloaded or rented, demos can be downloaded and played for free and users can buy items from the XBOX Live Marketplace. The intrinsic graphics and high resolution provide the user with intense gaming experience and the high number of games circulating in the market adds to the user likeness. With the CD/DVD compatibility the users can rip s ongs to the hard disk and use it for any of the games. Although it does not support the Blu-ray format, the system is a success with all the current accessories. PlayStation 3 Sony's PlayStation 3 was the most hyped about gaming console and it boasted of graphics seen never before. Being the market leader in the industry, PlayStation clearly had to come up with the goods and it pretty much has. Like the PS2 concept raised the DVD standard, PS3 raises the standard by including the Blu-ray disks that have a max capacity of 50GBs currently. This allows the games to bigger, better and more

To analyze the historical significance of a figure studied in this Term Paper

To analyze the historical significance of a figure studied in this course - Term Paper Example It is in this regard that Churchill is considered one of the most influential historical figures for courageous political and military leadership. This paper gives a critical analysis of Winston Churchill in line with the past history that influenced his courageous leadership, his influence during his leadership period and how his influence on political and military leadership has extended to the current era. How Previous History Influenced Churchill The leadership skills that Churchill demonstrated were motivated or influenced by his experiences within the military. Churchill attended and was part of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, which culminated the beginning of his career in the military. At the college and later in the military, Churchill’s leadership abilities and skills were obvious. In the year 1901, Churchill entered parliament. At this time he was only 26 years old and his courage and leadership qualities made him to gain significant admiration from members a nd colleagues within his party (Bell 1097). When the Second World War broke out, Churchill was appointed within the Royal Navy as the First Lord of Admiralty. However he resigned from this role after the Dardanelles expedition which was characterized by disastrous incidents. This however did not weaken his spirits. As a result, Churchill rejoined the military and later went back to a political career where he played senior governmental roles within missions in overseas nations. The 1939 breaking out of the war caused Churchill to be reappointed as the First Lord of Admiralty. The resignation of the British prime minster Chamberlain in 1940 was followed by the Churchill takeover as the new prime minister. This officially marked his important role in the political and military reigns within the UK and other parts of the world. His charisma and courage was demonstrated by the fact that he refused to give in to the Nazi Germany. This led to great inspiration to his country and the milit ary in addition to political leaders. Their focus was therefore to stage a retreat and win against the influence of the Germans. An air defense was therefore organized by Churchill which successfully marked the victory in the battle of Britain and Mussolini’s Italy. Italy in return gained the trust of Britain under the leadership of Churchill. It is therefore notable from the historical perspective that Churchill was both a charismatic and influential leader within the political and military reams of Britain and other parts of the world. The Influence of Churchill during his Time Even though Churchill lost his prime minster position in the year 1945, his passion for leadership in politics was not lost. This reveals that he was a determined individual who was focused at achieving his dreams. Because of this determination, Churchill was reelected in the year 1951 as the prime minister of Britain (Dumbrell 35). During his tenure as prime minster, Churchill was an exceptional mil itary or war time leader who served both political and military roles for his country. More importantly, Churchill was a successful literary scholar. This is disclosed by the fact that he started writing his campaign reports early when he was only 24 years old. From the campaign reports, Churchill came up with his first publication in the year 1900. The culmination of Churchill’s achievements and influence in leadership was achieved in 1953 when we was honored with a Nobel Prize for Literature in addition to an

Apple Strategic Managment Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Apple Strategic Managment - Case Study Example With declining stock values, Apple has planned to introduce a lower-priced iPhone that will effectively compete in the smartphone market and rejuvenate the once giant of the iPhone industry (Apple Inc). This paper aims at evaluating the business and market aspects of the lower cost iPhone with respect to the target price, the target manufacturing cost, and the estimated gross profit.Since Apple used over USD 150 million in designing and manufacturing the iPhone 5, the lower cost iPhone will not incorporate most of the smartphone apps that the iPhone 5 uses. For example, the lower cost phone will run on a simple Android system with internet settings operating under the EDGE network. These will significantly reduce the initial manufacturing cost to just about USD 40 million with the first batch producing over 300,000 units of the iPhone. This will mean that the manufacturing cost of each unit of the lower cost iPhone will be USD 217, which means that every unit of the lower cost iPhone sold will fetch in a gross of USD 133 (United States Securities and Exchange Commission).Estimated gross profitFrom the figures above, it is clear that Apple will target an annual sale of USD 105 billion. Since gross profit is obtained by subtracting the cost of sales from the net sales, the estimated gross profit for the lower cost iPhone will be USD 65 billion. This strategic iPhone will definitely revive the declining profit margin in Apple’s iPhone market as well as stabilize its stock market (Apple Inc).

