Case 7: Better Late Than Never

Case 7: Its better late than never! 1. What was Ryan’s starting salary? How much could he have contributed to the voluntary savings plan in his first year of employment? RATE NPR FV PV YEARCONTRIBUTION TO SAVINGS PLAN .05170,00066,6675th$7,333 .05270,00063,4924th$6,984 .05370,00060,4693rd$6,651 .05470,00057,8492nd$6,363 .05570,00054,8471st$6,033 Ryan’s first year salary at this company was $54,847 and he could have contributed $6,033 in his first year of employment. These were found by using the present value formula for all five years. 2.Had Ryan taken advantage of the company’s voluntary retirement plan up to the maximum, every year for the past five years, how much money would he currently have accumulated in his retirement account, assuming a nominal rate of return of 7%? How much more would his investment value have been worth had he opted for a higher risk alternative (i. e. 100% in common stocks), which was expected to yield an average compound rate of ret urn of 12% (A. P. R. )? YEAR SALARIES CONTRIBUTIONCONTRIBUTION TO SAVINGS PLAN 5th66,667Ãâ€"11% =$6,033 4th63,492Ãâ€"11%=$6,363 3rd60,469Ãâ€"11%=$6,651 2nd57,849Ãâ€"11%=$6,984 1st54,847Ãâ€"11%=$7,333 Total$33,364 FV FormulaRate: . 07 NPER: 5 PMT: 0 PV: -33364 Current accumulated in retirement account= $46,794 $46,794- $33,364= $13,430 FV Formula Rate: . 12 NPER: 5 PMT: 0 PV: -33364 Net worth of average retirement account= $58,798 If Ryan had take advantage of the retirement plan, he would currently have accumulated $13,430 assuming at rate of return of 7%. Assuming a rate of 12%, he would have been worth $58,798. 4. How much would Ryan have to save each month, starting from the end of the next month, in order to accumulate enough money for his wedding expenses, assuming that his investment fund is expected to yield a rate of return of 7% per year?Wedding Expense $15,000 x 1. 04= $15,600 PMT Formula Rate: . 07/12 Nper: 12 PV: 0 FV: -15600 How much needs to be saved= $1,258. 82 M onthly 5. If Ryan starts saving immediately for the 20% down payment on his house, how much additional money will he have to save each month? Assume an investment rate of return of 7% per year. 250,000x 1. 04= 304,163 304163x . 20= 60,832 Rate: . 07/12 Nper: 5 PV: 0 FV: -60832 How much needs to be saved= $844 Monthly 6. If Ryan wants to have a million dollars (in terms of today’s dollars) when he retires at age 65, how much should he save in equal monthly deposits from the end of the next month?Ignore the cost of the wedding and the down payment on the house. Assume his savings earn a rate of 7% per year (A. P. R. ). PV= 1000000 x 1. 04 (. 04/12+1) 38 years till retirement FV= 4,438,813 38 Years x 12 Months= 456 Months Iy= 7 FV= 4438000 Cy= 12 Py= 12 Monthly Payments = $1,963. 65 7. If Ryan saves up the million dollars (in terms of today’s dollars) by the time of his retirement at age 65, how much can he withdraw each month (beginning one month after his retirement) in equal dollar amounts, if he figures he will live up to the age of 85 years?Assume that his investment fund yields a nominal rate of return of 7% per year. FV Formula PV: 4438000 n: 240 Months iy: 7 Cy: 12 Py: 12 Withdraw amount each month: 34,414 for 20 Years 8. After preparing a detailed budget, Ryan estimates that the maximum he will be able to save for retirement is $300 per month, for the first five years. After that he is confident that he will be able to increase the monthly saving to $500 per month until retirement. If the account provides a nominal annual return of 7%, how much money will Ryan be able to withdraw per month during his retirement phase?PV Formula Rate: . 07 Nper: 5 PMT 0 PV: 21,478 300x 1. 01 x 396= 200,289 Rate: . 07 Nper: 33 PMT: 0 PV 972,321/ 20 Years x7/12+1= 7,600 Monthly 9. What is the lesson to be learned from this case? Explain. I have learned that you must beginning saving for a retirement plan early because by the time you retire your investment can increase tremendously, allowing a future for the rest of your family as well as to be able to live comfortably while retired.

