Friday, March 20, 2020

Essay On Of Mice And Men Essays - English-language Films, Films

Essay On Of Mice And Men Essays - English-language Films, Films Essay on "Of Mice and Men" In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses stereotypes and discrimination to convey a message of how the characters feel. A lot of the stereotypes and clich?s are just common beliefs of the times, but a few are situational. To quote a quite distinguished reader, "Characters are ?trapped?- either by what others think of them, or by their situation." A lot of the character?s feelings about themselves and what others think of them will lead to loneliness. Crooks is a character who is mistreated in many ways because he is black. Crooks is the stable buck of the barn. It?s not certain whether Crooks is his name, or his nickname, but we know he got kicked in the back by a horse and had a crooked back ever since. Nevertheless he gets yelled at by the boss every time something?s wrong. " ?The boss gives him hell when he?s mad. But the stable buck don?t give a damn about that,? " says Candy, p.32. Crooks also isn?t allowed in the bunk houses because people say he stinks. Crooks talks with Lennie in the book, "Crooks laughed again. ?A guy can talk to you an? be sure you won?t go blabbin?." p.78. This most likely makes Crooks feel not wanted at all, Which roots to loneliness. Lennie is not so much stereotyped, but rather trapped because of his size. Because Lennie is so big, Curley thinks he has to prove something by beating up Lennie. Lennie gets on Curley?s bad side when he didn?t do anything wrong. Lennie is then forced to fight. " ?I don?t want no trouble,? he said plaintively. ?Don?t let him sock me, George.? " p.32. This is not an everyday discrimination like racism. It?s one of those circumstantial incidents that was described in quote in the introduction. This is an excellent example of how John Steinbeck uses extraordinary circumstances to create appeal and realism to the reader. Curley?s wife is probably the most loathed on the ranch. Because of the way she looks and acts, people think she is easy, or a "tart". " ?Jesus, what a tramp,? he said. ?So that?s what Curley picks for a wife.? " said George, p.35. She just wants someone to talk to. Guys on the ranch don?t like her because they think she?ll get them in trouble. They make judgments without getting to know her first. Curley, her husband, doesn?t trust her with the other ranch hands. She was just out of place on that ranch, And because of that, must have been a real lonely person with lonely feelings. George is stereotyped in a mild, but serious way. People think that because of the way he keeps Lennie out of trouble and travels with him, George is taking his pay from him. " ?Say?what you sellin ?Huh I said what stake you got in this guy? You takin? his pay away from him " said the Boss in the beginning of the book, p.25. This is another unusual stereotype. Because it seems like nothing, the reader doesn?t get it unless they think about it. It sounds like no big deal at first, but to be called a liar and a cheat is a very heavy feeling to bear. Stereotypes make up a lot of this novel. If someone took out the stereotypical statements, the symbolism and "the dream", what they?d have left are page numbers. Grade Received on Report : 96%

