Monday, September 30, 2019

Greener Forms of Generating Electricity

A power station is a facility which is used to generate electric power. iAt the center of nearly all power stations is a generator, a rotating machine that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy by creating relative motion between a magnetic field and a conductor. In Bosnia there is a lot of hydro power plants, the biggest ones are: Grabovica, Jablanica, Salkovac, Visegrad etc. There are three different types of power plants, thermal power plants, hydro power plants and solar power plants. In order to make our lives and the lives of our offspring better, we need to investigate and design new greener ways of converting mass amounts of energy into electricity. Solar power plants use an endless power, which is the sun. Beams from the sun hit mirrors which convert the suns energy into electricity. Approximately, every 7. 2 hours, 3. 6kWh electricity is produced. Solar power is clean and green and it can provide enough energy. However, the downside to this type of power is that it isn't cheap. Building a single mirror of 3. 8 meters by 1. 6 can cost up to $60. 00. These mirrors are state of the art which capture the suns light, and turn it into energy. Thermal power plants are bad for the environment because they contribute to global warming by burning fossil fuels. These power plants are still in use today, because they provide a lot of energy and coal is cheap, so it can be burned in large quantities. Most houses today are supplied either by thermal or hydro. Thermal is very bad for the environment and since the industrial revolution kicked in global temperatures have been rising. Another type of power is wind power. Wind turbines are rotary devices that get provide energy using the air. This type of technology is not to be sniffed at as wind power can sometimes provide more energy than burning coal. There is a downside to this as well. Staying green and using wind powered turbines can cost a lot of money. Staying green and investing in these ideas will matter in the future. By burning excess fossil fuels we are creating green house gasses which are heating up the planet, thus destroying a lot of environments. (2) In Bosnia, the biggest hydro power plant produces around 170. 00 cubic meters of water that reach speeds of 60 km per hour. This is enough water to fill up around 100. 000 Olympic swimming pools every day. Hydroelectric stations have been up and running for about 100 years, and since been scientists have been searching for a way to harvest the energy better. The main idea behind these power stations is to convert the energy of flowing water into the flow of electrons or electricity. Most hydroelectric stations use either water diverted around the natural drop of the river such as a waterfall or rapids. In addition to this a damn is also built across the river to raise the river to create the drop needed to provide a force. Water in the higher level is collected in the reservoir, which flows into the pipe called the pen star which carries it down to a turbine water wheel at the lower water level. The water pressure increases as it flows down the pen star, it is this pressure and flow that drives the turbine which is connected to the generator. Inside the generator is the rotor which is spun by the turbine. Electro magnets are attached to the rotor located within coils of copper wires called a starter. AS the generator rotors spin the magnets, a flow of electrons is created in the coils of the starter. This produces electricity that can be stepped up in voltage through the stations transformers and sent to this transmission lines. The following water the proceeds down the river. Most of our energy comes from the spinning of the rotor of the AC generator in power stations like Nuclear power stations, thermal and hydro power stations. An AC generator is a device which converts mechanical energy into electricity. The working of an AC generator is based on electromagnetic induction which states that whenever the flux passing through a circuit changes, an EMF is induced in it and a current begins to flow. The direction of this is given by Lenz`s law or Flemings right hand rule. Lenz`s law which is more commonly used states that the direction of the induced current is such as to oppose the very cause producing it. (1) In our homes we use open electrical circuits which is very important as with them we do not use direct current. If we were to use direct current many more fires caused by electricity would happen and appliances would not function well and they would simple burn out. We need electric circuits for everything, they are what keeps our appliances running safely. Today using thermal power plants is a big problem as it affects many factors. Countries in the EU have to follow certain conduct when it comes to power plants. For instance Nuclear power plants have to have the right materials, funding etc, thermal power plants have to have filters, can`t produced to many greenhouse gasses etc. the waste that comes out of these plants are often dumped into the rivers or oceans, this kills a lot of marine wildlife which local farmers depend on. These power plants also affect our environment; they can both help and destroy our environment. The waste produced in power plants is often thrown out in the forest, or lakes and seas. On the other hand solar and wind power can help with the environment by providing a clean way to get energy.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Mother Tongue Language And Mathematics Essay

In what ways does your mother tongue language and mathematics resemble and differ from each other? Mathematics and language both act as a source of communication, thus both mathematics and language play an important role in life. According to the dictionary, language is defined as a â€Å"communication of thoughts and feelings through a system of arbitrary signals, such as voice sounds, gestures, or written symbols.† In comparison, the dictionary defines mathematics as a â€Å"the study of the measurement, properties, and relationships of quantities and sets, using numbers and symbols.† Both language and mathematics use symbols, thus both concept are seen as a form of communication. The symbols represent values, which can be understood by the human mind. Language is defined as a code, and both the mother tongue and mathematics are made up of unique symbols that are consistent in their rules in order to be understood properly. Mathematics is a very complex, straightforward concept that has fixed meanings. If x = y = z, then x = y, x = z and y = z. This is a universal phenomenon accepted world wide. Mathematics has been used in the study of science. An example would be the physician Albert Einstein and the discovery of his equation e = mc2. Mathematics is composed of a combination of factors, which can be simplified and broken down. Factorisation of equations is an example. However, if an equation can be factored, then there is only possibility in which it can be broken down. Each equations has its universal values that cannot be altered. Even though mathematics exemplifies logic, it is not as simple to understand. In order to understand the concept of mathematics, a person has to learn a language first. Whether the language is English, French, Spanish or German does not matter. Mathematics is a fundamental base of our daily life and society, but it is not as essential as the communication between humans through the usage of language. Language is a much simpler concept than mathematics. Language does not have a fixed meaning or value, whereas this is the case in mathematics. 5 + 3 = 8. This is always true, it cannot be denied due to the mathematical code and its rule. In language this is not the case. Statements can be understood of accepted differently according to the individual. For example, Anna says to Tom, â€Å"I really like you.† This has no fixed meaning, because according to what tone this statement is said, it can either be true or false. Anna could emphasise through language that she in reality does like Tom. On the other hand, she has the ability to state it as a sarcastic phrase. This would mean, that in reality she doe not like Tom. Language also plays an important role in culture. Through language, the origin of individuals can be assumed. If somebody is mainly speaking German, then one can assume that the person is German. Even within the German language, different dialects are spoken. This makes language less specific than mathematics. There is the â€Å"Hoch-Deutsch† spoken in Germany, the Austrian German spoken in Austria and finally the Swiss German heard in Switzerland. Language is expressed in different forms, either written by the usage of symbols, orally through the usage of sounds and finally through the form of body language. Again, language illustrates a less specific concept than mathematics. All three forms can express certain values and one statement, such as â€Å"I like you† can be expressed in all three different forms. Even though both mathematics and language have codes, these can be misunderstood. In mathematics your result is an error, while in language misunderstandings can result in several problematic situations. The fundamental difference between mathematics and language is that one is universal in its concept, while the other is altered around the globe. Mathematics is universal, it has the same code throughout the world where 2 + 2 = 4 in every country. Language however, can be altered. If a Chinese speaks in Chinese to a Portuguese, it is unlikely that they will understand it each other. In conclusion, mathematics and language share both common concepts but also differ from each other. They are both essential for life, while language is the base to understand mathematics. The concept of mathematics has always been relevant in nature, such as 360à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ circles. Language is the invention of the human race in order to establish and maintain the communication between each other.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Complimentary and Alternative Therapies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Complimentary and Alternative Therapies - Essay Example This hospital network was expanded, reworked and merged with the intention of providing a single District Hospital supporting local GP's and in turn being supported by teaching and specialist hospitals. These District Hospitals have 500 to 800 beds and operate at 90% capacity. (nhshistory.com). The availability of CAM in the organised NHS is very little. In fact CAM is hardly reimbursed under the NHS network. Most CAM services were provided by private practitioners - the majority were in the home counties and the Midlands; Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and East Anglia had the least. (Dixon et al 2003) Several studies and enquiries show that the use of CAM in the UK has been on the increase. But comparisons should be made with caution, because of the differences in the definition of the term. (House of Lords Report ch1) A telephonic random survey of 1204 persons conducted by the BBC in 1999, revealed that 20% of the respondents had used CAM in the preceding 12 months. Of these the favoured therapies in their order of importance were herbal remedies (34%), Aromatherapy (21%), Homeopathy (17%) and Acupressure/ Acupuncture (14%) (House of Lords Report ch1) A Report prepared by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in 1999 found that retail sales of complementary medicine preparations came to 93m in 1998. (House of Lords Report ch 1) In Europe, both UK and Germany are countries, ... her European countries (Guillod, 1999)."(Dixon et al 2003) This is in contrast with France, Spain and Belgium, "where the medical profession has maintained its monopoly over medical practice and where the activities of non-medically qualified CAM practitioners are illegal." (Dixon et al 2003) In the US too, a telephonic survey indicated that from 1900 to 1997, there was a noticeable increase in the already existing use of CAM. Out-of-pocket expenditure (paid for by patients, and not reimbursed) on this was estimated at $27.0 billion in 1997. (House of Lords Report ch1) What are the reasons for people shifting to CAM The possible reasons for using CAM is the need for people to have control over their own health, a philosophical and spiritual orientation, and a belief in the mind-body connection. It was found (in the US) that people of higher educational status tended to CAM. (House of Lords Report ch 1) This could probably be that those who had access to literature on the subject, and had an enquiring mind would use this to a greater extent. Another reason could be that conventional medicine is reimbursed, and not CAM. Presuming that better educated people had higher incomes, this would explain why CAM was (is) favoured by higher income groups as opposed to the lower. Apart from this, sufferers from chronic health problems such as anxiety, back problems, urinary tract problems and chronic pain used CAM. From this it may be deduced that conventional medicine had not provided a complete 'cure' for these problems. Another reason cited for the increase d use of CAM is that it had become fashionable, and also due to the increasing interest in the paranormal (astrology and the like). More social mixing (immigrants from Asian and African countries) resulting in interest

