Research Proposal on Consumer Decision Analysis Essay

Primary research objective To determine the factors influencing the consumer decision while buying fruit drinks in the age group 17-30 in the city of Pune. Secondary research objective †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ To determine the product attributes influencing purchase decision of fruit drink brands. To determine the reasons for consuming various fruit drink brands. To determine the most preferred SKU(quantity) in fruit drink category. To determine the most preferred channel in the fruit drink category. Data which research plans to generate Factors influencing the choice of fruit drinks over other beverages. Factors influencing choice of a particular fruit drink brand. Factors influencing the choice of a particular channel in fruit drink category. Value of Information to Management This report aims to generate information on various factors influencing consumer decision while purchasing a fruit drink. Companies can utilise this information for identifying the awareness levels of their respective brands in the fruit drink category. Also companies can evaluate their positioning and promotion strategies based on the factors influencing the choice of a particular fruit drink brand. Companies can also utilise the factors influencing the choice of SKU for managing their portfolio of different SKUs in the fruit drink category. The information on factors influencing the choice of a channel can be used to focus on the growing channels and also in managing existing channels. This report also contains broad based trends on consumer profile, awareness levels, usage patterns and fruit drink category as a whole which can be utilised to make inferences about the future. Research Approach Data collection methods. a) Secondary Research External secondary data has been generated to obtain volume of sales regarding beverage markets, fruit drinks, each of the brands and the positioning of each of the brands. b) Survey Research †¢ †¢ †¢ Data was collected from candidates using questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed in colleges and people on the street. I distributed the questionnaires outside the shops to gather data from people who had come to visit there. I made an online questionnaire and circulated on the internet and gathered results from those. Measurement Instruments: †¢ The measurement instrument in the questionnaire was a five point Likert scale. †¢ †¢ †¢ Apart from details regarding their choice of drink for refreshment, their frequency of visits and the channels they choose, their spending patterns will also be mapped. The data was extracted and put in MS Excel. All the further analysis was then carried out using SPSS. The measurement was designed to get a fair idea about the various attributes and conducted factorial analysis of the important attributes. Samples The aim was to collect 100 samples for the analysis. The samples should be such that they are consumers of fruit drinks. I also tried to get an adequate ratio of men and women in the samples. The main demographics targeted were the younger age group as they are more health conscious and aware of such health drinks. Also I tried to focus more on the college going crowd and young professionals as they would be more interested in trying out new products and were more conscious. Buyers who have been consuming fruit drinks were better able to answer the questions regarding the influencing factors and the reasons for their consumption and purchase. The samples collected from internet have also been very valuable in the research. Analysis Techniques †¢ †¢ †¢ The analysis techniques used have been on SPSS and the tests were performed to ascertain the factors influencing the consumer decision while buying fruit drinks. Factor analysis was conducted to discern out of the 13 factors mainly which factors influence the buying habits of the consumers. Ultimately I identified 5 factors which mainly have an influence. I also conducted correlation tests to find out the various reasons for purchasing any particular brand of fruit drink. The main limitation is the sampling conducted. It was done in a random manner and no particular technique followed. In the first survey a greater number of college students have been surveyed. The data might not be representative of the entire population. Limitations: †¢ †¢ †¢ Various statistical techniques as learned have been implemented and conclusions as best possible have been drawn making few assumptions as and when required. Since no data was on interval or ratio scale it was not feasible to conduct Regression and ANOVA. Factor Analysis The Perceptual mapping for various factor recognized: Rotated Component Matrix(a) Component health and media convenience product features package design hygiene influence range_flavours 0. 112 -0. 069 0. 847 -0. 056 0. 033 availability 0. 011 0. 001 0. 82 0. 009 0. 042 brandambassador 0. 633 -0. 072 -0. 253 -0. 118 0. 3 visual_packg 0. 084 0. 072 0. 062 -0. 023 0. 872 price -0. 14 0. 003 0. 088 0. 691 0. 438 quantityavailable 0. 108 0. 643 0. 041 -0. 181 0. 06 promotionschemes -0. 08 0. 856 -0. 039 0. 172 -0. 032 packetcleanliness 0. 926 0. 004 0. 152 -0. 013 -0. 014 brandvalue -0. 116 0. 794 -0. 159 0. 125 -0. 028 nutritionvalue 0. 778 -0. 074 -0. 043 0. 067 -0. 088 flavour 0. 147 0. 118 -0. 113 0. 779 -0. 261 adfreq -0. 065 0. 8 0. 052 0. 046 0. 066 expirydate 0. 805 -0. 009 0. 244 0. 04 0. 043 Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis. Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization. a. Rotation converged in 6 iterations. The factors recognized after the factor analysis are as under: Factor 1: Health and Hygiene 1. Packet cleanliness 2. Nutrition Value 3. Expiry Date Factor 2: Media Influence 1. Promotion Schemes 2. Brand Value 3. AD Frequency Factor 3: Convenience 1. Range of flavors 2. Availability Factor 4: Product Features 1. Price 2. Flavor Factor 5: Package Design 1. Visual Packaging Attributes those were not important: 1. Brand Ambassador 2. Quantity Available †¢ The perceptual maps show the mapping of different factors in the minds of the customers and the association between them. The data was reduced from many attributes to 5 factors that have similar attributes. The various factors mapped according to the rotated results of factor analysis. The factors were given names based on the attributes in them. These factors were used to form the factor analysis where two factors were mapped on X and Y axis to know the relation between them. †¢ †¢ The factors help the company to know how the product is currently mapped in the customer’s mind. If a target consumer is focused upon then the factors can be changed and a different map can be formed. The attribute brand ambassador and package sizes available are not a major attribute in any of the factors. This justifies the fact that almost all the major fruit drinks are not endorsed by any of the big brand ambassador barring a few such as minute maid pulpy orange (Nikhil Chinappa ) . Also the variety of the package sizes available is not affecting the consumer decision while making a purchase for fruit drinks. †¢ CrossTabs 1. PURCHASE FREQUENCY VS SKU PREFERRED. Crosstab Count SKU 200 ml purchasefrequency 1-3 times 4-6 times more than 6 times rarely Total 25 15 7 11 58 300 ml 2 6 1 1 10 500 ml 5 6 4 5 20 1 litre 2 0 4 6 12 Total 34 27 16 23 100 Chi-Square Tests Asymp. Sig. (2Value Pearson Chi-Square Likelihood Ratio Linear-by-Linear Association N of Valid Cases a. 19. 117a 20. 380 8. 109 100 df 9 9 1 sided) . 024 . 016 . 004 10 cells (62. 5%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 1. 60. Since p value is less than alpha i. e. .05 (95% confidence level), therefore h0 is rejected. This shows that there is high association between purchase frequency and SKU or quantity packs. This is an indication of the fact that people preferring smaller SKUs usually purchase more as compared to others. Thus high association between purchase frequency and SKU (pack sizes ) is established . 2. PURCHASE FREQUENCY VS GENDER purchasefrequency * gender Crosstabulation Count gender male purchasefrequency 1-3 times 4-6 times more than 6 times rarely Total 19 18 12 17 66 female 15 9 4 6 34 Total 34 27 16 23 100 Chi-Square Tests Asymp. Sig. (2Value Pearson Chi-Square Likelihood Ratio Linear-by-Linear Association N of Valid Cases 2. 776a 2. 776 2. 387 100 df 3 3 1 sided) . 428 . 427 . 122 a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 5. 44. Since p value is greater than alpha i. e. o. 05 (95% confidence level), therefore there is no association between purchase frequency and gender. 3. CHOICE OF CHANNEL VS FACTORS AFFECTING CHOICE OF CHANNEL channel * reasonforchannel Crosstabulation Count reasonforchannel Pricing channel Retail store Supermarket Cineplex Restaurants Travel Pan shops Others Total 4 4 1 1 1 0 1 12 Ambience 8 6 0 3 2 2 0 21 Nearness 23 6 0 1 1 0 0 31 Service 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 Display 13 6 2 3 1 0 0 25 Reputation 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 3 Occasion 6 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 Total 54 23 5 9 5 2 2 100. Chi-Square Tests Asymp. Sig. (2Value Pearson Chi-Square Likelihood Ratio Linear-by-Linear Association N of Valid Cases 68. 211a 50. 165 1. 108 100 df 36 36 1 sided) . 001 . 059 . 293 a. 43 cells (87. 8%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is . 02. Here p value is less than alpha i. e. 0. 05 (95% confidence level) therefore Ho is rejected. This shows that there is high association between choice of channel and factors affecting the choice of channel. This gives an indication such that those people who consider availability and nearness as their factor affecting the choice of channel might prefer buying fruit drink from retail stores or grocery stores. Thus a high association is established. CROSSTABS OF PURCHASE FREQUENCY VS REASONS FOR HAVING FRUIT DRINKS I conducted crosstabs of purchase frequency with the scores /ranking given by various respondents to the various reasons for drinking fruit drinks such as socialisation, refreshment, enjoyment, mental lift, attitude, basic thirst, taste etc. out of all these crosstabs association was found between two cases. The two cases have been given below: 1. PURCHASE FREQUENCY VS REFRESHMENT purchasefrequency * refreshment Crosstabulation Count refreshment neither agree nor strongly disagree purchasefrequency 1-3 times 4-6 times more than 6 times rarely Total 20 18 9 8 55 disagree 7 6 7 12 32 disagree 5 0 0 2 7 agree 2 1 0 1 4 strongly agree 0 2 0 0 2 Total 34 27 16 23 100 Chi-Square Tests Asymp. Sig. (2Value Pearson Chi-Square Likelihood Ratio Linear-by-Linear Association N of Valid Cases 20. 628a 23. 332 . 108 100 df 12 12 1 sided) . 056 . 025 . 742 a. 12 cells (60. 0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is . 32. Since p value is less than alpha (95% confidence level) thus there is high association between refreshment purpose and purchase frequency. This might be an indication of the fact that people drinking fruit drinks for refreshment purpose generally buy more as compared to others. PURCHASE FREQUENCY VS BASIC THIRST purchasefrequency * basicthirst Crosstabulation Count basicthirst neither agree nor strongly disagree purchasefrequency 1-3 times 4-6 times more than 6 times rarely Total 6 11 3 11 31 disagree 15 6 9 9 39 disagree 7 6 0 2 15 agree 5 4 4 0 13 strongly agree 1 0 0 1 2 Total 34 27 16 23 100. Chi-Square Tests Asymp. Sig. (2Value Pearson Chi-Square Likelihood Ratio Linear-by-Linear Association N of Valid Cases 20. 262a 26. 177 4. 223 100 df 12 12 1 sided) . 062 . 010 . 040 a. 12 cells (60. 0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is . 32. Since p value is less than alpha (95%) therefore there is high association between purchase frequency and basic thirst /filling purpose. This might be an indication of the fact that people drinking fruit drinks for basic thirst / filling purpose generally buy more as compared to others. Correlation Correlation of the various brands (i. e. Appy, Real, Tropicana etc) was done with various reasons for drinking such as refreshment, enjoyment, vitality, mental lift etc. I tried to identify the various reasons that are correlated with various brands . This activity basically helped us in identifying the perception and connotations of people towards various fruit drink brands. Following are some of the inferences that I established after conducting the correlation analysis. 1. There was a significant correlation between brand Real and the following reasons for drinking : †¢ Health †¢ Enjoyment †¢ Attitude 2. There was a significant correlation between brand Tropicana and the following reasons for drinking : †¢ Health †¢ Enjoyment 3. There was a significant correlation between brand Maaza and the following reasons for drinking : †¢ Attitude 4. There was a no correlation between brand Slice and the various reasons for drinking. 5. There was a significant correlation between brand Appy and the following reasons for drinking : †¢ Socialising 6. There was a significant correlation between brand Frooti and the following reasons for drinking: †¢ Taste †¢ Mental lift 7. There was a significant correlation between brand Mangola and the following reasons for drinking : †¢ Taste †¢ Mental lift 8. There was a significant correlation between brand Pulpy Orange and the following reasons for drinking : †¢ Attitude 9. There was a significant correlation between brand Twister and the following reasons for drinking: †¢ Taste †¢ Mental lift 10. There was a significant correlation between brand Others (ex. Lehberry etc.) and the following reasons for drinking : †¢ Attitude †¢ Basic thirst Conclusion On the basis of the data collected and the tests conducted I have arrived at the following conclusions: With the help of correlation I was able to identify the attributes that consumers associate with the various fruit drinks and which in turn drive their purchase decision for the same. For example Tropicana is associated with health and enjoyment whereas Appy is associated with socialising. These reflect the perceptions of the various fruit drinks in the mind of the consumers. The crosstab between purchase frequency and SKU showed that those purchasing smaller SKU’s purchase more frequently as compared to those who purchased a 500ml or 1litre. On the other hand there is no impact of gender on purchasing frequency for fruit drinks. There is a high association between the channels preferred and the factors affecting these channels. The most important factor came out to be location or nearness of the channel. There is also a high association between purchase frequency and reasons for consuming fruit drinks such as refreshment and fulfilling basic thirst. In factor analysis I found out 5 factors which mainly have an impact on the purchase of a fruit drink. There were two factors which did not have any significant impact. Also, I found out that the most preferred channel for purchase in retail stores. The most preferred SKU is 200ml packs which could be due to convenience. The most preferred drink is Frooti followed by Tropicana and Real. Annexure Perceptual Maps: 1. Health & Hygiene Vs Media Influence 0. 778 health and hygiene -0. 08 0. 926 -0. 116 0. 778 -0. 065 0. 805 media/external influence 0. 856 0. 004 0. 794 -0. 074 0. 8 -0. 009.promotionschemes packetcleanliness brandvalue nutritionvalue adfreq expirydate 2. Health & Hygiene Vs Convenience health and hygiene range_flavours availability packetcleanlines s nutritionvalue expirydate 0. 112 0. 011 0. 926 0. 778 0. 805 convenience 0. 847 0. 82 0. 152 -0. 043 0. 244 3. Health & Hygiene Vs Product Features health and hygiene price packetcleanlines s nutritionvalue flavour expirydate -0. 14 0. 926 0. 778 0. 147 0. 805 product features 0. 691 -0. 013 0. 067 0. 779 0. 04 4. Media Influence Vs Convenience media influence range_flavours availability -0. 069 0. 001 convenience 0. 847 0. 82.promotionschemes brandvalue adfreq 0. 856 0. 794 0. 8 -0. 039 -0. 159 0. 052 5. Media Influence Vs Product Features media influence price promotionscheme s brandvalue flavour adfreq 0. 003 0. 856 0. 794 0. 118 0. 8 product features 0. 691 0. 172 0. 125 0. 779 0. 046 6. Convenience Vs Product Feature convenience range_flavours availability price flavour 0. 847 0. 82 0. 088 -0. 113 product features -0. 056 0. 009 0. 691 0. 779 7. Health & Hygiene Vs Package Design visual_packg packetcleanline ss nutritionvalue expirydate health and package hygiene design 0. 084 0. 872 0. 926 -0. 014 0. 778 0. 805 -0. 088 0. 043 8. Media Influence Vs Package Design media/external package influence design visual_packg 0. 072 0. 872 promotionscheme 0. 856 -0. 032 s brandvalue 0. 794 -0. 028 adfreq 0. 8 0. 066 9. Convenience Vs Package Design range_flavou rs convenience package design 0. 847 0. 033 availability visual_packg 0. 82 0. 062 0. 042 0. 872 10. Product features Vs Package design product features visual_pack g price flavour -0. 023 0. 691 0. 779 package design 0. 872 0. 438 -0. 261 Questionnaire: QUESTIONNAIRE 1. Whom do you buy fruit drinks for? (Tick one) a) Myself b) Family c) Children d) Institutional purposes / social occasions 2. a) b) c) d) 3. a) b) c) d) How often do you have a fruit drink? 1-3 times a week 4-6 times a week More than 6 times a week Rarely (fortnightly ) What quantity do you usually prefer to buy? 200-250 ml (Tetrapak) 300 ml 500 ml bottle 1 litre 4. Through which medium did you come to know about your preferred fruit drink brand? a) Hoardings and banners b) Newspaper and magazines c) TV/radio d) Word of mouth e) Others †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 5. Do the following reasons influence your consumption of fruit drinks? Strongly Disagree Neither Agree disagree agree nor REASONS disagree For social occasions / entertainment It acts as a refreshment. Strongly Agree It provides enjoyment It tastes very good It satisfies my basic thirst and is filling I feel a sense of well being after consuming it It gives me vitality and energy It relaxes me mentally It reflects my attitude 6. Rank the following fruit drinks from 1 to 5, with 1 being least preferred and 5 being most preferred: a) Real †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ b) Tropicana †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ c) Maaza †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ d) Slice †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ e) Appy †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ f) Frooti †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ g) Mangola †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ h) Pulpy orange †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ i) Twister †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ j) Others †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 7. How important are the following factors for purchasing a fruit drink? FACTORS Very less Less No important important Influenc e Important Very Important Flavor No. of flavors Availability and Convenience Price Cleanliness of packet/ not damaged Manufacturing date /expiry date Frequency of advertisement Brand ambassador Nutritional value/ calorie content Brand value /brand name SKUs available Promotion schemes/discounts Visual appeal of packaging 8. Which is your most preferred channel for purchasing a fruit drink? a) Retail store/grocery store b) Supermarket/hypermarket c) Cineplex d) Pan shop/kiosks e) Restaurants f) Travel g) Others†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 9. a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) Which is the most important characteristic for choosing the channel? Pricing Ambience Location/ nearness Service Display /merchandising Reputation Occasion Others Personal Details 1. Age a) b) c) d) 17-20 21-24 25-28 29 and above 2. Gender: a) Male b) Female 3. Education a) b) c) d) e) High school Undergraduate Graduate Postgraduate Others.