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

60 Easy Oxymoron Examples + Analysis

60 Easy Oxymoron Examples + Analysis SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Despite what it might sound like, no- an oxymoron isn’t something you can call your little brother when he’s bugging you.Rather, an oxymoron is a coolliterary device you can use in your creative writing. We’ll go over exactly what an oxymoron isand then show you four oxymoron examples from pop culture and literature. We’ll also provide you with an extensive list of oxymoronsso you can get a better feel for what oxymorons look and sound like. What Is an Oxymoron? An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines two seemingly contradictory or opposite ideas to create a certain rhetorical or poetic effect and reveal a deeper truth. Generally, the ideas will come astwo separate words placed side by side. The most common type of oxymoron is an adjective followed by a noun. One oxymoron example is "deafening silence," which describes a silence that is so overpowering it almost feels deafening, or extremely loud- just as an actual sound would. Oxymorons are often used in everyday conversation and ina breadth of writing, such as literature, poetry, and songwriting. You might’ve heard of another literary device called the paradox, which is similar but not identical to the oxymoron. While an oxymoron is the combination of two contradictory/opposite words in a single sentence, a paradox is an entire phrase/sentence that appears contradictory but, upon further investigation, could be true or plausible. One of the most famous examples of a paradox is thesentence, "This statement is false." If this statement is indeed false as it says, then this would actually make it true. But if the statement is true, then it can’t be false, despite the fact it claims to be! Now, don't let your brain start to hurt just yet- up next, we take a look at oxymoron examples in sentences from literature and pop culture. 4 Oxymoron Examples + Analysis Now that we’ve gone over what an oxymoron is, let’s take a closer look at four famous oxymoron examples in sentences to better understand how this literary device actually works. Note: All bold emphasis in the following quotations is my own. Oxymoron Example 1 Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrowThat I shall say good night till it be morrow. - William Shakespeare,Romeo and Juliet This famous quotation from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet contains an equally famous oxymoron. In this scene, Juliet utters the phrase "sweet sorrow" to describe the feeling she has when having to say goodbye to Romeo. Althoughthe adjective "sweet" evokes a giddy, romantic emotion, the word "sorrow" callsto mind the much less happy, far more depressing aspect of having tobid farewell to someone you'd rather not leave. Thus, as the oxymoron suggests, this scene ishappy since Juliet and Romeo are in love, yet it's also sad because they must say goodbyeand cannot stay together through the night. Oxymoron Example 2 I have passed with a nod of the headOr polite meaningless words,Or have lingered awhile and saidPolite meaningless words,And thought before I had doneOf a mocking tale or a gibeTo please a companionAround the fire at the club,Being certain that they and IBut lived where motley is worn:All changed, changed utterly:A terrible beauty is born. - William Butler Yeats, "Easter 1916" This excerpt from Irish poet William Butler Yeats’ famous poem "Easter 1916" has the prominent oxymoron "terrible beauty," which is repeated again at the end of the poem. The main topic of this poem is the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, an event during whichnumerous Irish nationalists rebelled against the British government in Ireland. The violent display ultimately led to thousands of deaths and injuries. Despite the "terrible" things that happened and the many lives lost, Yeats uses the term "beauty" to bring attention to the positive ideals of independence that gained ground as a result of this event:thisdesire for self-government is what spurred the Irish War of Independence just a few years later. In this sense, theuprising was simultaneously terrible (in that it led to death) and beautiful (in its romantic aspirations for independence). This next oxymoron example is about Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot's tragic love affair. Oxymoron Example 3 And peradventure had he seen her firstShe might have made this and that other worldAnother world for the sick man; but nowThe shackles of an old love straitened him,His honour rooted in dishonour stood,And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true. - Alfred, Lord Tennyson, "Lancelot and Elaine" inIdylls of the King This stanza, from Lord Tennyson’s retelling of the tale of King Arthur, usesseveral oxymorons for poetic effect and as a way to emphasize the conundrum that Lancelot, Arthur’s most loyal knight and friend, finds himself in. Theoxymorons here point toLancelot's contradictory existence in regard to his relationships with both Guinevere and King Arthur: Lancelot isa "faithful" and "honorable" lover to Guinevere yet also an "unfaithful" and "dishonorable" knight to King Arthur, Guinevere’s husband, whom he is essentially betraying by carrying out a love affair with the queen. Oxymoron Example 4 'Cause all of meLoves all of youLove your curves and all your edgesAll your perfect imperfectionsGive your all to meI'll give my all to youYou're my end and my beginningEven when I lose I'm winning - John Legend, "All of Me" These lines come from the hit 2013 song "All of Me" recorded by John Legend. The lyrics of this powerful piano ballad make use of several oxymorons. With the first oxymoron,"perfect imperfections," the speaker is making it clear that his lover’s flaws are ultimately what make her the perfect partner for him.The other two oxymorons emphasize the fact that no matter what happens- for example,no matter how sad or defeated the speaker might feel- there willalways be a silver lining in that he'swith the love of his life. List of 50+ Oxymorons You Can Use Below, we provide you with an extensive list of oxymorons. These 50+ oxymoron examples are listed alphabetically and arranged by category (i.e., the type of oxymoron word combination). Feel free to look throughthis vast list of oxymoron examplesif you’re in need of an oxymoron for something you're writing or if you simply want tolearn some of the most commonones. Single-Word Compound-Word Oxymorons Bittersweet Frenemy (friend + enemy) Love-hate Adjective + Noun Bigger/larger half Controlled chaos Crash landing Cruel kindness Deafening silence Definite possibility Deliberate mistake Even odds Exact estimate Fine mess Foolish wisdom Friendly fire Friendly foe Hateful love Heavy lightness Honest thief Living dead Loud whisper Loving hate Old news Open secret Organized chaos Original copy Peaceful war Perfect imperfections Random order Same difference Silent scream Sweet misery Sweet sorrow Terrible beauty True lies True myth Unbiased opinion Virtuous lie Wakeful sleep Walking dead Working holiday/vacation Adverb + Adjective/Adverb Alone together Awfully good Definitely undecided Falsely true Painfully beautiful Perfectly imperfect Seriously funny Strangely familiar Strangely normal Terribly good Truly false Miscellaneous Act naturally Agree to disagree Kill with kindness Make haste slowly What’s Next? Want to learn more about figures of speech, besides oxymorons and paradoxes? Then check out our in-depth guide to the 31 literary devices you must know. Oxymorons are an excellent, thought-provoking tool to use in writing, but they're certainly not the only device you should work with. Learn all about effective imageryandwhat personification is with our expert guides. Preparing totake the AP Literature test?Thenyou'll need to knowwhat to expect on exam day, including what kinds of questions you'll be asked and how much time you'll have.

