Thursday, December 26, 2019

Evolution By Natural Selection By Charles Darwin - 1947 Words

Evolution by natural selection, proposed by Charles Darwin in 1859, requires a population to have three necessities. These include variation, which leads to differences in fitness, and a form of heredity for this variation (Bourrat 2014). Natural selection acts solely by accumulating slight, successive, and favorable variations and cannot produce great or sudden modifications because it can act only by very short and slow steps (Darwin 1859). Nevertheless, there are always numerous potential selective pressures in nature that limit a population’s evolution and fitness like predation. Plants form the foundation on which communities and ecosystems are assembled and which food webs are created. Accordingly, the understanding of factors that establish plant distribution, abundance is essential for our understanding of ecology at large. As major constituents of most ecosystems and chronic agents of plant damage, consumers have great potential to heavily impact plant abundance and distribution (Maron and Crone 2006). Particularly, herbivore populations like Eurosta solidaginis typically sustain heavy attacks from tortuous arrays of natural enemies (Bergman and Tingey 1979). They frequently encounter parasitoid wasps and avian predators, which impact the survival of the gallmakers. If a survivorship varies among gallmakers with different traits, natural enemy attacks can potentially alter their traits in later generations (Warren et al. 1989). Based upon other experimentsShow MoreRelatedCharles Darwin s Theory Of Evolution And Natural Selection1535 Words   |  7 PagesCharles Robert Darwin was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist. Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution is based on a mechanism that he titled natural selection. Natural selection is, as defined by Darwin in his book On the Origin of Species, the method of being naturally selected for a better chance of survival in an environment. Evolution itself is the process by which organisms develop and adapt over generations. â€Å"†¦ it follows that any being, if it vary however slightly in any mannerRead MoreCharles Darwin s Theory Of Evolution And Natural Selection2114 Words   |  9 PagesCharles Darwin Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England, on February 12, 1809. He died on April 19, 1882 in Kent, England (Biography.com Editors). Charles Darwin brought many revolutionary visions to the world of science, including evolution. Charles Darwin was an English naturalist and geologist. He is best known for his theory of evolution, and natural selection. Darwin learned most of his information on the Voyage of the Beagle, and from this trip he wrote a book, Of the Origin of SpeciesRead MoreEvolution By Natural Selection Is A Theory Created By Charles Darwin1415 Words   |  6 Pagesdevelop mutations that help us to adapt to the world around us. This is called evolution. Evolution by natural selection is a theory created by Charles Darwin in which he states that organisms evolve over time and develop certain characteristics, and the beneficial characteristics are passed onto the organism’s offspring as to increase the organism’s ability to survive, reproduce, and compe te for resources. Natural selection keeps the mutations that lead to an increase in Darwinian fitness, which isRead MoreCharles Robert Darwin and his Revolutionary Ideas1111 Words   |  5 Pages Charles Robert Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. Charles was one of six children and came from a long line of scientists. His grandfather, Dr. Erasmus Darwin, created the theory of evolution and his father, Dr. Robert Waring Darwin, was a well known medical doctor in his community. When Charles was 16, in 1825, his father sent him to Edinburgh University to study medicine, in hopes that Charles would also become a medical doctor. However, three years into hisRead MoreEvolution Is The Biological Ideal For The History Of Life On Earth814 Words   |  4 PagesHonors Biology Kohli December 14th, 2014 Evolution Evolution is the biological ideal for the history of life on Earth. (Evolution fact and theory). It is the process by which an organism becomes more refined over time and in response to its environment. Evolution is about how we evolved; how Neanderthals and cave men evolved into Homo sapiens much like what we are today. It’s about how creatures evolved over time, dinosaurs becoming extinct through natural selection and how sharks have been alive for overRead MoreCharles Darwin s Theory Of Evolution1173 Words   |  5 Pages It is time to start believing. Evolutionary theories were first proposed by Charles Darwin in the 19th century, and 150 years later, these ideas are still being studied and proven today. Charles Darwin set the basis for these discoveries. Natural Selection and survival of the fittest are two examples of evolution. Charles Darwin once exclaimed, â€Å"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.† ThisRead MoreHow Organisms Evolved From a Common Ancestors1101 Words   |  5 Pagesof evolution. This theory states, â€Å"that all living organisms have evolved from a common ancestor through natural selection acting on hereditary variation† (Reece, 2011). Many people today, know humans have evolved from a common ancestor; but they do not recognize the importance of it. Everyone should be educated about how organisms evolved because humans have evolved throughout many centuries. Charles Darwin had many theories that incorporated the main principle of biology, natural selection andRead MoreCharles Darwin s Theory Of Natural Phenomenon And A Collector Of Specimen Essay853 Words   |  4 PagesCharles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, England and was raised as a fifth child by a wealthy family. In 1825, Darwin graduated from the Elite school at Shrewsbury. In 1927 he dropped out from the University of Edinbu rgh and entered the University of Cambridge in order to become a clergyman for the Church of England. There he met Adam Sedgwick and John Stevens Henslowe. The two figures taught Darwin to become and observe of natural phenomenon and a collector of specimen. AfterRead MoreThe Origin of The Species by Charles Darwin Essay994 Words   |  4 PagesDarwinism is a theory developed by Charles Darwin with the help of many others. It states that natural selection is the most common cause of evolution. All species of organisms arise and grow through the natural selection of inherited variations that help increase the individuals ability to survive and reproduce in its environment. 1735 Carolus Linnaeus: He believed that God had created the world in a divine order from the simplest creatures up to human beings. He said God created struggle andRead MoreThe Scientific Theory Of Science And Technology1449 Words   |  6 Pageslive in today. Charles Robert Darwin was an English geologist and naturalist, best known for his significant addition to the science of evolution. He had a theory that all species have inherited traits over time from common ancestors, and in a partnership with Alfred Russel Wallace introduced his scientific theory that this pattern of evolution resulted from an action that he called natural selection, in which the struggle for existence has a similar effect to the natural selection involved in selective

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

To Kill a Mockingbird Argumentative Essay - 881 Words

Tom Robinson, a black man in To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the main characters in this story that causes controversy because of his skin color. Is the story’s relevance based on Mr. Robinson and his skin color? In my opinion yes, the book revolves all around his skin color and racism of the time. Tom Robinson is treated unfairly because he was black not because of what he supposedly did. The controversial subject matter in this book is immense in numbers, but out of all them, racism stands out the most. A question that has come to mind after reading this book is, today is racism still a hostile problem and as big as it was in the 1930s? Throughout this research paper I will gather information about racism from the 30s, and also today.†¦show more content†¦Even after evidence was found, all of it would be questioned and the trial could last for weeks. Blacks were persecuted more harshly and treated much more unfairly in the 30s. During this time period Jim Crow laws basically made it to where blacks didn’t have any rights at all. Jim Crow laws started in the 1880s and lasted into the 1960s, a majority of American states enforced segregation through Jim Crow laws. From Delaware to California, and from North Dakota to Texas, many states could impose legal punishments on people for consorting with members of another race. The most common types of laws forbade intermarriage and ordered business owners and public institutions to keep their black and white clientele separated (Tischauser 57-68). The Jim Crow laws affected Tom Robinson’s life in many ways. He simply was segregated from the white population. Tom was discriminated by almost everyone in the community he lived in. During this time this was normal and blacks were thought to be inferior to whites. Some English Dictionaries define ‘Jim Crow’ as the name for an implement that can straighten or bend iron rails; or, along with ‘Jim Crowism’, systems or practices of racial discrimination or segregation. The American English Dictionary suggests that the name only emerged in dictionaries in 1904, but it was clearly used as early as 1876.Show MoreRelatedKill A Mockingbird, By Harper Lee1327 Words   |  6 PagesTo Kill A Mockingbird Argumentative Essay, Atticus Takes a Stand It makes sense for Atticus to defend Tom Robinson, even if others thinks it s stupid just because of Tom’s color. Harper Lee was the Author of the number one book in America, To Kill A Mockingbird. The book starts off with Scout talking about her family, Jem and Atticus. Then Scout talks about someone named Dill, who comes only during summer. When Dill did come over, Jem, Scout, and Dill would try to get Boo Radley to come out ofRead MoreHow To Write Literary Analysis4174 Words   |  17 PagesHow To Write Literary Analysis The Literary Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide When you read for pleasure, your only goal is enjoyment. You might find yourself reading to get caught up in an exciting story, to learn about an interesting time or place, or just to pass time. Maybe you’re looking for inspiration, guidance, or a reflection of your own life. There are as many different, valid ways of reading a book as there are books in the world. When you read a work of literature in an English class