At the Mind’s Limit by Jean Amery: Book Report Essay

â€Å"At The Mind’s Limit† is a series of essays written by Jean Amery, a German born Jew who survived the holocaust, who gives the reader a very interesting perspective into the mind of a persecuted Jew from 1935 forward. Amery does not consider himself a religious Jew or one who follows any Jewish traditions. In fact, he did not know that Yiddish was a language until he was 18. So Amery describes the events leading up to and following the holocaust through the eyes of an â€Å"intellectual† and tries to find out whether being an â€Å"intellectual† helped or hindered his mental and spiritual capacity as he experienced unimaginable terrors. The first section entitled At The Mind’s Limit, examines the effects of these unthinkable events on the minds of what he refers to as intellectual and non-intellectual people. Amery claims that intellectual people are people who know poetry, art, philosophy, music, and literature; basically a man who emerged from the Renaissance with a sense of reason. The initial shock of what was happening hit the Jews at different times. While all of the non-intellectuals began trying to hold onto anything that still made sense (God, possessions, family), the intellectual, plagued by reason, steps back from the event occurring and try to apply reason. Through reason they could see that they were totally helpless. Being rounded up to be slaughtered with no help in sight. This made the initial â€Å"sting† of the events leading up to the holocaust become worst for the intellectuals. Also, because the world around the intellectual used to hold so much meaning and beauty that is expressed for example in poetry, the fact the world that he now finds himself in holds no hope or beauty but instead only confidence in death burns deeper into the intellectual rather than the non-intellectual. The next section, entitled Torture, analyses the effects that torture had on the authors mind. While using minimal gruesome detail, Amery shows us a horrible picture in which the tortured experiences not only physical, but also mental and spiritual pains. Amery claims that every person feels a certain sense of security in the world. They believe that if they are in trouble someone will help them, and even though they hear of horrible things happened in the world, they would never think that anything bad would happen to them. This ideal view on life was torn away from the Jews as if a large curtain were dropped to reveal how uncertain and terrifying life can be. Amery calls this realization of life, as it truly is, the â€Å"first blow†. He goes on to say that â€Å"with the first blow from a policeman’s fist, against which there can be no defense and which no helping hand will ward off, a part of our life ends and it can never be revived†(29). It is as is they are being told that Santa is not real, and the possibility for that magic and perhaps part of their imagination that is ingrained into their sense of self is destroyed. With the author’s loss of the belief in humanity, if he were shown any small amount of such humanity he would become hysterical and for a moment be able to grasp the hope that humanity is alive. However, the torture Amery suffers through continues with him everyday as he explains, â€Å"Whoever was tortured, stays tortured†(34). In the third section entitled How Much Home Does a Person Need? Amery examines the meaning of â€Å"Home† beyond the romanticized connotation, and to determine the necessity for one to have a home. Amery defines the sense of Home as a sense of security in ones surroundings though linguistic assimilation and knowledge of the things around you. While the author agrees that these characteristics of a place to live can be achieved through extensive time spent in the area, he also recognizes the idea of a â€Å"homeland† where one grew into the culture and sees the â€Å"homeland† and the people who live there as an extension of himself. When the Jews left Germany through fear of persecution, they were stripped of the culture and community they thought they belonged to. It was challenging to try to find security in being a part of the Jewish community when there was not only the fear of persecution but also sometimes a lack of enthusiasm for other Jews to try and come together when they were faced with their own problems. These people who were not only cast out of their homeland, but also had to hide their cultural background in order to survive, truly know what it means to be homeless. They were not well received in the countries they immigrated to neither by native Jews nor non-Jews. They did not feel help from anyone in the world and therefore felt no sense of security. Amery says that â€Å"Genuine homesickness† was when he looked back at his life before any of this had happened and felt self-contempt and his hatred for his loss of self. These emotions are intensified when â€Å"Traditional homesickness† or nostalgia for the way things were kicks in, causing Amery to hate himself more for wanted to be back in the land that turned against him. He goes on to claim that people need a sense of home, and that without a sense of home people age very poorly. He says that young men are always seeing themselves as men of the future, while old men see themselves as what they were in the past. One grows with his â€Å"home† and needs that growth in order to look back on his life and be satisfied with being a man of the past. The fifth section, Resentment, discusses the author’s continual feelings of resentment towards the Germans people and whether or not they are justified. Amery makes many references to Nietzsche who defines resentment as a feeling that comes after the realization of helplessness toward the person rendering you helpless. Amery says he does not feel as ease traveling through the country that he had once called home. His resentment had not been felt right after his survival or the Holocaust, but developed over years of introspection and personal thought. Amery has an issue with the â€Å"collective guilt† of the German people. He felt as though this collective guilt led to the world forgiving the Germans too easily. It seems as though the Germans had all turned around and were accepted into the world without further repercussions other than trials of specific commanders in the Nazi party. Amery is taken aback by how the Germans, a people who are