Dry Shampoo

How do marketers assess the need of a product to market it†¦ In today’s competitive, global environment, new products and innovation are critical to a company’s growth and sustainability. Many companies today focus only on cost reduction. Generating revenue via new, differentiated products should also be part of the corporate strategy. Product development must be done within a strategic context that takes into account emerging market trends, environmental and regulatory rulings and trends, customer and employee needs and wants, and financial considerations.The development and launching of new products is perceived as a risk due to uncertainties of success after significant investments. In addition, the product development process is not well understood by most firms. Finding, developing, and exploiting new product growth can help corporations to maximize latent value in their new innovative products and growing markets, while diversifying risk. It also allows busin esses to focus on evolving macro and micro markets and to enhance customer satisfaction and competitive advantage. Begin market planning by clearly identifying the market you want to target.This may or may not be the market you are working with now. The idea is to think creatively about your product to determine what set of customers are going to give your business the cash flow, profit and growth it needs. Suppose I am going to start a business of â€Å"DRY SHAMPOO† as it is quite a new product for Bangladesh perspectives†¦ The so-called â€Å"French shower,† that curious Napoleonic custom of applying perfume or deodorant over unwashed flesh, went out of style with pantaloons, and certainly never spread to these more hygienic shores.Right? Hello, dry shampoo. Touted as a water and timesaving way to stay quote-unquote gorgeous on the go, these wildly popular shampoo substitutes allow the busiest exec to head straight from the bedroom to the boardroom without a pes ky shower in between. Just apply a cumulus of powder to the scalp, wait two minutes before brushing it out, and Fabulist achieved. Dry shampoo is a powdered substance used to clean the hair when you want to extend the length of a blowout or when it is not practical to use water and traditional shampoo.The market for dry shampoos, which are sold in both spray-on and powdered formulas, has exploded over the past few years. Name a high-end hair-care brand—Frederic Fekkai, Bumble and bumble, Oscar Blandi, Rene Futerer—and the chances are good that a revolutionary new dry-shampoo product is one of the top-selling items in the company's inventory. Their average price overs around $20 for about 3 ounces—not exactly a bargain. So, how well do they work? Old-fashioned wet shampoo cleans hair of all of the assorted gunk and free radicals that accumulate over the course of a day, as well as its natural oils, which are known as sebum.Dry shampoo, which usually has a base of talc, cornstarch, potato, or rice, soaks up rather than washes away sebum and dirt. When you brush out the powder, you're also (allegedly) brushing out the grime, too. Because the soak-up/brush-out method doesn't rid the hair of as much sebum, you can safely use dry shampoos once or several times between regular shampooing. But alert: Because dry shampoos are essentially spray-on powders, they can, even after vigorous brushing, lighten the crown of your head, which can be good or bad, depending on your desired hair color.Why Use Dry Shampoo? Fab Hair, Fewer Washes Over washing your hair can dry it out and cause hair color to fade. To preserve your color and maintain moisturized, sleek hair, it is best to wash your hair only 2-3 times per week. Additionally, if you’re strapped for time and you need to freshen up your locks (after the gym, before a night out, etc. ), dry shampoo serves as a fantastic option. Modern, busy women swear by dry shampoos! So the question is.. Who wi ll buy my product? Why will they buy my product? What will they pay for my product?Where do they expect to find this product? When spoke to a half-dozen dry shampoo devotees about their reliance on these potions. One â€Å"natural† said dry shampoo helps her disguise suspicious roots on the brink of her next highlight appointment, since the powder tends to lighten the hair. Another turns to it when she can't submit to the 45-minute blow-dry required to tame her frizzy curls. Then the third one who use it after midday workouts and the partygoers who want to refresh their appearance in the office bathroom.The marketer may recruit 2 or three testers for analyzing the range of hair types who are chemically enhanced one with thick hair and a schedule that only allows her to hit the gym during lunch. The second has thin hair that looks flat and oily by the end of the workday; she'd prefer to take a second shower before any nighttime assignations. The third one has thick, wavy, jet- black hair that requires herculean efforts to manage. All three work full-time and shampoo daily. generally obedient hair that never, ever wash on a daily basis, having been taught early on that too-frequent washing strips and damages hair over the long run.