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Internet and The World Wide Web Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Internet and The World Wide Web. Answer: The internet and the web It is very difficult to imagine any business operation without the involvement of internet and the World Wide Web. The involvement or use of internet in business has significantly helped in altering and enhancing the day-to-day operations involved in a business. Furthermore, it is one of the essential tools for marketing and advertising that is more conveniently used to reach a wider audience. A company website helps an organization to present its business to global customers (Baker, 2012). Furthermore, internet is used for making the customers aware of the current promotions in the organization. With the advent of internet and increasing use of web, most of the business operations use internet as a medium for carrying out vital operations, which includes storage and access of the important files and documents, communicating important information and so on. Creating a good image and an intelligent marketing is very important for an organization to be successful. Internet plays a huge role in achieving this. An effective company website helps in creating a perfect web experience that helps in reaching a wider audience. Use of social networking is increasingly used by different organizations in under to identify their target audience. Maintaining a good communication and having a proper interaction with the customers is very important and vital for expanding a business. The internet helps in achieving it. Email, instant messages, internet telephony and so on. The use of internet makes it easier for the businesses to deliver the messages to the employees and staffs of the organization as well. Personally, the use of internet has helped in performing the different operations of the organization more accurately. It simplifies the process of information collection by conducting a secondary research from the internet. The information gathered can be recorded electronically that eliminates the hassle of manual information keeping. Furthermore, with the advent of internet, carrying out payments and transactions has become even simpler. However, there are certain risks that are associated with the use of internet in organizations and for personal use as well. Denial of service attack is a common attack that can jam the network of the organization stopping all the important operations (Kessler, 2014). This could result in delay in the important operations of the organization. Apart from this, the electronic document keeping is prone to malicious attack where an intruder aims at hacking the important information of the company. The online transaction also possesses a threat associated with the loss of private and confidential information such as details of the credit and debit cards. Furthermore, the internet and web is prone to botnet attack, where a hacker can access all the computers connected with a common network (Dillman, Smyth Christian, 2014). The hackers, for obtaining the private information about the participants of the communication, can also compromise the communication channels. This is known as phishin g. Phishing frauds can appear as a guise of email messages that are intelligently designed to appear as if they are coming from a legitimate source. Therefore, proper protection against these frauds is necessary in order to protect the vital information of the organization. WannaCry Threat: Ransomware Attack 2017 In this digital world, where every information is stored digitally, proper protection of information is necessary. Digitization has no doubt improved the life and style of the computer users. However, the wannacry attack was totally unforeseen. Wannacry attack was the worst attack that the world has seen over the time. Wannacry ransomware is a malware that blocks the users access to their own files and systems by encrypting all the files that are present in a system. The files could only be decrypted once the victim pay and ransom in form of bit coins. Victims on finding no other alternatives were forced to pay a huge amount to the attackers. The malware first appeared in May 12th 2017 and spread like a forest fire all over the world. It targeted the unpatched computes working on an old version of windows operating system (Mohurle Patil, 2017). It mainly targeted large organizations in order to spread rapidly through the organizations internal network. The most dangerous feature of this malware was that it could spread even without involvement of any human by exploiting the vulnerabilities of the windows operating system running on the computer. The malware had infected over 230000 computers over the world. The malware attack spread by various methods that include email spam or phishing emails sen t on the system that is running on an older version of Microsoft windows. It was identified later that the systems that were targeted by the attack were still running on an outdated version of windows XP. The attack could have been prevented if certain preventive measures were ensured on the system. Considering the systems that are used for carrying out the most vital operations, proper security measures was essential. The risk of such ransomware can be mitigated by having a updated antivirus installed in the system. Spam messages should be blocked without reading or the spam settings can be personalized. The patches in the operating system should be kept up to date and windows firewall should be always turned on (O'dowd, 2017). A proper and reputable security suite should be installed in the system and proper measures should be taken while accessing any Wi-Fi network. The users should prevent themselves from visiting any unreliable website in order to prevent any malware infection in the computer system. Furthermore, the .exe files should be filtered in the email. Apart from this, the Microsoft office components should be kept secured apart from disabling the remote services. These p reventive measures can help in preventing the type of attack in future. Apart from this, it is never a good idea to pay a ransom to the attackers, how small the amount might be (Gordon, Fairhall Landman, 2017). This instigates the attacker in launching this type of crime in future as well. Another good idea for preventing such attacks is to keep a back up of the important files on a regular basis, so that even if this type of attack breaks in, the victim could use an alternate option for restoring their data. References Baker, J. (2012). The technologyorganizationenvironment framework. InInformation systems theory(pp. 231-245). Springer New York. Dillman, D. A., Smyth, J. D., Christian, L. M. (2014).Internet, phone, mail, and mixed-mode surveys: the tailored design method. John Wiley Sons. Gordon, W. J., Fairhall, A., Landman, A. (2017). Threats to Information SecurityPublic Health Implications.New England Journal of Medicine,377(8), 707-709. Kessler, G. C. (2014). Denial?of?Service Attacks.Computer Security Handbook, Sixth Edition, 18-1. Mohurle, S., Patil, M. (2017). A brief study of wannacry threat: Ransomware attack 2017.International Journal,8(5). O'dowd, A. (2017). Major global cyber-attack hits NHS and delays treatment.BMJ: British Medical Journal (Online),357.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Nine Tomorrows Will Computers Control Humans In The Future Essays

Nine Tomorrows: Will Computers Control Humans in the Future? People always tend to seek the easy way out looking for something that would make their lives easier. Machines and tools have given us the ability to do more in less time giving us, at the same time, more comfort. As the technology advances, computers become faster and more powerful. These new machines are enabling us to do more in less time making our lives easier. The increased use of computers in the future, however, might have negative results and impact on our lives. In the novel Nine Tomorrows Isaac Asimov often criticizes our reliance on computers by portraying a futuristic world where computers control humans. One of the images which Asimov describes in the book is that humans might become too dependent on computers. In one of the stories, Profession, Asimov writes about people being educated by computer programs designed to educate effortlessly a person. According to the Profession story people would no longer read books to learn and improve their knowledge. People would rely on the computers rather than "try to memorize enough to match someone else who knows" (Nine Tomorrows, Profession 55). People would not chose to study, they would only want to be educated by computer tapes. Putting in knowledge would take less time than reading books and memorizing something that would take almost no time using a computer in the futuristic world that Asimov describes. Humans might began to rely on computers and allow them to control themselves by letting computers educate people. Computers would start teaching humans what computers tell them without having any choice of creativity. Computers would start to control humans' lives and make humans become too dependent on the computers. Another point that is criticized by Asimov is the fact that people might take their knowledge for granted allowing computers to take over and control their lives. In a story called The Feeling of Power, Asimov portrays how people started using computers to do even simple mathematical calculations. Over a long period of time people became so reliable on computers that they forgot the simplest multiplication and division rules. If someone wanted to calculate an answer they would simply use their pocket computer to do that (The Feeling of Power 77). People became too independent from the start making them forget what they have learned in the past. People in the story The Feeling of Power would take for granted what they have learned over centuries of learning and chose computers because of their ability to do their work faster. The lack of manual mathematics, which people chose to forget in the story, caused computers to be the ones to solve simple mathematic problems for the people taking control of the humans by doing the work for them (The Feeling of Power 81-82). The reliance of computers went to such an extent that even Humans began to use computers in all fields of study and work allowing computers to control their lives by taking over and doing everything for them. According to another story in the book, Asimov also describes how computers would be able to predict probabilities of an event, future. In the story All the Troubles of the World one big computer predicted crime before it even happened, allowing the police to take the person who was going to commit the crime and release him/her after the danger has passed (All The Troubles of The World 144-145). This computer, called Multivac, controlled humans by telling the authorities about who was going to commit a crime causing someone to be imprisoned until the danger has passed. It was the computer that made the decision of someone's freedom or imprisonment and that controlled others to arrest a person it suspected of committing a crime controlling his/her destiny. The decision of imprisoning someone for a crime a person did not commit was all in the hands of a computer. It was the computer that controlled humans and their destiny and controlling other humans who believed in everything that computer told them. Multivac could not only predict the future but it also could answer many questions that would normally embarrass people if they would have to ask someone else about it. Multivac could access its vast database of trillions of pieces of knowledge and find the best solution for one's problem (All The Troubles of The World 153). All the people believed that Multivac knows the best and allowed a computer to control their lives by following the solutions Multivac had given them (All the

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

David Altons Literary Criticism of Our Video Culture Essays

David Altons Literary Criticism of Our Video Culture Essays David Altons Literary Criticism of Our Video Culture Essay David Altons Literary Criticism of Our Video Culture Essay Our Video Culture, directly mirrors concepts covered in chapter two, specifically the characteristics of culture and the ideas of mass media. Altos document discusses the impact of video and television violence on the behavior of children, and the unacceptable shift in what is suitable to be broadcasted on television. Alton focuses on the specific example of the murder of a two-year-old boy, James Bulgier, by two young boys in Liverpool. The murderers had been conditioned to believe that certain violent actions were acceptable; they were sensitizes to such gruesome ideas, due to the number of times they had seen these actions displayed on television. The two boys have been exposed to a series of popular violent television films that instilled in them, Vicious characteristics of culture that were learned through observation and imitation. When Alton and many others addressed the issue of widespread violence on television, Parliament disregarded it as a matter that should be tended to by the childs parents. This hints at the idea that though the values of a society express that murder and violence are unacceptable, ass media was successfully able to create an ambiguous area of limitations for television broadcasts; it was no longer mass medias fault, but the parents fault for not monitoring their children more carefully. Mass media has used its power to shape what is now believed as the new norm for television by encouraging a pervasive culture of violence, thus minimizing the concern of what children can observe and learn from watching this violence on television; giving way to situations such as the murder of James Bulgier.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Ad Reinhardt, American Abstract Expressionist Painter