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Epidemiology of Childhood Obesity Research Paper

Epidemiology of Childhood Obesity - Research Paper Example In epidemiology, there are certain steps done systematically to successfully cure diseases (Page, Cole & Timmreck, 1995). The first step is to identify the problem, or the disease, then make a community or a population assessment by determining whether there are actual or potential health problems present. In this step, questions such as which among the population is the least or the most susceptible is determined. By performing demographic profiling, it can determine the percentage of individuals affected, and can be a reliable indicator of the overall health of the population (Yarnell, 2007). This step is followed by the determination of the causes of the disease. After having a conclusion as to how an ailment affects individuals, epidemiologists give out information on what the disease is, as well as causes, effects and prevention methods. The last step would be on the hands of an individual and his or her personal decisions after being informed about a certain disease. The person can choose whether to do actions that could prevent the onset of the disease or just do nothing to prevent it (Page et al., 1995). Diseases can be studied either by the number of affected individuals in a given population (quantitative epidemiology) or by studying the causes and effects of the disease in the affected individuals (qualitative epidemiology), which are both important in determining risk factors (Yarnell, 2007). In order to search for the causes of diseases, a model is used in determining those factors. Figure 1. The Epidemiology Triangle The epidemiology triangle is a traditional model used in determining the causes of diseases (Page et al., 1995). The vertices consist of the host, or the carrier of the disease, the agent or the cause of the disease, and the environment where the host and the agent are brought together (ibid.). Another part of the triangle is TIME, or the incubation period before a disease becomes full blown (Merril & Timmreck, 2006). After all compon ents of the formation of the disease are identified properly, epidemiologists break the legs of the triangle, disrupting the connections between environment, host and agent in order to prevent the outbreak of the disease and prevent it from spreading. However, in non-infectious diseases this triangle model is not always reliable due to some particular components that are not easily classifiable whether they are agents or environmental (Page et al., 1995). This paper would be tackling the growing epidemic of childhood obesity, and attempt to create a disease model as well as to list the steps in its prevention, focusing on presentation of qualitative obesity epidemiology. Definition of Obesity Body mass index or BMI is used to determine whether a person’s weight is below normal, normal, or above normal, which can be overweight, obese or morbidly obese (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2011). A percentage of at least 25-30% fat in the body can consider a child as fat (Williams et al., 1992). BMI that is 25 up to 29.9 is overweight, and beyond that is considered obese. Being obese, or obesity is defined as an excessive or abnormal accumulation of fat that presents various risks to health (WHO, n.d.). Problems that can arise from excessive fat include high blood pressure and cholesterol, increased impaired glucose tolerance, type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, breathing

Sunday, February 2, 2020

The impact of the removal of DRA on the management of Human Resources Dissertation