Situational Leadership and it's Impact in Healthcare Research Paper

Situational Leadership and it's Impact in Healthcare - Research Paper Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that in situational leadership, as the employee’s level of knowledge and ability to perform tasks improves, a leader can modify the leadership style to apply. This means the roles of coaching, delegating, directing and supporting vary with maturity. Situational leadership, according to Hersey and Blanchard is important in that it values recognition of extremes. On one side of the extreme, a leader can apply positional authority while on the other side; a leader can delegate authority to enhance freedom among the junior workers. In nursing, a leader can base on two variables; the willingness of junior employees to take up assignments and the ability to post results when determining the extreme to rely on. This plays a critical role especially when a doctor wants to delegate some duties to a nurse. To do so, there must be a level of maturity in a nurse for delegation to happen. The more a senior person delegates, the less work he or she can perform. Since nursing is all about accountability and perfection, it can be easy to trace and get a nurse accountable for mistakes. However, a leader in such a position must take active participation in order to strike a balance between accountability and service delivery and reduce fear among employees. Situational leadership in nursing can help officials in establishing and improving communication and collaboration. According to American Management Association, communication is very important in sustaining and improving productivity. Since it is a flexible leadership style, it can be very easy in cultivating loyalty and improving self-reliance. Nursing requires self-discipline and loyalty since it is a profession that deals with a range of health complications. In order to administer effective medication, there must be communication between doctors and relevant offices and through loyalty; nurses can perform their duties while observing all instruction to the later. It can al so be useful should anything strange happen to patients since communication channels will ensure quick responses to problems at hand.

Relativism and Morality Essay Example for Free

Relativism and Morality Essay We frequently make moral judgments about the actions of others. We proclaim that things like removing a wallet from someone else’s pocketbook on a crowded train; flying airplanes into the Twin Towers; and intervening (or not) in the Syrian war are wrong. According to Gilbert Harman, such judgments about people’s actions are defective because they lack relativity to the individual’s moral framework. (Harman, 1975) In ‘Some Moral Minima’ Goodman argues that â€Å"there are certain things that are simply wrong. † (Goodman, 2010) I contend that right and wrong are subjective, based upon elements of an individual’s belief system, and dependent upon the situation. In this paper, I will discuss theory based arguments to justify my disagreement with Goodman’s contention. When considering the theories of right and wrong, it is customary to think of them as absolute. If it’s wrong, it can’t be right or if it’s right, it can’t be wrong. It is only when we stop looking at these theories as absolutes that we can begin to explore the possibilities of moral, subjective and cultural relativity. I submit that a person’s actions are only right or wrong relative to their particular moral framework. It is wrong to kill is a statement that could be made by one based on his moral and/or cultural beliefs, thereby making it a true statement. However, the image becomes blurred when that same man is responsible for administering drugs to prisoners sentenced to death. Some would conclude that such acts raze his moral framework and change the truthfulness of the statement. I submit that, to make such a judgment absent the benefit of knowing the full extent of his moral beliefs would be flawed. There is the possibility that he defines killing and carrying out a death row sentence differently. Harman asserts that it is possible that when one says â€Å"It is wrong to steal† s/he is saying something true, but that when another says â€Å"It is wrong to steal† s/he is saying something false (Harman Jarvis Thomson, 1996). This theory, known as subjective relativity, is based on individual beliefs and on interpretation. An example of subjectivity in moral truth can be found in the classic tale of Robin Hood. On the one hand, Robin Hood describes the King’s taxation of the poor as stealing and states that it is excessive and, therefore, wrong. The judgment, based on his moral beliefs, is true. Robin Hood, however, justifies his own acts of stealing as charity, e. g. stealing from the rich to give to the poor. In this scenario, for Robin Hood to say stealing is wrong, he is stating a fact that is neither truthful, nor based on his moral beliefs. On the other hand, when looking upon Robin Hood’s acts of stealing through the King’s eyes, to conclude that Robin Hood is stealing and that stealing is wrong would be a true statement made by one who believes that stealing is wrong regardless of the situation. These examples are supported by both individualistic and subjective relativism. Richard Joyce contends that â€Å"individualistic relativism sees the vital difference as lying in the persons making the utterance. † (Joyce, 2007). In the Confucian school of thought, Mencius developed his philosophical theory on the contention that man’s nature is inherently good (Chan, 1996). Chan maintains that based on Mencius’ philosophy, â€Å"all men have a mind that cannot bear human suffering. † According to Chan, Mencius expounded on this position in the following excerpt. [w]hen men suddenly see a child about to fall into a well, they all have the feeling of alarm and distress, not in order to gain friendship with the childs parents, nor to seek the praise of their neighbors and friends, nor because they dislike the reputation (for being un-virtuous)†¦[t]he feeling of commiseration is the beginning of the feeling of love; the feeling of shame and dislike is the beginning of righteousness; the feeling of deference and complaisance is the beginning of wisdom. Men have these four beginnings just as they have four limbs. These four, love, righteousness, propriety and wisdom are not drilled into us from outside. We are originally provided with them. † (Chan) In light of the information presented herein, the theories of right and wrong are subject to cultural beliefs and moral individuality. It is my belief that subjectivity is most prevalent in making this determination.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 Essay Example for Free