Ad Reinhardt, American Abstract Expressionist Painter Ad Reinhardt (December 24, 1913 - August 30, 1967) was an American abstract expressionist artist who sought to create what he called, absolute abstraction. The result was a series of works known as the Black Paintings, which consisted of geometrical shapes in subtle shades of black and near-black. Fast Facts: Ad Reinhardt Full Name: Adolph Frederick Reinhardt Occupation: PainterBorn: December 24, 1913 in Buffalo, New YorkDied: August 30, 1967 in New York, New YorkSpouse: Rita ZiprkowskiChild: Anna ReinhardtSelected Works: Untitled (1936), Study for a Painting (1938), Black Paintings (1953-1967)Notable Quote: Only a bad artist thinks he has a good idea. A good artist does not need anything. Early Life and Education Ad Reinhardt was born in Buffalo, New York, but moved to New York City with his family at a young age. He was an outstanding student and showed an interest in visual art. During high school, Reinhardt illustrated his schools newspaper. Upon applying to college, he turned down multiple scholarship offers from art schools and enrolled in the art history program at Columbia University. At Columbia, Ad Reinhardt studied under the art historian Mayer Schapiro. He also became good friends with theologian Thomas Merton and poet Robert Lax. The three all embraced approaches to simplicity in their specific disciplines. Untitled (1936). The Pace Gallery Works Progress Administration Work Shortly after graduation from Columbia, Reinhardt became one of the few abstract artists hired in the Federal Arts Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). There he met other prominent 20th-century American artists including Willem de Kooning and Arshile Gorky. His work of the period also demonstrated the impact of Stuart Davis experiments with geometric abstraction. While working for the WPA, Ad Reinhardt also became a member of the American Abstract Artists group. They were profoundly influential in the development of the avant-garde in the U.S. In 1950, Reinhardt joined the group of artists known as The Irascibles who protested that the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York was not modern enough. Jackson Pollock, Barnett Newman, Hans Hofmann, and Mark Rothko were part of the group. John Loengard / Getty Images Absolute Abstraction and the Black Paintings Ad Reinhardts work was non-representational from the beginning. However, his paintings show a distinctive progression from visual complexity to simple compositions of geometrical shapes in shades of the same color. By the 1950s, the work began approaching what Reinhardt called absolute abstraction. He believed that much of the abstract expressionism of the era was too full of emotional content and the impact of the artists ego. He aimed to create paintings with no emotion or narrative content at all. Although he was part of the movement, Reinhardts ideas often ran counter to those of his contemporaries. In the latter part of the 1950s, Ad Reinhardt began work on the Black Paintings that would define the rest of his career. He took inspiration from Russian art theorist Kazimir Malevich, who created the work Black Square in 1915, referred to as the, zero point of painting. Malevich described an art movement focused on simple geometric shapes and a limited color palette that he called suprematism. Reinhardt expanded on the ideas in his theoretical writings, saying that he was creating, the last paintings one can make. While many of Reinhardts black paintings look flat and monochrome upon first glance, they reveal multiple shades and intriguing complexity when viewed close up. Among the techniques used to create the works was the siphoning of oil from the pigments used that resulted in a delicate finish. Unfortunately, the method also made the paintings challenging to preserve and maintain without damaging the surface. Black Series #6. U.S. Department of State embassy collections Despite the purging of all references to the outside world in his paintings, Ad Reinhardt insisted that his art could impact society and bring about positive change. He saw art as an almost mystical force in the world. Legacy The paintings of Ad Reinhardt remain an essential conceptual link between abstract expressionism and the minimalist art of the 1960s and beyond. Although his fellow expressionists often criticized his work, many of the most prominent artists of the next generation saw Reinhardt as a vital leader pointing toward the future of painting. Ad Reinhardt in Museum of Modern Art exhibition of his paintings. Robert R. McElroy / Getty Images Ad Reinhardt began to teach art in 1947 at Brooklyn College. Teaching, including a stint at Yale University, was a significant part of his work for the next 20 years until his death from a massive heart attack in 1967. Source Reinhardt, Ad. Ad Reinhardt. Rizzoli International, 1991.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Australian Indigenous People Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Australian Indigenous People - Essay Example This survival of a close link between religion and health helps to understand the way Australian indigenous population tends to think and act. For instance, "the eating of clay or charcoal and a range of other substances might superficially be considered bizarre or at best to be of limited adaptive value, and this is reflected in a long and continuing debate about the benefits or otherwise of geophagy" (Rowland 2002, p. 51). Many indigenous tribes suppose that their healing culture reflects a person's identity and helps him/her to recover after certain rituals. Healing practices are used in a variety of ways in reference to a number of social traditions and values (Johns and Sanders 2005). Many healing practices involve magical rituals based on sacred knowledge and beliefs. Unfortunately, most of such practices do not cure such diseases as cancer or diabetes which cause sufferings and deaths to indigenous population. Australian indigenous culture is based on a specific system of standards or rules a person attributes to the membership of the group as a result of his experience (Dudley 2004). According to cultural norms and traditions, many indigenous people reject modern health care and medical help relying on magical rituals and geophagy. (Indigenous Health 2007). Unique cultural norms and values lead Australian indigenous population to such problems as sexually transmitted diseases and alcoholism. The lack of HIV/AIDS education, prevention, and quality care on reservations has encouraged Australian indigenous population to migrate from reservations to urban areas. Indigenous population is similar to that of society at large, with men representing 82.6 percent of the cases and men who have sex with men constituting the largest segment of Australian indigenous AIDS cases, 5%. The second largest exposure category for male adult/adolescents is men who have sex with men and inject drugs, 17%. Since males account for the largest portion of AIDS cases for Australian indigenous population, and men and women who have sex with men make up the main exposure category, it is critical that we focus our attention on this population to stop the further spread of HIV/AIDS in tribal communities (Indigenous Health 2007). Lack of understanding and discriminatory treatment of two-spirit men creates an environment where HIV/AIDS can spread unimpeded. Knowledge of gender and sexual variance in indigenous societies is limited, but what is known is that some tribal communities had more than male and female genders and participated in a variety of sexual orientations (Australian Indigenous 2007). Poor health is closely connected with dietary patterns and crop technologies. In this case, diet represents "a product of human learning" which helps a person to organize his/her experience, including experience of other people (Briscoe 2005). For centuries, Australian indigenous population follows specific dietary patterns determined by cultivation practices and natural resources available to them. Critics admit that lack of minerals and vitamins is the main problem of many indigenous populations including the atrocious health. "Calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, nickel, manganese, cobalt and selenium are

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Corporate Business Responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Corporate Business Responsibility - Essay Example According to him, he opposes Milton’s theory and states that the business entity has an added responsibility of taking care of consumers and other workers on top of achieving its core purpose of making profits. These two viewpoints have had very many reviews and the comprehension and general assessment assist largely in determining the more noble theory. Both the ideas have their strong points, and this is based from the vast research and knowledge that the experts behind them have. Focusing on the views offered by Milton, he stated that the sole responsibility of a business should be to maximize profits. The positive aspect of this statement is that the business thus has the ability to offer full concentration to profit making agendas. With less association with the exterior environment, the company is assured of having maximum profits and thus leading to increased money drawn back to the company, and the subsequent result is always having the business expand to a greater asp ect. However, the theory does not accommodate all aspects of contemporary business ethics. This is from the fact that the 21st century has many people taking the social responsibility of a business rather seriously for them to acknowledge the services offered. The theory is thus rather biased from the fact that people pay more attention to a business that offers more attention to them. If a company involves the community through various activities such as brand testing before marketing and other social responsibilities like funding several events and offering financial aid, people are personally attached. This personal attachment is rather necessary in that it assists in ensuring that the community offers much attention, and to the company and the company has an upper hand in the competitive atmosphere in the location. Another aspect that is rather expounded by Milton from his theory is that a business thus has the ability of remaining anonymous by carrying out its activities in pri vate without letting in the general public in its ideas. This privacy policy is advantageous as it assures the company of originality and assurance that there will not have any theft of concepts and ideas that the company comes up. Moreover, it is said that a company that keeps to itself gets respect from the community in that it portrays its ability to have a financial bearing without assistance from others (Shaw & Barry, 2004, 232). However, looking at the 21st century from a general perspective, going through with Milton’s theory is not the best decision that a company, whether big or small, should take up. The best advice to follow is that relating to Edward Freeman. Caring about the welfare of the workers is one key point to the success of many companies. For instance, a company that sets standards to which the employees have to reach and subsequently gifts the employees that actually attain the standards is well on the course to success. The gifts may come in different packages depending on the success rate of the employees. These may range from family picnics to even salary raises. All these work better to offer motivation for the employees that eventually leads to better corporate results. Freeman and Milton have diverging corporate viewpoints but bear the same subsequent goal for each business criteria taken. The goal is success of the company. Caring about customers is also very

Sunday, November 17, 2019

The educational system Essay Example for Free

The educational system Essay The educational system of the United States has undergone several reforms that coincide with the political perspective at that time (Hochschild Scovronick, 2003). Consequently, the drastic reforms often left the schools confused. One thing that educational reforms all share is the reliance on state or standardized tests. These achievement tests have been used to measure the performance of schools and statistics had been used to prove whether a school was performing within the standards set by the state. Test scores have been shown to be reliable indicators of learning competencies if the tests match the curriculum of the schools and this is a challenge for there are different schools in the country that follows different approaches to teaching and learning philosophies (Hochschild Scovronick, 2003). The state however requires that all schools should follow state mandated minimum learning competencies across all levels. The diversity of the cultural backgrounds of students in our schools is a fact and one that has been emphasized by educators as a limitation to testing, however, test developers had responded to this issue by improving their norming population and to revise test items that were found to be culturally biased. Thus, they argue that test scores is indeed an objective measure of academic performance. Studies on test performance and academic performance have tried to establish that there is a positive relationship between the two; when test scores are high, academic grades also is high (Goodwin Leech, 2003). Therefore, a school that has high test scores is performing well. An interesting research question in this respect is to determine whether schools that have high test scores indeed are better schools. This is an important research question because so much depends on standardized tests and it is only right that it should be an objective and valid measure of the school’s performance. This can be measured by taking the academic grades of the school and correlating it with the specific subtests scores in the state-wide standardized tests, the hypothesis is that this schools would have high positive correlation between subject grades and subtest scores. What is being established by this research question is whether subject grades also reflect the same scores in the subtests; it is a fact that test scores and performance rates are computed based on the overall test score and even researches use the general academic average to correlate it with the overall test score. Correlation only tests relationships and associations, it does not attribute causation, thus one cannot say that higher academic grades causes higher test scores or vice versa, but it has been assumed that it does. Correlation however is the best tool to use in this situation since test scores and academic grades have a linear relationship and are a normal distribution (Triola, 2004). The results of the inquiry would establish the association between test scores and academic grades for every subject area tested. This would give us a better indicator of performance rather than just using the over-all scores and general average wherein values get lost in the averaging process. Moreover, tests of correlation can determine the direction of the relationship and the effect size (Triola, 2004). On the other hand, correlation can be used to misrepresent the results by attributing causality to the either one of the variables (Triola, 2004). Also, most reports do not cite the correlation coefficient nor the effect size, but merely says that well-performing schools have higher test scores without even discussing how schools are identified as well-performing or not, it is also assumed that high test scores is synonymous to better schools. When it is statistically possible to increase test score performance ratings by practices such as teaching to the test, choosing only the best students to take the test, or to limit the number of slow learners taking the test or even to just use the average of all the scores in every level to determine test performance ratings (Goodwin Leech, 2003). References Hochschild, J. Scovronick, N. (2003).The American Dream and the Public Schools. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Goodwin, L. Leech, N. (2003). The meaning of validity in the new Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing: Implications for measurement courses. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 36;3, 181-91. Triola, M. (2004). Elementary Statistics 9th ed. New York: Pearson-Addison Wesley Press.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Survival In Auschwitz Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Imagine now a man who is deprived of everyone he loves, and at the same time of his house, his habits, his clothes, in short, of everything he possesses: he will be a hollow man, reduced to suffering and needs, forgetful of dignity and restraint, for he who loses all often easily loses himself.† This short quote is taken from Primo Levi’s â€Å"Survival in Auschwitz†. It depicts a true story of Primo Levi during the Holocaust, who was relocated to an extermination camp after beginning a great life after college. Primo was captured with a resistant group from Italy. He used his college education and degree in chemistry to stay alive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The above quote brings a similar quote to mind. â€Å"What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and yet loses his own soul†. That quote is taken from the front wall of St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Olivia, Minnesota. It gives an idea about our savior Jesus Christ’s life. He spent his whole life teaching the word of God and humanity to all people of any race or religion. These two, Primo Levi and Jesus Christ, lived similar lives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Primo lived growing up as a Jewish citizen during the bad economic times of Europe. Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party blamed this economic tragedy on the Jewish society. Primo tried to fight against this, but like most Jews was found guilty and taken to conservation camps. Here he was giving the chance of what he learned in life...