East Meets West: Which is the Better Car?

The argument has always been like this: Which is the better car? Both the Japanese and American Cars have their respective advantages in design and usability. However, the argument herewith will constantly consider the kind of lifestyle people have, given the global financial crisis.According to an article in the Daily Fuel Economy Tip website, there has been other crisis that triggered the need for more efficient cars. During 1973 and 1979, gas and energy crisis had hit consumers. This, the article suggested, called for alternatives, which is through obtaining foreign cars. With that, this essay shall focus on the reliability, gas consumption, gas mileage and economic impact of these car categories.In the Long RunAccording to automobile enthusiasts, Japanese cars are more reliable than other cars. Japanese cars don’t just break down in the middle of the highway. It suggests that the Japanese cars make use of sturdier parts.The car would not need major repairs. However, in the case that the car would need any repairs, the spare parts are actually very accessible and affordable. Given the number of units there are on the streets, the amount of parts will not be harder to find.Another article mentioned that Japanese cars are even easier to modify for a better performance. Although in certain regions, it is illegal to enhance a car’s power and speed if it would only be used on the highway. But Japanese cars are already driver friendly that any modifications made on the car are simply to satisfy the need for speed.On the other hand, owning an American car may lead to a difficult search for parts that are less costly, like second hand parts. Brand new parts are going to be expensive and buying one will just be the beginning once other parts start to malfunction as well. It can become too costly in the long run. Cars are not just leisure accessories. They are a primary means of transportation. Japanese cars tend to be more dependable.Gas ConsumptionAcco rding to the sources, Japanese cars are preferred due to its efficiency in consuming gas. With the price hike of almost every product open to mass consumers, gasoline for cars are not different. Gas rates have gone up and down, and the instability has caused consumers to be mindful of their expenses.In the past, people have taken their cars to their offices and back home, or cab rides despite the short distances. Today, they have resorted to taking long walks and trains. However, cutting down expenses are not always the best option. With the need to work harder, there are employees who would have to work farther from their homes. Cars will be a very important tool in their work.Drawing a criterion for the best car will have to be considered, and the amount of gas to be used will have to be on the top of the list. There will be times wherein one would require a car for everyday travelling purposes. But one should be wise in gathering options: speed and power or usability?Meanwhile, t here are also hybrid cars by Japanese auto companies. This further cut down the costs while considering the effect of burnt gas on the environment. The car might still be running on gas, but it would not use as much. Hybrid cars make use of alternative gases, which are less costly and less harmful to the environment. Â  

Audience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Audience - Essay Example This will allow me to satisfactorily accomplish my mission and become well qualified for a good job in our highly competitive job market. As per my resume, you have seen that my academic performance is exemplary and you have not received any disciplinary complaint or any issue from the lecturers. This proves that indeed your finances are being put into good use. Mother, I always read the scriptures, meditate and say my prayers to Buddha. Father, I always steer clear of trouble and I keep good company. I am your investment and after this final year, I will come home and show all of you that indeed I am a respectable and resourceful person in society. You raised me and showed me by example what kind of person to be. As the wise say ‘Giving your child a skill is better than giving him one thousand pieces of gold.’ Mother, father, kindly finance me for only one more year. I have never and will never let you

Characteristics of Start-Ups - Entrepreneurship in Germany Term Paper

Characteristics of Start-Ups - Entrepreneurship in Germany - Term Paper Example Diversity in teams is considered to be a positive force leading to the effective functioning of the team (Knight et al. 1999). The Top Management Team (TMT) comprises of individuals with power and authority to make strategic decisions (Camelo-Ordaz, Herna ´ndez-Lara, & Valle-Cabrera) and thus, diversity in TMT can impact the organizational outcome. Top Management Team (TMT) has been defined as the â€Å"the relatively small group of most influential executives at the apex of an organization†¦the top three to ten executives† (Finkelstein & Hambrick, 1996: 8, cited by Tacheva, 2007). An entrepreneurial team consists of two or more members who jointly invest in a business in which they have an equal financial interest (Cooney, 2009). They have shared commitment, shared accountability and shared independent tasks and outcomes for these tasks. In this report, the TMT team includes a team of four experienced entrepreneurial CEOs at Omnis Mundi AG, who have pooled in their talent and expertise to foster the creation of new businesses in Europe. This report would hence evaluate the TMT characteristics in startups. Diversity in TMT is desirable in different fields but this report would focus on functional or task-related diversity, background affiliation, tenure/turnover and demographic heterogeneity. Diversity and heterogeneity are synonymous and hence interchangeably used throughout the report. Diversity can be observable (demographic) or non-observable (cognitive) diversity attributes (Tacheva, 2007). The observable characteristics include age, tenure, functional and educational background, and these account for managerial psychological behaviour. These are also known as relations-oriented attributes. Knowledge, skills and expertise or functional background are observable task-related attributes. Non-observable attributes are difficult to assess and hence the TMT is selected based on their observable attributes. According to the upper echelon theory, the TMT behaviour influences firm performance.  

International Monetary Economy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

International Monetary Economy - Assignment Example PPP and the exchange rate are almost similar, 1 and 1.33. This shows that the value of the Canadian is almost equal to the American dollar. This shows that the Canadian consumers and the American consumers have an equal PPP with their respective currencies. The exchange rate will be stable. PPP= Price in Denmark/Price in U.S=8.08. Comparing the PPP and the exchange rate between Denmark and America is 5.82. The value of the Canadian dollar is undervalued. The Canadian consumers have a loss of the PPP relative to the American consumers. The exchange rate will increase. iTunes price in U.S is 0.99 compared to the price in Euro of 0.99. The PPP between the two countries is 1. The exchange rate between U.S and Euro is $1=0.78 pounds. The value of Euro pound is almost equal with value of the American pound. The Euro and American consumers have almost equal PPP with their respective currencies. The exchange rate between the two countries will be constant (Tanzi and Gupta 145). iTunes price in U.S is 0.99 compared to the price in Japan’s 200 Yen. The PPP between the two nations is 202. The exchange rate of the Japanese Yen compared to the American dollar of 112. There is a loss of PPP of the Japanese consumers relative to the U.S consumers. The exchange rate will increase. iTune price in U.S is 0.99 compared to the price of the iTunes in Sweden of SKr is 9. The PPP of the two countries is 9.10. The PPP of the two countries is almost similar, but not exact. The Sweden consumers and the American consumer have an equal PPP with their respective currencies. However, the exchange will increase between the two countries. iTunes price in U.S is 0.99 compared to the price of the iTune prices in Switzerland SKr is 1.50. The PPP of the two countries is 1.52. The PPP of the two countries is almost similar, but not equal. The exchange rate of the two countries will remain as1.21 or slightly high. iTunes

British industrial relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

British industrial relations - Essay Example lective bargaining can force employers to deal with labour as a collective identity, rather than isolated individuals and so, secure better the terms and condition of employment. Nevertheless, in 1979when the conservative party won the election, everything changed. The new government used a lot measures to restrict the role of trade unions. In addition, it introduced an enterprise culture in which individuals and organisations, rather than government, were to be held responsible for economic performance. Thus, as well as rejecting the maintenance of full employment as a major policy objective, they in effect abandoned the commitment of their predecessors to voluntary collective bargaining as the most effective method of determining pay and conditions. Then, there was a total break with the old work patterns but an explanation of this will be the economical context. In fact, after the war, there was a period of reconstruction that engendered a lot of work; manufacturing was the backbone of the economy, it was a period of full employment. After that, there was a wave of privatisation, many companies became multinationals, and there was an internationalisation o f business. Because Britain is the candle of industrialisation, the British employment relations system has a long history. It is extremely important as it's the FIRST system in the modern sense and thus other ER systems such as Australia's, has been 'modelled' on it (Marchington et al. 2004 p36). For example, many percent trade unions can trace their roots back to this mid-19th century or earlier in Britain. The legislations and rules of employment relations in many countries are also modelled on the Britain's. As a result, studying the British employment relation system can help to know the history of the ER... The aim of this essay will be to access and explain the management of British employment relationship and then derive lessons concerning the management of the employment relationship from the study of the operation, structure and effectiveness of systems of the employment relations in Britain. This essay will then give a description of the recent management of the British Industrial Relations system in Britain and discuss the future of British Industrial Relations System. The British industrial relations system has a long history and has gone through much change in recent years. Industrial relations are also known as employee relations. There are three phases in the evolution of employee relations since the end of the World War II, the third one being the partnership approach. Until 1979 (date of the election of the Conservative Party), work relations were based on collective bargaining and collective agreement aiming to determine and regulate, in varying degrees, the terms on which individuals will be employed (Flanders 1968 p35), with a strong voluntarism encouraged massively and informally.Since the early days of the Industrial Revolution, from 1760-1830 progress, innovation and growth in every field of human endeavour have served to transform industry, economics and society. The British system of industrial relations has often been considered as being as voluntarist, by which is generally meant the abstaining of the state from direct interference in the managing industrial relations