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 Essay President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law on July 2, 1964 in Washington D.C. It ended discrimination based on race, color, and religion. Since Reconstruction, it is often called the most important U.S. law on civil rights. This law allowed the federal government with the powers to enforce desegregation. Title VI of the act banned the use of federal funds for segregated programs and schools. In 1964 only Tennessee and Texas had more than two percent of their black students enrolled in integrated schools. About 6% of the black students in the South were in integrated schools by the next year because of Title VI. What was the cause of the Civil Rights Act of 1964? In June 1963, President John F. Kennedy proposed a bill several months prior to his death. President Johnson announced his intention to turn the proposal into law five days after Kennedy’s assassination. Title IV of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 forbidden discrimination in public schools because of race, color, religion, gender, or national origin. Public schools included elementary, secondary, and public colleges and universities. Before this law was signed, an African-American named James Meredith applied to the University of Mississippi in 1961. Officials at the school returned his application. He then took his case to the court. On September 10, 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court administrated that he had the right to attend the University of Mississippi. Ross Barnett, the governor of Mississippi, personally blocked Mr. Meredith from registering at the university even after the Supreme Court ruled. Conclusively, on September 30, 1962, federal officers and Civil Rights Division lawyers led Mr. Meredith onto the campus. There were one hundred twenty three assistant federal officers, three hundred sixteen U.S. Border Patrolmen, and ninety-seven federal prison guards on and near the campus to guard him. A crowd attacked the federal forces within an hour. They were fought with guns, bricks, bottles, and Molotov cocktails. President Kennedy sent sixteen thousand federal troops to the campus because of the nonstop violence. The outcome was there were two people dead, twenty-eight officers were shot, and  one hundred sixty people injured. As a result, James Meredith became he first black student to attend the University of Mississippi. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 had many effects. The law outlawed ethnic discrimination in public and places of employment to African Americans. However, it did not end the Civil Rights Movement. Black Southerners were deprived of their constitutional rights because white Southerners still used legal ways to take away their rights. African Americans lived in the worst metropolitan neighborhoods and had to attend the worst city schools. Other than that, the rights included rights to vote, public accommodations, which included being able to go to restaurants, movie theaters, shopping in all stores, going inside a gas station, and attending sports events at sports arenas. The Civil Rights of 1964 was also the first law to guarantee the equal rights of women.