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Using one case study film assess the relationship between the industrial context and the representation

The representation of gender in the British film industry throughout the 1960s can be seen in a variety of examples and can be seen as indicative of a general shift in cultural attitudes. In this assignment, we shall be concerning ourselves with the film Goldfinger in particular. Goldfinger was made in 1964 by the British film company (SPHP, 1964). What is of particular interest in this film is the iconic portrayal of the female character that spawned something of a tradition for depictions of idealised femininity.We will pay particular interest to the significance of her role in relation to the rest of the characters in the film. However, we shall first outline a number of industrial and cultural changes that were occurring throughout the 60s in the British film industry. The British film industry of the 1960s saw a degree of significant changes that reflected the cultural mood of this period throughout greater western culture (Coates & Topham 1968).For example, the notion of popula r culture was becoming highly marketable at this time and the subsequent move away from WWII was becoming something of an artistic focus (Laing, 1986). Essentially, Hollywood was promoting a new liberalisation that incorporated sexual imagery as a counter to traditional gender roles based upon social utility (Ewen & Ewen, 1982, p. 37). Although this was embraced throughout the film world, it affected the British film industry in two notable ways. This is given by Curtis who states that,‘’What was striking to us – an audience of artists, writers, journalists and filmmakers – was the assumption evident in all these films, that making cinema could be a first-person-singular affair, and that film language could be as complex and highly individual. In contrast, The films supported by the one source of public funding at the time, the British Film Institute's Experimental Film Fund, were very definitely cinema shorts, stepping-stones to cinema features. ’à ¢â‚¬â„¢ (Laing, 1992, p. 258)This use of short film techniques in which quick iconic symbolism was used in relation to characters made for a mutual embrace of the film techniques being produced by Hollywood. This incorporated sexual and iconic symbolism at its fore (Nuttal, 1968). This was a distinct detraction from the emerging realist depictions found in the dickens-like portrayals common to the kitchen sink drama or the playfulness of slap stick that had gone before (Hebdige, 1988). However, it is perhaps unwise to think of the industry as becoming entirely divorced of its British artistic tradition.Rather, Thompson states that, â€Å"We must remember the ‘underground' of the ballad singer and the fairground which handed on traditions to the nineteenth century; for in these ways the ‘inarticulate' conserve certain values – a spontaneity and capacity for enjoyment and mutual loyalties – despite the inhibiting pressures of magistrates, mill-owners, and Me thodists. † (Thompson, 1963, p. 63) It is with this notion of Hollywood driven sexual symbolism and the British tradition of mutual loyalties that we will now turn to the example of Goldfinger and the depiction of gender.Goldfinger was cast in the genre of the international spy film indicative of the archetypical male hero James Bond (Cohan & Hark, 1993). It features Bond as the main protagonist and Goldfinger as the main antagonist. However, it also involves the depiction of strong and sexualised female characters in crucial roles. In this, we see that although the females are highly sexualised objects and in many ways used by the two main protagonists, they are not subordinate or peripheral to the plot (Hebdige, 1988).This sexualised empowerment is articulated by their being made indicative to the overall consequence of the film. The leading lady is an intelligent and very beautiful woman caught between the loyalties of the two opposing characters. She is modelled on the for mer depictions of beauty founded in the 40s and 50s as seen in Marlin Monroe (Nixon, 2003). However, unlike Marilyn Monroe who was portrayed as a sexually exploitative and superficially unintelligent female figure, she is given as an intelligent woman caught in an ethical dilemma.This clearly highlights the implementation of the depiction of the female in line with Hollywood at this time (Murphy, 2004). However, with the character traits of intelligence and up front honesty and naivety, this is perhaps indicative of the British tradition and the mutual loyalties that drive the spontaneity of the plot. Unintentionally playing upon Bond’s sympathies, she is taken away from Goldfinger and given the approval of the Bond character. However, in her death scene we see the significance of her betrayal.Essentially, she is cast in Gold, which is indicative of the title, and left to die. However, this form of martyrdom is not a moral consequence of her flirtation between characters, but rather an idealisation of the power of iconic female sexuality (Mort, 2004). Furthermore, it evokes a cosmopolitan reference by symbolising the Egyptian sexual princess Cleopatra. In doing so, this reflects a strong use iconic sexuality to superficially relate to the international, cosmopolitan domain (Green, 1998).In summary, it would appear from the depiction of gender of the film Goldfinger, that British film was moving to incorporate a cosmopolitan portrayal in relation to the changes in culture of the time. It would appear that in the depiction of gender, sexuality was an explicit ingredient as was the case in Hollywood films. However, rather abandoning all sense of British tradition, the use of sexual symbolism was employed through a plot involving mixed loyalties and unseen conditional forces. BibliographyCoates K Topham A (1968) Industrial Democracy in Great Britain: a book of readings and witnesses for workers control London: MacGibbon and Kee (ed. ) Cohan, S. , & Hark, I, R. , (1993) Screening the Male New York: Routledge Ewen, S. , & Ewen, E. , (1982) Channels of Desire Minnesota: University of Minnesota Goldfinger, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, (1964) Green, P. , (1998) Cracks in the Pedestal Massachusetts: University of Massachusetts Press Hebdige, D. , (1988) Hiding in the Light London: Comedia Laing, S., (1986) Representations of Working Class Life 1951-1964 London: Macmillan Mort, F. , (1996) Cultures of Consumption: Masculinities and Social Space in late twentieth-century Britain. London: Routledge. Murphy, P. F. (2004) â€Å"Introduction†, in Murphy, P. F. (ed. ) Feminism and Masculinities, pp. 1-21. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Nixon, S. , (2003) Advertising Cultures: Gender, Commerce, Creativity. London: SAGE. Nuttal, J. , (1968) Bomb Culture London: MacGibbon and Kee Thompson, E, P. , (1968) The Making of the English Working Class Harmondsworth: Penguin

Sunday, November 10, 2019

What Children Really Need

Parenting is one of the hardest things to do. It can be a very stressful task to do in your life but it is one of the greatest things as well. Right from the time they are born, from infancy to adulthood, children have a vast array of growing needs and expectations from their parents. Apart from basic needs like food, shelter, and clothing, children look to their parents to fulfill their many essential needs. I feel that children need loving homes, parental guidance, and a feeling of security from the time they walk through the front door after school to when they awaken each orning. They deserve the stability that comes with discipline and well-placed expectations. Parental love should be special in two respects. First of all, it should be constant and unconditional, which means it is always present, even when the child is acting in an unlovable manner. In addition, parents should be open in expressing and showing love so that children are never uncertain about its presence. This means parents should hug and praise their children at every available opportunity. Parents can also occasionally review their strengths and eaknesses with them and work together on any difficulties in communicating or collaborating. The parents can also help children learn work skills. By not assigning responsibilities around the house, nor making certain that deadlines are met, they can become irresponsible and ineffective. Another thing is that all children need parental guidance. Parents need to actively teach basic values and manners in order for them to get along well in society. By offering guidance to children when they have problems, parents need to state their thoughts in a few sentences rather han giving a lecture. It is helpful to many children to understand that your door is always open. For example, instead of obsessing about the need to be admitted to a good college, talk to them about life beyond those years. A parent could discuss the pros and cons of their own c areer. Children often respond to the question, â€Å"What do you want to be when you grow up† as, â€Å"I don't know. † If you don't have that open communication to redirect their ideas, they could continue to have a cloudy idea for their future. Also, children need a range of authentic role models. Having regular family meal discussions about people the family knows is a great practice. If communication about appropriate role models are not discussed, a child could look up to members of their clique, rock idols, and unwarranted athletes. Finally children need to feel secure in their world. If the family feels safe, then the child feels secure. As they grow up this sense of security is then internalized. Life is like a roller coaster with many stresses and setbacks. Children should know how to deal with these feelings of uncertainty. They need to also learn how to solve problems as well as resolve conflicts. In our home we discuss and practice these skills in everyday life situations. Parents do not need to overindulge their children with the latest video games, extravagant vacations, or too many extracurricular activities after school to feel safe and secure. If a parent relentlessly tries this with their children, they will be creating inflated egos that will surely burst in later years. In conclusion, parenting is not a simple task, and it is easy to become frustrated and uncertain at times. It often means putting aside your own thoughts and feelings in order to understand the whole child. Children have a continuing need for parental support and encouragement from infancy throughout young adulthood. It is possible to build a future that is better than the past. Keeping this in mind, the most important thing is to remember to provide your children with unconditional, loving homes, guidance, and a sense of security.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Photography and Fetish essays

Photography and Fetish essays In order to explore the contribution of Christian Metzs' "Photography and Fetish" to the understanding of the photographic image in the modern era, it is important to look at the term fetish as it is explained in the dictionary as well as at modern psychoanalitical (especially Freudian) techniques because this knowledge is pivotal for the comprehension of the essay. Fetish: a thing to which more respect or attention is given than normal or sensible: He makes a fetish of his work (4) or also an object or activity that is necessary for or adds to an individuals sexual pleasure (4) Freud, in On Sexuality; three essays on the theory of sexuality and other works Vol. 7 described a fetish as an unusual object-choice by a person and said that generally they recognized the fact that it was abnormal but seldom felt that it was the symptom of an ailment accompanied by suffering. He continues by saying that usually, these people were quite satisfied with their fetish and even praised the way in which it eased their erotic life and that as a rule, fetishism makes its appearance during psychoanalysis only as a subsidiary finding. When analyzed, the meaning and purpose of a fetish is always the same, it is a substitute for a phallus that should be present but is not due to its loss in a persons memory at some point between early childhood and adulthood The classic Freudian example of a fetish being created is that of a young boy looking at his mothers body and realizing that she has no penis whereas he has one (he had assumed that everyone had one). This leads him to fear castration and so a fetish is formed to protect his mind from this fear, this may or may not affect his development in a negative way. In addition, this non-existence of the phallus acts as a reminder that it once existed (or that it should have) and therefore its substitute which is always present (cigarette, stocking, religious symbol, etc.) acts as a defense mechani...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Geography Homework Help 4 Introduction Hooks to Make Your Audience Listen to You