Friday, September 27, 2019

Sex Predator - Societal Protection vs. Constitutional Rights Essay

Sex Predator - Societal Protection vs. Constitutional Rights - Essay Example Individuals who engage in sex crimes such as rape or child sex are known as sexual predators. However, the term may be applied depending on the moral beliefs and sometimes may not be a criminal behaviour. In communities, a predator may refer to somebody who seeks dominance or submission in an exploitative manner. The Constitution and the society have different views regarding sexual predators and the legality of the action. The sexual predator law, the statute mandates long periods of civil commitment for habitual sexual offenders and sexual psychopaths in their criminal sentences. For instance, in the US sexual predator laws were very popular in the 1990s although they led to constitutional questions (Carpenter, 2012). One of the concerns was the double jeopardy and the need to balance the rights of the offenders and those of the community in which they came from. The laws' strictness is due to the possibility of a sex offender repeating an action once released from prison and there fore, long-term jail period is necessary. The offenders also undergo screening to rule out the possibility of a mental disorder to the offender and give treatment before passing judgment. The state has the role of detaining the offender and give treatment until the individual is cured of the illness as explained by Bartol & Bartol (2012). The supreme court of the United States holds the Kansa’s sexual predator law, which requires the state prove mental abnormality as a before detainment of the offender.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Legal and Professional Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Legal and Professional Issues - Essay Example The training of nurses and other health care providers is aimed at making them aware of the legal and professional framework within which their practice should be based. This paper presents four case scenarios which illustrate various aspects of legal and professional conduct of nurses and health care providers as pertains to the use of medications, research and care of patients. The case scenarios are analysed in line with the legal provisions that are stipulated by the Australian Department of Health and regulators in Victoria. The analysis of the case scenarios includes a reflection of the ethical and professional issues that are being presented and what should have been done to avoid various forms of misconduct on the part of health care providers. Case 1 Case scenario 1 presents a situation where Nurse M has violated the law that prohibits the use of controlled medications without a prescription. According to the Department of Health, Victoria (2012), drugs that are controlled must be used only with a prescription from a physician or a doctor. This means that Nurse M has violated the legal framework as provided by the Department of Health. The law requires that the nurse is reported to the relevant authorities in accordance to the legal procedures that are ascribed by the department. This is to be backed by convincing pieces of evidence which would be used to determine the legal provisions in nursing care that have been violated by the nurse. In health care education, nurses and other health care practitioners are presented with relevant information and data in addition to guidelines within which they should base their professional practice (DeWolf, Bosek & Savage, 2007). These guidelines include the use of medication and ensuring th at the safety of patient is safeguarded. In this regard therefore it is argued that Nurse M disregarded the provisions of nursing training as demonstrated by the non-professional conduct in the use of medicine. In this case, Nurse M has also violated the standards of professional practice by taking controlled medication without permission. This is provided by the legal framework which protects medication within the hospital environment from theft and possible misuse or abuse of such drugs (Forrester & Griffiths, 2010). In this sense therefore, Nurse M has violated more than one count of the legal provisions in professional practice. Therefore both professional and legal considerations have to be put in mind in deciding upon the course of action against the nurse. Nurse M is obliged to take professional responsibility for her actions. According to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (2012), nurses are obliged to conduct and practice nursing with professionalism and adherence to the laws which govern the practice and profession of nursing. The actions that Nurse M engages in are compromising to the care of patients. This is against the Code of Professional Conduct for Nurses in Australia. The code of conduct mandates nurses to practice in line with the standards of professionalism as defined within the broader health system (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2012). Since Nurse M denies her misconduct, taking action against her is a challenge which requires that evidence must be produced so that any form of doubt is removed before her actions can be measured in line with the provisions of the law. This case reflects a dilemma within the nursing profession where nurses are faced with hard decisions of responsibility. This is demonstrated by the fact that Nurse M is a single mother who is in need for her job.

Contemporary Issues in Accounting and Finance Essay - 1

Contemporary Issues in Accounting and Finance - Essay Example They consider all this to create an enabling environment that favors their objectives (Jaiswal, 2013). The Standards of the Auditors Ready Ratios (2013) asserts that in the 21st century the European Union came up with an outline of how the auditors should conduct themselves. The outline consisted of the law that stated and guaranteed matters concerning the freedom of the assessors of the law (Kumar & Sharma, 2006, p.134). This was similar to the laws that govern the accountants. It is said that the accountants were given their laws that govern their operations. They were given by the internal profession of the accountants (Knapp, 2010, p.204). In order to promote the equality in the people and all the other professions the European Union issued a framework that was to govern the legal analyst (auditors) and ensure that they were in line with their operation, expectations and their rights. Even though, this did not concur with some stipulations from the international federation of acc ountants. This is because the accountants were entitled to some fundamental freedom and rights that ought not to be compromised. And each accountant had an obligation of independence and doing the right thing. The directives the European Union gave, differed with the directives the international ethics for accountancy (Buijink et al., 1996, p.66). According to Sharma (2012, p.14), the differences were seen and they did expect the law auditors to operate within their stipulations. In giving their outline, the union for accountants had in mind the idea of public interest. They were interested in the good of the people. But in essence the European Union found the laws quite strict for the auditors to withstand (Puttick et al., 2008, p.56). So it was a two way drive. If the law analyst happens to execute their duties within the provisions of the international accountants, the result will be a stronger system in the operation. This is because there were quite stricter provisions. And if they do there duties in the boundaries of the stipulations of the European Union, they will be bound to some freedom (Basu, 2010, p.134). Discussion According to Greene (2005, p.11), a debate about the freedom of the person when conducting and assessing the legal issues forms the basis of the story. It is from this that the general theme of the work is, â€Å"the obligation of auditing†. This discussion is majorly rotating about this question. The title about the auditor being independent comes out from the following discussion (Morris et al., 2009, p.309). Some of the good principals are now in place and should be in mind of the any auditor or accounting profession. Whenever the auditing is to happen, the outstanding statute is the objective of the auditor. In order to show the public, the people moderating and using the audit opinions in particular, the auditor is supposed to be independent. Before entering an agreement with the client; the auditor should ensure a peaceful environment and his independence (Volosin, 2008, p.14). According to Gupta (2004, .1247), the European Union argues that, by defining the key audit partner, it does not

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Consumer behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Consumer behavior - Essay Example A manager has to come up with a strategy that will ensure that the sales promotion efforts put in place are profitable and achieving the set goals by the company. In the case of the first problem of increasing the sales volume of the company, a manger should make an analysis of the previous sales levels before the sales promotions and the new sales volume achieved after the sales promotion strategies. The aim of sales promotion is to increase the sales volume. Therefore, if the promotions will have no effect on the sales volume, then it would be appropriate to scrap off the sales promotions. Sales promotions are usually the capital intensive, therefore, the management should ensure that benefits outweigh the costs. That means that a high pricing strategy should be formulated to ensure that the high prices compensate for the increased costs. The sales promotions should also be tailor made for the target market and regions that the company has not ventured in. that will ensure an incre ase in the market share of the company. In the problem of the issue of the promotions being profitable as expected, a company can list down the profits against the costs of the company. The strategies formulated should be aimed at increasing profits and the market share of the company. In such a situation, the company can set a relatively higher price and aim at increasing the sales volume (Feinberg 281).The manager should ensure that efficiency is maximized to cut down on the costs of the company.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Operating system assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Operating system - Assignment Example is a procedure that a computer’s Central Processing Unit (CPU) follows to change from one task/process to another while ensuring that the tasks do not conflict. For a computer to provide user-friendly multi-tasking, it needs an effective context switching. In a computer’s CPU, the term context is used to refer to the particular program counter and registers at a specific moment in time. A CPU’s current instruction is held by a register. The program counter Is also referred to as an instruction address register. It is a small amount of quick memory that is used to hold the address of the instruction to be executed immediately after the current one. It is possible to perform a context switch entirely in physical media, which is by use of hardware. This is especially so in older CPUs, for example the x86 series. In the modern world, the CPUs perform context switches by means of programming/software. The modern CPUs are very fast and they are able to perform numerous context switches within seconds. This gives the user an impression of the performance of multiple tasks by the computer. Deadlock prevention is the process of averting deadlocks by restraining how demands for resources can be made in the system and how they are handled, that is system design. Its main objective is to ascertain that at any moment one of the significant conditions for deadlock can certainly not hold. Deadlock avoidance, on the other hand, is where the system vigorously contemplates every request and decides whether it is safe to grant it at that point. The system requires additional apriori information regarding the overall potential use of each resource for each process. Deadlock avoidance allows more concurrence than deadlock prevention. The benefit of a multithreaded programming that is presented by multicore systems is that programmers are able to complete more total operations than with one core alone. This is the concept of multitasking. Instructions in a series are also able

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Marketing News Journal #2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing News Journal #2 - Essay Example Who would not like to arrive in a store and not have to queue to make orders and then have to wait in the same queue to pick up the order after a hard day of work or study. I know I would be thrilled to arrive and have my order ready to go. This is what Taco Bell’s new order ahead app is all about. Customers download the app and when they want food from Taco Bell, they simply make their orders in their nearest chain store and go pick it up. In order to avoid getting cold food or having to wait for long before the food is prepared, the app allows the customer to inform the store as they arrive in order to have their order prepared and ready to go. The other good news is that the customer does not even have to leave their car to go pick up their order, it is brought to them. This is another positive addition in their customer service and it is a welcome relief to many. Those are not the only good news concerning the app, here is the better news. The app provides more food option on their menu that is not present in the physical store menu. This will provide a wide range of selection of the food, making special order of what is to be increased, reduced or completely eliminated from the menu. Those who are keen on their calorie intake are also mot left behind as they have a calorie counter on each food order and hence one can be able to monitor their calorie intake. This Taco Bell app is therefore welcome by even nutritionists and medical health professionals that have been trying to get the American people to reduce their calorie intake and eat healthier foods to reduce the high rate if obesity in the nation. People will be able to follow this and try eating healthy in the future as long as they continue making their order online. Taco Bell serves Mexican food of tacos and burritos which is a way to promote the Mexican culture in the