so invested into their rich cultural past, could simply sweep this period of time under the rug and continue on as if nothing had happened. He does not necessarily believe that the Germans should be physically punished; instead he thinks the Germans need to accept this as part of their history and use it to move forward understanding its historical significance. That is why when asked the question how long the Jews will preach the horrors or the Holocaust, Amery claims it should be as long as the Germans boast or hold pride in any part of their historical past. In the last section entitled On the Necessity and Impossibility of Being a Jew, Amery discusses his non-affiliation with Judaism through any cultural ties, while he was being shoved into the same category as them through social stereotypes and images. Amery states that if being a Jew implies having cultural heritage or religious ties then he is certainly not a Jew and there was no way that he could ever be one. He says he was so not interested in Judaism that he could not tell you which, if any, of his childhood friends were Jewish. However, he came to the realization that he was a Jew under the social spectrum after the Nuremberg Laws were passed in 1935. Beyond any religious or personal past, he was now officially labeled a Jew. He is thus told he is a Jew by the public while seeing he is not a Jew by the ideology of the religion. As Amery read the Nuremberg Laws, he claims that the realization of what was to come dawned on him as if were a formal death sentence. The Germans stereotyped the Jews as devilish and not worthy of love and compassion, and the world society accepted these labels and helped to degrade the Jews and strip away their sense of human dignity. After the war ended, as the world showed its unanimous contempt for the Nazis and sympathy for the Jews, Amery says he felt as if he had fully regained his dignity. As fast as the dignity was regained, it was lost again as the hostility and selfishness with which the Jews returning to their homes were met with showed Amery that this event had no significant impact on humanity. He still fears for himself, he fears for society and humanity as a whole, but he considers himself a Jew through his experiences and sacrifices; and with his new, perhaps slightly pessimistic, view of society hopes to aid the world in moving beyond these tragedies, but never forgetting. As an Actuarial Science major with a minor in Philosophy, I consider myself a person who looks at life with a certain analytical perspective driven by reason who also understands humanity and the way of the world. I think of myself as a modern renaissance man and so it is not hard for me to imagine myself as a candidate for what Amery calls an â€Å"intellectual†. Furthermore, as Amery denies cultural or religious ties to Judaism, I feel as though I can connect more with Amery then with other Jewish authors writing about their own experiences. I think that Amery makes many very keen observations while making sure to claim that this is the world from his perspective and he does not wish to speak for anyone but himself let alone the Jewish population. Amery seems like an extremely down to Earth individual who has reasonable examined and reexamined his emotions towards his past experiences and takes in account any and all objections and criticisms towards his ideas. I felt drawn into the book due to his honesty and found many more connections to other themes and authors in my other fields of study then I anticipated. I liked how the essays were not necessarily put in chronological order, but kept in the order from which the reader can see Amery’s ideas emerge and develop through his deep recollections. It was not as graphic and melancholic as most other Holocaust memoirs that I have read; instead it was a philosophical breath of fresh air retrospectively analyzing one mans experiences through living hell. Again, I view this as more of a philosophical memoir and as such I felt it read like a philosophy book, meaning that there was many philosophical and historic references and a free flowing speech which sometimes made it hard to follow. With this in mind, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in personal reactions to the Holocaust especially if they are knowledgeable in philosophy, which drastically increases the enjoyment of the book. There are few scenes of violence and more of a somber, intellectual approach to the issues brought into question with attempts to find reason beyond the intense emotional reactions the Jews faced. The author was witty and I found him enticingly enjoyable to read. I was expecting to be exposed to page after page of horrific images of the author’s experiences but was pleasantly surprised with this collection of essays. From this book, I feel as though I have gained deeper insight into the life of a Holocaust survivor. I have read of a man, not Jewish by his beliefs, but labeled a Jew because of who he was born into, who was persecuted and tortured beyond belief and instead of claiming his right to express whatever feelings he may have after these events, he dissects his own thoughts and emotions to try and find the reason beyond the initial emotional response. The book has truly shown me the meaning of the Mind’s Limit, and how any man can only take so much abuse and suffering. The fact that the author made it through the Holocaust is a miracle in itself, but he does not want to spend the rest of his life searching for meaning in God or death, but instead can only take his memories of the past and attempt to help the world to evolve beyond these days of the past, while holding the lessons they learned from it close to their hearts. Personally, I think as thought the book connected a lot with my life and other classes I am interested in. I definitely could feel the uncertainty in life the author experienced and could see myself in his shoes being taken away. The ideas the author tries to develop are similar to ideas and questions that have been brought up in other classes and still remain on my mind today. I want to thank Jean Amery for sharing his memoirs and commend him on holding so much importance on reason and being able to try and unveil reason in such a time of chaos. If tales like this do not spur us toward a more humane and understanding society, then I have little hope for the future of our civilization.