Roles Of Users, Payers And Buyers

Roles Of Users, Payers And Buyers Consumer behaviour study is based on consumer buying behaviour, with the consumer playing the three distinct roles of users, payer and buyer. Consumer behaviour is the study of when, why, how, and where people do or do not buy products. It blends elements from psychology, sociology, social anthropology and economics. It attempts to understand the buyer decision making process, both individually and in groups. It studies characteristics of individual consumers such as demographics and behavioural variables in an attempt to understand peoples wants. It also tries to assess influences on the consumer from groups such as family, friends, reference groups, and society in general. WHAT IS CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR? Consumer behaviour can be defined as the dynamic interaction of affect and cognition, behaviour, and environmental events by which human beings conduct the exchange aspects of their lives. There are at least three important ideas in this definition: (1) consumer behaviour is dynamic; (2) it involves interaction between affect and cognition, behaviour, and environmental events; and (3) it involves exchange. CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR IS DYNAMIC First, the definition emphasis that consumer behaviour is dynamic. This means individual consumers, consumer groups, and society at large are constantly changing and evolving over time. This has important implications for the study of consumer behaviour as well as for developing marketing strategies. In terms of studying consumer behaviour, one implication is that generalizations about consumer behaviour are usually limited to specific periods of time, products, and individuals or groups. Thus, students of consumer behaviour must be careful not to over- generalize theories and research findings. In terms of developing marketing strategies, the dynamic nature of consumer behaviour implies that one should not expect the same marketing strategy to work all the time across all products, markets, and industries. While this may seem obvious, many companies have failed to recognize the need to adapt their strategies in different markets. Further, a strategy that is successful at one point may fail miserably at another point because of the dynamism of the consumers and the markets, and this is what makes marketing strategy development such an exciting , yet challenging, task. DATABASE MARKETING Many companies have developed extensive database that allow them to target individual consumers. Here are a few of them: NESTLE chose to launch a new pasta product through the post rather than through television. It is cheaper for them to develop a database of the right socioeconomic profile of pasta-eaters than it is to promote via television. UNILEVER uses database marketing to target their loyal customers, trying to make loyalty last. In Sweden, they are creating a database with users of their Organics shampoo on the basis of participants in a recent competition. They have also sent out samples of a new Dove sensitive crà ¨me douche to target segments in order to create awareness. CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR INVOLVES INTERACTIONS A second important point emphasized in the definition of consumer behaviour is that it involves interactions between affect and cognition, behaviour, and environmental events. This means that to understand consumers and develop superior marketing strategies, we must understand what they think (cognition) and feel (affect), what they do (behaviour), and the things and places (environmental events) that influence and are influenced by what consumers think, feel, and do. Whether we are evaluating a single consumer, a target market, or an entire society, analysis of all three elements is useful for understanding and developing marketing strategies. CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR INVOLVES EXCHANGES A final point emphasized in the definition of consumer behaviour is that it involves exchanges between human beings. This makes the definition of consumer behaviour consistent with current definitions of marketing that also emphasize exchange. In fact, the role of marketing is to create exchanges with consumers by formulating and implementing marketing strategies. APPROACHES TO CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR RESEARCH Two broad groups are interested in consumer behaviour a basic research group and an action-oriented group. The basic research group is mainly composed of academic researchers interested in studying consumer behaviour as a way of developing a unique body of knowledge about this aspect of human behaviour. These researchers have backgrounds in anthropology, sociology, psychology, economics, and marketing, as well as other fields. The majority of published work on consumer behaviour is basic research, and this work forms the foundation of our text. Because researchers dealing with consumer behaviour have different backgrounds, the way in which they analyse consumer behaviour, the topics they concentrate on, the kind of theories they develop, and the kind of research methods they employ differ as well. Some consumer research is very qualitative, with an emphasis on understanding a particular consumption event, a particular familys consumer behaviour, or the success of a particular brand based on the context in which these phenomena occur and on the history leading up to the occurrence of the phenomenon. Other consumer research concentrates on finding regularities in consumer behaviour that apply in a broad variety of contexts across time and space, such as the effect of personal involvement in a purchase, on information seeking behaviour or the effect of sales promotions on shopping behaviour in supermarkets. CONSUMER AFFECT AND COGNITION Consumer affect and cognition refer to two types of mental responses consumers have to stimuli and events in their environment. Affect refers to their feelings about stimuli and events, such as whether they like or dislike a product. Cognition refers to their thinking, such as beliefs about a particular product. Affective responses can be favourable or unfavourable and vary in intensity. For instance, affect includes relatively intense emotions, such as love or anger; less strong feeling states such as satisfaction or frustration; moods such as boredom or relaxation, and milder overall attitudes, such as liking McDonalds chips or disliking Bic pens. Marketers typically develop strategies to create positive affect for their products and brands to increase the chances that consumers will buy them. Cognition refers to the mental structures and processes involved in thinking, understanding, and interpreting stimuli and events. It includes the knowledge, meaning, and beliefs that consumers have developed from their experience and stored in their memories. It also includes the processes associated with paying attention to and understanding stimuli and events, remembering past events, forming evaluations, and making purchasing decisions and choices. While many aspects of cognition are conscious thinking processes, others are essentially automatic. SOME BASIC QUESTIONS ABOUT CONSUMER AFFECT AND COGNITION 1. How do consumers interpret information about marketing stimuli such as products, stores, and advertising? 2. How do consumers choose among alternative product classes, products, and brands? 3. How do consumers form evaluations of products and brands? 4. How does memory affect consumer decision making? 5. How do affect and cognition influence behaviour and environments? CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR Behaviour refers to the physical actions of actions of consumers that can be directly observed and measured by others. It is also called overt behaviour to distinguish it from mental activities, such as thinking, that cannot be observed directly. Examples of behaviour include shopping at stores, buying products, or using credit cards. Behaviour is critical for marketing strategy because it is only through behaviour that sales can be made and profits earned. While many marketing strategies are designed to influence consumers affect and cognition, these strategies must ultimately result in overt consumer behaviour for them to have value for the company. It is therefore critical for marketers to analyse, understand, and influence overt behaviour. SOME BASIC QUESTIONS ABOUT CONSUMER BEHAVIOURS 1. How do behaviour approaches differ from affective and cognitive approaches to studying consumer behaviour? 2. What is classical conditioning, and how is it used by marketers to influence consumer behaviour? 3. What is operant conditioning, and how is it used by marketers to influence consumer behaviour? 4. What is vicarious learning, and how is it used by marketers to influence consumer behaviour? 5. What consumer behaviours are of interest to marketing management? CONSUMER ENVIRONMENT The consumer environment refers to everything external to consumers that influence what they think, feel, and do. It includes social stimuli that influence consumers, such as the actions of others in cultures, subcultures, social classes, reference groups, and families. It also includes other physical stimuli, such as stores, products, advertisements, and signs which can change consumers thoughts, feelings, and actions. The consumer environment is important for marketing strategy because it is the medium in which stimuli are placed to influence consumers. For example, marketers run commercials during TV programmes that their target markets watch in order to inform, persuade, and remind them to buy certain products and brands. SOME BASIC QUESTIONS ABOUT CONSUMER ENVIRONMENT 1. In what physical environments do consumer behaviours occur? 2. How do environments affect consumers affect and cognition and behaviour? 3. How do consumers affect and cognition and behaviour affect the environment? 4. What effect does culture have on consumers? 5. What effect does subculture have on consumers? RELATIONSHIPS AMONG AFFECT AND COGNITION, BEHAVIOUR, AND THE ENVIRONMENT Each of the three elements can be either a cause or an effect of a change in the other element. For example, a consumer might see an advert for a new laundry detergent that promises to wash clothes cleaner than OMO. This might change what the consumer thinks about the new brand and lead to a purchase of it. In this case, a change in the consumers environment (the advert for the new detergent), led to a change in cognition (the consumer believed the new detergent was better) which led to a change in behaviour (the consumer bought the new brand). Another possibility is that a consumer might be dissatisfied with his or her current brand of laundry detergent. On the consumers next trip to the grocery, other brands are inspected, and one that promises to get white clothes whiter is selected. In this example, a change in affect and cognition (dissatisfaction) leads to a change in the consumers environment (inspecting other brands) which leads to change in behaviour (purchase of a different brand). While there are other ways changes could occur, these examples serve to illustrate our view of consumers. Namely, that not only do consumer processes involve a dynamic and interactive system, but they are also a reciprocal system. A reciprocal system is one in which any of the elements could be either a cause or an effect of a change at any particular time. Affect and cognition could change consumers behaviour and environment; behaviours could change consumers affect, cognitions and environments. Environments can change consumers affect, cognition and behaviour. There are five implications of viewing consumer processes as a reciprocal system involving affect and cognition, behaviour, and the environment. First, any comprehensive analyses of consumers must consider all three elements and the relationships of them. Description of consumers in terms of only one or two of the elements is incomplete. Second, it is important to recognize that any of the three elements may be the starting point for consumer analysis. While we think that marketing strategists should start with an analysis of the specific overt behaviours consumers must perform to achieve marketing objectives, useful analyses could start with affect and cognition by researching what consumers think and feel about such things as the various brands of a product. Third, since this view is dynamic, it recognises that consumers can continuously change. While some consumers may change little during a particular time period, others may frequently change their affect, cognition, behaviour, and environments. Keeping abreast of consumers therefore involves continuous research to detect changes that could influence marketing strategies. Fourth, while our example focused on a single consumer, consumer analysis can be applied at several levels. It can be used to analyse not only a single consumer, but also a group of consumers that make up a target market, a larger group of consumers which make up all of the purchasers of a product in an industry, or for an entire society. Finally, this framework for analysing consumers highlights the importance of consumer research and analysis in developing marketing strategies. Consumer research and analysis should be key activities for developing marketing strategies. Consumer research includes many types of study such as test marketing, advertising pre-tests, sales promotion effects, analysis of sales and market share data, pricing experiments, traffic and shopping patterns, brand attitude and intentions, and many others. Consumer research and analysis should not end when a strategy has been implemented. Rather research should continue to investigate the effects of the strategy and whether it could be changed to be more effective. Thus, marketing strategy should involve a continuous process of researching and analysing consumers, developing strategies, implementing them, and continuously improving strategies. INFORMATION SEARCH Once the consumer has recognized a problem, they search for information on products and services that can solve that problem. Sources of information include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Personal sources à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Commercial sources à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Public sources à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Personal experience The relevant internal psychological process that is associated with information search is perception. Perception is defined as the process by which an individual receives, selects, organizes, and interprets information to create a meaningful picture of the world. THE SELECTIVE PERCEPTION PROCESS Stage Description à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Selective exposure consumers select which promotional messages they will expose themselves to. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Selective attention consumers select which promotional messages they will pay attention to. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Selective comprehension consumers interpret messages in line with their beliefs, attitudes, motives and experiences. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Selective retention consumers remember messages that are more meaningful or important to them. The implications of this process help develop an effective promotional strategy, and select which sources of information are more effective for the brand. INFORMATION EVALUATION At this time the consumer compares the brands and products that are in their evoked set. How can the marketing organization increase the likelihood that their brand is part of the consumers evoked (consideration) set? Consumers evaluate alternatives in terms of the functional and psychological benefits that they offer. The marketing organization needs to understand what benefits consumers are seeking and therefore which attributes are most important in terms of making a decision. PURCHASE DECISION Once the alternatives have been evaluated, the consumer is ready to make a purchase decision. Sometimes purchase intention does not result in an actual purchase. The marketing organization must facilitate the consumer to act on their purchase intention. The provision of credit or payment terms may encourage purchase, or a sales promotion such as the opportunity to receive a premium or enter a competition may provide an incentive to buy now. The relevant internal psychological process that is associated with purchase decision is integration. POSTPURCHASE EVALUATION It is common for customers to experience concerns after making a purchase decision. This arises from a concept that is known as cognitive dissonance. The customer, having bought a product, may feel that an alternative would have been preferable. In these circumstances that customer will not repurchase immediately, but is likely to switch brands next time. To manage the post-purchase stage, it is the job of the marketing team to persuade the potential customer that the product will satisfy his or her needs. Then after having made a purchase, the customer should be encouraged that he or she has made the right decision. It is not affected by advertisement. INTERNAL INFLUENCES Consumer behaviour is influenced by: demographics, psychographics (lifestyle), personality, motivation, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and feelings. Consumer behaviour concern with consumer need consumer actions in the direction of satisfying needs leads to his behaviour of every individual depend on thinking process. EXTERNAL INFLUENCES Consumer behaviour is influenced by: culture, sub-culture, locality, royalty, ethnicity, family, social class, reference groups, lifestyle, and market mix factors. MARKETING STRATEGY From a consumer point of view, a marketing strategy is a set of stimuli placed in consumers environments designed to influence their affect, cognition, and behaviour. These stimuli include such things as products, brands, packaging, advertisements, coupons, stores, credit cards, price tags, salespeoples communications, and in some cases sounds (music), smells (perfume), and other sensory cues. Clearly, marketing strategies should not only be designed to influence consumers, but should also be influenced by them. For example, if research shows that consumers are disgusted (affect and cognition) with the advertisements for Armani jeans, the company may want to change its adverts to better appeal to the market. If research shows that consumers in the target market do not shop (behaviour) in stores where a companys product is featured, then the distribution strategy may have to be changed. If the research shows that consumers want to be able to get information from a companys homepage (environment) and none exists, the company may want to create one. Thus marketing strategies should be developed, implemented, and changed based on consumer research and analysis. REFRENCES: Peter J .P, Olson J.C and Grunert K .G (1999) Consumer Behaviour and Marketing Strategy, McGraw-Hill, Berkshire, England. Schiffman L .G and Kanuk L .L (1995) Consumer Behaviour, Prentice-Hall of India, New Delhi. INTERNET SOURCES: Consumer Behaviour curled from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/consumer_behaviour Consumer Psychologist curled from http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/ THE ROLE OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR IN STRATEGIC MARKETING COMMUNICATION à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Consumer Affect and Cognition à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Consumer Behaviour à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Consumer Environment