The impact of the removal of DRA on the management of Human Resources in Organisations - Dissertation Example Presentation and description of data shall be done by complying results from core aspects of the questionnaire. The results shall be presented quantitatively by the use of tables and charts to organize data collected. After this, the researcher shall draw on the flow of information received in the data analysis to build three major themes in relation to the research problem. Finally, the researcher shall discuss and interpret data by grouping the data presented into three to correspond to the themes. The discussion and interpretation shall be done qualitatively by drawing subjective conclusions based on concerns and theories raised by various authors and researchers in the literature review. 4.1 PRESENTATION AND DESCRIPTION OF DATA Based on the purpose of the study and research questions raised by the researcher, responses on six key questions from the questionnaire have been presented and described in this section. Answers to these questions are useful in find out factors that have accounted for the scraping of the DRA, the merits and de-merits that are likely to be associated with the scraping of the DRA, and measures that are needed to be put in place to ensure that the policy of scraping the DRA useful. 4.1.1 What is your level of preference for being served by older people aged 55-65 in organisations? The researcher sought to know how well respondents preferred the serviced of older people aged 55-65 in organisations. This question was to draw an inference on the usefulness of older people in organisations and find out their contribution to the development and daily running of various organisations. The table below presents respondents’ level of preference for being served by older people Table 4.1 Preference for being served by Older People Preference Level Number of Respondents Percentage Very much preferred 3 15 Preferred 2 10 Not preferred 9 45 Not preferred at all 6 30 Total 20 100 From table 4.1, it can be seen that out of the twenty (20) resp ondents, 15% of them had a high level of preference for being served by older people. 10% of respondents preferred to be served by older people but did not esteem that so much. 45% of respondents did not prefer being served by older people whereas 30% did wished they were never served by older people. The respondents who were aged between 18 and 70 said their preferences were informed by factors as such as working experience, worker ethics and approachability. 4.1.2 Do you support the scraping of DRA? This component of the questionnaire was a build up to the question asked in 4.1.1. In simple terms, the researcher wanted to find out from respondents whether or not they supported the policy of scraping the DRA to enable people to work in organisations till they themselves felt the need to drop. Out of the twenty (20) people who responded to the questionnaire, thirteen (13) of them answered ‘No’ to the question whether or not the DRA should be scrapped. This means thirtee n (13) respondents wanted employees to retire at age 65. Seven (7) respondents answered ‘Yes’ meaning they wanted employees to work after age 65. Proportionally, If 20 respondents represent 360Â °, 13 respondents = 7 x 360 20 = 234Â ° representing ‘No’ On the other hand If 20 respondents

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Influence of Darwins theory on modern psychology