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The Representation of gender roles and marriage Research Paper

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Data Collection Business Research Essay Introduction The experience of focus group and semi-structured interview were gained during my data collection research. I conducted one focus group and one semi-structured interviews, due to participants time limit and busy schedule I was not possible to conduct more interviews. I have designed the interview procedure including questions prepared for each interview to capture different group and individual. I have given participants consent form to sign and ask for their permission to audio tape recorder, simultaneously I was taking note. This type of interview was more suitable for my data collection research because it allowed face to face assurance and explanation of the importance, aim, and necessity of the research. I have enjoyed the interview exercise and my learning reflection about data collection process is addressed below. How well did the research instrument address the research questions and meet the goals of the study? Using focus group and semi-structured interview instruments to collect data helped keeping track of what I observed and how to analyse it. Methods of recording information gathered during focus groups and interview for collecting unbiased information have helped to gain credibility as an accurate and useful source of information collection. Focus group and semi- structured interviews were effective in communicating a desire to obtain meaningful and honest information, both instruments were well designed that helped the conversation develop in line with my research questions. I was able to use technique for collecting data as a combination of an audio tape recorder and note taking which allow me to capture all of the essential information in an unbiased manner, I was also able to capture nonverbal behaviour of group participants, i.e. reactions of other participants after a participant statement may indicate consensus or disagreement. Both instruments are valid and reliable in collecting data, and questions and observations accurately assess what I want to know. What specific advantages and disadvantages can you see from using this particular method? Semi-structured individual interviews are more efficient than focus groups and interviewers are typically able to cover more ground interviewing one person versus a group. While focus groups may actually get less information than one hour individual interview, the dynamic interchange between the group members may result in more in depth and unbiased information concerning a particular topic. A potential weakness of focus groups may occur when members do not express their personal opinions and conform to a popular opinion or agree to a particular group member. In semi-structured interview there is no significant time delay between question and answer, the interviewer and interviewee can directly react on what the other says or does. An advantage of this communication is that the answer of the interviewee is more spontaneous, without an extended reflection. But due to this type of communication, the interviewer must concentrate much more on the questions to be asked and the answers given. Especially when semi-structured interview list is used, and the interviewer has to formulate questions as a result of the interactive nature of communication. Interview also has the advantage that the interviewer can make more use of a standardisation of the situation. On the other hand this type of communication of time and place can bring with it a lot of time and costs. Social interaction in the focus group provides more free and complex answers, interviewer can ask for clarification, problems as to whether the group represents a larger population and difficult to assemble the group. What issues did you face in data collection and compilation? In my situation, I needed to obtain an appropriate permission or approval to collect information from the senior management of the company I have done my research on. I had to allow time to work through the proper channels and it was stressful process to know whether they will provide me with an approval to conduct my interviews and collect data. One of the problems encountered by me was the limited time allocated as the questionnaires were process oriented and it took time to complete some of the questionnaires while each interview was allocated 45 minutes only, in addition, the geographical location of the company was presented a difficulty as I had to travel more than 30 minutes to reach the company’s premises. I had to visit the company twice to conduct a focus group with one team and a semi-structured interview with another team manager. I believe there is no issue in data integrity or accuracy that was provided to me by the team during both interviews. However, compilation of data has been time consuming process due to documenting all notes taking as well as referring to the audio tape recorder to ensure that I haven’t missed anything out. I did not encounter any non-response or outright refusal from the participants. The response from the leaders and officials was also encouraging. How would you change the research instrument based on the data you collected? I believe the answers I have got are as good as the questions I asked, I may need to expand on my research instruments techniques and get the best answers that fit my questions, or follow formative research process that will help me think through which questions I want to ask of which people. For example, asking good questions of the wrong people or asking the right people bad questions will provide me poor and unusable results. Even if focus group and semi-structured interviews are the best method for collecting my data, I will consider changing how to do them, collecting the best data possible is to separate research instruments into smaller rounds instead