Ancient art and architecture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ancient art and architecture - Research Paper Example The word 'sociocultural' is fundamentally an amalgamation of that which encompasses both cultural and social factors. Owing to the above justification, this research seeks to expound on social and cultural contexts that played a pivotal role towards architectural works like; the George C. Boldt Yacht House and the Khyber Ridge House Discussion The historic George C. Boldt Yacht House structure, stands on 100 feet long piece of land. The structure contains 120 rooms among them service bay for the yacht, a servant quarter and a storage facility and offices moreover an elevator for mobility. Besides, an underground passage on the water edge from the servants docks. Furthermore, the architecture uses a combination of tradition materials with contemporary features, such as extensive verandas, glass windows for clear and easy visibility, concrete and steel roofs and floors to enhance its strength, durability and fire proof purposes, ornaments of cast terr cotta for wall and tiles for wall and floor decoration respectively. In line with architectural works, The Khyber Ridge House dwells in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, a proficient snowboarder specially ordered to have strategy firm known us â€Å"Studio NMinusOne† to complete the project. ... Its green rooftop mergers in with the setting. In contrast, a cantilevering roof with a deferred floor projecting out of the incline that forms the central living volume. The cantilever is fastened by four by three foot profound beams of steel drilled unswervingly into the facade of the rock; a four by one inch diameter of steel roads that are stainless suspends the floor. With its glass inclusion, the glass effect creates a floating platform that enlightens when engaged by the complete impact of the adjoining mountains. One is factually suspended in space and encircled by the greenery of trees. Subsequently, the higher level bedchambers retreat hindmost along the delineations of the mountain, thus producing an inconspicuous relationship to the contiguous views. As the occupants traverse these dimensions, they unremittingly intertwine the terrain in and out. Sociocultural context analysis Fundamentally, the above named structures receive massive ideas from the social and cultural con text. Social and cultural factors greatly influence architectural works. Sociocultural context denotes to circumstances enlivening to both social and cultural matters. The word 'sociocultural' is fundamentally an amalgamation of that which encompasses both cultural and social factors. Social factors entail aspects like; political, religion, economic status, ethnicity, locality education and physical attributes. On the other hand, culture includes a set of beliefs like; color codes, population density, geographical location, traditions, intellectual artistic and many others. Justifiably, the aforementioned factors play a significant role toward generating an idea as regards architect. For instance, the George C. Boldt Yacht House depicts the ancient periods through its

Black world study reflection paper, based on reading and viewing Essay - 1

Black world study reflection paper, based on reading and viewing materials - Essay Example In the early 60s, stereotyping was rife in United States whereby people from certain races were subjected to discrimination. In a bid to oppose the treatment, many resorted to art using music and other forms. With time, the Americans recognized very race courtesy of art demonstrated by many artists. For this reason, it is appropriate to agree that â€Å"dance, poetry, music can bring difference in this country and in this world† (Brown, p.2). To cement this point, various movies have been released where the oppression in many Islamic countries happen. As a result, some countries like Qatar have lately been viewed as civilized due to its approach to various issues. Additional, singer Elton John, a renowned gay activist has transformed the way same-sex marriages are viewed through music. As a result, same-sex marriages have been legalized and the couples are treated the same as heterosexuals. From the case materials, the story of Primus proves beyond reasonable doubt the power of art. Even though stereotypes still exists in today’s society, it is appropriate to state that much of the change that has been witness is due to art. For instance, in the case of Primus, the owner at the Cafà © society judged her as per her appearance. However, upon insisting for a chance, Primus, â€Å"danced with such skill and enthusiasm at her audition that she earned a coveted slot as a Cafà © Society entertainer† (p.13). From the above explanation, it is clear that afterwards, the perception towards Primus change thanks to art. It is for this reasons that emphasis is made on the power of art. Indeed, it has the capability to change the society but only when given a chance. Racism issues in United States were rampant but one of the people who actively participated in its end was primus. Interestingly, to do this, ‘she waged her artistic and political fight for