Geography Homework Help 4 Introduction Hooks to Make Your Audience Listen to You Geography Homework Help: 4 Introduction Hooks to Make Your Audience Listen to You What is the most important part of an essay? A hook! The introduction to an essay must be interesting and leave a reader wanting to know more. So, they will keep reading to the end. If you’ve come for some geography homework help with this matter, then, keep on reading! Have you ever read the first page of a book or the first paragraph of a story and stopped understanding if it was destined for you? We all have! This is why the first part of your essay is so important. If your professor doesn’t feel this way and is intrigued to keep going, then, you will earn a better grade! There are a few good ways to attract readers grab some examples! 1.   Use an Interesting Stat That Relates to Your Topic ‘Canada has 561 lakes.’ The fact that draws readers’ attention must be impactful or surprising. Many things that we don’t know are surprising. You want your reader to know that they will learn something new. Giving them a fact stirs up their interest and leaves them wanting to see where you are going with your data. 2. Say Something Controversial ‘China needs to abolish their one-child policy in order for their cultural survival.’ Bringing up an issue that seems controversial will undoubtedly meet with a reaction. It really doesn’t matter what kind of reaction it is because that reaction is something that will make your audience listen to you. They will want to hear your arguments in order to solidify their beliefs or hear them find loopholes to argue against. Either way, you’ve won! 3. Be Blunt ‘In this essay, you will discover the little-known mystery of how North America came into being.’ Sometimes, stating a content of your paper will be good enough to make everyone want to listen. In this case, the hook is already taken care of! Just state what you intend to talk about, and you can also add what you expect a reader to gain from it. 4. Make it Personal ‘Seeing a washed-up bag during my latest visit to the beach got me thinking about how items can travel across oceans and what that means for different civilizations. Although it is rare in academic writing, you can get away with using the first person if you do it very seldom. A bit of a personal anecdote or background can be a great hook because it makes readers connect with an author. It is an unusual way to begin a formal homework assignment. Do it carefully and make sure it fully corresponds! Though there are many ways to grab attention. Using a statistic, a strong opinion, being upfront, or speaking from the heart are all good ways of guiding your reader naturally into what you really want to say. They will soon be captivated! There is no better feeling than writing something that people truly enjoy reading. As a matter of fact, our expert writers can provide you with outstanding-quality custom homework writing on any geography topic.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Trends in Health Information Technology Research Paper

Trends in Health Information Technology - Research Paper Example It is observed that British Columbia Ministry of Health (BC MoH) possesses the comprehensive responsibility for ascertaining that suitable, cost effective, quality as well as opportune health related services are accessible to all the residents of British Columbia. In order ensure such effective services the Ministry of Health (MoH) requires quality support from advanced technology based systems such as HIS. In this regard, as a consultant, it can be advised to the MoH to follow the trends of electronic medical records (EMRs) and subsequently incorporate to ensure a sustainable and progressive future for the service provider. In this process of bringing in change for introducing EMR, the aspect of stable leadership from the part of MoH is crucial to succeed by a considerable extent (Ministry of Health, 2011). A Review of BC MoH Strategic Plan The health related system prevailing in British Columbia entails a composite network of organizations, professionals and groups that function t ogether to ensure valuable service for the commoners and most importantly for the patients. In the process of ensuring service of utmost quality, the health system faces critical challenges regarding offering sustainable health system in sync with the rising demand. Moreover, ascertaining that different elements of the society as well as the entire population are able to access the services related to health is also a crucial challenge for MoH. Furthermore, aging population, increasing burden of diverse chronic diseases, advancements in pharmaceuticals as well as technology aspects along with development of human system infrastructure and human resources are among the major considerations in the strategic plan BC MoH. BC MoH also aims to fulfill certain major goals which include optimizing information management and providing people of British Columbia access to superior quality services in each hospital among others. In this regard, in order to meet these varied kinds of challenges and goals efficiently the use of health information systems technology can be observed as a major beneficial facet (Ministry of Health, 2011). Recommendation on EMR Adoption By considering above depicted aims and objectives of BC MoH, it can be advised that the use of EMR can be an invaluable proposition. It will significantly enable to ensure information management of the entire population of BC. Moreover, as it is recognized that determining the amount of aging population is a critical challenge for MoH, the advent of full-fledged use of EMR would enable the MoH to have a thorough access of major patient related data efficiently. EMR adoption can be recommended for MoH due to various other benefits derived from EMR. Primarily, a collection of financial, operational and clinical benefits can be obtained by healthcare professional through EMR. EMR enables to make efficient the entire operational workflow (Landon, n.d.). In terms of financial benefits, through the use of EMR precise coding of the condition of a patient can be made which in turn can facilitate to prepare appropriate billing and augment patient throughput. Moreover, patient related data can be viewed comprehensively by using EMR due to greater exchange of information by

Friday, November 1, 2019

Constructivism in International Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Constructivism in International Relations - Essay Example The constructivist theory encourages that students be provided with inquiry-based learning activities as well as problem solving activities where students are able to formulate and test their ideas , draw their conclusions as well as inferences and convey their acquired knowledge in a collaborative learning environment. Constructivism changes the student from an inactive recipient of information to an active partaker in the learning process. Learners will be continually trying to obtain their personal mental model of the actual world from their views of that world. Learners keep updating their own personal mental models to mirror the new acquired information which eventually enables them to create their own understanding of the reality. It is crucial that we create good learning environments that students will use as their platforms to be able to create new knowledge and experiences and these environments are referred to as Constructivist learning environments. This theory is importa nt for the study of international relations since it facilitates learning new information and adapting to change which is very common while relating with other countries internationally. A basic principle of the constructivist social theory is that people take action toward items or entities, on the foundation of the meanings that those entities or items have for them. In international relations for example, various states act differently towards their enemies because they are a threat to them while they also act differently. towards their friends who are an input to their states. Learning how to deal and adapt to various situations that a state is exposed to is thus very important and that is well implemented through the use of constructivist theory in learning International relations. Institutionalization refers to the process of internalizing new interests as well as identities which are occurring within their environment and affecting their behaviors. Example: UNESCO officials d eclared that science policymaking is essential and good; there was however no stern attempt to attest how true that was: "States should make it their business" to coordinate and direct science or, "The development of science policy should be the responsibility of an organization at the highest level of government in the country. Also "the Science Policy Programme of UNESCO is formulated on the basis of the principle that the planning of science policy is indispensable" for the promotion as well as coordination of scientific research. These statements are not attached with any evidence that such practical entities improve science competence. Science has a

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Demand Analysis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Demand Analysis - Term Paper Example Hence, gasoline prices will be a potential determinant of Toyota SUV’s future demand. Reports indicate that gasoline price is likely to fall by the middle of 2013 and therefore demand of Toyota SUVs would be further increased after one year. BP gasoline The BP gasoline has a good market demand currently. Undoubtedly, price of the BP gasoline is the major factor affecting its market demand. When the BP gasoline price increases, the product’s demand will decline and vice versa. In addition, the level of demand for fuel vehicles greatly influences the BP gasoline demand because this product is majorly used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. While analyzing the BP gasoline demand a year from now, it seems that the demand is more likely to be declined because modern people are turning towards electric vehicles. However, gasoline price projections for 2013 indicate a downward trend and this situation would in turn promote gasoline demand to some extent. 3D movies Deman d for 3D movies is very high in modern entertainment industry. According to a survey commissioned by the International 3D Society, nearly 74% of the participants opined that â€Å"today’s 3D movies are better than 2D movies†; and in addition, 30% was of the view that â€Å"3D movies are incredible† (BusinessWire). Weaknesses in the 2D technology and customer expectations on 3D movies seem to be the important elements promoting the demand for 3D movies. In addition, recent technological developments in the 3D movie sector also contribute to the demand. However, 3D movie ticket prices can have a direct influence on its demand in line with the law of demand. The demand for 3D movies may further rise after one year because the International 3D society survey indicates that the majority of the people are yet to see a 3D movie (BusinessWire). Obesity cures Obesity cures have an immense demand across the globe, especially in the Western countries like the United States . The prevalence of overweight and obesity is soaring in the US mainly due to people’s adverse lifestyle practices and unhealthy food habits. Nowadays, people are more concerned about their health and hence they are willing to pay more for healthcare services. Hence, individuals’ consciousness is identified to be the major factor influencing the demand for obesity cures. Since the US healthcare sector is still struggling to control obesity related issues in the country, demand for obesity cures is most likely to mount throughout next few years. Tattoos While evaluating the current market position of tattoos, is clear that the conventional social stigma concerning tattoos is rapidly disappearing and which in turn promotes the demand for tattoos; and it is observed that the increased use of tattoos by celebrities has greatly added value to the tattoo demand (BBC News). Undoubtedly, tastes and preferences of customers would probably affect tattoo market demands. In additi on, many marketers offer good quality and attractive tattoos at fairly low costs and therefore the cost effectiveness also promotes the demand for tattoos. There would be a higher demand for tattoos in a year from now because the social image of tattoos is positively changing. Furthermore, marketers are vehemently trying to offer more improved and variety tattoos at cheaper costs.