Influence of Darwins theory on modern psychology Charles Darwin was a British scientist, who coins the concept of evolution and geological observation. Charles Darwin was greatly inspired by geologist Adam Sedgwick and Reverent/ naturalist John Henslow. Both mean played a major role in the development of his theory. Darwin draws his ideas from those who believed that the sacred book was and extract of world and humans. His work was of great influence on life and development of natural science and psychological thoughts. Darwins career gave him the opportunity to observed various geological structure around the globe as well as living species .This experience have enhance his intellectual thought and prospective of the earths surface. However Angell (2007) states that Darwinism has never been a really vital issues in psychology (The influence of Darwin on psychology). Darwins theory of evolution has been disparaged by the theologians, biologist and even the psychologist. The heavy criticism came in the light of his book origin of species. Biologist wangled that Darwin could not Thomas Malthus was a British economist, who wrote numerous articles about population growth. Malthus theorizes that the availability of food cannot be compared to the geometrical rate of population growth. Thus, overpopulation constantly leads to unending forces of hunger, virulent disease and poverty. The instinctive struggle for survival arrested Darwin attention; as a result, he used Malthuss approach to the theory of evolution. (How did Thomas Malthus influence Charles Darwin?). Darwin theory of evolution is essential, because the food supply issues describe by Thomas Malthus, gave young species the opportunity to complete for their survival. The survival of the fittest would then provide; the future generation with the favourable variation of their heredity. Therefore, each generation would improve adoptively throughout the ages and this attempt would gradual succeed in the development of evolutionary species. This approach was added to Darwin scheme of natural selection, thus h e proposed that all species are related to one common ancestor known as the real eve. Moreover, he offered extra support for the core concept that earth itself is not motionless but evolving .Darwin believed that some of the instinct used in Malthus struggle of survival would invigorate the survival scheme. Throughout his research, Darwin concluded that this ongoing struggle between those more and less fit to survive would produce a never ending progression of change in the organism (How did Thomas Malthus influence Charles Darwin?). Darwin used the ideas of many scholars to develop his theory. He strongly believed that population growth remain pending until existing natural resources becomes stabilized. Thomas Malthus was ordained minister of the gospel, who believed that starvation and illnesses were employed by God to prevent populations growth. He further mentions that lacking these positive checks the population would explode rapidly .Malthus saw life as a divine inspiration that assign men to work fervently. In addition, Malthus dislike most of the statement used by the early philosophers, he believed that human problems can be resolve through the social engineering network. Most of the philosophers, who Malthus dislikes, use his essay as guide to coin their theory (How did Thomas Malthus influence Charles Darwin?). Alfred Russell Wallace Alfred Russell Wallace was the first British naturalist, who coined the term evolution, due to his natural selection. It was his proposal that Darwin use to formulate his theory. Wallaces theory was publicized at the same time of that of Charles Darwin. According to historians, Wallace and Darwin worked independently, yet uninformed about each others research. Both men shared the same perceptiveness about biological mechanism, in which species gradually change to meet the criteria of their environment. During this era, most persons strongly believed that all species were irreversible merchandise of divine creation (Alfred Russel Wallace biography). Evolution is the process by which transformation occur though enormous diversity of the living species. Studies have shown that all living species have descended from one common ancestor in the past. Wallace philosophy of spiritualism was vast different to those of Charles Darwin thesis of human minds. Darwin saw humans as highly evolved organisms; Wallace believed that the human mind was inspired by something outside evolution and that the human spirit could continue to progress after death (Rocky road: Alfred Russel Wallace). At first Wallace believed that the duties executed by men would normal amend with the current time. However, as time progress, he changes his verdict. He maintained that the entire universe was fashioned by human being, just that we are considered a little lower than angels. As young man, though, he thought differently. In one passage about the King Bird of Paradise, Wallace both marvelled at the existence of such amazing creatures that had so seldom been seen by people, and made a prescient observation about humanitys impact on nature (Rocky road: Alfred Russel Wallace). Herbert Spencer Herbert Spencer was the first sociologist in Derby England. Herbert defined sociology as the study of societal evolution and believed that the ultimate goal of societal evolution is complete harmony and happiness (Evolutionary theory, 2004 p. 434). Spencer embraced Charles Darwin theory of natural selection, after he publishes the book origins of species. Spencer was considered an influential supporter of social Darwinism, and subfield of Darwin hypothesis of human societies. Spencer coined the term survival of the fittest to describe the contest between individuals and groups. He theorized that wealth and power are signs of intrinsic fitness, while poverty is considered as evidence of low standard (Evolutionary theory, 2004 p. 434). Spencer concept of adaption permits him to declare that the rich and powerful are capable to adopt the social and economic means of the current time, while the concept of natural selection allows him to argue that it is normal for the rich to progress at the works of the poor. After all, it is an issue of everyday life. In some case Social Darwinist argue that it is inappropriate to assist those who are weak than oneself, since it will promote survival of someone who is inapt Spencer had many very extreme political views and grew to despise government programs that were aimed to help the poor. In the end it was his