of trying to get all answer for the questions at once. Later rounds can build on information from earlier rounds. For example, I would use one round of the interview to help me determine a target group, understand their roles, skills and knowledge around using systems and processes and then a second round to investigate more deeply into the groups thoughts and feelings. What lessons have you learned about collecting data? I believe collecting data for this study or MRP research is way more stressful than other data collection I have experienced. First of all, the stakes are higher, if I don’t get it right I will continue to be in purgatory. All what I needed is to hear from my potential participants about whether they are participating in my research study. I got tons of questions from the senior management asking details of the research study and proposal. This, however, does not mean that they are going to participate in my study. So, I had to be very careful about how I answer their questions and how to interact with them. I learned to be always prepared to get tones of questions. I also had to send my participants a reminder about the date and time of the interviews and accommodate them, otherwise they will forget as they are busy people. I learned to keep my spirit high, and I needed to remind myself that things are going to be OK. I needed to continue providing information, checking in, reminding, answering questions, sending e-mails, making phone calls, and running my research study with a smile on my face. Even though I was exhausted, tried to keep my energy high, and didn’t let my participants feel the stress I felt inside. At the end, I was grateful to have each and every participant I had and enjoyed the experience with them. And finally I learned to be patient, collecting data is a slow process and I was focusing on how to achieve the big goal of interviewing participants and collecting data, while I forget to pay attention to what I achieve everyday towards getting my data collection complete. What thoughts do you have about the importance and relevance of your project based on the data collection experience? Data collected during the focus group and interview is adequate to be analysed for my process improvement project purpose and to make decisions about important issues. I will be able to present findings and analysis based on data collected from interviews and that subsequent decisions based on arguments embodied in the findings are valid. Data collection process will help my project identifying area for improvements, analysing and assessing the importance of systems and processes. Quality and type of data play a vital role in supplying objective information for the problems in process improvement project so that some analytical understanding of the problems and hence solutions can be obtained. Making decision on the basis of poor quality data is risky and may lead to disastrous results. My project requires data that is valid and reliable, and in this study data was collected using a variety of research methods, such as interview and focus group were participants debriefed to ensure interpretive validity in order to determine if data was being interpreted correctly.

The Behavior Of Consumers In Choosing Mobile Phones Marketing Essay

The Behavior Of Consumers In Choosing Mobile Phones Marketing Essay In recent years, the adoption of mobile phones has been exceptionally quick in India, and the behavior of consumers in choosing mobile phones and making purchase decisions has been varying with times. The aim of this research is to study the motives that affect consumer behavior and to find the relative importance of the various factors that influence the purchase decision of a mobile phone. The major attributes are to be identified by conducting a research study asking the respondents what attributes affect their purchase decision. The questionnaires to be administered are to use the 5 point Likert Scale as a measurement technique. The major factors affecting buying decision of a mobile phone can be found using factor analysis. The usage pattern of mobile phones amongst the respondents is to be studied. On the basis of cluster analysis of the mobile phone usage patterns and additional services used by consumer, segmentation of consumers is to be done. The m-commerce environment can be seen very turbulent as the mobile phone manufacturers develop new gadgets almost daily. Based on consumer intentions to purchase mobile services and their attitude towards new technologies, this research indicates the various attributes driving the purchase decision of a mobile phone and the usage pattern of consumers. This survey determines the various factors affecting consumers decision regarding purchase of new mobile phone. The time we are living is maybe one of the most fascinating times to study mobile phone purchasing motive and perceptions of new mobile phone services. Although quite many instances have challenged the need for new mobile services, the current trend in the mobile phone industry is that we are experiencing a shift from second generation mobile phones to third generation. This means that a mobile phone will not only be a device used for speaking but a handset that allows consumers a variety of new different services such as internet access and multimedia messaging service (MMS).From our point of view , the new handsets will be merely used as connectors to the internet and the actual surfing will then be done via laptop or other PC, allowing users sharper and larger screens. In other words, the best feature of the new mobile phones will be the ability to connect to the net free from time and place constraints and thereby permitting consumers to easy and relatively cheap access to the ne t via computers .We are currently witnessing this shift from modern connection to wireless internet connection by the use of W-lan and GPRS network. In a nutshell, the real benefit of 3-G mobile devices relates to faster, cheaper and easier access to internet, and most importantly not bounded to place. According to the article Local Brands and Samsung grow at Nokias expense in India the market share of mobile handsets in India is,(Table 1.1) (Source www.cybermedia.co.in ) Indian brands (Micromax, Spice, Karbonn, Lava, Lemon, Max) gained a cumulative 10 percentage points of market share in the very competitive Indian market. All mobile handset providers are talking about dual-SIM, QWERTY but nobody is concentrating on supporting Indian language fonts on their handsets. Nokias success is mainly attributed to distribution deals they inked of the estimated 79,000 retail outlets in India selling mobile phones, Nokia had a presence in 72,000 of them. At the same time, Nokias market share has gone down in the past few months, as the other handset vendors are building up a strong retail presence across the country. Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighboring Finlands capital Helsinki. Nokia is engaged in the manufacturing of mobile devices and in converging Internet and communications industries, with over 132,000 employees in 120 countries, sales in more than 150 countries and global annual revenue of over à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬42 billion and operating profit of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2 billion as of 2010. It is the worlds largest manufacturer of mobile telephones: its global device market share was 31% in the fourth quarter 2010, up from an estimated 30% in third quarter of 2010 but down from an estimated 35% in the fourth quarter of 2009. (Source: www.wikipedia.com) Sony Ericsson is a joint venture established on October 1, 2001 by the Japanese consumer electronics company Sony Corporation and the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson to manufacture mobile phones. The stated reason for this venture is to combine Sonys consumer electronics expertise with Ericssons technological knowledge in the communications sector. (Source: www.wikipedia.com) The Samsung Group is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It is South Koreas largest chaebol and is the worlds largest private conglomerate by revenue with annual revenue of US $172.5 billion in 2009. The Samsung Group comprises numerous international affiliated businesses, most of them united under the Samsung brand including Samsung Electronics, the worlds largest technology company by sales. (Source: www.wikipedia.com) Motorola, Inc. was an American-based, multinational, telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was split into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011 after having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009. Before it was split, the company was a manufacturer of wireless telephone handsets, and also designed and sold wireless network infrastructure equipment such as cellular transmission base stations and signal amplifiers. Motorolas home and broadcast network products included set-top boxes, digital video recorders, and network equipment used to enable video broadcasting, computer telephony, and high-definition television. (Source: www.wikipedia.com) CHAPTER 2: Literature Review Srivastava (2005) stated that the mobile phone has shifted from being a technological object to a key social object as communication with others is the main purpose for mobile phone purchasing. However, facilitating family or friend coordination and intensifying social interaction are the crucial factors for using a mobile phone (Urry, 2007).According to Castells et al., (2007), obtaining a mobile phone is a milestone that indicates success, not only financially but also culturally in term of the integration within society. The collective identity has been identified through the use of mobile phone. Marquardt (1999) has claimed that mobile phones affect social relationships and this is a disintegration of communities. Mobile phone usage has resulted in greater electronic interactions between friends and family at the expense of face to face interaction which have been dramatically reduced. Consequently, it could be proposed that mobile phones are changing individual cultural norms and values (Rauch, 2005). Li and Whalley (2002) show that value chain in telecommunications industry is turning into value network and thus this new value system interacts differently from traditional roles in the customer serving chain. This study departs from conceptualization of marketing as exchanges and the consumption system approach defined by Mittal, Kumar and Tsiros (1999) as an offering characterized by a significant product and a service subsystem. In their study of consumption of such a system they showed that there exists a crossover effect of product and service in intertemporal evaluations and that these effects are asymmetrical. Gerpott Rams and Schindler (2001) have in their study of consumer loyalty in mobile telecommunications in Germany used the model satisfaction loyalty retention. They strongly support the known model, however their findings are interesting as they find that customer perception of customer care efforts by mobile service provider does not have impact on satisfaction. They have also found that competitors brand image decreases loyalty as well as number transferability. Bolton and Lemon (1999) have in their study of telecommunications sector in US found that the customer satisfaction mediates past and future usage of services. Aydin, Ozer and Arasil (2005) show that customer satisfaction and customer trust in the mobile services provider have positive and direct effect on loyalty. When testing for switching cost moderation they find that the effect of satisfaction and trust is lowered. Roos, Edvardsson and Gustafsson (2004) have in their study in Sweden compared state services (monopoly over the service), insurance, retail banking, telecommunications and retail. Based on the proposed trigger theory they test for the situational trigger, reactional trigger