Monday, October 28, 2019

The Effect of Media on Young Girls

The Effect of Media on Young Girls The Effect of Media on Young Girls One of the most sensitive stages of a human being are their youth, whilst growing up one is faced with numerous transitions that transform one into someone mature. Our society has been swamped by endless media around us coming in different formats, i.e. magazines, newspapers, TV, Internet, etc. Each one of these has managed to flood dominating messages that put one’s self-image into question. Within the context of this essay, it examines the effect of media on young girls. The fact young girls are at a vulnerable phase they are most likely to be impacted by what they watch on TV, read in the magazines and get pumped by the current social media. Unfortunately the media has put a great deal of stress and pressure on the minds of sensitive young girls who are compelled to accomplish a so called ‘perfect image’. When we refer to the term ‘ideal image’, it directly includes supermodels, models, singers, actresses and icons who seem to be the ideal of young girls. Media is clearly responsible for promoting fake images of models who undergo an airbrushed and edited image of themselves when presented in magazines. Furthermore, these supermodels undergo strict and dangerous diets where their health suffers to an extreme. There are issues of self-image which are seen to be the biggest concern. Within self-image it results in three destructive effects, namely; depression (physical and mental) and eating disorders (Schlegel, n.d) York (2012) exposes the shocking figures from 2011 at 16% highlights there has been a boom in eating disorders. One of the biggest increase was mainly girls who were aged from 10 to 15 up at 69% in 2011. It could further be elaborated that eating disorders have the highest morality rates of any mental illness which were accounted at 20%. Interestingly, the depiction of the so called ‘ideal’ body kinds portrayed by Western media has been perceived as a major factor in inseminating eating disorders. It can be highlighted how social media has rapidly promoting these diseases. Shockingly, the research points out eating disorders were becoming widespread just like a virus due to social networks, whereas pro-anorexic websites would offer tips, guidance and an online community was designed for unhealthy weight management. One fine example demonstrating the widespread search conducted online on eating disorders and losing weight unhealthily is the case of Pinterest who have take n an initiative to put an end to search words, i.e. ‘thininspiration’ that would provide users a list of results which were linked to eating disorders. Pinterest offered users to read warnings that would refer to the dangers of eating disorders and how they weren’t a part of lifestyle choices but were simply a mental disorder which if they left untreated could possibly result in major health problems and even pose a major threat to one’s life. One of the other social networks that is notorious with promoting self-consciousness is Facebook. Facebook has been pro-actively promoting ‘self-consciousness as being an extremely important issue where body image and weight are center of attention. Maree (n.d) believes media has been compelling numerous youth to commit suicide, it has brought youth suicide to the front row where there has been a boom in youth depression that results in a high rate of suicide in the recent years. Maree refers to the statistics taken from the National Suicide Research Foundation (NSRF) back in 2011 which showed the suicide rates stood at four male to one female ratio. Furthermore, suicide amongst young girls was displayed in 2012 as a result of numerous tragic deaths. There were three major deaths that raised eye brows and outraged the public, the tragic deaths of Ciara Pugsley, Erin and Shannon Gallagher raised a very significant issue of why these deaths took place and scrutinizing the negative influence of media and promotion of self-image pushing these young souls to plunge to their own death. Their deaths resulted in organizations within the government along with the media instantly initiating work on fighting the lack of resources for the youth who were suffering from depression. It should be pointed youth depression has emerged due to numerous factors, where such a condition is simply complicated in nature. Self-esteem is said to be one of the main issues which emerge in youth depression. Unfortunat ely the media has been predominantly playing a negative role in promoting conflicting interest in itself also for the youth, where if bad exposure is restricted it can certainly make a major difference. The number of times the young girls view a super model, this makes them wonder if they could share a resemblance to their so called ‘media ideal’s and accomplish this by undergoing cruel diets at a tender age when their bodies are undergoing numerous kinds of changes. The fact the media is constantly flooding the TV channels, fashion magazines and social media with representing a so called ‘perfect woman’, this results in the creation of mental and emotional issues, this specially refers to the inability to remain joyful in their very own body. As per the comments by a counsellor, such a depiction clearly delivers a very impractical body image in the media which can have an extremely serious and deep impact on susceptible woman than one imagines. Sanders (n.d) emphasizes how media marketing has simply depicted a very fake image of models, actresses and icons that becomes an impossible objective for young girls to accomplish. The fact the youth are highly influenced by celebrities and pick up the latest fashion, hair-style and lifestyle trends from their ideals, this results in a trend of being a copy-cat where one is compelled to imitate their ideals and feel a sense of dissatisfaction if they are unable to do so. If one takes into consideration how popular media has been progressively promoting a thinner and thinner body image as the so called ideal for women, this has become more like a competition for the youth where they feel it is necessary to maintain a thin image. Being thin for today’s youth means being beautiful, here they are unable to distinguish between reality and what is digital editing in magazines, social media and online websites. Unfortunately, the youth are paying a heavy price at the expense of their health to be socially accepted by starving themselves on fad diets that will have a major side-effect on their health. In terms of self-confidence, the youth will feel out of place, lacking a sense of affinity and unable to confidently socialize if they do not fit the so called ideal criteria of being thin and beautiful. They feel their social group will reject them on basis of them being slightly fat or what is normal. There is this unpleasant bullying that comes into the picture where one is experiencing teasing from their counterparts on the basis of how they look like, i.e. fat. The fatter you are, the more unpleasant and disconnected you are from being a part of the popular group of girls. Heubeck (n.d) takes the example of American girls who are facing the burden of being model like thin which seems like a real aspiration for them, however this starts off at a very young age which is extremely disappointing. There are countless bombardments of TV adverts featuring models with perfect lips, body, hair-style and the entire attractive physical appearance that seems a must achieve for these young minds. Unfortunately these young girls seems to consider these celebrities as role models even if these role models have a cruel bad reputation. According to Renee Hobbs, EdD, Associate Professor of Communications at the Temple Univesity she found in her research the exposure an average teen gets to media is nearly 180 minutes with only 10 minutes of interaction with their parents on a daily basis. This view is shared by Elissa Gittes, MD- a pediatrician at the adolescent medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, she believes young girls are obsessed with imitatin g the ideal image they watch in media, they end up taking harsh and desperate measures. There has been an increase in the number of young girls who comment on how unhappy they are with their body and are working obsessively hard to change this image of themselves. As per the research conducted by Nancy Signorielli from the Kaiser Foundation, Nancy discovered one in every three articles in leading teen girl magazines also consisted a key focus on physical appearance, where majority of the advertisements (reported at 50%) used an appeal to beauty to market and sell their products. Furthermore, the TV adverts and commercials which were targeted at female viewers depicted frequently were regularly watched by young girls where beauty was seen as the central theme for product appeal. When examining the figures on eating disorders, it points how 1,000 women died annually as a result of anorexia nervosa. Nearly, five percent of adult women and adolescent along with one percent of men were suffering from binge eating disorder, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. When comparing the figures on men to women suffering from depression and eating disorders, it clearly demonstrates it is young girls who are most affected and suffer from depression and eatin g disorders (Media’s effect on body image, n.d) It can be concluded from the findings within this essay popular media is certainly responsible for influencing young girls in a negative way by making them self-conscious about looking perfect. There has been an artificial imagery of icons created, flashed and swamped in different mediums of media that has caught the eye and attention of young minds who take it in a positive manner. The fact more and more young girls are driven towards looking like their ‘role models’ they take up unhealthy options to look physically perfect even if it means it is a life threatening one. The issue of self-image is an umbrella which entails issues of mental and physical depression along with eating-disorders that have multiplied and compelled young girls to commit suicide. More and more young girls are drawn to look perfect starting from as young as the age of 5. It is the responsibility of media, government, health organizations and parents to intervene and deviate these young girls from taking an extreme measure which would result in a complete chaos. There is a strong need to tackle this matter as the rapid flow of information available online and easily accessed by anyone at the click of a button, i.e. mobile device, tablet, etc., it is truly concerned as to how there is an endless amount of literature available that attracts more and more young minds to imitate their favorite celebrities, icons and become just like them. Governments and health organizations need to implement strict codes that would ban media from promoting an unrealistic picture of what is a perfect woman as these young minds are vulnerable and capable of believing what they see on TV. Parents should be actively involved in monitoring on the habits, patterns and changes in behaviors of their children. The fact we are living in a modern world has meant we are suffering greatly with a fabricated image of what is considered perfect by the media and what is truly perfect in the real world, which ob viously is a complete conflict. Schools and colleges should promote an awareness of accepting oneself rather hating one’s own image. Successful media campaigns conducted like the one by Dove was an impressive and attention grabbing one which demonstrated how beauty in women is not limited to any form of perfection of being thin but rather accepting oneself the way they are. It truly celebrates natural beauty and promotes this image by featuring a group of women in different colors, sizes, heights and empowers female beauty in a natural way. There is a strong need for more and more media campaigns similar to this that should be created and promoted to wash away the wrong image depicted of perfection into the young minds of girls.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Herman Wouks The Winds of War How Should One Read A Book? :: Winds of War Essays

Herman Wouk's   The Winds of War  - How Should One Read A Book?      Ã‚  Ã‚   While reading Herman Wouk's classic tale, The Winds of War, I came across several passages describing a young man's vision of Germany. Although the author supplies me with his ideas, his desire and his provocative details on how this young Major views Germany at the time of the second world war, I still find myself wondering and questioning aspects of the written text before me. Apart from being drawn from my sub-conscious state to a more subtle and unconscious condition, several questions begin to from within my mind. Have I ever seen Germany before? What were the political conditions? What did the SS Stormtroopers look like? What did a concentration camp reveal? By triggering these sensors and somewhat emotional queries within me, the author has already caused a clockwork cycle to commence which will enlighten my reading and eventually create enjoyment and furthering interests with his novel. This is what Virginia Woolf focuses her composition about and emphasizes so very clearly      Ã‚  Ã‚   After reading her essay, I came to grasp and understand her theory that one is best not to accept advice from another on how to read literature, since the best advice is no advice at all. Woolf expresses the conception that when one begins to read literature he begins to enter different stages of interpretation that will ultimately improve his pleasure and satisfaction. It was obvious to me that I had in fact indulged in forms of interpretation when reading literature, but it had never dawned on me until reading Woolf's essay. Whenever I am subjected to something in literature that is not fully comprehensive, I begin to engage in several different forms of interpretation. The first stage would reflect much of the philosophy composed in the essay 'Against Interpretation' whereas I, the reader, would observe the content and then translate the form. Literature induces the reader to use his experience and memories to comprehend what a person, place or thing is and then interpret it. Th econd stage would involve translating where one begins a comparison sequence trying to link their past knowledge with the subject introduced by the author.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Interior and Exterior Concepts of Visual Merchandising Essay