Legitimacy Theory Essay Example for Free

Legitimacy Theory Essay â€Å"Legitimacy is a generalized perception or assumption that the actions of an entity are desirable, proper, or appropriate within some socially constructed system of norms, values, beliefs, and definitions† (Suchman, 1995, p. 574, emphasis in original) Legitimacy theory has become one of the most cited theories within the social and environmental accounting area. Yet there remains deep scepticism amongst many researchers that it offers any real insight into the voluntary disclosures of corporations. This brief paper outlines responses to two specific concerns identified in the literature. It will eventually form part of a much larger project addressing a range of issues associated with legitimacy theory. First, the paper brings some of the more recent developments in the management and ethical literature on legitimacy and corporations to the accounting table. Second, there are contributions to the theory that have already been made by accounting researchers that are yet to be fully recognised. The author believes that legitimacy theory does offer a powerful mechanism for understanding voluntary social and environmental disclosures made by corporations, and that this understanding would provide a vehicle for engaging in critical public debate. The problem for legitimacy theory in contributing to our understanding of accounting disclosure specifically, and as a theory in general, is that the term has on occasion been used fairly loosely. This is not a problem of the theory itself, and the observation could be equally applied to a range of theories in a range of disciplines (see for example Caudill (1997) on the abuse of Evolutionary Theory). Failure to adequately specify the theory has been identified by Suchman (1995, p. 572, emphasis in original), who observed that â€Å"Many researchers employ the term legitimacy, but few define it†. Hybels (1995, p. 241) comments that â€Å"As the tradesmen [sic] of social science have groped to build elaborate theoretical structures with which to shelter their careers and  disciplines, legitimation has been a blind man’s hammer.† This paper begins to address these issues. Not One Theory but Two (at least) An important issue which needs to be acknowledged is that there are in fact two major classes of legitimacy theory. These are graphically presented in Figure 1 below. The ‘macro-theory’ of legitimation, known as Institutional Legitimacy Theory, deals with how organisational structures as a whole (capitalism for example, or government) have gained acceptance from society at large. â€Å"Within this tradition, legitimacy and institutionalization are virtually synonymous. Both phenomena empower organizations primarily by making them seem natural and meaningful† (Suchman, 1995, p. 576, emphasis in original). In terms of accounting research, given the time frames involved and questions generally being considered, the current business environment, including the capitalist structure, democratic government, etc. are generally taken as a given, a static context within which the research is situated. This assumption would, however, need to be carefully considered for a longitudinal study of any significant length. Figure 1: Layers of Legitimacy Theory INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL GOVERNMENT RELIGION SOCIETY CAPITALISM ORGANISATIONAL LEVEL (IN THIS CASE: COMPANY LTD BY SHARE) Establishment Defence Extension Maintenance From the Moral to the Measurable One layer down from the Institutional Level is what in Figure 1 is called the â€Å"Organisational Level† (sometimes referred to as Strategic Legitimacy Theory). â€Å"Underlying organizational legitimacy is a process, legitimation, by which an organization seeks approval (or avoidance of sanction) from groups in society† (Kaplan and Ruland, 1991, p. 370). It is from this level  that most accounting research tends to draw its understanding of legitimacy. Mathews (1993, p. 350) provides a good definition of legitimacy at this level: Organisations seek to establish congruence between the social values associated with or implied by their activities and the norms of acceptable behaviour in the larger social system in which they are a part. In so far as these two value systems are congruent we can speak of organisational legitimacy. When an actual or potential disparity exists between the two value systems there will exist a threat to organisational legitimacy. At its simplest, within the Organisational view â€Å"legitimacy [is] an operational resource that organizations extract often competitively from their cultural environments and that they employ in pursuit of their goals† (Suchman, 1995, p. 575 6, emphasis in original). Legitimacy, just like money, is a resource a business requires in order to operate. Certain actions and events increase that legitimacy, and others decrease it. Low legitimacy will have particularly dire consequences for an organisation, which could ultimately lead to the forfeiture of their right to operate. Although we can describe a firm as being legitimate, and conceive of ‘amounts’ of legitimacy, it becomes a very subjective exercise to try and directly measure legitimacy. Although it has concrete consequences, legitimacy itself is an abstract concept, given reality by multiple actors in the social environment. For a researcher to try and directly establish, or even rank, the legitimacy of various organisations would seem to be a necessarily subjective undertaking, preferencing the researcher’s own views. As Hybels (1995, p. 243) argues, â€Å"I reject this view because it is based on a conflation of the roles of observer and participant in social science†. As an alternative, rather than trying to subjectively measure a firm’s legitimacy directly it can instead be inferred from the fact that being legitimate â€Å"enables organizations to attract resources necessary for survival (e.g., scarce materials, patronage, political approval)† (Hearit, 1995, p. 2). Hybels (1995, p. 243) develops this in some detail: Legitimacy often has been conceptualized as simply one of many resources that organizations must obtain from their environments. But rather than viewing legitimacy as something that is exchanged among institutions, legitimacy is better conceived as both part of the context for exchange and  a by-product of exchange. Legitimacy itself has no material form. It exists only as a symbolic representation of the collective evaluation of an institution, as evidenced to both observers and participants perhaps most convincingly by the flow of resources. †¦ resources must have symbolic import to function as value in social exchange. But legitimacy is a higher-order representation of that symbolism – a representation of representations. Hybels (1995, p. 243) argues that good models in legitimacy theory must examine the relevant stakeholders, and how â€Å"Each influences the flow of resources crucial to the organizations’ establishment, growth, and survival, either through direct control or by the communication of good will†. He identifies (p. 244) four critical organisational stakeholders, each of which control a number of resources. These are summarised in Table 1 below. Table 1: Critical Organisational Stakeholder STAKEHOLDER RESOURCES CONTROLLED Contracts, grants, legislation, regulation, tax (Note that the (1) The state last three of these could be either a ‘negative’ or ‘positive’ depending on the implementation) (2) The public (3) The financial community (4) The media Few ‘direct resources’; however, can substantially influence the decisions of stakeholders (2) (3) (if not (1)) Patronage (as customer), support (as community interest), labour Investment The last of these has received considerable attention. The power of the media has been noted by a number of researchers, including Patten (2002, p. 153), who states â€Å"that while increased media attention can certainly lead to the potential for increased pressures from any of the three sources [dissatisfaction of public; new or proposed political action; increased regulatory oversight], increases in pressure can  also arise, particularly with respect to regulatory oversight.† See also Deegan et al. (2000, 2002). Companies try to manage their legitimacy because it â€Å"helps to ensure the continued inflow of capital, labour and customers necessary for viability†¦ It also forestalls regulatory activities by the state that might occur in the absence of legitimacy and pre-empts product boycotts or other disruptive actions by external parties By mitigating these potential problems, organizational legitimacy provides managers with a degree of autonomy to decide how and where business will be conducted† (Neu  et al., 1998, p. 265). Researchers need to move away from trying to directly assess legitimacy, and instead focus on measuring it in terms of the resources relevant stakeholders provide. â€Å"Rather than engage in the further development of entirely abstract constructions of the legitimation process†¦ researchers should investigate the flow of resources from organizational constituencies as well as the pattern and content of communications† (Hybels, 1995, p. 244). But Wait†¦ There’s More As shown in Figure 1 Organisational Legitimacy Theory suggests that a firm may be in one of four phases with regard to its legitimacy. These phases are outlined below, some examples of industries/firms that might be considered to be operating in each of these phases are included (further research needs to be undertaken in this area). Establishing Legitimacy. (E.g. Stem Cell based bio-tech). This first phase represents the early stages of a firm’s development and tends to revolve around issues of competence, particularly financial, but the organisation must be aware of â€Å"socially constructed standards of quality and desirability as well as perform in accordance with accepted standards of professionalism† (Hearit, 1995, p. 2). Maintaining Legitimacy. (The majority of organisations). This is the phase that most firms would generally expect to be operating in, where their â€Å"activities include: (1) ongoing role performance and symbolic assurances that all is well, and (2) attempts to anticipate and prevent or forestall potential challenges to legitimacy† (Ashford and Gibbs, 1990, p. 183). However the maintenance of legitimacy is not as easy as it may at first appear. Legitimacy is a dynamic construct. â€Å"Community expectations are not considered static, but rather, change across time thereby requiring organisations to be responsive to the environment in which they operate. An organisation could, accepting this view, lose its legitimacy even if it has not changed its activities from activities which were previously deemed acceptable (legitimate)† (Deegan et al., 2002, p. 319 20). Extending Legitimacy. (E.g. Alternative Health Providers). There may come a point where an organisation enters new markets or changes the way it relates to its current market. This can give rise to a need to extend  legitimacy which is â€Å"apt to be intense and proactive as management attempts to win the confidence and support of wary potential constituents† (Ashford and Gibbs, 1990, p. 180). Defending Legitimacy. (E.g. Uranium Mining). Legitimacy may be threatened by an incident (internal or external), and therefore require defence. â€Å"Legitimation activities tend to be intense and reactive as management attempts to counter the threat† (Ashford and Gibbs, 1990, p. 183). Even barring a major incident it is likely in the Western Capitalist system that almost every corporation will regularly need to defend its legitimacy, by the mere fact that â€Å"corporations must fulfil both a competence and community requirement to realize legitimacy†¦ Satisfaction of stockholder interests often occurs at the expense of community concerns (e.g., the despoiling of the environment, the use of labour) while, conversely, responsibility to the larger community often occurs at the expense of the stockholder† (Hearit, 1995, p. 3). It is this last phase that has tended to be the main focus of accounting researchers. It also provides us with the clearest opportunity to examine the crucial link between legitimacy and resources. Lindblom (1994), a key paper cited by many Social and Environmental Accounting researchers, also seems relevant specifically to this phase only. An example of work in this area is Deegan et al.’s (2000) study of five major incidents (including the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the Bhopal Disaster) which provided a context to examine the annual reports of related (in industrial terms) Australian firms to see if there had been a significant change in their social or environmental reporting. They concluded: The results of this study are consistent with legitimacy theory and show that companies do appear to change their disclosure policies around the time of major company and industry related social events. †¦ These results highlight the strategic nature of voluntary social disclosures and are consistent with a view that management considers that annual report social disclosures are a useful device to reduce the effects upon a corporation of events that are perceived to be unfavourable to a corporation’s image (Deegan et al., 2000, p. 127). The Diagnosis Needs Refinement This is where the traditional legitimacy model stops. However my own  research, into the tobacco industry, Tilling (2004), and that of other researchers, including experimental research undertaken by O’Donovan (2002), suggest a further development of the Organisational Legitimacy Level, as depicted in Figure 2 below. Added to the model is the possibility that a firm may not successfully (or may be unable to) defend the threat to its legitimacy and actually start to lose legitimacy. Figure 2: Refinement of the Organisational Level of Legitimacy Theory Establishment Loss Defence Disestablishment Extension Maintenance In this model the defence phase is usually entered by an organisation after some form of one-off ‘incident’ or ‘accident’ which threatens its legitimacy. This phase could be characterised as being ‘acute’, it can be serious, some times even fatal, but usually, with proper management, the organisation can maintain, or at least recover, its legitimacy. However should there be an ongoing series of events, indicative of a systemic issue, e.g. the nuclear power industry, or a single event with permanent consequences which cannot be effectively managed, e.g. realisation that the organisation’s product is not safe such as the tobacco industry, an organisation is likely to have its legitimacy eroded over a period of time (the ‘loss’ phase), which can be characterised as ‘chronic’. The issue can be difficult to manage, and generally leads to declining legitimacy, however the loss may be managed and slowed over a long period of time, or significant change could lead to reestablishment of legitimacy. The ‘loss’ phase is most likely to be preceded by sustained media and NGO scrutiny, and accompanied by increasing government regulation, monitoring and possibly taxation. Within this phase there are likely to be periods where the company will increase its voluntary social and environmental disclosure in an effort to meet specific threats (such as to postpone or defeat proposed regulations) or to communicate systemic corporate change  (similar to the defence phase). However, with each new restriction average total disclosure can be expected to decrease. This idea is alluded to by O’Donovan (2002) who argues, based on experimental evidence, that the lower the perceived legitimacy of the organisation, the less likely it is to bother providing social and environmental disclosure. Watch This Space Legitimacy theory offers researchers, and the wider public, a way to critically unpack corporate disclosures. However the understanding and study of the theory must become more sophisticated, drawing on developments both within the accounting literature and beyond. Only then will the full potential of legitimacy theory for examining a wide range of disclosures be fully realised. Areas that would provide useful insights include at the moment the asbestos industry (as it goes through the disestablisment phase), brothels (as they become much more legitimate within the Australian context), and the forestry industry (as it tries to defend its legitimacy), to name but a few. The knowledge gained will then be used to provide better and more useful information to inform decision making by stakeholders. In this way society is empowered to have greater control and oversight over the way resources are allocated. References: Ashford, B. E. and B. W. Gibbs (1990) â€Å"The Double-Edge of Organizational Legitimation†, Organization Science, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 177 194. Caudill, E. (1997) Darwinian Myths: The Legends and Misuses of a Theory, Knoxville, University of Tennessee Press. Deegan, C., M. Rankin and J. Tobin (2002) â€Å"An Examination of the Corporate Social and Environmental Disclosures of BHP from 1983-1997: A Test of Legitimacy Theory†, Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 312 343. Deegan, C., M. Rankin and P. Voght (2000) â€Å"Firms’ Disclosure Reactions to Major Social Incidents: Australian Evidence†, Accounting Forum, Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 101 130. Hearit, K. M. (1995) â€Å"‘Mistakes Were Made’: Organizations, Apologia, and Crises of Social Legitimacy†, Communication Studies, Vol. 46, No. 1-2, pp. 1 17. Hybels, R. C. (1995) â€Å"On Legitimacy, Legitimation, and Organizations: A Critical Review and Integrative Theoretical Model†, Academy of Management  Journal, Special Issue: Best Papers Proceedings, 1995, pp. 241 245. Kaplan, S. E. and R. G. Ruland (1991) â€Å"Positive Theory, Rationality and Accounting Regulation†, Critical Perspectives on Accounting, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 361 374. Lindblom, C. K. (1994), â€Å"The Implications of Organizational Legitimacy for Corporate Social Performance and Disclosure†, Critical Perspectives on Accounting Conference, New York. Mathews, M. R. (1993) Socially Responsible Accounting, UK, Chapman Hall. Neu, D., H. Warsame and K. Pedwell (1998) â€Å"Managing Public Impressions: Environmental Disclosures in Annual Reports†, Accounting, Organizations and Society, Vol. 23, No. 3, pp. 265 282. O’Donovan, G. (2002) â€Å"Environmental Disclosures in the Annual Report: Extending the Applicability and Predictive Power of Legitimacy Theory†, Accounting, Auditing and Accountability, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 344 371. Patten, D. M. (2002) â€Å"Media Exposure, Public Policy Pressure, and Environmental Disclosure: An Examination of the Impact of Tri Data Availability†, Accounting Forum, Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 152 171. Suchman, M. C. (1995) â€Å"Managing Legitimacy: Strategic and Institutional Approaches†, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 20, No. 3, pp. 571 610. Tilling, M. (2004), â€Å"Communication at the Edge: Voluntary Social and Environmental Reporting in the Annual Report of a Legitimacy Threatened Corporation†. APIRA Conference Proceedings, Singapore, July.