Eleanor Maccoby Essays -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eleanor Maccoby is a renowned psychologist, with publications dating from 1957 to today. She specializes on the socialization of children, developmental change in personality and behavior, relationships of couples after divorce, and parent-child interactions. In this review I focus on her work examining the socialization of children, and parent-child interactions. I link her work between the socialization of children, from their interactions with their parents and with other children, to the interactions of adults. There is a clear parallel between the sex-typed skills learned in child-interactions and those conveyed in adult interactions. Parent–Child Interactions   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Maccoby looks at the development of gender through interaction: â€Å"social behavior is never a function of the individual alone. It is the function of the interaction between two or more persons† (Maccoby 1990). Maccoby’s earlier work dealt with parental effects on children’s gender identity, focusing on the sex stereotypes that parents instill in their children through interaction. Rothbart and Maccoby (1966) studied parents’ reactions to specific child behaviors, especially those regarded as sex-typed, like dependency and aggression, in hopes of understanding what accounts for sex differences in behavior. Social-learning theory addresses the finding, that girls display more dependent behaviors than boys, and boys display more aggressive behaviors than girls. And that dependent behaviors are less rewarded for males, just as aggressive behaviors are less rewarded for females (Rothbart and Maccoby 1966). Using social-learning theory, and assuming that the family constitutes the â€Å"culture† into which a young child is exposed, Rothbart and Maccoby (1966) predicted that both parents would reinforce dependency more strongly in girls, and aggression more strongly in boys. Rothbart Maccoby (1966) tested their prediction by placing parents in a hypothetical situation with a child, asking them to record their reactions and responses to statements made by the child, such as: â€Å"Daddy (or Mommy), come look at my puzzle†¦Daddy, help me†¦Baby, you can’t play with me. You’re too little†¦Leave my puzzle alone or I’ll hit you in the head!† (Maccoby and Rothbart 1966). The â€Å"child† in this situation was a recording of a 4 year old’s voice. Parents were told eith... ...  Ã‚  Maccoby (2002) argues that since the same patterns that exist in children’s mixed and same-sex interactions are prevalent in adult interactions, it is not sufficient to only look at the interaction styles of adults, but that researchers must start with examining those of young children. This review traces those steeps that Maccoby has taken in her research. She began her research with parent-child interactions, studying the affect parents have on the sex-typing behavior of their children, in hopes of establishing where children learn about gender identity. Maccoby then took that information and combined it with research on children’s interactions in play groups, which led her to believe that parental sex-typing is inconsequential in children’s decisions to play in sex-segregated groups. Maccoby (1987) argues that it is the combination of dominance and control with gender labeling that drives children to interact in same-sex groups. Maccoby then ascert ains the importance of the interaction skills learned in these same-sex-segregated groups in affecting adult behavior, and illustrates the many parallels that exist between the interactions of the two different age groups.