harsh views on politics that held his ideas back from being accepted right away. Spencer was like Darwin in some ways, but when it came down to the theory of evolution, Spencer took it one step further than Darwin by saying that it involved much more that just biology (Herbert spencer). Charles Lyell Charles Lyell was a well-known geologist and uniformitarian supporter during the mid 19 century. Being a firm believer of uniformitarian (All about Science) he coined the term uniformitarianism. Lyell supported his hypothesis base on geological observation that the made during his visits to Europe and North American. This theory asserts that the same biological process that operates in the past continues to do so in the same way and with the same gradual force. According to Encarta dictionary catastrophism is the process by which the natal description of earth surfaces was structure by a series of impetuous violent, rather than gradual evolutionary theory. This approach have seen a large extinct of animals and plants. An example of this theory is Noahs flood. During the flood, everything was wiped away except those that were taken into the ark. The catastrophist believed that all species created are irreversible. However, the catastrophist perception was opposed by Sir Charles Lyell in his book principles of geology. Lyell mention in his book, that earths surface is constantly undergoing changes, as a result of the unvarying operation of natural forces. As time progress, Darwin found himself apt to Lyells viewpoint. However, He soon realized that some of his examination of living plants and creature posed great doubt to those of Lyell. Lyell maintained that species were created differently. He further mentions that the remains of extinct species resemble those of living species in the same geographical area (The influence of Darwin on psychology). Although, he had difficulty accepting his own philosophy, his work found favour in the eyes of Charles Darwin (All about Science). Moreover, his works found a source of believe some billions years ago. However, Darwin theory of evolution, did not propose any time frame until he em brace Lyell old earth theories (All about Science). Most scientists accepted Lyell theory because it provides rational explanation and details. Yet those explanation were considered evidence, and even today scientist used Lyell geological explanation with no major questioning. Darwin accepted Lyell work hold heartedly, because it gives him a clear instinct of his beliefs. At one point Lyell retaliated against the theory of geology, because he believed that theory depicts a biased and construal setting of the scripture Genesis (Sir Charles Lyell). Alfred Binet Alfred Binet was French psychology, who was known for success in intelligent testing. In the 1889 Binet discovered the first psychological research laboratory in France. As director of the laboratory, he attempted to develop experimental technique that would measure rational thinking and intelligence. During the 1900s the French government (History of intelligence testing) contacted Binet, seeking his help to develop a theory that would differentiate the difference between mental incompetence and mental stability. As result the said government pass an amendment bill that requires the present of all children in school. Hence the reason was to identify their specialities and to group them according to their learning abilities. With the help of his co-worker, psychologist Theodore Simon, he was able to devise a test that would measure the mental capacity of children. This approach was known as the Binet-Simon scale. After the development of the Binet-Simon scale, the test was soon brought to the United States where it generated considerable interest (History of intelligence testing). Lewis Terman a psychologist at the standard university used Alfred Binet testing to conduct his own survey, the outcome of his finding was known as Stanford-Binet intelligent scale, soon after it was initially change to standard intelligent testing. The Stanford-Binet intelligent testing is conducted by trained professionals, who known how to administered the examination and secure the answers. The method designed to compute the IQ score is dividing mental age by the actual chronological age of the individual taking the examination and then multiply it by 100. For example if an 8year old scores a mental age of 12 her IQ given to her would be 150i;e 1Q of 150(8/12x 100). Although this initiative is accurate in children it does not compute will for adults. Intelligent testing Sir Francis Galton Francis Galton was a British Scientist, who laid the foundation of eugenics. He was also related to Charles Darwin. As result he was the first to acknowledge Darwins evolutionary theory, after he read the book the origins of species. Galton soon became interested in heredity and the measurement of humans; He collected various statistical data on height, dimensions and other characteristics of human beings. Base on quantitative studies of prominent individuals and their family trees, he concluded that intellectual ability is inherited in much the same way as physicals traits and he later published his finding in heredity (Sir Francis Galton). Galton strongly believed that the nature of intelligence have led him to inspire the thoughts, that society should encourage the upper class to replenish the earth , while the lower class refrain from doing so. During the mid 19 century eugenics was seen considered social Darwinism. Social Darwinism entails the struggle for existence and survival of the fittest. When applied to humanity it simply suggest the rich are wealthy off than the poor, and more successful in life. The controversy between the rich and poor permits the continual development of the species in orderly and timely manner, thus contributing to better society. Galton conduct a further probe to investigate the difference between the effects of heredity and those of environment ( Sir Francis Galton ). Base on his finding he was able to detect how education and environmental factors influence our mental ability. Galton continues to recognize heredity as prominent influence, regardless of his finding. Galton was among the first scientist to study twins, who had been separated from each other as means offering insight into the nature -nurture controversy (Sir Francis Galton). They contribution made by Galton provides valuable so urce for both psychologist and educators.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Negative Consumer Behavior Essay