Effects of Olfaction and Pheromones | Literature Review

Effects of Olfaction and Pheromones | Literature Review Abstract: A favorable scent goes a long way. An odor or fragrance (commonly referred to as a smell) is caused by one or more volatilized  chemical compounds, generally at a very low concentration, that humans or other animals perceive by the  sense  of  olfaction. Odors are also commonly called scents, which can refer to both pleasant and unpleasant odors. Scent plays a very important role in our lives. A pheromone is a secreted or excreted  chemical  factor that triggers a social response in members of the same  species. A survey of sample size 30 college students was conducted to find out if scent did attract attention or not. Keywords: Olfaction, human pheromones, MHC genes Introduction: Want to boost your mood or stir up old memories? Just use your nose. And, most important, scent can even drive one to romantic distraction. Think of your partners pajamas. Indeed, the nose can suss out something as complex as sexual compatibility. The terms fragrance and aroma are used primarily by the food and cosmetic industry to describe a pleasant odor, and are sometimes used to refer to  perfumes. In contrast, malodor, stench, reek, and stink are used specifically to describe unpleasant odor. In the  United Kingdom, odour refers to scents in general. In the United States, odor has a more negative connotation, such as smell, stench or stink, while scent or aromas are used for pleasant smells. Research has shown that certain human body odors are connected to human sexual attraction. Both fluctuating asymmetry (FA) and the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) are connected to scent. Review of literature: OLFACTION Olfaction or olfactory perception is the  sense  of smell. Many vertebrates, including most mammals and reptiles, have two distinct olfactory systems—the main olfactory system, and the accessory olfactory system which is mainly used to detect pheromones. In female humans, the sense of olfaction is strongest around the time of ovulation, significantly stronger than during other phases of the menstrual cycle and also stronger than the sense in males. The MHC genes (known as HLA in humans) are a group of genes present in many animals and important for the immune system; in general, offspring from parents with differing MHC genes have a stronger immune system. Fish, mice and female humans are able to smell some aspect of the MHC genes of potential sex partners and prefer partners with MHC genes different from their own. Humans can detect individuals that are blood-related kin (mothers/fathers and children but not husbands and wives) from olfaction. The ability to identify odors varies among people and decreases with age. Studies show there are sex differences in odor discrimination; women usually outperform males. Pregnant women also have increased smell sensitivity, sometimes resulting in abnormal taste and smell perceptions, leading to food cravings or aversions. Olfactory Reference Syndrome (ORS) is a condition in which those affected have an excessive preoccupation with the concern that body odor may be foul or, on a good day, unpleasant. HUMAN PHEROMONES A pheromone is a secreted or excreted  chemical  factor that triggers a social response in members of the same  species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting outside the body of the secreting individual to impact the behavior of the receiving individual. While humans are highly dependent upon visual cues, when in close proximity smells also play a big role in sociosexual behaviors. There is an inherent difficulty in studying human pheromones because of the need for cleanliness and odorlessness in human participants. The focus of the experiments on human pheromones has been on three classes of putative pheromones: axillary steroids, vaginal aliphatic acids, and stimulators of the  vomeronasal organ. Pheromones have been demonstrated clearly in other species, but their existence and ability to affect humans is still under debate. Several studies have been conducted that have reached different conclusions, but some pheromone effects seen in other mammals are definitely present in humans. Most studies have found that human sweat or putative pheromones increase physiological arousal, one way or another. This idea that something we cant even consciously smell is affecting our behavior is horrifying to some people, but in reality we are controlled by the combination of all our senses! Gustav Jà ¤ger (1832-1917), a German doctor and hygienist is thought to be the first scientist to put forward the idea of human pheromones. He called the manthropines. He said they were lipophilic compounds associated with skin and follicles that mark the individual signature of human odors. Lipophilic compounds are those that tend to combine with, or are capable of dissolving in lipids. Researchers in the University of Chicago claimed that they managed to link the synchronization of womens menstrual cycles to unconscious odor cues. The head researcher was called Martha McClintock, hence the coined termthe McClintock effect. When exposing a group of women to a whiff of sweat from other women, their menstrual cycles either accelerated or slowed down; depending on when during the menstrual cycle the sweat was collected before, during or after ovulation. The scientists said that the pheromone collected before ovulation shortened the ovarian cycle, while the pheromone collected during ovulation lengthened it. Even so, recent analyses of McClintocks study and methodology have questioned its validity. There are four principal kinds of pheromones: Releaser pheromones they elicit an immediate response, the response is rapid and reliable. They are usually linked to sexual attraction. Primer pheromones these take longer to get a response. They can, for example, influence the development or reproduction  physiology, including menstrual cycles in females,  puberty, and the success or failure of pregnancy. Signaler pheromones these provide information. They may help the mother to recognize her newborn by scent (fathers cannot usually do this). Modulator pheromones they can either alter or synchronize bodily functions. Usually found in sweat. There are differences between men and women in the types of glands, secretions and even microbial flora present in the axillary environment, suggesting a sex-specific role. Most of these glands do not become active until after puberty, suggesting a role in sexual communication. (Hays, 2003) Pheromone-like compounds are also found in salivary, seminal and urine secretions, but studies tend to focus on the most accessible: axillary sweat. Jacob (2000, 2001) found increased physiological effects, only noticed a positive increase in mood and increased arousal in women when the test administrator present was male. Men were unaffected by the sex of the tester, but had slightly less effects than females overall. They concluded that pheromones are incredibly context dependent. Humans must integrate many different brain functions to affect arousal and mood. Psychologists Rachel Herz and Estelle Campenni were just getting to know each other, swapping stories about their lives over coffee, when Campenni confided something unexpected: She was living proof, she said, of love at first smell. I knew I would marry my husband the minute I smelled him, she told Herz. Ive always been into smell, but this was different; he really smelled good to me. His scent made me feel safe and at the same time turned on—and Im talking about his real body smell, not cologne or soap. Id never felt like that from a mans smell before. Weve been married for eight years now and have three kids, and his smell is always very sexy to me. RESEARCH In the now famous T-shirt experiments it was shown that specific women chose as most sexy and pleasant smelling T-shirts belonging to men who had immune systems that were different from their own. Because we all possess different MHC genes (and body-odor), for every woman a different set of men will be delicious smelling and others wont be. Theres no Brad Pitt of body odor! A womans nose not only responds to a mans body-odor in terms of his biological suitability, women actually find how a man smells to be the most important factor in their sexual attraction. In two large studies were conducted to examine how important various physical and social status factors were for men and women when choosing a sexual partner, we discovered that above all other physical characteristics, women ranked a mans scent as the most important feature for determining whether she would be sexually interested in him. How a man smelled was also more much important than any social status factor. And of all physical characteristics women preferred a man to be better than average in his body-odor than anything else. Women also found men who smelled great due to the fragrance they wore irresistible. In the words of one respondent: If Im with a guy who smells really good, nothing else about him seems to matter. Among heterosexual couples, similar MHC profiles spell relational difficulty, Christine Garver-Apgar, a psychologist at the University of New Mexico, has found. As the proportion of MHC alleles increased, womens sexual responsiveness to their partners decreased, and their number of sex partners outside the relationship increased, Garver-Apgar reports. The number of MHC genes couples shared corresponded directly with the likelihood that they would cheat on one another; if a man and woman had 50 percent of their MHC alleles in common, the woman had a 50 percent chance of sleeping with another man behind her partners back. You encounter a particular smell, and it immediately transports you back to an earlier time and to a pleasant memory. A recent feature in the Association of Psychological Sciences’ Observer discusses the connection. Researchers have discovered that there is a strong connection between smells, emotions and early life experiences. In fact, there is a strong relationship between certain smells experienced very early in life, typically before age 5, that will trigger pleasant feelings and memories. This is particularly true for odors that we don’t smell every day. The reason for these associations is that the brain’s olfactory bulb is connected to both the amygdala (an emotion center) and to the hippocampus, which is involved in memory. And, because smells serve a survival function (odors can keep us from eating spoiled or poisonous foods), some of these associations are made very quickly, and may even involve a one-time association. But even in adulthood, we can easily make associations between smells and memories. You might draw a connection between a certain perfume or cologne and a first encounter with a friend or lover, or the scent of a certain food may transport you back to the first time you ate it. Among heterosexual couples, similar MHC profiles spell relational difficulty, Christine Garver-Apgar, a psychologist at the University of New Mexico, has found. As the proportion of MHC alleles increased, womens sexual responsiveness to their partners decreased, and their number of sex partners outside the relationship increased, Garver-Apgar reports. The number of MHC genes couples shared corresponded directly with the likelihood that they would cheat on one another; if a man and woman had 50 percent of their MHC alleles in common, the woman had a 50 percent chance of sleeping with another man behind her partners back. SURVEY A survey was conducted. The hypothesis was â€Å"Scent Attracts Attention†. A sample of 30 teenagers from the age 17-21 out of which 15 were females and 15 were males. Each one of them a questionnaire consisting of 17 questions. Some questions were ranged from 1- 5 and some were yes, no or may be. All the questions were given a score and accordingly the score was found out. The following were the questions given to the subjects. QUESTIONNAIRE Q1. How likely are you to initiate a conversation with a stranger on the basis of good fragrance that he/she is wearing? Very unlikely Very likely 1 2 3 4 5 Q2. How likely are you to avoid having a conversation if the other person has a bad breath? Very unlikely Very likely 1 2 3 4 5 Q3. Is good fragrance an important factor in framing first impression? Yes No Q4. Would you consider going for an aroma therapy? Yes No Q5. Do advertisements about perfumes or deodorants urge you to buy them? Yes No Q6. Have you ever been attracted to a person because of the way they smell? Yes No May be Q7. Do you feel that putting an external fragrance affects your self-esteem? Yes No May be Q8. What do you prefer, natural body odour or external fragrance? Natural odour or External fragrance Q9. Do you feel men and women have different body odours? Yes No May be Q10. Have you ever purchased body fragrances in order to improve your interpersonal relationship? Yes No Q11. How conscious are you about your body odour and its impact? Very unconscious Very conscious 1 2 3 4 5 Q12. Does deodorant/perfume attract people? Yes No Q13. How frequently do you use deodorants/perfume in a day? Never Once twice every few hours Q14. While travelling, can you tolerate other people’s body odour? Yes No Q15. Would you ever use external fragrances as a substitute to showering? Yes No Sometimes Q16. Do you buy soaps, body wash or talcum powder to help you enhance your body odour? Yes No May be Q17. Would you use gender specific deodorants/perfumes? Yes No QUESTIONNAIRE SCORING Q1. How likely are you to initiate a conversation with a stranger on the basis of good fragrance that he/she is wearing? Very unlikely Very likely 1 2 3 4 5 Q2. How likely are you to avoid having a conversation if the other person has a bad breath? Very unlikely Very likely 1 2 3 4 5 Q3. Is good fragrance an important factor in framing first impression? Yes (5) No (1) Q4. Would you consider going for an aroma therapy? Yes (5) No (1) Q5. Do advertisements about perfumes or deodorants urge you to buy them? Yes (5) No (1) Q6. Have you ever been attracted to a person because of the way they smell? Yes (5) No (1) May be (3) Q7. Do you feel that putting an external fragrance affects your self-esteem? Yes (5) No (1) May be (3) Q8. What do you prefer, natural body odour or external fragrance? Natural odour (1) or External fragrance (5) Q9. Do you feel men and women have different body odours? Yes (5) No (1) May be (3) Q10. Have you ever purchased body fragrances in order to improve your interpersonal relationship? Yes (5) No (1) Q11. How conscious are you about your body odour and its impact? Very unconscious Very conscious 1 2 3 4 5 Q12. Does deodorant/perfume attract people? Yes (5) No (1) Q13. How frequently do you use deodorants/perfume in a day? Never (1) Once (2) twice (3) every few hours (5) Q14. While travelling, can you tolerate other people’s body odour? Yes (1) No (5) Q15. Would you ever use external fragrances as a substitute to showering? Yes (5) No (1) Sometimes (3) Q16. Do you buy soaps, body wash or talcum powder to help you enhance your body odour? Yes (5) No (1) May be (3) Q17. Would you use gender specific deodorants/perfumes? Yes (5) No (1) Classification done according to the scores is the following: 17-34: Not attracted to scent at all 35-52: A little attracted towards scent 53-70: Moderate attraction towards to scent 71-85: High attraction towards scent The total score of females was 767. The total score of males was 792. The total score was 1559. The highest score one could get was 85. The lowest score one could get was 17. The highest total score could be 2550. The lowest total score could be 510. TOTAL No attraction towards scent: 0 A little attracted towards scent: 16 Moderate attraction towards to scent: 12 High attraction towards scent: 2 The conclusion of the survey was that there is little or moderate attraction towards scent. The hypothesis was proved correct, scent does attract attention. Males are attracted to scent more than females. References: www.psychology today.com www.wikipedia.com