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Dreaming in Cuban Essay Example for Free

Dreaming in Cuban Essay Throughout the years, Cuba is known to be a Communist country struggling to determine its own identity. Some Cubans have fought with the decision to stay in their native country or migrate to the United States. Others have decided to settle in Cuba and let their fate be determined by the gods. Santeria, an African religion mixed with Catholic traditions, is practiced by many Cubans and allows followers to establish their destiny by the orishas, or African spirits. It also gives a sense of individuality to the characters in the novel, Dreaming in Cuban which incorporates several elements of the faith into the story. Overall, the Santeria religion affects the Cuban people in many parts of their lives politically, artistically, musically, and in their relationships. Santeria or La Regla Lucumm originated in the region of West Africa and was part of the traditional faith of the Yoruba inhabitants. It was brought to the Caribbean countries of Cuba, Haiti and Brazil, Trinidad, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic through the Yoruba people who were part of the slave trade. When they arrived at their Caribbean destinations, they reluctantly baptized within the Roman Catholic faith and were forced to leave behind their traditional beliefs and practices. However, they managed to come up with a way to merge their beliefs with the Roman Catholic Church by â€Å"†¦choosing a catholic saint and associating the saint to each of the orishas, [or African gods,] of their traditional practices† (Santeria 101). The santeros focus on building relationships with â€Å"powerful, but mortal, spirits, called orishas, [which is] a manifestation of †¦God† (BBC). In addition, they are taught that if they carry out the appropriate rituals, these spirits will support them in life, and enable them to â€Å"achieve the destiny that God planned for them before they were born† (BBC). The idea makes the followers feel that they have a purpose for their life and will live their life according to the standards. According to a Cuban researcher, â€Å"there are several principle orishas which are believed to control every aspect of human life, especially health, purity, and fertility. The orishas are rather like Greek gods or goddesses, in that they reflect the human weaknesses and strengths, but are closely identified with their Catholic counterpart† (Marshall 231). In Dreaming in Cuban, by Christina Garcia, Felicia chooses her orisha to be Saint Sebastian due to her admiration of his â€Å"double death† (Garcia 77). She was able to related to the god in a way that resembles how she feel. A man chooses to sacrifice every little item he has to his orisha: â€Å"He lights an unfiltered Popular—Cuba’s national brand—and offers a bit of tobacco to Eleggua, the orisha of opportunity† (Sigler 207). Having the fear of a god controlling his life, the man would submit everything he has to the god. For such crisis as the Cuban Revolution, Cubans have sought for help from the spiritual world and have become drawn to the Santeria religion. According to a documentary filmmaker, Cubans have always â€Å"flocked to Santeria priests, or babalawos, during hard times to ease their weary bodies, minds, and souls; and the current climate of economic instability proves no exceptions† (Sigler 213). They have also looked to their orishas for a â€Å"†¦source of comfort and help in time of need†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Gonzalez- Wippler 70). However, in order to continue receiving assistance from the, they have to uphold their moral behavior strictly. Straying from the â€Å"right and narrow way† will disqualify them from the protection of the orishas and will receive punishment. A santero priest who lived in Cuba says he sees between seven to eight clients per day, but â€Å"demand for his services has gradually increased in recent years† (Sigler 213). Thus, the downfall of the life quality in Cuba increased the influence of the religion on Cubans. Many people are drawn to the practices of the religion throughout their neighborhoods. According to an Afro-Cuban woman, â€Å"[she] was drawn to the Afro-Cuban religion Santeria and to the practice of spiritualism, [and] grew up surrounded by many people who practice this religion of African origin and who believed in the orishas, or African gods† (Carrillo 63-4). The African society in Cuba has been looking for solace in their history of torture and discriminating experience: â€Å"The slave seeks a bit of peace and hope after much suffering and harassment. With rites, offerings and the sacrifice of blood, he invokes the gods of redemption, from whom he has been brutally separated by inhuman slavery† (Marshall 235). The religion makes them feel more human and therefore helping them live their lives the way the â€Å"gods† what them to live. Felicia wishes to settle peace with her father. Her best friend Hermania told her â€Å"He [the orisha] will bring you and your father peace, a peace you never knew while he lived on this earth† (Garcia 14). Eventually, she decided to give into her friend’s request and sacrificed a goat on the altar. Felicia also went to Santeria for another husband, believing that she can attain her blessings through orishas: â€Å"believers can accomplish many things because the dead are benevolently inclined toward the living†¦Felicia del Pino is fortunate in that she knows unequivocally what she wants: another husband. In this respect, at least, she will be twice more blessed† (Garcia 147). However, they told her she cannot keep her husband: â€Å"What you wish for, daughter, you cannot keep. It is the will of the gods† (Garcia 148). This became true later on when the man she met died in a fire. In another part of the book, Celia visits a santera â€Å"when she was dying of love for the Spaniard† (Garcia 159). Therefore, Santeria affects people in their relationships because people rely on the religion to fix their issues on love. The Santeria religion may manipulate the minds of their followers to fail in their revolution against Batista. Traditionally, all the presidents in Cuba have been â€Å"initiated santeros† (Gonzalez- Wippler 69) and given a god to protect them; therefore the followers of Santeria are in fear and submission to the leader. They also believed that the battle for the power between Castro and Batista was fought on two levels: the physical world and the world of the orishas† (Gonzalez- Wippler 69). It was believed that Castro won the war because of the many [sacrifices] made on his behalf, but he could not destroy Batista who escaped from Cuba with a fortune. In the novel, Felicia asked Hermania’s father about fighting Batista. However â€Å"he said it was useless, that the scoundrel is under the protection of Chango†¦ Batista’s destiny†¦is set. He will escape Cuba with a fortune in his suitcase† (Garcia 163). The religion affects the santeros in their political stance and gave them no hope of rebelling against the president of Cuba. The Santeria religion is also increasing in its numbers after the Revolution. â€Å"Now that there is more freedom of religious expression, an increasing number of young people have been initiated into Santeria. And since they no longer fear losing their jobs or facing other hassles because of their religion, you can see people on the streets wearing colored, beaded necklaces that correspond to their particular saint† (Carrillo 67). Pilar, in the book, also wore beads to represent an orisha: â€Å"I select a red and white one and place it over my head† (Garcia 200). In an African woman’s opinion, â€Å"Santeria and the ‘folklore† of my family neighborhood was no longer devalued or considered taboo; on the contrary, these practices were to be celebrated as a central part of [her] Cuban heritage† (Morejon 84). Therefore, the religion grows substantially in rate by the acceptance that they have of expressing themselves. In the life of an African woman, Santeria affected the way she expressed herself through art: â€Å"I’ve always felt inspired to paint Afro-Cuban folk themes, mostly orisha motifs, although some of my early work is landscapes. I paint with both acrylics and watercolors. (Carrillo 66)† Pilar also paints the colors of the beads that she chose to represent the orisha, Chango: â€Å"I awake and paint a large canvas ignited with reds and whites, each color betraying each other†(Garcia 203). Thus, the Santeria religion affects the people artistically. The religion also affected Cuban music. The system of beliefs was interconnected in that â€Å"†¦white saints were matched to black gods while African drums beat time to Catholic prayers† (Marshall 20). The practice of drum beating plays a major part in Cuban music and how it centers on the orishas. The dance moves are â€Å"choreographed to represent sacred messages to and from† (Gonzalez- Wippler 195) each other. Not only does it affect the rhythm and movements in dancing but also the lyrics of voiced music: â€Å"Santeria†¦has supplied many songs sung in Yoruba by a male singer leading a chorus to the rhythm of conga drums, while dancers dressed in different colors express the attributes of the different orishas or saints of the sect† (Marshall 216). Therefore, Santeria affect the music part of the Cuban lives. As time progresses, the influences to Santeria will continue to increase in Cuba and sink into the spiritual identity of Cuba. According to a professor in history, â€Å"†¦Santeria isn’t just a religion, its part of the Cuban identity† (Sigler 212). Santeria may be widely celebrated because so many people in the government are currently practicing the religion† (Sigler 213). Thus, Santeria will continue to affect the Cubans politically, artistically, musically, and in their relationships.