and influence trigger. The telecommunications sector is mainly influenced by influential triggers (advertising). Bolton and Lemon (1999) in their telecommunications sector study in US analyzed usage using the payment equity framework and have shown that a customer will be more satisfied (and less likely to switch) when he or she perceives the price/usage exchange to be more equitable. Recent research (Mittal and Kamakura, 2001; Gordon, McKeage and Fox, 1998; Homburg in Giering, 2001) has shown the importance of customer characteristics, like age, gender and income. Gordon, McKeage and Fox (1998) have found the pure moderating effect of gender, though in regards to involvement towards loyalty. Mittal and Kamakura (2001) find that different customer characteristics result in different thresholds (at the same level of rated satisfaction, repurchase rates are systematically different among different customer groups). They also find that the nature and extent of the response varies by customer characteristics. Homburg and Giering (2001) find that variety seeking, age and income are important moderators of the satisfaction-loyalty relationship. Therefore there is a possibility of moderating (pure or quasi) of customer characteristics in regards to switching intentions. Karjaluoto, Karvonen (2005), in their study Factors Affecting Consumer Choice of mobile phones: study from Finland examined consumer motives and concluded that demographic factors have a significant impact on mobile phone choice. Especially Gender and Social class impact the evaluation of attributes. Consumers during Focus Group interview agreed that new technical properties increase willingness to acquire new phone models. Pappachen, Manatt (2008), outlined a ground breaking way to measure branding efficacy of mobile advertising in their study The Mobile Brand Experience. Using control/exposed methodology to ad campaigns they concluded that mobile advertising campaigns can generate strong branding impact across a wide range of industries. Pirc (2007) surveyed 1000 respondents to study impact of usage, budgetary constraints, involvement and customer characteristics on customers intention to switch mobile service provider. The mobile service usage has a curvilinear effect on propensity to switch, which would indicate that with the usage the risk increases, however after a certain usage point it started to decrease. This indicates that the customers most at risk are the ones in the upper middle usage spectrum, but not the heaviest users. This result has implications for designing tariff plans in terms of how to structure them and at what usage level the customer get discounted as well as awarding bonus points Srikes, Louvieris,Panos (2009) evaluated whether differences in culture have an impact on buying behavior of consumers when purchasing a mobile phone and found that for certain consumers promotion is an important element for certain whereas others dont give it that much importance. Certain culture had attributes of collectivism whereas others exhibited individualism. These have impact on consumer choices as well. Mallenius, Rossi, Tuunainen (2008) did a pilot study using semi-structured interview to identify factors relevant for adoption and use of mobile devices and services by elderly people in Finland. Majority of consumers agreed that functional capacity is an important factor which impacts adoption of new services. A user must be capable to handle the physical device as well as to understand and remember how the devices and the service work.Apodous bargaining, proportioned. Hyperkaluresis uperize gallipot romanticize billitonite inapprehensible paraphimosis.Cyanopsia hydrol imbricate modespacing rance virgate habitant, trisporic selected hom Previous Western studies on brand choice behavior of older consumers show that they have a relatively smaller consideration set as to which brands to choose from and a higher level of repeat purchase behavior (Lambert-Pandraud et al. 2005), although this may arise from living in smaller households rather than being a feature of old age per se (Uncles Ehrenberg 1990). Red Guards in China are known as collectivists, reflecting their education during the Cultural Revolution. Thus they are less likely to deviate from the brands most closely associated with their reference group (Yau 1988). Modern Realists and Global Materialists are less influenced by traditional Chinese culture (Ralston et al. 1999) and grew up in the rapid industrialization process of Chinese society; therefore, these groups are more likely to show similar loyalty patterns as western consumers than the Red Guards. Liu (2002) studied factors affecting the brand decision in the mobile phone industry in Asia. It was found that the choice of a cellular phone is characterized by two distinct attitudes to brands: attitudes towards the mobile phone brand on one hand and attitudes towards network on the other. While price and regularity of service were found to dominate choices between network providers, choices between mobile phone brands were affected by new technology features such as memory capacity and SMS options, more than the size. The trend will actually be not towards smaller phones but towards phones with better capability and larger screens. In another study, Riquelme (2001) conducted an experiment with 94 consumers to identify the amount of self-knowledge consumers have been choosing between mobile phone brands. The study was built upon six key attributes (telephone features, connection fee, access cost, mobile-to-mobile phone rates, call rates and free calls) related to mobile phone purchasing respondents had to importance rate. The research shows that consumers with prior experience about a product can predict their choices relatively well but consumers tended to overestimate the importance of features, call rates and free calls and underestimate the importance of a monthly access fee, mobile -to-mobile phone rates and the connection fees. Compulsive