Selling the Fantasy :: Shopping Retail Essays

Selling the Fantasy I slow my step to a stroll as I approach the doors to the Staten Island Mall. I am finally back in New York, and, of course, the first thing I am going to do is shop. I am going to make the most of this little excursion. Abercrombie and Fitch, Gap, Express, here I come. Accompanying me on this venture are my trusty friends, Andrea and Jennifer, both also back home for a weekend break from college. As we walk past the sliding doors, we enter what we've been conditioned to think is every woman's paradise. Huge elevators to the left and right, eye-catching signs, beautifully ornate displays. Perhaps more an advertiser's paradise, now that I think about it. Walking along the first floor we come across an Abercrombie and Fitch store. Nothing like images of half-dressed beautiful people to start off my day. Why do we always come here? Every time, the same thing happens. I slow my step and look over at my friends. "Andi, not Abercrombie again," I whine. "Do you remember what happened last time we came here? You bought a tank top for $20 and only wore it once!" Andrea shoots me a bemused look and continues walking into the store. In a few minutes, I reluctantly follow her in. Yay, I think to myself, my voice dripping with sarcasm, prepare to be sold some overpriced beautiful people. Walking into the store, I am immediately confronted by attractive salespeople trying to sell us trendy clothes and huge images on the walls of a gorgeous woman (dressed in Abercrombie and Fitch, of course) in the arms of a handsome man. This is why I hate coming here. That image on the wall. I mean, who doesn't want to be that woman? Every woman does, no o ne can deny it; the countless advertising campaigns have managed to convince us that by dressing like her we could become her. Highly unlikely I know, but that is exactly what advertisers are so good at selling. That particular image. That identity. The "who you are" defined by the "what you wear." The beautiful woman who wears Abercrombie and Fitch. And by the time I realize that I'm not the beautiful woman who wears Abercrombie, but rather the poor college student who can't afford Abercrombie, I've already been convinced to buy just one more shirt.

Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton :: Ethan Frome Essays

Ethan Frome Ethan Frome, a novel by Edith Wharton, is set in the bleak Massachusetts town of Starkfield. Ethan Frome struggles to make a living as a farmer while his wife, Zeena, complains about her imaginary ailments. When Zeena’s cousin, Mattie, comes to live with the couple, Ethan and Mattie develop a growing friendship. This â€Å"friendship† arouses Zeena’s jealousy and so she evicts Mattie from the house. Ethan becomes furious as he realizes he has fallen in love with Mattie. As they are about to part, in despair, they attempt to end heir lives. Instead they are both left crippled and their original roles have changed for life. Caring for both, Ethan & Mattie and presiding over their wrecked lives, is Zeena. Edith Wharton emphasis her work with her individual style and technique. Wharton is very precise in her choice of words and uses situation irony to wrap the reader. Wharton structures the novel in a very easy to follow manner: by using chapters, cause & effect, relationships, and a great turning point. He setting & geography stay basic throughout the novel as it is winter is Starkfield. Individual happiness is a key element in the novel, while Ethan traps himself in the love he has achieved towards Mattie. Edith Wharton takes her novel beyond. Her extensive choice of words and variety of vocabulary make the novel more interesting. â€Å"...her Pierce relations to foist on him the cost of a servant; and for the moment wrath predominated.† (Wharton III). Wharton’s extensive vocabulary gives the reader a sense of intelligence from the narrator as well as a sense of a close to accurate imagination of Ethan Frome’s life. Wharton develops detailed emotions and detailed descriptions of Ethan which gives a strong impact to the reader. â€Å"He was the most striking figure in Starkfield, it was not so much his great height that marked him, it was the careless powerful look he had, in spite of a lameness checking each step like the jerk of a chain, there was som ething bleak and unapproachable in his face, and he was so stiffened and grizzled...† (Wharton IIII) Wharton is very precise and to the point. Technique is a key element in the novel, as Wharton started off in first person describing her interests in Ethan Frome. While in first person Wharton shows curiosity along with interest.

Michèle Roberts’s The Looking Glass Essay -- Michele Roberts Looking G

Michà ¨le Roberts’s The Looking Glass The understanding of history as a linear and unproblematic narrative, dominated by kings and queens, warriors and heroes, has long been denied by women writers. As Linda Anderson argues, these events ‘take on a different meaning, a different configuration when we begin to see through them – in both senses – to women’s concealed existence in the private sphere of family and home’ (Anderson, p.130). Women have little place in traditional linear history and have come to deny its authority and question its dominance. Frieda Johles Forman, in her introduction to a 1989 collection of essays on women’s temporality, argues that women suffer from a lack of history, an unrecorded past, and that this ‘absence strikes at odd, unsuspecting moments’ (Forman, p.8). But this absence of history is changing, as women begin to write their own stories and their own conceptions of the past. Women’s time and the political implications for femini sm of feminist historiography have spawned a wealth of writing in recent years. Even in the academic world of history, reliance upon major events as the narrative of history has been undermined by the possibility of a narrative of everyday lives, of everyday events and occurrences.1 However, this re-recording and re-making of history is fraught with danger, as Anderson warns: The ‘reclaiming of history’, the discovery of how our foremothers preceded and even anticipated us, can help to assure us that, despite the evidence, we do in fact exist in the world; yet if we ignore how that existence is textually mediated we end up simply reconstituting ‘reality’ as it is. (p.134) Anderson argues that, despite the development of a critique of history’s claim to objectivity a... ... and Sowton, Caoran, eds., Taking Our Time: Feminist Perspectives on Temporality (Oxford: Pergamon, 1989) Heath, Stephen, Flaubert: Madame Bovary (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992) Irigaray, Luce, Sexes and Genealogies, trans. Gill, Gillian C. (New York: Cornell University Press, 1993) Michaud, Guy, Mallarmà ©, trans. Collins, Marie and Humez, Bertha (London: Peter Owen, 1966) Millan, Gordon, Mallarmà ©: A Throw of the Dice (London: Secker and Warburg, 1994) Oliver, Hermia, Flaubert and an English Governess (Oxford: Clarendon, 1980) Pearson, Roger, Unfolding Mallarmà ©: The Development of a Poetic Art (Oxford: Clarendon, 1996) Roberts, Michà ¨le, The Looking Glass (London: Little Brown, 2000) Spencer, Philip, Flaubert: A Biography (London: Faber and Faber, 1951) Steegmuller, Francis, Flaubert and Madame Bovary (London: Constable, 1993.

Book Review: Treasury of Royal Scandals is a national bestseller book written by Michael Farquhar