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Factors That Affect The Prescription Behavior

The Factors That Affect The Prescription Behavior The aim of the study is to investigate the factors that affect the prescription behavior of doctors. As generic medicines are taking the market share of big branded one, the latter is trying to review their strategies in order to get back their market share. Mauritians are price conscious nowadays, they will look for better prices for the purchase of their needs and wants and even doctors would prefer to prescribe cheaper medicines in order to attract more of their customers. But what innovator firms are trying to do, is to eliminate generic firms from the market by hook or by crook. So this study will be more focus on the possible alternative Marketing mix strategies that can be adopted by generic firms in Mauritius in order to survive in this fierce pharmaceutical market. The research objectives were to analyze the factors that influence prescription behavior of doctors and to identify if mobile marketing and digital platforms (social media) are means for staying in this competitio n. Conceptual frameworks will be used. Both exploratory and descriptive studies will be used. The population would be consisted of general practitioners and some pharmacists. The sampling method would be stratified sampling. Data analysis would be done using SPSS 20 statistical software. Descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation, hypothesis testing will be done. 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction of the study The pharmaceutical industry is an important sector in the worldwide economy. Indeed, it is considered as one of the most dynamic and fast growing industries. The pharmaceutical industry consists of numerous players, all of whom hold only a small market share of the industry. The 2009 global 500 lists 12 international pharmaceutical companies (table 1.1). The fortune global 500 report also shows that Milan is the highest profit achiever with 48.4 % profit change from 2009. Eli Lilly was ranked as the second highest with 17.1% followed by Johnson Johnson with 8.7% and Biogen Idec with 3.6% and so on. Consequently, big firms Pfizer and Merck had encountered a decreased in the percentage change from 2009. The Pharmaceutical industry is now facing a lot of serious challenges. Patents on major drugs continue to expire while companies struggle to produce innovative break through to offset the impact of generic substitutes. The regulative environment is becoming more intense as the food and drug administration (FDA) looks to impose more effective safety standards in approving new drugs. In addition, rising anger over the price of prescription drugs and calls for lower prices may lead to further reduction in revenue growth. These challenges facing the brand name pharmaceuticals are considered as promising opportunities to grow for another sector in the pharmaceutical industry, the generics. Patents expiration means the ability of generics to produce and sell more and more pharmaceutical products at lower prices. The increased focus on generic drugs as cost effective alternatives to the expensive brand name drugs along with the very high growth rates of generics have made the Federal Trade Commission in cooperation with the FDA to put new rules that ensure timely access of consumers to generic pharmaceutical products and to ensure that consumers are protected from potentially anti-competitive arrangements between brand name and generic drug makers. These rules are widely known as the Hatch Waxman act. Lately, in the pharmaceutical industry, there are many trends taking place. One of them is the generic drugs and the other being the globalization of generic medicine. Generic Medicines are taking the market share of branded medicines around the world, so big Pharmaceutical companies have turned to underhanded practices to get these cheaper drugs out of the market 1.2 Background of the study The Pharmaceutical industry plays an important role in the worlds economy, as well as in ensuring the welfare of its citizens. It is apart from other industries since it offers the world population cure and alleviation from disease and contributes to the economies of many nations. In Mauritius, the pharmaceutical industry consists of a public sector as well as a private sector. The Public sector comprises of hospitals, dispensaries, area heath sectors and medi-clinics. The latter is free of charge and accessible to the public. Moreover the medication is free of charge for the patients. Doctors working in the public sector do not have the right to do private practices expect specialist doctors who are authorized to do so after working hours (4 p.m). The public sectors buys all drugs through tenders and the doctors working there cannot prescribe drugs other than that available in the hospital. Hospitals usually look forward to have business with generic pharmaceutical companies because of cheaper quotations. On the contrary, in the private sector, the patients have to pay to consult a doctor, whether it is a specialist of a general practitioner. These doctors are free to prescribe drugs of their choice that the patient can buy in any drug house. Most Pharmaceuti cal companies focus their marketing mix on these doctors for prescription drugs and on pharmacies of OTC products so as to conquer the maximum market share as well to be more profitable. POM and OTC drugs are the two major types of pharmaceutical products. POMs are licensed medicines regulated by legislation, and requiring a prescription for purchase. On the other hand, OTC drugs are medicines directly sold to patients without any prescription from doctors. The study will be focused mainly on prescription drugs where the market involves a complex buying and decision making process. So, private doctors will be my main focus since they are the ones to prescribe drugs and followed by Pharmacists who are also responsible for the success of some generic pharmaceutical firms. Moreover, this study will mainly focused on the marketing mixed strategies used by Generic pharmaceutical firms and how they influence the prescription behavior of doctors in Mauritius. 1.3 Statement of problem Since Generic pharmaceutical market is getting bigger day by day, they will be more competitors in the pharmaceutical market. This in turn resulted in very tough competition both against brand name manufacturers and within the generic industry itself. Of course, this highly competitive environment relies mainly on price differences and will definitely lead to price wars among all Generic Pharmaceutical Companies. The problem is that for generics to rely on cost leadership and hence lower selling prices as a sole competitive strategy will lead definitely to industry exit by many companies due to low profitability. Moreover, physicians and pharmacists prefer to dispense generic medicines and this has a great negative impact on the innovators companies where their sales, profits and market share were affected. Consequently the innovator companies will decrease their expenditure, budget, reduce headcounts and spend a lot of money in implementing new strategies and conduct various promotional activities in order to keep their market share and maintain their profits. So, Generic Companies must find other competitive marketing mixed strategies to differentiate themselves if they are to survive in this highly competitive environment. 1.4 Significance of the study 1.4.1 Objectives To study some of the various marketing activities related to the pharmaceutical market in Mauritius and in particular Branding strategies Pricing strategies Promotion strategies (sponsorship, gifts etc) Analyze the appropriate marketing mix strategies for generic companies working in Mauritius. To study the cost leadership as a generic strategy and its effectiveness for generic companies working in Mauritius. From the doctors responses, identify if the use of mobile marketing and other social Medias (Facebook, msn, yahoo, Skypeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) will be a competitive advantage. From the doctors responses, formulate other generic strategies that can be adopted by generic Pharmaceutical companies working in Mauritius. 1.4.2 Research Questions To serve the purpose of this study we shall address the following research questions: What are the possible marketing mix tools that can be used by the Generic Pharmaceuticals? Is the cost leadership as a competitive strategy sufficient alone for generics to survive in this highly competitive industry in Mauritius? What other Marketing mix strategies that can be adopted by generic pharmaceuticals working in Mauritian Market? 1.5 Hypothesis (Assumptions) The following hypotheses based on the objectives of the study have been formulated: Hypothesis I Ho: Prescription behavior is not affected by distribution Characteristics HA: Prescription behavior of doctors is affected by characteristics Hypothesis II Ho: Prescription behavior of doctors is not affected by promotion HA: Prescription behavior of doctors is affected by promotion Hypothesis III Ho: Prescription behavior of doctors is not affected by medical representative skills and relationship characteristics. HA: Prescription behavior of doctors is affected by medical representative skills and relationship characteristics Hypothesis IV Ho: Prescription behavior of doctors is not affected by product characteristics HA: Prescription behavior of doctors is affected by product characteristics Hypothesis V Ho: Prescription behavior of doctors is not affected by drug cost HA: Prescription behavior of doctors is affected by drug cost. Hypothesis VI Ho: Prescription behavior of doctors is not affected by sampling HA: Prescription behavior of doctors is affected by sampling Hypothesis VII Ho: Prescription behavior of doctors is not affected by frequency of visit of medical representative HA: Prescription behavior of doctors is affected by frequency of visit of medical representative Hypothesis VIII Ho: It is not important to implement mobile marketing in the pharmaceutical marketing mix strategy HA: It is important to implement mobile marketing in the pharmaceutical marketing mix strategy. Hypothesis IX Ho: It is not important to implement social platform and other digital platforms in the marketing mix strategy. HA: It is important to implement social platform and other digital platforms in the marketing mix strategy. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter presents theories pertaining to the stated research questions. The theories will cover the most important elements of the marketing mix and their implication on the generic pharmaceutical industry. This chapter will also discuss the different competitive strategies and the possibility to adopt them to the generic pharmaceutical industry. 2.1 Introduction The pharmaceutical industry is a large and important industry worldwide, where its practices have direct impact on the welfare of patients in specific and the society in general (Manchanda Honka, 2005). The pharmaceutical market is characterized by the phenomena of derived demand, where the end consumer of the product is not necessarily the decision maker in the purchase process. The process is controlled by the patientsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ physicians, where physicians act as gatekeepers or intermediaries who decide whether or not a purchase will be made and if so, which drug will be purchased through prescriptions (Zelnio, 1982). Thus, the pharmaceutical industry is characterized by multiplicity of market players including physicians, medical representatives, patients, insurance companies, government, health organizations etc. Moreover, the industry is highly regulated and monitored by various institutions including health organizations on a national and international level (Carter Chi tturi, 2009). There are two major types of pharmaceutical products, prescription only medicines (POM) and over-the-counter drugs (OTC). POMs are licensed medicine regulated by legislation, and requiring a prescription for purchase. On the contrary, OTC drugs are medicines directly sold to patients and not requiring a prescription from a healthcare professional, i.e. physician. This paper will solely study marketing techniques tailored for POMs. The researcher chose to study the POM market because it constitutes the main sector of the international pharmaceutical industry; and it is challenging for research because it involves a complex buying and decision making process where patients can only dispense POMs with a physiciansà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ prescription (British Medical Association, 2006). The pharmaceutical industry is characterized by multiplicity of market players including physicians, medical representatives, patients, insurance companies, government, health organizations etc. Since physicians are a key determinant for the prescription of POMs (Huh Langteau, 2007); hence the literature review will discuss all the marketing mix strategies used by pharmaceutical firms to influence the Doctors prescription behavior. 