To fully understand what negative consumer behavior is and what makes a bad customer, we first have to understand what â€Å"consumer behavior† is. In their book, â€Å"Consumer Behavior: Concepts and Strategies,† Berkman and Gilson (1981) say that the American Cultural System, which is made of values and artifacts, strongly influences consumer activity in the United States. â€Å"In the twentieth century, American Culture reflected a distinct consumption ethic based upon affluence and gratification of desires through material acquisition† (Berkman and Gilson, 1981). Consumer Behavior is defined as â€Å"the activities of people engaged in actual or potential use of market items-whether products, services, retail environments, or ideas† (Berkman and Gilson, 1981). Thus, there are unlimited types of behaviors that the consumers can exhibit making it difficult to distinguish between good and bad consumer behavior. Sometimes, a consumer behavior that maybe considered negative in one market place can be considered positive in another. Shoplifting for example. â€Å"Some 800,000 times a day, this tableau of temptation, fear and exhilaration plays out in the humdrum aisles of department stores and supermarkets† (Adler, 2002). Shoplifting without a doubt is a type of negative consumer behavior since this behavior costs department stores and supermarket thousands of dollars every day. Yet in the February 25, 2002 â€Å"Newsweek† article written by Jerry Adler, Brandy Samson, the manager of a jewelry and accessories store in the Sherman Oaks California Fashion Square, sees shoplifting in a positive way by using it to understand what it is that the consumers want. She continued to say â€Å"We know what’s hot among teens by seeing what they steal† (Adler, 2002). Though shoplifting has negative effects for one type of market it is a positive consumer behavior in another like the security and protection market. The rise in shoplifting incidents will lead storeowners to increase their spending on security devices like cameras and sensor tags for clothing. Kelly Barron, the author of the article â€Å"Your money or your life? Crime rates are down. Are Americans overspending for security?† says that  even though crime rates have been decreasing over the past years, revenues in the security business are on the rise. â€Å"Americans keep buying more and more protection. Revenues for the security industry have risen 46% over the past five years, to an estimated $57 billion† (Barron, 1997). The vast increase of credit card use has given birth to yet another type of this complex consumer behavior that can be categorized as the compulsive buyers. In their study, James A. Roberts and Eli Jones, say that â€Å"the consumer culture is defined as a culture in which the majority of consumers avidly desire, pursue, consume, and display goods and services that are valued for non-utilitarian reasons, such as status (power), envy provocation, and pleasure seeking† (2001). Such behavior has both positive and negative outcomes. In one hand, the rise of consumer spending increases revenues for certain goods and services. In the other hand, the same behavior increases debt. â€Å"For the first three month of 1999, consumer spending increased at an annualized rate of 6.7 percent. Purchases of durable goods, non-durable goods, and services all registered healthy gains. During the same period, savings reached an all-time low of -0.5 percent† (Roberts and Jones, 2001). Roberts and Jones noted in their study that past research shows that credit cards facilitate spending and that college students were found to spend more at a given store if the store accepted credit cards as a mode of payment. It was also noted that such compulsive buying activities was a significant reason for the large number of credit card debt and personal bankruptcy filings. Roberts and Jones acknowledge that earlier studies have found that students with high debt earn lower grades, and have higher probabilities of dropping out of school. You would think that educational organizations would limit the access of credit card vendors into a college campus. However, what is happening is exactly the opposite. â€Å"Four of five universities allow on-campus solicitations for credit cards and charge credit card vendors between $175 to $400 per day to rent tables during freshman orientation. Schools also receive a percentage of all student charges when they authorize the issuance of an affinity card† (Roberts and Jones, 2001). So is compulsive buying behavior negative or positive? There are however some consumer behaviors that are easy to distinguish from being negative or positive. The abusive customer for example, is a type of consumer that is never satisfied that induces high amounts of stress on the employees. Those who have worked in retail and customer service have probably dealt with such consumers. Working in a clothing store has given me the opportunity to experience the stress created by dealing with the so-called â€Å"abusive customers.† This negative behavior creates a conflict between customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction. â€Å"The consumer satisfaction category has the main position in marketing theory and is based on the premise that the profit is made through the process of satisfaction of consumers’ demands†¦researchers continually confirm a significant correlation between satisfaction and repeated buying, greater brand loyalty, and spreading a positive opinion of the product† (Dubrovski, 2001). Customer is indeed important to the success of a business, but so is employee satisfaction. See the problem when it comes to dealing with abusive customers? The face-to-face interactions with abusive customers cause employees to increase their â€Å"emotional labor† which is also known as emotional dissonance. â€Å"Emotional dissonance occurs when expressed emotions conform with organizational norms but clash with true feelings† (Rafaeli and Sutton, 1987). In her study on emotional dissonance, Rebecca Abraham establishes that emotional dissonance provokes unhappiness at a job, which motivates the intentions to quit. At my former job, a clothing store, I was able to observe high employee turnover rates due to job dissatisfaction. Not a day passed by without a single interaction with an abusive customer. I wouldn’t doubt that the high volume of such interactions lead to the high employee turnover. This particular store did nothing to decrease the high employee turnover, probably costing them hundreds of dollars. When does employee satisfaction become more important than customer satisfaction? Abusive customers, no matter what they spend and no matter how high their lifetime value is, are expressing negative consumer behavior. This particular clothing store that I used as an example should evaluate or re-examine their values because in the  end nobody will want to work for them. Exhibiting negative consumer behavior in one type of market may result in a positive outcome in another market. Some types of consumer behaviors are so complex that it is extremely difficult to distinguish it from being a positive or negative behavior. It depends on what side of the market the specific business is. In this paper I illustrated for the most part a few of these complex consumer behaviors. However, there are some consumer behaviors that a business owner might be better off with. In the retail business there are some customers that take a great deal of time in deciding what it is that they want to purchase. If you are a storeowner, you might want to have your employees spend less time pleasing these types of customers. After all time is money. The welfare and satisfaction of employees should also be a great concern for the employers. I believe that the more satisfied an employee is with their job, the better they will perform at it. Thus, it is important to protect employees from abusive customers. I can recall a time when a customer became extremely angry when we did not have a specific item in the size he was looking for. There was nothing that I could do but to deal with the costumer’s mistreatment. The types of negative consumer behavior are immense that some are hard to even conceptualize. Such behaviors range from lack of spending, usually expressed by the elderly, to theft and overspending. Future research should examine these activities. Bibliography Abraham, Rebecca. The impact of emotional dissonance on organizational commitment and intention to turnover. Journal of Psychology v133, n4 (July, 1999): 441. Adler, Jerry. The â€Å"Thrill† of Theft: it’s not just the movie stars. Why, each year, ordinary people shoplift $13 billion of lipsticks, batteries and bikinis from stores. Newsweek (Feb. 25, 2002): 52. Barron, Kelly. Your money or your life? Crime rates are down. Are Americans overspending for security? Forbes v160 (November 17, 1997): 66. Berkman, Harold W; Gilson, Christopher. Consumer Behavior: concepts and strategies. Kent Publishing Company. Boston 1981. Dubrovki, Drago. The role of customer satisfaction in achieving business excellence. Total Quality Management. (December 2001): 920 Rafaeli, A.; Sutton, R. Expression of emotion as part of the work role. Academy of Management Review. (1987): 12, 23-37. Roberts, James A; Jones, Eli. Money attitudes, credit card use, and compulsive buying among American college students. Journal of Consumer Affairs, Winter 2001, 35(2): 213-240.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