Visual merchandising is the art of implementing effective design ideas to increase store traffic and sales volume. Visual merchandising is known to be silent selling, in the sense that the product should sell itself. It is all about delivering good customer service to enhance the experience in store. There are many tactics and techniques for visual merchandising which are all linked to the physiological ways of the consumer are buying behaviours. Visual merchandising is very important to retailers because it shows how well they know the consumer, it will increase their foot flow in store and their sales if they get it right. It is important because it’s about creating the right experience to make them want to come back and buy things when in store. I will be looking at visual merchandising of three stores. The three stores I have chosen are Bank, JD sports and Farm and Pet place. Bank: Bank has a target market of 15-25, they provide the latest branded fashion and the competitors are arcadia group. JD Sports: JD sells the latest sportswear for their target market of sports enthusiasts. Their competitors are JJB sports and Sports direct. Farm and Pet Place: Farm and Pet place provide farm and get goods to its target market of farmers and pet owners. Its main competitors are pets at home and wynnstays. Findings Location & Visual Merchandising There are three types of locations for retailers these are: * Primary * Secondary * Anchor As the primary location is the main, they are town or city, it is important the retailer makes the store stand out compared to its competitors. Retailers in a primary location usually have standard visual merchandising. The secondary location is the quieter area of the towns and cities far away from main facilities and amenities; this is why there is less foot flow than a primary location. There is normally not a lot of space for retailers to experiment with their visual merchandise and the retailers located in the secondary location usually have poor visual merchandising as they follow procedure instead of being creative as they don’t have a big budget. An anchor store is a store within a precinct or on a high street with large overheads it attracts well known retailers who have the pulling factor to bring other retailers to the area. An anchor store retailer will have a very large budget to be able to become creative with their visual merchandising this why they usually have very food visual merchandising. Bank store in Llandudno is in a secondary location, so is Farm and Pet place and JD sports. Bank and JD are both in outlet centres therefore they have a lot of foot flow even though it’s just a secondary location. I think that Farm and Pet place are situated in a place where there isn’t much foot flow; you’d go there because you knew about it. Purpose Built or Interior Buildings Whether a retailer has decided to buy a previously owned building or buy a purpose built building, it affects the visual merchandising as every building has a different shape. If retailers buy a purpose built building they will have an advantage as they’re much better for visual merchandising because of the shape and the height, it is more suited. The purpose built buildings have considered the needs of the visual merchandising. For the inherited buildings it is not as easy as some of them are listed therefore the shop front cannot be changed, so if a retailer wanted to have a fancy shop front they could not because the building cannot be changed. Also they are really narrow and long therefor it is really cramped spacing to visual merchandise; it limits how much you are able to do. Even though purpose built buildings are more costly they are more cost effective in the long run. Bank has a purpose built building, however they haven’t taken full advantage of it because they have a false ceiling which could be potential selling space but it’s been wasted because they rushed getting the store open. The Farm and Pet place also have a purpose built building which they too haven’t taken full advantage of as they have windows in their store except the glass in the entrance doors. JD has purpose built buildings and they have taken full advantage of their purpose built store as they have put everything to its use. It has two floors, one for clothes products and the upper level footwear selling space. Store Architecture The design indicates the size and prestige of the retailers operation. The use of materials will create different images and effects within the store. As I have mentioned in the above paragraph about listed buildings, retailers are unable to change them to suit the ways of their visual merchandising as they cannot be structurally altered. As all three of the retailers I have chosen have purpose built stores they should be able to store and suit their store to the type of visual merchandising they may have, it should work in their advantage however in these cases it seems to not work as an advantage as they have poor visual merchandising displays. Farm and Pet place have no windows even though there store is purpose built so they could change it they haven’t therefore they have window displays to encourage people to go into the store. Even though JD have ken full advantage of the space of their purpose built store they don’t use their window space properly as they have little displays and Bank haven’t used their second floor and aren’t very creative with their displays. Fascia The fascia of a store is what identifies the store and attracts attention from the public. They also are what able customers to identify the store, what is sold and where the retailer is located. Here are three types of fascia: * Straight Flat Format * Side Hanging Format * Raised Front Format The straight flat format can only be seen from the front of the shop I feel this this isn’t the best option for a fascia as it doesn’t stand out very well they usually use these formats in precincts. The side hanging fascia are usually used in high streets, they are quite affective as customers can see it from both directions, creating more attention. The raised front format is usually illuminated and can be seen from far away I feel this is good as it creates a lot of attention from people walking past or people passing in cars. Many retailers tend to take a safe approach to their logo for example just using a black and white colour scheme, this is not a good approach as the store doesn’t stand out and it may lose out to other competitors. It is replicated throughout the store. Bank and JD have raised front format but Farm and Pet place has a straight flat format, Bank stores sign lights up as does JD which makes it visible to customers in the dark but Farm and Pet Place don’t have a sign that lights up. As is their window isplays in Bank and JD they have timing for the lights to go on and off at appropriate times but because Farm and Pet Place don’t have any windows, as they are a warehouse, they don’t need timed lights. All three retailers have their brand displayed through the fascias. I think as a recommendation to them all they should invest in side hanging fascia this makes it harder for customers to overlook the store because they haven’t seen the sign. As a personal recommendation to Farm and Pet Place they should light up their sign and invest in windows to display their merchandise. The Importance of the Shop Format This is the first part of the store which the customers see, this is where they create there first impression therefore it is important to get it right. There are three recognised types of shop front these are: * The Straight Front * The Angled Front * The Arcade Front The straight front is for shops that run parallel to the street with small entrance; this is hard for retailers with visual merchandising as they have small spaces to work with to be able to make their shop front stand out. This makes it harder to compete with competitors. The angled front enables shops to create a more attractive and interesting front this helps direct customers into the store. It also creates a better viewing angle and can reduce the glare on the window making everything more visible. The arcade front is straight with several recessed window and entrances this provides the shopper with a protected area for window shopping drawing them in and creating a more relaxed atmosphere. The Importance of Window Displays The window displays an important part of visual merchandising as this is what entices the customer into entering the store. In order to pull the customers into the store is through window dressing, it needs to grab the customer’s attention it only takes 3 seconds for a customer to gain an impression. There are two types of window displays these are: * Simplistic * Artistic The UK retailers have tended to stick to the simplistic look for their window displays except for the bigger stores such as Harrods as they have a lot of money to spend. The purpose of the window displays is to represent a small sample of merchandise the store holds and to enforce their corporate image; they are also to be informative to the customers. Informative window displays provide information to customers for example as we have had the Olympics back in 2012, the theme of their window may be based around that theme. The fact that they were themed displays around the Olympics meant that they would be tackling two things at once because you are meant to display them in an informative way. As Farm and Pet Place don’t have a window they cannot display window displays and customers cannot see anything they see in store they actually have to go into the store this may put customers off as a lot of customers like to window shop. Bank fashion has a very simple window display, it shows what offers they have but they don’t show many products displayed in their window, so to improve they could think about extending the window space to display more products to show their range that they stock in store and be more creative. JD Sports don’t have a good window display, they display barely any products and a few pairs of footwear, it doesn’t look appealing to customers therefore they won’t go into the store because of the window display.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Questionnaire on fashion brands Essay