2.2 The followings are some of the findings done by researchers on the traditional marketing mix strategies used by pharmaceutical firms: Irin P. et al (2009) emphasized the need for continuous marketing research .There is a real need of continuous pharmaceutical analysis, because it is essential for success to understand the uniqueness of the pharmaceutical industry benefiting of the complex and iterative process that carefully builds a pharmaceutical data warehouse, this being considered a necessity to the strategic direction of any pharmaceutical company facing increased competition and external pressure. The study done by Morgan M.A. et al (2006) shows that Acceptance of drug samples was judged to be ethical by almost all respondents and acceptance of a lucrative consultant ship by just over a half. Respondent s seem to believe that the average doctor is more likely to accept most items and is more likely to be influenced in his or her prescribing practices by accepting an item than they are. A useful study by Gonul et al. (2001) explored the impact of visits by sales representatives and samples, on prescribing. However, the study also showed that excessive detailing or samples did not increase sales further, and that doctors who saw a high proportion of Medicare or Health Maintenance Organization patients were less influenced by promotion. Garima Malik (2011) Said in their study of sales promotion of Dabur India Limited in Indian rural market that the success of business in India will be decided in the future by its success in the heart of India that is the rural market. Harris G., (2009) said that Overall, there is clearly a substantial, though variable, effect from one-to-one drug information delivery. This study adds to our knowledge of the subject and reminds us that there is no such thing as a free lunch; these visits really do result in increased sales. Dr Rajan T. D. believes that the regular visit by a medical representative as per him, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Name is not all what it takes to get into the mind space of a busy doctor. Every product, old or new, requires extensive marketing. Any busy consultant will vouch that if a particular companys medical representative (MR) fails to show up for over a month, he suspects the availability of the products of that manufacturer. Charlene Prounis (2003) has excellently expressed that the relationship between pharma field force and doctors is very important and crucial part Major changes are in the works for sales force and pharma company relations with doctors. If companies fail to address sales repsnegative image, physicians-and possibly governments-are likely to further restrict, or even terminate, the doctor- rep relationship. But companies can take steps to strengthen that bond. Doctors may be unhappy about pharmas huge field force, but they understand that reps have a job to do. Better pharma marketing will make doctors and reps happier. And both sides will benefit. As per Jayakumar, (2008) usual marketing practices followed by most of the large and mid-sized companies include valuable gifts, arranging foreign trips with family and complimentary tickets and memberships for social activities to doctors. Verma (2004) has highlighted one of the important points of give and take relationship as per study, Social scientists describe and the pharmaceutical industry follows the, norm of reciprocity i.e., the obligation to help those who have helped you, as one of the fundamental guiding principle of human interactions. It is not surprising, therefore, that pharmaceutical companies rely on this principle of human nature by giving gifts to doctors in hope that they will prescribe their firms product in return. 2.3 Digital Plateform Pharmaceutical companies need to employ a multichannel approach to fulfill their Physician marketing objective in 2012. Digital in this scenario is becoming the big trend with innovative and integrated solutions. The vast majority of physicians today are digitally active, accessing multiple devices and networks as part of their day-to-day activities. Physicians are increasingly interested in video and social media for personal and professional usage. According to Manhattan Research, 81% of Physicians are expected to own a smart phone by 2012, 79% of Physicians have watched Video clips online and 72% of the Physicians engage in social media, either for personal purposes, professional or both.(UBM Medica-HCPs and social media) (Source: Manhattan Research, 2012) 3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This section describes the methodology that will be followed to address the hypotheses or research questions. It includes the research design, sampling method, data collection procedures, research instrumentation and related data analysis 3.1 Research Design Research design provides the basic direction for carrying out a research project so as to obtain answers to research questions. A descriptive research design will be adopted for this study as it involves a collection of quantitative information by conducting a survey. The descriptive research design will thus make predictions and analyse the behaviour of Mauritian consumers with respect to the survey. 3.2 Population and Sample 3.2.1 Target population A research population is a well-defined collection of individuals or objects known to have similar characteristics. All individuals or objects within a certain population usually have a common, binding characteristic or trait. (http://www.experiment-resources.com/research-population.html) The target population for the study will include a representative sample of the Mauritian population. This sample will include Mauritian consumers within different age groups, different locality and different professional backgrounds. 3.2.2 Sampling Method A sample is simply a subset of the population. The concept of sample arises from the inability of the researchers to test all the individuals in a given population. The sample must be representative of the population from which it was drawn and it must have good size to warrant statistical analysis. (http://www.experiment-resources.com/research-population.html) Thus, it is of great importance of ensuring that the appropriate sampling techniques and to design the sampling method to minimize any error or response bias. The appropriate sampling technique that will be adopted for this study will be a quota sampling so as to be able to achieve surveys with consumers of different age groups, different regions and professional backgrounds. 3.2.3 Sample Size To determine the sample size we will need to calculate the necessary sample size for a different combination of levels of precision, confidence level (95%), and variability. The confidence level tells you how sure you can be. It is expressed as a percentage and represents how often the true percentage of the population who would pick an answer lies within the confidence interval. The level of precision also known as the sampling error is the range in which the true value of the population is estimated to be. The 95% confidence level means you can be 95% certain. This range is often expressed in percentage points, (e.g.,  ±5 percent). A proportion of 0.5 indicates the maximum variability in a population. Slovins formula is used to calculate the sample size (n) given the population size (N) and a margin of error (e).Therefore the Solvins formula, as described below, will be used to calculate the sample size at 5% level of precision. n = N / (1 + Ne^2) Hence the sample size for this study will be 200. 3.3 The research Instrument The research instrument for this research study will consist of a structured questionnaire so as to prompt relevant information from the respondents, which will constitute primary and secondary sources of data. Through the means of structured questionnaires, responses can be gathered in a standardized way and furthermore it is quicker to collect information using a questionnaire; potentially useful information can be collected from a large portion of a group. Its cost-effective, easy to analyse, reduces bias and is less intrusive than other survey methods. People participating in surveys can complete them whenever they want. Theyre also more likely to respond honestly to questions if they know their answers are anonymous. An open-ended question will encourage the respondents to give a full, meaningful answer while using his knowledge and/or feelings. Whereas, a closed-ended question provides the respondents with a list of answer choices from which they must choice to answer the question. For this particular study, the questionnaire will include both open ended and closed ended questions. The close ended will comprise of dichotomous, multiple choice response, as well as likert scaled information and ratings. The questionnaire will consist of four main sections where: Section A will illustrate the about the factors affecting the Prescription behaviour. (Promotional sources, relationship, price, product characteristics and distribution channels) Section B will illustrate the traditional detailing, skill of detailing of medical representative and the promotional incentives offered by pharmaceutical firm Section C will be focused only if whether or not doctors use digital platforms for medical research. (I-pad, smart phone and social media) Section D will be mainly on Demographic characteristics of the respondents. 3.4 Data Collection Method The choice of data collection mode influences the extent to which the data are affected by each type of non-sampling error and is influenced by the data collection strategy, the type of variables involved, the accuracy required and the data collection points. (http://eprints.ncrm.ac.uk/418/1/MethodsReviewPaperNCRM-008.pdf) Therefore, a survey method will be adopted for the data collection as this particular research will involve a quantitative phase which will involve the use of a structured questionnaire. Coverage error (also known as sampling frame bias) occurs when not all members of a target population have an equal chance of being selected in the survey sample. This type of error tends to be lower for survey methods that are able to make use of more comprehensive lists for sampling purposes. Data will be collected by scheduling meetings with the different targeted persons identified for the quota based sampling where the questionnaires will be either distributed to the targeted respondents, to be ultimately collected a few days later or will be filled on the spot by the respondents with the help of the interviewer. 3.5 Validity and Reliability Validity is the extent to which a test measures what it claims to measure. It is vital for a test to be valid in order for the results to be accurately applied and interpreted, whereas Reliability has to do with the quality of measurement. In its everyday sense, reliability is the consistency or repeatability of your measures. Validity and Reality will be taken into serious consideration for this study 3.5.1 Pre Testing For a pilot test for many surveys is done for the purpose of testing the full implementation procedures. Pilot tests are usually conducted well in advance of when the survey will be fielded so as to identify and eliminate problems prior to the field phase. 10% of the sample size will be used for pilot testing prior to the data collection phase. The pilot testing will be used for pilot testing prior to the data collection phase. The pilot test will be used to check questions relevancy, by that respondent understands all questions and its rationale behind. 3.5.2 Reliability of data Reliability of data is used to check for internal consistency of data which is measured using coefficient alpha. A reliability coefficient of .70 or higher is considered acceptable for research study. Therefore, for the purpose of this study a Cronbachs alpha of 0.7 or higher will be considered acceptable, and that below 0.75 was regarded as multidimensional. The standardized Cronbachs alpha is as follows: 3.6 Data analysis and interpretation The data file will then be organized and analysed employing the SPSS software version 16.0. Both descriptive and inferential statistics will be used for analysis where descriptive statistics will include frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. Inferential statistics will include regression analysis, correlation, chi square, T-test, ANOVA. Significant tests will be conducted at 5% level using p-value as indicator for both significance and hypothesis testing where; Indicator for significance: P-value less than 0.05 = statistical significance P-value greater than 0.05 = no significance Indicators to be used for hypothesis testing: P-value less or equal to 0.05 = reject Null hypothesis (H0) P-value greater than 0.05 = do not reject Null hypothesis (H0) 4.0 EXPECTED OUTPUTS The following results might be expected: Personal selling through medical representative visits and detailing as a powerful tool do influence doctors prescription behaviour. Factors like packaging, availability, stock and expiry date of products also influence doctors dispensing behaviour. Product characteristics (efficacy, side effect, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) do influence the prescription behaviour of doctors. The frequencies of visit of medical representatives do influence the doctors prescription behaviour. Sampling has a great impact on doctors prescription behaviour Tools like clinical trials and studies regarding a certain medicine do have a great impact on doctors; prescription behaviour. Doctors are interested in the publication of generic medicines in medical journals. Building close relations with doctors through public relations activities like table meetings, seminars and presentations are considered as an effective promotional activity. The use of ipad for detailing is an innovative tool to grab doctors attention and is much appreciated by doctors. Doctors prefer to dispense cheaper medicines to Mauritians. Nowadays, Most of the doctors are using smart phones and ipad for medical updates. Many doctors use social media for queries and update about medicines. 5.0 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS In order to protect confidentiality, the data collected will not be revealed to others expect in the form of processed data/information without detailing the identity of the individual responses. Relevant permission will be sought from the concerned authorities prior to administering the questionnaires. 6.0 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY The limitation of the study is that not all the targeted doctors will respond due to time constraints. However, the data collected from respondents will be analysed and interpreted within the limited framework allowed. 7.0 CONCLUSION This study will try to identify the key factors of the marketing mix that really has a great impact on doctors prescription behaviour. It will also help generic companies to identify the main influencing factors which might make them be competitive. Personal questions concerning the type of mobile phone used and for which purpose, will try to find out if mobile marketing could be implemented as an important tool for the marketing mix strategies.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