The Theme of Community in the Open Boat Essay -- American Literature S

Stephen Crane's Theme of Community Stephen Crane is well known in the literary world for his many underlying themes. In Stephan Crane's "The Open Boat," one of the many themes that can be seen is that of community. He brings to life the importance of the each individual's role in the group setting. Crane uses a dire situation in which men's lives are in the hands of each other to show that without group togetherness no one would make it. He shows the group being given false hopes from outside forces but, how in the end the group must band together for survival and not rely on anything but themselves. "The Open Boat" is one of Crane's best known works. Throughout the story, paralleling an actually event in his life Crane brings the reader inside the minds of his characters. By letting the reader see what each individual character is feeling, the sense of needing a community can be felt. Stephan Crane's life was not long, but with his time he accomplished much. Crane's use of the community theme can easily be linked to his own personal experiences. He was born in Newark New Jersey in 1871 as the 14th child of a Methodist minister. His father died while Crane was still a young child. He attended two years of college. After his short college career Crane lived in a medical boarding house in New York City. There he started his freelance writing. In 1893 he published his first book, Maggie: Girl of the Streets. Throughout these earlier years in his life he also wrote Red Badge of Courage and The Black Rider, along with many other works. In 1879 Crane attempted to do journalistic reporting on the insurrection of Cuba. On his voyage the ship the Commodore sunk, leaving him to float to safety in a lifeboat. It is from this experienc... ...4th, 2003] Available on the World Wide Web: http://www.nagasaki-gaigo.ac.jp/ishikawa/amlit/c/crane_s19re.htm Works Cited Source: ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA, American Literature on the Web Stephen Crane (1871-1900), [cited April 24th, 2003] Available on the World Wide Web: http://www.nagasaki-gaigo.ac.jp/ishikawa/amlit/c/crane_s19re.htm Crane, Stephen "The Open Boat" in Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay 4th Ed. Robert Di Yanni (New York, New York, 1998) Stephan Crane's "The Open Boat", [cited April 24th, 2003] Available on the World Wide Web: http://sites.unc.edu/storyforms/openboat/community/index.html