Factors Affecting Consumer Preference of International Brands over Local Brands Zeenat Ismail1âˆâ€", Sarah Masood2 and Zainab Mehmood Tawab2 1 Department of Social Sciences, Institute of Business Administration – Karachi 2 Students of Institute of Business Administration – Karachi Abstract: This study was conducted in order to determine the consumer preferences of global brands instead of local ones. It is also designed to find out the buying behavior patterns of young Pakistani consumers Consumer evaluates products based on information cues, which are intrinsic and extrinsic. A number of factors affect the consumer purchase decisions. The results suggest that most important factors that influence a consumer’s final decision are the price and quality of the product in question. Since the consumers usually associate the price of the brand with its quality, a brand priced too low is generally perceived as a low quality product. Similarly, a product priced too high may not be affordable by many. Other factors that have an impact on the consumer preferences are: consumer ethnocentrism, country of origin, social status, price relativity with the competing brands and family and friends. The research was conducted in Karachi and the samples selected included 200 people of age 16-24. The data collected for the research was through a questionnaire and was conducted in two popular shopping malls of the city and two universities since the target audience was largely the youth. Calculations were then analyzed and interpreted using a percentage of respondents and through frequency distribution tables and charts. Keywords: Consumer preference, International brands, Local brands 1. Introduction Globalization is an inevitable phenomenon that is leading the entire world towards becoming one market, a global village. Not only has the process of globalization aided immensely in the exchange of goods and services, information and knowledge through the reductions in international barriers, but it has also led the world into becoming a real single universal community comprising of people from different cultures, thus resulting in the shrinkage of the world. With the world becoming a single market, globalization has had a major contribution in enabling the organizations worldwide to step out of the restricted domestic markets and to set up their operations across the globe with confidence. This has largely led to a decline in the importance in national borders and a greater emphasis on what the consumers actually demand; be the consumers located in the very country in which the organization exists or an entirely different part of the world. Moreover, with the rapid increase in global competition, companies that strictly adhere to and cater to the needs of the local markets are finding themselves at a disadvantage and gradually loosing the competitive advantage that they so much strived to achieve. However, for some products and services â€Å"the tastes and preferences of consumers in different nations are beginning to converge on some global norm† (Holt 2002). From a consumer perspective, however, reactions to the prevalence of global brands seem to vary among the different customers. On the one hand, consumers seem to value and admire global brands and regard such brands as a status symbol. On the other hand, global brands are often criticized for threatening the local differences and imposing the western cultures on our society, leading to a loss of cultural identity. 2. Purpose of the study: âˆâ€" Email: zismail@iba.edu.pk Tel #:+92(333) 3775545 Fax #:+92(21) 38103008 54 This study is aimed at determining consumer preference of the youth of international brands instead of national or local brands in Pakistan. There are various factors which influence consumer purchase decision. Such as  Country of origin, price of the brand fashion, family and friends, brand name, availability, advertising campaigns, consumers’ ethnocentrism etc. The study is also designed to find out the buying behaviour patterns of the young Pakistani consumers, attitudes towards global and local brands and the preference for foreign brands. 3. Literature review Brands have been constantly reviewed and redefined in the marketing literature and there are numerous definitions for ‘brand’. A definition of a brand by The American Marketing Association (AMA) in the 1960s (Keller, 1998:2) is â€Å"a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and differentiate them from those of competitors.† For consumers, when deciding between brands which are in the marketplace will include brands as an element to determine the qualities of the product rather than employing their time to enhance their knowledge of the product in information searching activities. Therefore, consumers use brands as cues to make decisions to purchase or try products (Ger et al., 1993). 4. Quality Perceived quality is defined as the consumers’ judgment about an entity’s (service’s) overall excellence or superiority (Zeithaml, 1988 and Rowley, 1998). Research also indicates that consumers value global brands especially for their assumed high quality and prestigious image (e.g., Nguyen, Barrett and Miller 2005; Steenkamp, Batra and Alden 2003). An internationally well-established brand name can act as a â€Å"halo† constructs that effects quality beliefs (Han 1989). If a brand is perceived as globally available, consumers are likely to attribute a superior quality to the brand, since such quality is thought of as a prerequisite for international acceptance. 5. Country of origin The country of origin effect has been defined as â€Å"the positive and negative influence that a product’s country of manufacture may have on consumers’ decision making processes or subsequent behavior (Elliott and Cameron, 1994). 1991). Infact in the words of Nagashima (1970), COE can be defined as  Ã¢â‚¬Å"the picture, the reputation, and the stereotype that businessmen and consumers attach to products or brands of a specific country. This image is created by such variables as representative products, national characteristics, economic and political background, history, and traditions†. The literature on country-of-origin effects is quite rich and covers the topic from different perspectives in different countries. Some studies have shown that country of origin also has symbolic and emotional meaning to consumes, and it plays an important role along with other attributes such as quality and reliability in shaping consumers attitudes toward products. Moreover, attitudes and perceptions of consumers toward brands and products will depend on categories, for instance, electronic goods from Italy may be perceived as a poor quality but Italian clothing would be perceive as fashionable and high quality (Bikey and Nes, 1982). This would be differently perceived with Japanese brands as Japanese electronic goods would be perceive with positive attitudes and Japanese clothing will be negatively perceived. 6. Price Researchers found out that once consumers perceive a price difference between local-owned and foreignowned brands, price dissimilarities begin to affect their preference for local-owned brands. Therefore, since price is also one of the most important extrinsic cues that consumers use when evaluating the product/brand (Hansen, 2005), we test the impact of price against consumer’s ethnocentric tendencies to determine at what point consumers are willing to forsake preference for local products for a greater price discount with foreignowned products. 7. Social status 55 Authors have stressed that consumers may prefer global brands because of associations of higher prestige (Schuiling & Kapferer, 2004; Shocker, Srivastava, & Rueckert, 1994; Steenkamp, et. al., 2003). Global brands may have a higher prestige than local brands due to their relative scarcity and higher price. Furthermore, global brands may also stand for cosmopolitanism. Some consumers prefer global brands because they enhance their selfimage as being cosmopolitan, sophisticated, and modern. Conversely, according to Ger (1999), local brands tend to be targeted and positioned based on a deep cultural understanding and therefore create â€Å"a sustainable unique value and offer the symbolism of authenticity and prestige†. Still, consumers have been found to have no intrinsic preference for global brands (De Mooij, 1998). 8. Friends and family Reference groups include groups or people whom one can look up for guidance and ask for opinion. These are important source of influencing the brand purchases. Reference group include friends and family who influence ones buying decisions due to special skills, knowledge, personality. If a friend had a bad experience with a product, it is more likely that one will refrain from buying it. However many studies found out that, knowledge that consumers obtain through direct personal experience will be perceived to be more trustworthy than information from other communications. This results in more strongly held beliefs (Swaminathan et al., 2001). 9. Research Questions The reasons for consumer preference of global brands over the local ones. The product attributes that are mostly considered by consumers when buying a brand. The demographic characteristic of consumers who buy foreign brands more frequently. 10. Research methodology This study is a descriptive study and more of a qualitative nature and was conducted to identify and analyze the reasons why consumers prefer international brands to national brands when purchasing consumer goods. The sample for this research included the 200 consumers whose ages ranged from 16-24 years from Karachi. Simple random sampling was used for this study. Questionnaires were used to collect primary data. The questionnaire included closed ended questions and Likert scale is used in most of the questions. These questionnaires were distributed to collect data from the students of  Institute of Business Administration itself as well as the students of Institute of Business Management. Apart from this, we also visited Park Towers shopping mall and The Forum, the two leading shopping malls in Karachi, with the aim of collecting data for our research from the shoppers there. 50 questionnaires were distributed to each of the universities and shopping malls in equal proportion to males and females. We mainly classified our population according to gender. Frequency distribution and bar charts have been used to evaluate the results. In addition to this, the means of different factors that influence consumers’ preferences of the local and global brands were used to determine which factors are considered the most by consumers when purchasing different brands. 11. Findings and Discussion 11.1. Question 1: Do you use international brands products? 56 According to the data collected, 72.5% of the people used international brands of which 60 were male and 85 were females. 18.5% of the people questioned claimed to use international brands occasionally, whereas, 9.1% of the people claimed not to use global brands at all. As indicated in the pie charts above,18.5% of the people who used the global brands sometimes included 28 males and 9 females, and those who did not use the global brands consisted of 12 males and 6 females. 11.2. Question 2 If an international brand and a national brand are priced same, would you prefer the international brand? The purpose of this question was to evaluate and discover how important a factor such as price is in determining whether the consumers would go for the domestic brand or stick to the global one if both the products were in  the same price range. The results found out that 76% of the consumers would go for the international brands whereas 24% would still purchase the domestic ones. 11.3. Question 3 Do you consider where a product is manufactured when purchasing it? F r e q u e n c y d i s Responses This question was asked to discover how much importance the youth lay on the country of origin as a factor when making a purchase. The results revealed far different results compared to what had been stated by the review of previous researches done. As indicated in the graph, the youth was found to be mailnly ignorant of the country in which the brand was manufactured. Majority of the consumers (76% males and 88% females) did not consider it as significant a factor as to affect his or her purchase decision. 11.4. Question 4 It is said that people buy international products so that they can be accepted in a particular social group. Do you agree? 57 The results to these two questions confirmed the general perception that exists in our society, that is, the global are purchased as a status symbol. The youth mainly bought foreign branded products to be able to fit in a particular social group. This occurs largely because peer pressure tends to be high at this age, and most of the people find themselves being victims of inferiority complexes. The results to the first of these questions indicated that on average 75% of the youth (71 males and 79 females) purchased the international and local brands as a status symbol. These results were further enhanced by the results to the next question, which showed that 72% of the males and 68% of the females did, infact, believe that the people purchased the international brands to be able to fit in a particular social group. The table above compares the means of the different factors in influencing consumer preferences of the global brands over the local ones. The means, expressed in percentages, indicates that amongst all the factors, the quality of the branded product was considered the most important factor in shaping the consumers’ purchase decision. The current trends and fashion were found to be just as important, but the price of the product was not found to be more important than the prevailing fashion and styles. The reason why 85% of the people decide to buy a particular brand was mainly because it was reflective of the ongoing fashion and there were only 5% people on average, who did not give importance to the ongoing fashion when purchasing a product. The results revealed that price was rated as the third most important factor in influencing consumer choice, whereas the quality of the product was considered the most significant, followed by the current trends and fashion. Mean number of people ( in percentages) Yes Sometimes 76% 16.5% Price of the product 4.5% 13.5% Country of origin 87.5% 7.5% Quality of the product 75% 15.5% Status symbol 85% 10% Current fashion and trends 64.5% 17.55% Family and friends 60% 20.5% Ethnocentrism No 7.5% 82% 5% 9.5% 5% 18% 19.5% Country of origin, as a factor in influencing consumers’ choice of the brand was hardly a significant factor, since 82% of the people, on, average claimed that they did not consider which country a product is manufactured in when making purchase decisions. Only 4.5% people, on average, claimed that they do consider the country of origin when purchasing a brand. The ethnocentrism factor was considered by 60% of the people questioned. This indicates that most of the people believed that as a Pakistani we should buy our local brands rather than giving preference to the global brands, however, this was what they believed to be the ideal scenario. In practice, our people, especially the females were found to be extremely prone to the global brands. According to our findings, 78% of the females were not willing to even substitute the global brand with a domestic if the foreign  brand is not available. The males, however, were not found to be that prone to the foreign brand. The results also show that status symbol is also perceived to be a major factor in shaping consumer purchase decisions. The above table reveals that 75% of the people linked the branded product with their social status when actually purchasing it. The table provides a summary and ratings of the factors influencing consumer preferences of the national or international brand. 12. References 58 [1] Balabanis, G., Diamantopoulos, A., Mueller, R. and Melewar, T.C. (2001), â€Å"The impact of Nationalism, patriotism and internationalism on consumer ethnocentric tendencies†, Journal of International Business Studies, Volume 32, pp. 157-75. [2] Batra, R., Ramaswamy, V., Alden, D.L., Steenkamp, J.-B.E.M., Ramachander, S., 2000. Effects of Brand Local and Nonlocal Origin on Consumer Attitudes in Developing Countries. Journal of Consumer Psychology 9 (2), 8395. [3] Bilkey, W.J. and Nes, E. (1982), â€Å"Country-of-origin effects on product evaluations†, Journal of International Business Studies, Volume 13, pp. 89-99. [4] Crawford, J. and Lamb, C. (1981), â€Å"Source preferences for imported products†, Journal of Purchasing and Materials Management, Volume 17, Winter, pp. 28-33. [5] De Mooij, M. (2004). Consumer behavior and culture. Thousand Oaks: Sage. [6] Elliott, G.R. and Camoron, R.C. (1994), â€Å"Consumer perception of product quality and the country of origin effect†, Journal of International Marketing, Volume 2(2), pp. 49-62. [7] Han, C. M., 1989. Country Image: Country Image: Halo or Summary Construct? Journal of Marketing Research, 26(May), 222-229. [8] Hansen, T., 2005. Perspectives on consumer decision making: An integrated approach. Journal of Consumer Behaviour 4 (6), 420-437 [9] Heslop, L.A. and Papadopoulos, N. (1993), â€Å"‘But who knows where or when’: reflections on the images of countries and their products†, in Papadopoulos, L.A. and Heslop, N. (Eds), Product-Country Images: Impact and Role in International Marketing, International Business Press, New York, NY, pp. 39-75. [10] Heslop, L.A., Papadopolous, N. and Bourk, M. (1998), â€Å"An interregional and intercultural perspective on subcultural differences in product evaluations†, Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, Volume 15(2), pp. 113-127. [11] Keller, K., (1998), â€Å"Strategic Brand Management†, Prentice-Hall, New Jersey. [12] Kinra, N. (2006), â€Å"The effect of country-of-origin on foreign brand names in the Indian market†, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Volume 24 (1), pp.15-30. [13] Lantz, G. and Loeb, S. (1996), â€Å"Country of origin and ethnocentrism: an analysis of Canadian and American preferences using social identity theory†, Advances in Consumer Research, Volume. 23, pp. 374-8. [14] Mazumdar, T., Papatla, P., 2000. An Investigation of Reference Price Segments. Journal of Marketing Research (JMR) 37 (2), 246-258. [15] Nagashima, A. (1970), â€Å"A Comparison of Japanese and U.S. Attitudes Towards Foreign Products†, Journal of Marketing, Volume 34, January, pp. 68-74. [16] Netemeyer, R.G., Durvasula, S. and Lichtenstein, D.R. (1991), â€Å"A cross-national assessment of the reliability and validity of the CETSCALE†, Journal of Marketing Research, Volume 28, pp. 320-7. [17] Nguyen, T., Barrett, N., Miller, K., 2005. Perceived Brand Globalness: Antecedents and Out-come – The Case of Vietnamese Consumers. Proceedings of the 34th EMAC Conference, 24-27 Mai 2005, Università   Commerciale Luigi Bocconi, Milan, Italy. [18] Shocker, A. D., Srivastava, R. K., & Ruekert, R. W. (1994): Challenges and opportunities facing brand management: an introduction to the special  issue. J. Marketing Res., 31(2), pp. 149-158. [19] Steenkamp, J-B., Batra, R., & Alden, D. L. (2003): How perceived brand globalness creates brand value. J. Int. Bus. Stud., 34, pp. 53-65. [20] Summer, W.G. (1906), Folkways: The Sociological Importance of usages, Manners, Customs, Mores and Morals. New York: Ginn & Co. [21] Wang, C.K. and Lamb, C.W. (1983), â€Å"The impact of selected environmental forces on consumers willingness to buy foreign products†, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Volume 11(2), pp. 71-84. http://amcy5.com/projects/marketing/amcy20.htm