A Jungian Reading of Beowulf Essay -- Epic of Beowulf Essay

A Jungian Reading of Beowulf       This essay will propose an alternative means by which to examine the distinctive fusion of historical, mythological, and poetic elements that make up the whole of Beowulf.   Jeffrey Helterman, in a 1968 essay, â€Å"Beowulf: The Archetype Enters History,† first recognized Grendel as a representation of the Shadow archetype and identified Grendel’s mother as an archetypal Anima image; I wish to extend the scope of the reading by suggesting that the dragon, too, represents an archetype: the archetype of the Self.   John Miles Foley, in his landmark 1977 essay â€Å"Beowulf and the Psychohistory of Anglo-Saxon Culture,† first suggested that the progression of battles between man and monster in Beowulf symbolically recalls the primal myth, the â€Å"monomyth,† which recounts both the process of individual psychological growth and the development of universal human consciousness.   I will explore in greater detail the idea that the progression of battles specifically represents the process of individual psychological development through which the ego confronts personal archetypes in order to achieve complete self-knowledge: the process of individuation. According to Jung, an archetype represents â€Å"certain instinctive data of   the dark, primitive psyche†¦real but invisible roots of consciousness (9,i:271). He notes that the â€Å"ultimate core of meaning may be circumscribed, but not described,† as elements represented by the archetypal image remain unconscious; yet he also proposes that the individual psyche responds to the presence of the archetype by imprinting it with its own psychic material, thus creating a series of images informed by both universal understanding and personal experience.   Jung compares the origina... ...arry, Jr., and H. Marshall Leicester, Jr.   â€Å"Social Structure as Doom: The Limits of Heroism in Beowulf.†Ã‚   In Old English Studies in Honor of John C. Pope. Eds. Robert B. Burlin and Edward B. Irving, Jr. Pp 37-79. Foley, John Miles.   â€Å"Beowulf and the Psychohistory of Anglo-Saxon Culture.†Ã‚   American  Ã‚  Imago 34(1977): 133-153. Helterman, Jeffrey.   â€Å"Beowulf: the Archetype Enters History.† English Literary History  Ã‚  Ã‚   35(1968): 1-20. Hume, Kathryn.   â€Å"The Theme and Structure of Beowulf.†Ã‚   Studies in Philology  Ã‚  Ã‚   72(January 1975): 1-27. Jung, Carl G. The Collected Works of Carl Jung. R.F.C. Hull, trans. Princeton: Princeton  Ã‚  Ã‚   University Press, 1953-1971. Niles, John. Beowulf: The Poem and its Tradition.   Cambridge MA: Harvard University  Ã‚  Ã‚   Press, 1983. Thormann, Janet. â€Å"Beowulf and the Enjoyment of Violence.† Literature and Psychology  Ã‚  Ã‚   43:1(1997): 65-76.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Old World Confronts New World: Europe is Faced with Reminders of its P

Old World Confronts New World: Europe is Faced with Reminders of its Primitive Past The nature of the cultural confrontation that took place between Old and New World cultures was profoundly shaped by the condition of fifteenth century Christian Europe at the moment of contact. Recent scholarship demonstrating parallels between New World and Old World paganism(1) raises the question of whether the reactions of fifteenth century Europeans to the native American cultures were conditioned by their own subconscious awareness of such cultural similarities. Given their history of suppression of their own primitive past, Europeans responded to the New World in the only way they knew how. Everywhere they turned they encountered alien cultural traditions exhibiting characteristics that reminded them of their own subconscious dragons. Acceptance of the Indian cultures on their own terms would have threatened the very catholic social order that had been the sole unifying force in Europe since the disintegration of the Roman Empire. The European predisposition to denigrate everything outside Christian experience was further accentuated by deep internal divisions within Europe that began to rend Christendom asunder in the sixteenth century. If the permanent opening of the Americas had occurred twelve centuries earlier under the Roman Empire, the nature of the transatlantic cultural exchange might have been dramatically different. For all of their military expansionism and enslavement of conquered enemies, the Romans were remarkably tolerant of cultural and religious diversity. Indeed, their conquest of Germanic tribes along their northern frontier did not prevent them from incorporating Germanic ideas and peoples into their own... ...12. 47 Graves, p. 201. 48 Kerenyi, C., Eleusis: Archetypal Images of Mother and Daughter (New York: Pantheon Books, 1967), pp. 177-180. 49 Givry, Emile Grillot de, Picture Museum of Sorcery, Magic, and Alchemy (New York: University Books, 1929), p. 70. 50 Mattingly, H., Tacitus on Britain and Germany (Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1967), pp. 106-107. 51 Campbell, The Way of the Seeded Earth, p. 132. 52 Sauer, Carl O., Seeds, Spades, Hearths, and Herds (Cambridge, Mass.: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press, 1969), p. 28. 53 Chiapelli, Fred, First Images of America, Vol. I (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1976), pp. 12-26. 54 Axtell, p. 72. 55 Ibid., p. 131. 56 Diaz, Bernal, The Conquest of New Spain, trans. by J.M. Cohen (New York: Penguin Books, 1963), pp. 60-61. 57 Axtell, p. 48. Old World Confronts New World: Europe is Faced with Reminders of its P Old World Confronts New World: Europe is Faced with Reminders of its Primitive Past The nature of the cultural confrontation that took place between Old and New World cultures was profoundly shaped by the condition of fifteenth century Christian Europe at the moment of contact. Recent scholarship demonstrating parallels between New World and Old World paganism(1) raises the question of whether the reactions of fifteenth century Europeans to the native American cultures were conditioned by their own subconscious awareness of such cultural similarities. Given their history of suppression of their own primitive past, Europeans responded to the New World in the only way they knew how. Everywhere they turned they encountered alien cultural traditions exhibiting characteristics that reminded them of their own subconscious dragons. Acceptance of the Indian cultures on their own terms would have threatened the very catholic social order that had been the sole unifying force in Europe since the disintegration of the Roman Empire. The European predisposition to denigrate everything outside Christian experience was further accentuated by deep internal divisions within Europe that began to rend Christendom asunder in the sixteenth century. If the permanent opening of the Americas had occurred twelve centuries earlier under the Roman Empire, the nature of the transatlantic cultural exchange might have been dramatically different. For all of their military expansionism and enslavement of conquered enemies, the Romans were remarkably tolerant of cultural and religious diversity. Indeed, their conquest of Germanic tribes along their northern frontier did not prevent them from incorporating Germanic ideas and peoples into their own... ...12. 47 Graves, p. 201. 48 Kerenyi, C., Eleusis: Archetypal Images of Mother and Daughter (New York: Pantheon Books, 1967), pp. 177-180. 49 Givry, Emile Grillot de, Picture Museum of Sorcery, Magic, and Alchemy (New York: University Books, 1929), p. 70. 50 Mattingly, H., Tacitus on Britain and Germany (Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1967), pp. 106-107. 51 Campbell, The Way of the Seeded Earth, p. 132. 52 Sauer, Carl O., Seeds, Spades, Hearths, and Herds (Cambridge, Mass.: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press, 1969), p. 28. 53 Chiapelli, Fred, First Images of America, Vol. I (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1976), pp. 12-26. 54 Axtell, p. 72. 55 Ibid., p. 131. 56 Diaz, Bernal, The Conquest of New Spain, trans. by J.M. Cohen (New York: Penguin Books, 1963), pp. 60-61. 57 Axtell, p. 48.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Looking Back at Adolescence Essay -- Adolescent Behavior

Adolescence is a part of growing up between leaving the childish ways behind and slowly preparing more mature roles as an adult. This is a very confusing part of growing up because this is a time were we are trying to find our identity, creating our long term goals, and making decisions that may affect our lives forever. This can also be characterized as a part where we are trying to fit in a society which we feel we belong because we share the same experiences, thoughts and feelings. Also in this time, some are experimenting on things that come their way. Some of these things lead them to complicated situations. Still some are engaging into smoking, drinking and worst drugs that fatally affect their academic responsibilities. We adolescents grow in a very different setting than the generation before us. We are greatly exposed to technology that teaches us many things. If you open your personal computer at home and start browsing, pornography is just one click away. Too much technology kills us. Everything we might need is already spoon feed to us. I never mean that tech...

Critically Examine the Arguments for and Against Deliberately Trying to Change Organizations