Race And Beauty in Toni Morrisons Novel The Bluest Eye Essay examples

Throughout Toni Morrison's novel The Bluest Eye, she captures, with vivid insight, the plight of a young African American girl and what she would be subjected to in a media contrived society that places its ideal of beauty on the e quintessential blue-eyed, blonde woman. The idea of what is beautiful has been stereotyped in the mass media since the beginning and creates a mental and emotional damage to self and soul. This oppression to the soul creates a socio-economic displacement causing a cycle of dysfunction and abuses. Morrison takes us through the agonizing story of just such a young girl, Pecola Breedlove, and her aching desire to have what is considered beautiful - blue eyes. Racial stereotypes of beauty contrived and nourished by the mass media contribute to the status at which young African American girls find themselves early on and throughout their lives. While the ideal of beauty is mass marketed the damage it does to society is devastating. By idealizing and pronouncing only one absolute standard of the "blonde and blue-eyed" as beautiful and good, it fosters the opposite and negative belief that young black girls would be defined as the opposite. For a young girl internalizing this it would be defined as the opposite. For a young girl internalizing this it would certainly develop a negative sense of self and worth. With black skin and brown eyes the young girl would find herself in a world where she could never find acceptance as someone physically beautiful and special. This stigma produces a feeling of absolute subservience and lesser purpose and worth creating a mindset of needlessness. A young African American girl would begin to feel invisible in these isolating conditions and create a world where esteem was non-existent. As noted by Gurleen Grewal: As Pecola demonstrates, this socially mandated charade of being something she is not (middle-class white girl) and of not being something one is (working-class black girl) makes one invisible, while the split mentality it entails approaches insanity (26). This belief that one is not worthy of a stereotype is completely devastating to the soul and eventual quality of life. The creation and belief in the mind of such a negative self-concept would produce a shame and anger oppressing the spirit of its true purpose by yieldi... ...era of an absent Shirley Temple contribute to Pecola's loss of insanity†¦" (22). The constant feeding of the media-contrived standard of beauty contributes heavily to the feelings of self a young black girl feels in society and these racial stereotypes nourished by the mass media creates a status at which young African American girls find themselves early on and throughout their lives. Works Cited Grewal, Gurleen. Circles of Sorrow, Lines of Struggle - The Novels of Toni Morrison. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State Press, 1998. Harris, Trudier. Fiction and Folklore: The Novels of Toni Morrison. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1990. Matus, Jill. Toni Morrison. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1998. Mbalia, Dorothea Drummond. Toni Morrison's Developing Class Conscious. London: Associated University Presses, 1991. Miner, Madonne M. "Lady No Longer Sings the Blues: Rape, Madness, and Silence in The Bluest Eye" Toni Morrison. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea House Publishers: New York, 1990. 85-99. Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: Hold, Rinehart and Winston, 1970. Rigney, Barbara Hill. The Voices of Toni Morrison. Columbis: Ohio State Press, 1991.

Research Topic & Research Proposal Essay

1. What do you think of a good research topic? What are the key elements of a good research topic? A good research topic should be of a clear objectives and purpose. It should generate question to discover and find out the underlying problem or understanding a current situation. Therefore the elements of a good research topic is feasibility, are the resources available? How long the research could take and can that be done with a timeline or it needs to be extended. What are the factors that affect the accuracy of the research and what are the variables that need to be considered In order to assure the up to date presentation of results. Is it worthwhile? Is it relevant to what is used for and search about can what values the research will add into the current practices of the organization? 1. Assume that you interested in doing some research on the impact of quality management practices on organizational performance. Write four research questions that may be appropriate. What are the current quality management practices?  What is the link between the quality practices and organization performance   To how extend the quality practices effect the overall organization? Are the employees aware of the importance of quality management concept? What is the impact of quality management on employees behavior?   What are the areas of development addressed by the quality management practices? And how it does tactfully eliminate or change the defined shortfalls. How do the overall objectives of the company align with quality management practices? What are the quality management practices standards used in the organization? And does it match ISO 9001:2008 quality standards? 3. What is a research proposal? What are the purposes and key elements of a proposal? Definition: â€Å"It is a document that is typically written by a scientist or academic which describes the ideas for an investigation on a certain topic. The research proposal outlines the process from beginning to end and may be used to request financing for the project, certification for performing certain parts of research of the experiment, or as a required task before beginning a college dissertation†. Purpose: There are lots of purposes of research proposal and that could be to investigate an enquiry, finding out about something worthwhile in a particular context. Could be of business ground where is used to finalize a deal or evaluate several supplier for a business proposal. Other purposes is to convince the concerned parties about i.g. a product by showing the results of the research.