The Air Test And Evaluation Squadron One Military...

Within the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron One military organization, segments of the squadron come together and perform various tasks to support and fly aircraft to meet the organizational goal of operational test and development. In accomplishing this goal, the squadron incurs joint costs when people from multiple departments travel across the globe to perform mission objectives (Hicks, 2010). The squadron travel budgets are smaller ceiling appropriation allocations of the larger National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) authorized by Congress and the budget division ensures financial resources are spent wisely during each fiscal year (October 1 through September 30) or operating period (Hicks, 2010). The travel division monitors spending on 23 funding lines totaling $1.17 million where each funding line, referred to as different colors of money, is obligated for a specific travel appropriation or purpose. To manage these costs, the travel division is responsible for arranging travel accommodations, processing travel vouchers and claims, tracking Government Travel Charge Cards (GTCC) charges, and validating allocation of funds. Budget preparations begin by predicting future year requirements such as off-site pilot and flight crew flight-testing, off-site pilot and flight crew training, professional schools, occupational training, conferences, and other official travel (C. Sacksen, personal communication, September 19, 2016). To assist in budget execution,Show MoreRelatedInformation Tech3113 Words   |  13 Pagesthe candidates skills, qualities, and traits to ensure they are commensurate to what the Army expects of a warrant officer one. He said that individual skills and leadership capabilities are tested along with transition training from being enlisted to officer. * Copyright  © 2013 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. 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