Assessed Essay OC4 â€Å"Critically examine the arguments for and against deliberately trying to change organizations† Introduction Before we begin to explore whether it is a worthwhile exercise to seek to change an organisation through a planned approach we must first begin with a definition of our terms. What might we mean by â€Å"deliberate†, â€Å"change† and an â€Å"organisation† To do so will help us explore under what circumstances planned change may be worthwhile or even possible. Huczynski & Buchanan (1991) define organizations as â€Å"social arrangements for the controlled performance of collective goals†. This definition fits well those who would propose a deliberate change approach as it suggests an element of control of the organisation is possible. It also pictures the organisation as a separate entity whose goal is to control and that there is agreement by the members on what these goals should be. The fits with the roots of Organisational Development that the performance of the organisation can be enhanced by exerting control in some way over the structures, processes and individuals that make up the organisation. Some would take issue however with the concept of the organisation as a seperate entity: Morgan (1986) â€Å"organizations are complex and paradoxical phenomena that can be understood in different ways† thus change of the organisation is a much more complex issue. In Morgans view, the idea that we can identify the elements that make up the organisation, in the same way that you might dismantle a machine, does not allow for the complexity that exists. As our view of the organisation affects our perspective our definition of the type of change we are examining will also affect the scope of our investigation. Schein (1969) defines change as â€Å"the initiation of new patterns of action, belief and attitudes among substantial segments of the population†. Change is something that is started by someone (a change agent), but does not necessarily need to involve everyone. For Schein, change is deep rooted in that it goes beyond the surface level change of process and goes to the core of behaviour: beliefs and attitudes. Lippett (1973) uses a broader definition: â€Å"any planned or unplanned alteration to the status quo†. We will explore whether, using such a broad definition, the planned approach might be more suitable to particular contexts. Our final term in need of definition is â€Å"deliberate change†. Ford & Ford (1995) define this as â€Å"when a change agent deliberately and consciously sets out to establish conditions and circumstances that are different from what they are now and then accomplishes that through some set or series of actions and interventions either singularly or in collaboration with other people†. Thus deliberate change involves intent that distinguishes it from change which is not consciously produced and instead occurs as a series of side effects, accidents or unanticipated consequences of actions. The Arguments for Deliberate Change 1. Performance is enhanced by the controlled introduction of change rather than allowing it to happen haphazardly. It is worth noting that the classical approach, from which this argument derives, was developed during a period when the management approach was fairly reactive and adhoc. The scientific approach to management was an attempt to create order and efficiency. Fayol (1949), suggested the role of mangers is to plan, organise, command, co-ordinate and control. Critics of the approach would attack the concept of leadership portrayed by Fayol and others e. g. Collins who speaks of â€Å"Level 5† leaders who are more servants than charismatic controllers; those who would look in the mirror when performance dips and praise their team for the successes achieved. Those who would act more as facilitators than controllers. There is also wider criticism of the notion that planned change is good for organisations per se. This seems to be a notion that permeates much of OD literature, that individuals need to be controlled for change to be effective.. Croch et al challenges the view that because leaders see unprecedented turbulence they act as a buffer to the organisation to minimise this by resistance, denial or inaction. Leaders are inherently obstructionist in their stance. Burnes & Stalker (1961) found that rather than act as a blocker to change; leaders seized the opportunity to initiate action. Thus one could argue that rather than needing to control individual action it may be more appropriate to allow individuals the freedom to seize the opportunities that prevail around them. One could also question the view that planned change is more effective than â€Å"unplanned† change. Studies examining the success of transformations have suggested that 66% of organisations fail in their change efforts (Sturdy 7 Grey (2003) 2. Change now takes place at an ever accelerating rate, if managers do not plan how to deal with change there is a danger that the organisation will be driven by vagaries of its environment. Some critics would question the notion that change is as rapid and all pervasive as some writers would suggest. Weick (1985) would argue that the turbulence is only created in the perception of those who create the turbulence rather than by the events themselves. One could argue that rather than planned change perhaps there is a call for planned stability. Individuals may be getting tired of the changes that are imposed upon them and instead seek stability in their environment. Some would argue change has always been with us, others would argue that stability is equally as prevalent. The notion that change is a given is built on Darwinian concept that all things evolve in a common way to attain improved circumstances. 3. Planned change is the most effective way to deliver the performance as organisations need long term strategic plans to enable them to attain the results they require. This build from a top down view of the organisation guided by a group of rational individuals who make decisions for the good of the organsiation and its members. Taylor (1911) and his scientific view of management â€Å"the work of everyman is fully planned out by management† supported the concept of leaders as rational decision makers, fully able to plan every task of the workers who in turn simply carried out the tasks assigned to them. John Harvey-Jones and would support this managerialist position by building a picture of the â€Å"hero† manager fully capable of implementing any change they see fit. The argument also portrays the change process itself as rational capable of being controlled e. g. Leighs (1988) who identifies a list of internal and external triggers to change that can enable the control to take place. Pettigrew (1985) criticises the approach for taking an acontextual, atheoretical and aprocessual stance: organisations are not this independent entity that the writers suggest. Clegg (1990) suggests organisations are embedded in a network of wider social relationships. Organisations don’t just reside in an environment; they are part of its fabric. Thus even if the leaders have the skills the control of the complexity would be beyond them. There is also criticism aimed at the assumption that planned change results in the intended outcomes. Grevenhoest et al (2003) â€Å"The outcome of the change process is often different from what was planned and new projects are often started before previous ones have finished properly† Other studies have questioned the success rate of planned change in achieving their initial goals. What would be the â€Å"success rate† of unplanned change? How much change takes place as a reaction of internal and external forces rather than through some strategic planning process? 3. Planned change enables the change agent and those implementing the change to take into account a range of issues that would not otherwise be included. Although this may be true it does not necessarily follow that this means they are able to influence or control these factors. The argument, by adopting a scientific approach assumes that by identifying the issues the individuals then have the skills and ability to manipulate the â€Å"issues† to make the change more effective. Such capacity, even if it is possible, presumes highly sophisticated skills. Would the individuals possess such skills? . Planned change enables leaders of the change to ensure that the changes are introduced in such a way that they are accepted by the individuals within the organisation. Ford & Ford (1995) point to the power of communication in driving change. â€Å"everything, including prevailing conditions and circumstances, is seen as created by and in communication†¦ in the absence of communica tion there is no intentional change. † Such communications follow fairly simple patterns and the drivers of change can use different types of conversation to make the changes happen. At a more macro Level Lewin (1951) placed the individual in the group to which they belong which forms the individuals perceptions, feelings and actions. He maintained the status quo is held together by various field forces which, when identified could be strengthened or diminished to bring about the necessary change. By â€Å"unfreezing† the status quo, then â€Å"moving† to the new state and finally â€Å"re freezing† the changes become effective. These concepts seem to adopt a rather simplified view of individual behaviour and of the change process itself. They imply change can be mapped as a set of stages hat individuals go through and which can then be planned and controlled, e. g. by the use of communication techniques. Bandura (1986) questions this simplistic approach to individual behaviour and instead proposes a social cognitive view â€Å" people are neither driven by inner forces nor automatically shaped and controlled by external stimuli†¦behavi our, cognitive and other personal forces and environmental events all operate as interacting determinants of each other. Arguments against Planned Change Burnes and Salauroo (1995) aim four criticisms at the planned change approach: 1. Much of OD on which it is based was designed for top-down, autocratic; rule based organisations, which operated in a predictable and stable environment. Such a picture of the organisation is one that the management Guru’s of the 1980’s and 1990’s fought against (Peters & Waterman, Kanter) arguing instead for an organisation that was bottom up, that was built around team working rather than hierarchy. Involving matrix management and extended spans of control rather than vast hierarchical structures to exercises control over the workers. Handy (2001) now argues that such vast hierarchical organisations will be few in numbers and instead the workforce will be epitomised by â€Å"fleas† living in some symbiotic relationship but over whom the large organisations have little control. Thus one should not attempt to apply the principles to a business environment that undergoes constant change and whose watchwords are consultation and facilitation rather than authority and control. However to suggest that all organisations have moved away from a top down, autocratic stance is perhaps a little naive. Many may advocate a consultative approach but it is still the board of directors who make the strategic decisions. There is also the argument highlighted previously that the notion of rapid continual change is one of perception rather than concrete reality. 2. The focus of planned change tends to be on incremental change, taking place through a series of defined and controllable phases (Lewin) and so it is unable to incorporate radical transformational change (Schein) Planned change involves detailed diagnosis of the issues, action and then evaluation before further action and evaluation in an iterative cycle. It recognises change needs to be self-sustaining. Quinn (1980) draws a picture of the executive who seeks out, through various channels, a range of data before proactively taking steps to â€Å"implant support†, form coalitions, and constantly re evaluate the direction of the organisation as he moved it gradually in the direction he seeks. Such planned change, could be very costly and labour intensive. Payne & Reddin’s study of a major change at a tobacco factory calculated the cost as 25-person manager years of OD. Is such a cost justified in light of the research that suggests much of the changes would prove ineffective? In the case of rapid, radical change a coercive approach might be more appropriate than the planned approach. Does change really take place in such a controlled, phased way? Are change agents able to introduce change in such a controlled way? What about the role of power and politics? Buchanan & Badham suggested that politics is a reality and by necessity change agents have to get involved otherwise the changes are likely to fail. However, would the change agent have the skills to engage in such behaviour successfully? If the change involves culture change, difficulties start at the analysis stage as culture is difficult to define therefore how can you then plan to make changes? Where would the start and end point be and how would you evaluate the differences? 3. Planned change makes the assumption that there is common agreement between all parties and that they all have a willingness and interest in making the changes. It seems to adopt a unitarist approach to change that suggests organisations are essentially co operative, that little conflict exists amongst the members on the overall aims of the organisation. Both the pluralist and radical schools would argue much conflict exists in reality. The radical school might go as far as to suggest that the workers need protection from management, as the drivers of the two groups are completely different. Certainly the planned approach seems to view the managers as rational, altruistic individuals who always act for the good of the organisation and its members. Bowman C. (1999) suggests that changes to the status quo tend to emerge from action and rarely come from strategic analysis. It is far better then for changes to take place as a stream of decisions over time than agreeing some common vision of the outcomes intended by the changes. The Marxist view would challenge this by suggesting that as their focus is on increasing profits, by necessity that involves the exploitation of the members of the organisation. 4. The planned approach assumes the approach is suitable for all organisations. Pettigrew & Whipp (1991) instead suggest that no such universal rules exist and leading change actually involves a flow of actions that need to be appropriate to the context rather then working through some recipe for success as is suggested by some texts e. g. Leighs (1988) â€Å"Effective change: twenty ways to make it happen† Pettigrew (1985) criticises the approach for concentrating on change episodes rather than the â€Å"processual dynamics of changing†. Few have undertaken longitudinal studies to explore the process of change which would enable you to place the changes in the context within which they occur: For Pettigrew it is these structures and contexts which give the changes â€Å"form, meaning and dynamic†. He also criticises planned change for assuming managers work to achieve an end state that is knowable and achievable whereas change is a complex process that doesn’t occur in bite size chunks. You need to explore the process of changing and not just the change itself. This is perhaps rather a harsh criticism, as it was not suggested that the approach would suit all situations at all times. In fact the focus is very much on incremental change however even here critics question the basic tenets of the approach built on the idea that change takes place as a steady flow of incremental changes towards a common goal. Gersick (1991) suggests a â€Å"punctuated equilibrium paradigm† through which to view change to challenge the view that individual systems develop along the same path. Gersick proposes the notion of periods of equilibrium punctuated by revolutionary periods that cause upheaval in the change process rather than some gradual incremental step to the end goal. Van de Van & Poole (1995) suggest that rather than take the â€Å"one shoe fits all approach† we need to look at the different perspectives through which writers view change and explore where they are inter related. One could also argue that the planned approach to change suggests that conflict needs to be eliminated and organisations need to strive for a smooth transition from one state to another. The notion goes back to the notion that change occurs in phases and the concept that individuals reaction hen faced with change is to attempt to block it. There has also been much criticism of the planned approach in that, although it attempts to tackle â€Å"how to implement change† when it comes to specific guidance the writers provide little substance. Recipes for success do exist however they are very general in their approach e. g. The planned approach seems to view change as episodic, the result being that it takes the view that the organisation exists in a stable environment which is interrupted by periods of change which need to be controlled to ensure a smooth transition from one state to another and recreate the stability. The role of the change agent is to create the change by focusing on leverage points that will help ensure any conflict is resolved. It is possible however to take a different perspective: Weick & Quinn (1999) Organisations are not specific entities but social processes, which are emergent and constantly changing rather than inert. Change instead of punctuated equilibrium is a pattern of endless incremental modifications that is driven by a range of internal and external forces. As such rather than using a set recipe for success the individuals involved in the change need a vast range of skills to enable them to adapt to the forces affecting them. Change is not an end state but a process that is cyclical. The role of the change agent is to facilitate rather than create, to redirect the change that already takes place rather than create change. However Weick and Quinn argue that because episodic change examines change at the macro level and continuous change at the micro level it is possible to reconcile the two approaches. â€Å" Change is a mixture of reactive and proactive modifications, guided by purposes at hand, rather than an intermittent interruption of periods of convergence†. Collins (1998) â€Å"change and continuity are not alternative objective states†¦. Because they are typically coexistent†¦what constitutes change or continuity is perspective dependent† One could ask the question: Do managers need to learn how to manage change or â€Å"enhance stability and learn to manage continuity if they want to survive? † References Armenakis, A. A. and Bedeian A. G. (1999) Organizational Change: a Review of Theory and research in the 1990s. Journal of Management 25 (3) 293-315. Bandura, A. 1986 Social Foundations of thought and Action: a social cognitive theory. Bowman, C. (1999) Action Led strategy and managerial self-confidence. Journal of Managerial Psychology 7/8 555-568. Buchanan, D. and Badham, R (1999) Politics and organizational change: the lived experience. Human Relations 52 (5) 609-629. Burnes, B. 2000 Managing change: a strategic approach to organisational dynamics. Collins, D. (1998) Organizational Change: Sociological Perspectives. Doolin, B. (2003) Narratives of Change: Discourse, Technology and Organization Organization 10 (4). Ford, J. D. and Ford, L. W. (1995) The role of conversations in producing intentional change in organizations. 20 (3) 541-570. Francis. H and Sinclair. J. (2003) A processual analysis of HRM-based change. Organization 10 (4) 685-700. Gersick, C. J. G. 1991) Revolutionary change theories: a multilevel exploration of the punctuated equilibrium paradigm. Academy of Management Review 16 (1) 10-36. Gravenhorst, K. M. B. Werkman, R. A. & Boonstra. J. J. (2003) The change capacity of Organisations: general assessment and Five Configurations. Applied Psychology 52 (1) 83-105. Greenwood, R. and Hinings, C. R. (1996) Understanding radical Organizational Change: Bringing together the old and new institutionalism. Aca demy of Management Review 21 (4) 1022-1054. Hardy, C. (1996) Understanding Power: bringing about strategic change. British Journal of Management 7 (special issue):S3-S16. Hoskings, D. M. and Anderson, N 1992 Organizational change and innovation: Psychological perspectives and practices in Europe. Petigrew, A. and Whipp, R,1993 Managing Change for competitive success. Pettigrew et al (2001) Studying Organizational Change and development: Challenges for future research. Academy of Management Journal 44 (4) 697-713 Quinn, J. B. (1980) Managing strategic change. Sloan Management Review 21 (4) 67-86. Rajagopalan, N. and Spreitzer, G. M. 1996 Toward a theory of strategic change: a multi-lens perspective and integrative framework. Academy of Management Review 22 (1) 48-79. Sturdy, A. and Grey , C. (2003) Beneath and Beyond organizational change management: exploring alternatives 10 (4) 651-662. Tsoukas, H. (1998) Chaos, complexity and organization theory Organization 5 (3) 291-313. Van de Van A. H. and Poole, M. S. (1995). Explaining development and change in Organizations. Academy of Management Review 20 (3): 510-540. Weick, K. E. and Quinn, R. E. (1999) Organizational change and development. Annual Review of Psychology 50: 361-386. Weick K. E. (2000) Emergent Change as a universal in organizations in â€Å"Breaking the code