Junk Science Essay

What led me to this decision based on Baloney Detection Method, the person writing this article did not list who they are, whether or not they have a degree in the matter that they are speaking of, nor do they list who or what company is sponsoring them. No reliable sources are listed in case the reader wants to verify any of the information is to be true. The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus – Baloney junk. Although this article list who are the writers of this article, it does not give any information if either student has received a degree in the information that they are discussing. It does not include what company or organization that is supporting the author. The sources that they listed are not credible. The article does not state whether this information has been reviewed nor verified by any expert, but only claims from a book, articles, and you tube videos. Environmental Effects of Genetically Modified Food Crops – Reliable Unlike the other two articles, this article reveals the name and the profession degree this person has for the matter that is been discussed. The article list who the author is with and who stands to benefit from the work. The article has a variety of reliable sources included if the reader has any questions or simply wants to verify the matter being discussed. This article list the research, written work, claims and field work that has been conducted by other experts. This article provides majority all of the information needed for the questions that are being asked to determine whether or not it is junk science.

The Story of an Hour Reflection

A Reflection on â€Å"The Story of an Hour† Rose Rankin Shashonda Porter ENG 125 December 12th, 2011 A Reflection on â€Å"The Story of an Hour† Summary The short story â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin was written in 1894. In the beginning of the story, we discover that Mrs. Louise Mallard has a heart condition, but she is also said to be young. Which to me seemed odd, but I overlooked this detail so that I could continue the story. Mrs. Mallard’s sister Josephine and Mrs. Mallard’s husband friend Richard came to her house to break the news of the death of her husband in a railroad disaster. They tried to tell her the news gently, because of her condition. To them she seemed to react how a new widow should. She wept and collapsed in her sisters’ arms, before running to her room to be alone. This is where the story soon takes a turn. There in her room, she was actually crying because of happiness of the death rather than sadness. Her sister thinks Mrs. Mallard is making herself sick. In the final paragraphs, Mrs. Mallard leaves her bedroom, when her husband walks into the front door, Mrs. Mallard than passes away at the sight of her husband. Structure/ Key Terms The Story of an Hour† was told in the 3rd person point of view, which enables the readers to have a better view and understanding of the story. I noticed Kate Chopin used quite a bit of symbolism in the story as well. For instance, Mrs. Mallard welcomes the new spring life through the window of her room. This symbolizes a new beginning of her new life without her husband. The tone is ironically relief and joy, despite the news of death. One would think that sadness and instability would be the tone. However, Chopin uses specific language and details to portray otherwise. My thoughts of the story â€Å"†¦the present story is not only brief and clear but also compelling and complex, and it easily lends itself to a variety of critical approaches† (R. C. Evans, 2001). This story was very captivating. I was able to use my imagination to see the characters in full form. Kate Chopin, author of the story went into great detail to portray the setting in the story as well as the tone. At first glance, I thought the tone set for this story was sad and depressing. But I soon realized it was more of relief and happiness. I couldn’t help but to be swept away to this time period and feel as if I were witnessing the situation first hand. At first I couldn’t help but to feel a sense of sadness for Louise Mallard. I mean she had just lost her husband. But I soon realized when she fled to her room, that I felt relieved with her. I felt the empowerment with Louise Mallard. Kate Chopin goes into great detail describing the feeling and emotions that come over Mrs. Mallard after she escapes to her room. Chopin describes the scenery outside of Mrs. Mallard’s window to be spring in full bloom. These details provide a look at Mrs. Mallard’s new life without her husband. She was relieved that he had passed away. She was â€Å"free, free, free! † (Clugston, 2010, Chopin, 1894). Later, Chopin goes into more detail on how Mrs. Mallard is feeling, in the following paragraphs. â€Å"But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome. †¦. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow–creature. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ Free! Body and soul free! † she kept whispering† (Clugston, 2010, Chopin, 1894). As Mrs. Mallard returns downstairs her husband enters the room, Mrs. Mallard quickly passes away. I can’t help to question the reasoning behind her death. Was it the surprise of her husband’s return that made her heart to stop beating? Or was it more on the lines of she won’t receive this new bound freedom she was dreaming of that caused her heart to fail? I can’t help but to think it was her freedom suddenly disappearing that ended her life at a young age. I recently read a chapter from a source provided. It lists students’ perspective on certain points in the story. Students were asked to analyze the following statement as a reader-response critic â€Å"She said it over and over under her breath: free! Free! Free! † (Clugston, 2010, Chopin, 1894). Barbara Larson (a student from Auburn University) states breaks down each piece of the statement. She says â€Å"The words ‘under her breath’ might also encourage the reader to feel an intimacy with Louise and thus regard her sympathetically, since the reader is allowed to share a very personal moment. Likewise, by placing exclamation marks after each use of ‘free,’ Chopin may be encouraging the reader to chare Louise’s excitement about this new-found liberty (B. Larson, R. C. Evans, 2001). Larson’s statement describes my feeling towards this statement exactly. After reading the statement I felt a connection with Mrs. Mallard in a sense of I have experienced the feeling of freedom. Not that a past love passed away, more like a past love finally released me from the grasp I felt around my neck when I was with him. I felt a connection with Mrs. Mallard at that very point in the story. References * R. W. Clugston (2010) Journey to Literature Retrieved from: https://content. ashford. edu/books/AUENG125. 10. 2 * R. C. Evans (2001) Close Readings: Analysis of Short Fiction from Multiple Perspectives by Students of Auburn University Montgomery Retrieved from: http://site. ebrary. com/lib/ashford/docDetail. action? docID=10015376&p00=kate%20chopin