A Treasury of Royal Scandals is a national bestseller book written by Michael Farquhar that describes â€Å"The Shocking True Stories of History’s Wickedest, Weirdest, Most Wanton Kings, Queens, Tsars, Popes, and Emperors. † This book is a random collection of different royal families and individuals who despite their many differences, have some similarities. However, they are often dark and negative similarities. No matter what person, family, or civilization someone is talking about historically, six themes seem to always come up, are discussed, and are debated. These themes include religious intolerance, disregard for the common public, dysfunctional personal lives, extreme pursuit of dynasty, a sense of superiority, and inequality towards women. These themes have influenced the outcomes of history from past to present – and may continue to in the future. It is within these themes that the similarities between the people and families mentioned within this book can be found. Religious freedom may be something that many people in the United States take for granted today, but people who lived during Pope Gregory IX’s rule were more familiar with religious intolerance. Pope Gregory IX had made his uncle’s persecution of heretics an official function of the church when he established the Inquisition in 1232. During his rule, Catholics were encouraged to â€Å"squeal† on other people’s acts of heresy, children testified against their parents, and mothers testified against their children. Anyone accused of heresy was dragged before papal inquisitors to answer charges, and once condemned, a victim was sent to be burnt at the stake. The entire town of Champagne, France was even put on trial and burnt at the stake after the local bishop was accused of allowing heresy. After Pope Gregory IX’s death, Pope Innocent IV came to rule and â€Å"improved† upon the inquisition methods. He now allowed torture to be used, but only allowed a person to be tortured once. Unfortunately for those people, however, one torture session could last several weeks. It became obvious during the time of the inquisition, that there was no religious freedom what so ever. If there was one person whose life exemplified a disregard for the common people, that person was Gregory Rasputin. Rasputin was a â€Å"greasy, drunken peasant, with the manners of a barnyard pig, and a staggering case of b. o. o boot, he was also king of creepy† (194). Of course, a man who cultivates this kind of reputation for himself clearly has no concern for the opinion of others. Rasputin’s eyes were legendary – a pale blue color with the ability to pierce and caress, while still looking naive and cunning. Rasputin used these eyes to dominate every person he was talking to – with not only the intensity they had, but also the way he continually stared at people for long periods of time. Rasputin influenced and dominated the royal family through Alexandra, the wife of the tsar, who was blind to his inner intentions. Although Alexandra refused to see this, the people saw perfectly. The people knew that Rasputin was a fraud whose influence on society was becoming more and more widespread as time went on, and eventually all of it would end in an uprising of some sort. Eventually, Rasputin was killed after many dramatic tries by Yusoupov (richest man in Russia and tsar’s nephew by marriage). It seemed that Rasputin was not ready to die, however, since he was poisoned, shot, shot twice more, beaten upon, and drowned before he was declared dead. Although many problems throughout history were between rulers and their people, some rulers also had dysfunctional personal lives. A good example of this is Napoleon, who chose to divorce his first wife in order to marry someone else who could possibly give him an heir, and who was constantly fighting with his brother (Joseph). Childless, Napoleon named his nephew heir to the throne, which outraged Joseph. Joseph had assumed that he would be heir to the throne and believed that he had the right to the throne as the eldest member of the family. This assumption outraged Napoleon in return, and the quarrel between the two brothers continued. Over time, Napoleon’s strive for power caused other arguments among his siblings, and in the end only three brothers (out of seven siblings) played active roles in his empires. It could probably be said that many of the rulers throughout history had their mind on everything, but what was best for their people. Therefore, it is only natural that Austrian Empress Maria Theresa constantly had her mind on creating a dynasty. Maria was an especially curious monarch, who created the Chastity Commission – a special department of the police charged with suppressing vice. It was said that Maria even played a part in the commission, disguising herself and roaming Vienna in search of her unfaithful husband. When she was not busy â€Å"storming the bedrooms of her people,† she concentrated on marrying off her children to the families that would help strengthen her position. One â€Å"episode† that showed Maria Theresa’s priorities was one involving her son Prince Joseph. He was heir to the throne and had fallen in love. Unfortunately, however, Princess Isabella of Parma (his chosen one) was a lesbian and had her eyes on someone else besides Prince Joseph. Maria Theresa never would have tolerated a lesbian relationship, that could jeopardize the dynasty, but that all ended when Isabella suddenly died of smallpox at the age of twenty-one. Despite the Prince being devastated by his loss, Maria Theresa wasted no time and immediately remarried him to a bride, whom he dared not even touch with his finger because of her â€Å"painfully ugly† appearance. There were few rulers, especially monarchs, who lacked a feeling of â€Å"superiority over ordinary men† (34). Louis XIV of France definitely did not lack this trait of monarchs. In fact, Louis XIV also felt himself to be superior to other monarchs. It was said that â€Å"Louis refused to be grouped with other kings under the term â€Å"Their Majesties† because, he explained, from that there might be deduced â€Å"an equality which does not exist† (34). During Louis’s seventy-two-year-reign (longest in European history), he strove to have all of the glory and prestige of France focus on himself. Louis controlled everything from tree maintenance to how visitors should enter the garden of Versailles in a specific way to honor him. Two actions of Louis’s particularly displayed his feelings of superiority. The first of these actions was when he decided to call himself the â€Å"Sun king,† because he wanted to be the sun and light up everything for all of France. However, it seemed that Louis wanted to light up things for himself, not France, as shown by his next action that practically put France into bankruptcy. The â€Å"Sun King† rebuilt and enlarged the castle at Versailles, which he had fallen in love with at a young age. Versailles became an icon that resembled the prosperity of France for the time, while it also almost drove France into bankruptcy. Perhaps it is the story of Henry VIII and his wives that seems to fit into almost every theme. However, it is Henry VIII’s inequality towards women that stands out the most, as he divorced half of his wives for their ladies in waiting who were living in the same household throughout the entire divorce process. Henry’s disregard for women’s rights was legendary, as he married and divorced frequently in his conquest to have a son, who would become the heir to the throne. For example, Henry declared himself Supreme Head of the Church in England in order to officially divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, by declaring their marriage unlawful. As a result, Catherine was never given a fair trial, and her only daughter (Mary) was declared illegitimate. Religious intolerance, disregard for the common public, dysfunctional personal lives, extreme pursuit of dynasty, a sense of superiority, and inequality towards women have all influenced history. However, although there have been many rulers involved in scandals, those rulers have also done great things. At the times of some of these scandals, the accepted â€Å"practice† was different, but civilization has progressed to an entirely different level. Even though history may repeat itself some time or another (and has in many cases), it is some of these scandals that have brought us to where we are today. For example, it was Henry VIII’s second wife Anne Boleyn who bore Queen Elizabeth (â€Å"The Virgin Queen†), all as a result of Henry VIII’s desire for a son and divorcing his first wife. So, encourage others to bring up, discuss, and debate these topics, which have helped shape history, good and bad, to the point it has reached today.

Male and Female Roles

Male and female roles have changed dramatically since the beginning of the 21st century. Men were known as the bread-winners. Their responsibility was to go to work and bring home money to take care of their family. While women stayed at home and took care of all the cooking and cleaning. The female role also consisted of bearing and taking care of all the children. Things have changed women can also get good jobs and bring home as much money as men and sometimes even more money than men. In a major step forward, women demanded and were granted the right to vote in the United States in 1920s. Women should not have to stay at home and take care of the children, cook, and clean. Taking care of children alone should be considered a full time job, before adding cooking and cleaning. In the 1960s the invention of the birth control pill came about that let women control when they had kids. Contraceptives made planning a family around a career easier for women; careers no longer had to take a backseat to family. The great depression was hard on many families. Many men suffered losses of income and unemployment. Women embraced this abrupt status change and rose to the challenge of finding work to support their family. Then the equal opportunities movement came about meaning that employers could not discriminate against women in hiring and promotion, and providing further protection for women in the workplace, even though men still make more money than women. Along with being the primary breadwinners a male’s role may consist of a few manly chores such as taking out trash, fixing cars, and cutting grass but, some males have taken on the female role. According to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, less than one percent of dads were stay-at-home fathers in 2006. Men account for only 19 percent of single parents who live with their children. However, that still means there were 159,000 stay-at-home fathers as of 2006, according to the U. S. Census Bureau. There is a thriving community of stay-at-home fathers who are quite proud of their role in the family and support their â€Å"bread-winning† wives fully. Most women, who work full time with families, still have the primary responsibility of taking care of the children and home. Women want to get out and have a life, not just stay at home and do chores. Women also want to take care of their children. Mothers want to be the one that see their baby’s first crawl or first word. Mothers want to get that child up in the morning, dress her and see her off to her first day of school. Mothers tend to be more nurturing than fathers. For example when a child fall off her bike for the first time a mother will probably run to that child and put a bandage on. Whereas a father will most likely try to brush it off and get the child to try again. I totally agree that males should be the primary bread- winners. Then if a woman wants to work part time or go back to school she can. Sometimes taking care of the children and chores can be split in half between male and female, so no one feel that one is doing more work than the other. If a woman wants to get out the house sometime and have a life maybe she could join a social club, have a few girlfriends, or volunteer with different community organizations. I do not think a woman should have to be the primary bread- winner, the primary caregiver to the children, and still do most of the cooking and cleaning. Some women have to be the primary breed winners. If a woman is left alone to take care of her children she have no choice but to become the primary bread-winner, the primary care giver, and do most of the cooking and cleaning because maybe she will not have any help. Even though a female is left alone all the work of taking care of children and a home still goes on. In 2005, nearly 4 in 10 babies in the U. S. were born outside of marriage according to the centers for disease control. References * Women's Roles Vs. Male's Roles in the 21st Century | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8630273_womens-males-roles-21st-century.html#ixzz2RIpkA17n

Provinces of the Philippines and Local Markets

Tapsilog is a popular Filipino dish commonly served for breakfast. The term is coined from combining the Filipino words tapa, sinangag, and itlog which are the main components of the dish. We chose to show how tapsilog can be geographical because we want to emphasize that anything can be geographical, and tapsilog, a common Filipino dish is usually not the kind of product that people would associate with geography. As mentioned, tapsilog is made up of tapa (dried meat), sinangag (fried rice) and itlog (egg), but it doesn’t stop there.Each ingredient is also made up of even more ingredients that we have traced to have originated from and traveled through different places in and out of the country before it reaches our plates. This further supports the idea that tapsilog, like every product, is geographical. Tapa, the first and main ingredient, is made from beef marinated in different spices. The beef is usually bought at the nearest local market by most cooks, but before reachi ng the local markets, it is first brought from a farmer’s market which is locally called bulungan or bagsakan.One example of this bagsakan is the Farmer’s Market Cubao from which its name was derived from. Slaughter houses and cow farms from different municipalities sell their product to the said farmer’s market. One of the biggest sources of cow meat in the Philippines is Padre Garcia, Batangas, the cattle trading capital of the Philippines, where they have the best temperature here in the country for raising cows. Cow breeders ensure that their livestock are bred well by supplying them with good feeds and steroids. Their diet usually contains well-grown grass and corn.The marinade consists of a blend of sugar, garlic, pepper, and salt, which are locally- found ingredients. The sugar comes from sugar mills like the San Carlos Bio Energy Inc. in Negros Occidental, while the sugarcanes are provided by small sugarcane farmers from Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Negro s and Panay, or by large agricultural companies like Del Monte and DOLE. Pepper is mostly from small and big exporters from Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Negros Occidental, Zamboanga and Davao. Garlic usually comes from Sinait, Ilocos Sur, the garlic center of the Philippines where they celebrate the Sinait Bawang Fest.Like the beef, the spices are brought from its respective farmer’s market before reaching the local markets. Sinangag is the term for Filipino fried rice. Rice, the main ingredient of sinangag, is also bought from local markets that got their stocks from the National Food Authority. The NFA serves as the biggest warehouse or post harvest facility here in the Philippines. Before reaching the NFA, rice is harvested from rice fields, especially in the province of Central Luzon or sometimes imported from Vietnam. Farmers exert effort in tilling the lands for their crops to grow and watching the seasons to find the best time to plant and harvest.Like tapa, sinangag is a lso composed of the spices discussed earlier. Egg, the last main ingredient in making a tapsilog, is also bought from local markets. Like the other ingredients, eggs are brought from farmer’s markets before reaching local markets, or sometimes large companies or poultry farms like Bounty Fresh Inc. , which is located in Bulacan. They directly deliver their egg products to local markets to maximize profit. Maintaining a poultry farm requires water, chicken feeds, hormones and supplements, and machines which are commonly imported from Japan.