Monday, September 16, 2019

Exploring Online Consumer Behaviors Essay

The overall objective of this research was to document people’s reactions, attitudes, motivations, and behaviors that have affected online purchasing behaviors. The World Wide Web has been accessible to the public now for over twenty years. It came upon the world and exploded in popularity like few things have done in the history of the world. The purpose of this research is to understand how individual behaviors affect online consumerism. According to Hawkins and Mothersbaugh (2010) online consumer behavior can be defined as â€Å"the study of individuals, groups, or organizations and the process they use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideals to satisfy needs† and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society†. There are many variables to consider when outlining behaviors of internet consumerism. Three main factors are affected by behaviors of online consumers, â€Å"attitudes towards online shopping, motivations, such as price, convenience and hedonic motivations, and online information search† (Vazquez & Xu, 2009). If a person has a positive experience of shopping on the internet, then their attitude will affect the outcome of purchasing online. Online consumers feel more in control when they can search with relative ease of low prices and special offers. A great motivation of online shopping is the comparison of prices, more information is available online concerning the products, which allows the consumer to make better decisions. The problem of online consumers is important and requires further research, because online shopping could become the way of shopping for most of the world. In contrast to this scenario, is the fact that we are losing our ability to maintain a high level of customer service on- site. The employees many shoppers encounter seem more to be filling a spot than actively engaging in helping consumers with purchases or becoming knowledgeable about what they sell. Online consumerism is not however without its apprehensions. Research conducted by Janda, stated in her article that there were, â€Å"four consumer online concerns identified, privacy, security, credibility, and virtual experience† all having negative effects on consumer purchasing (2008, p. 339). Online consumers are worried about their personal information being collected when purchasing on the internet. The transference of information makes some consumers nervous and they do not want to take the risk. Shipping and return policies is also a major concern along with the credibility of the online retailers when looking into the merchandise descriptions. Consumers that had more experience with navigating the internet felt safer and comfortable while using the internet at their residence or on the job, rather than using community computers (Koyuncu & Lien, 2003, p. 721). Another negative behavioral pattern documented is that of compulsive buying tendencies. These tendencies to over buy can have detrimental effects on the consumer, notably affecting monies, feelings, and relationships. According to â€Å"The Relationships Between Consumers’ Tendencies to Buy Compulsively and Their Motivation to Shop and Buy on the Internet,† Somewhere between five and nine percent of America’s population could be identified as people who have a propensity to compulsively buy (Kukar-Kinney, Ridgeway, & Monroe, 2009). Motivators of this type of behavior include the very key ingredients of online shopping. These motivations are the following items that may be purchased at any time, shopping can be done frequently, a broader variety ex ist, and also purchases may be brought in private. According to this research the following results show that, â€Å"search costs were the most important motivation, followed by product assortment/price, brand equity, transaction costs, customer orientation, and perceived quality. The least important motivation associated with online auction behaviors was social interaction. (Jeon, Crustsinger, & Kim, 2008, p. 36). To determine which factors and variables are associated with online consumer behaviors, several questionnaires will be emailed to a random chosen amount of email participants. The questionnaire will explore which factors and variables have an impact on online behaviors. 1. What factors and variables identify the behaviors of online consumers? 2. What strategies can be formulated to control online behaviors and purchasing? References Hawkins, D., & Mothersbaugh, D. (2010). Consumer behavior and marketing Strategy. In Consumer Behavior: Building Marketing Strategy (11thED.) Columbus, Ohio: McGraw- Hill. Janda, S. (2008). Does gender moderate the effect of online concerns on purchase likelihood? Journal of Internet Commerce, 7(3), 339-358. doi: 10.1080/15332860802250401 Jeon, S., Crustsinger, C., & Kim, H. (2008). Exploring online auction behaviors and motivations. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, 100(2), 31-40. doi: 1082-1651 Koyuncu, C., & Lien, D. (2003). E-commerce and consumer’s purchasing behavior. Journal of Applied Economics, 35(6), 721. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA102272684&v=2.1&u=vic_liberty&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w Kukar-Kinney, M., Ridgway, N., & Monroe, K. (2009). The relationship between consumers’ tendencies to buy compulsively and their motivations to shop and buy on the internet: Consumer Behavior and Retailing. Journal of Retailing, 85(3), 298-307. doi: 10.1016/j.jretai.2009.05.002 Vazquez, D., & Xu, X. (2009). Investigating linkages between online purchase behaviour variables. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 37(5), 408. doi: http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/10.1108/09590550910954900 References Janda, S. (2008). Does gender moderate the effect of online concerns on purchase? likelihood? Journal of Internet Commerce, 7(3), 339-358. Jeon, S., Crustsinger, C., & Kim, H. (2008). Exploring online auction behaviors and motivations. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, 100(2), 31-40. Koyuncu, C., & Lien, D. (2003). E-commerce and consumer’s purchasing behavior. Journal of Applied Economics, 35(6), 721. Kukar-Kinney, M., Ridgway, N., & Monroe, K. (2009). The relationship between consumers’ tendencies to buy compulsively and their motivations to