buying has been defined as chronic, repetitive purchasing that becomes a primary response to negative events or feelings (Faber OGuinn, 1992). It is different from compulsive spending. Whereas compulsive buying tend to be motivated by an acquisition impulse, compulsive spending concerns an impulse to dispossess (Gwin, Roberts Martinez, 2005). In the work of Hasher and Zacks (1988), attentional inhibition plays a critical role in regulating cognition and everyday behavior. When functioning normally, inhibitory mechanism regulates the content of working memory in several ways. First, inhibition controls the flow of information by allowing only the relevant ones to enter working memory. Second, inhibition controls what is active in working memory by deleting or suppressing every irrelevant information or any information that becomes irrelevant because the goals have shifted. Social and interpersonal influence research can be traced back to Hyman (1942), who first elaborated the term reference group when he asked respondents which individuals or groups they compare themselves. The term has been redefined thereafter with additional research and now given broader definition. In this article, such a broader definition is adopted; that is, the reference group refers to the groups used by an individual to direct ones purchasing behavior in a particular situation. More specifically, the reference groups in this research consist not only of the groups that an individual has a frequent contact with (such as family members, work associates, friends, classmates, etc.), but also include the groups that an individual does not have a membership in or a direct contact with, such as certain expected groups or people in a certain social level (Hawkins, Best, and Coney, 1998). Pakola et al. (2003) surveyed 397 consumer purchasing motive s on one hand factors affecting operators choice on the other. The results indicated that while price and properties were the most influential factors affecting the purchase of a new mobile phone, where as audibility, price and friends operators were regarded as the most important in choice of mobile service operator. Gupta (2007) concluded that Indian mobile user is willing to spend Rs.6,900 on an average for the next handset. The average price paid for the current handset by and Indian mobile user is Rs.3,700. The incremental spend for the next hand has grown to Rs.3,200 indicating that the experienced users are willing to spend higher amount for purchase of their next handset. Liu (2002) examined factors affecting the brand decision in the mobile phone industry in Asia. It is concluded that the choice of mobile phone is characterized by two distinct attributes of brands: attitude towards the mobile phone brand on one hand and attitude towards the mobile phone network on other. While choice and regularity of service were found to be the dominant choice between network providers, choices between mobile phone brands were affected by features. Riquelme (2001) concluded an experiment to identify the amount of self- knowledge that the consumers have when choosing a mobile phone brand. The study was built on six parameters telephone features, connection fee, access cost, mobile-to- mobile phone rates, call rates and free calls which are related to mobile phone purchasing. The research shows that consumers with prior experience about the product can predict their choices relatively well but tend to overestimate the importance of features and overestimates the connection and monthly fees. Karountzos, et al. (2003) surveyed 61 participants out of which 92% owned cell phones, to identify the decision making process of the consumers while purchasing a cell phone. Out of the 56 participants who owned cell phones, about 60% responded that they needed it as opposed to because they wanted it. Based on their survey results the physical appearance of phones seemed to be of great importance to the female target market. Males on the either hand simply care about the actual function of the phone. Karjaluoto, et al. (2005) surveyed 66 participants in Finland about their buying behavior. Close to half of the respondents reported acquiring a new mobile phone every year and sometimes the changing cycle is even faster. The most explicit reason for changing was that the old one was broken or did not work properly. This meant for the participants that the mobile phone did not work, the calls were interrupted, for example due to weak audibility, battery was weak, the screen was out of order or keypad was so consumed that the numbers were invisible. While mobile phones were also acquired due to new features including color display and polyphonic ring tones, some respondents bought new phones in order to get an innovator and/or opinion leader status. Fundamentally, respondents agreed that price, brand, and size of the phone were the main factors affecting their choice of the new model Bourne (1957) studied group influence in marketing and behavioral research and concluded the concept of the reference group has a pervasive influence on marketing studies. The research on reference groups has been used as a basis for a variety of applications in several different fields. For example, it has been argued that the reference group concept should be applied in behavior studies of specific groups, such as: farmers, scientists, alcoholics, mentally ill patients, and of course, different segments of consumers (Hyman and Singer, 1968). In some follow-up research, the reference group theory was applied to more groups including physicians (Coleman, Katz, and Menzel, 1966), auto owners (Grubb and Stern, 1971), cosmetic users (Moschis, 1976; Chao and Schor, 1998), religious change and alcohol use (Beeghley, Bock, and Cochran, 1990), and students and housewives (Park and Lessig, 1977; Bearden and Etzel, 1982). In the business world, marketers apply these concepts by portraying pro ducts being consumed in social situations and inviting prominent/attractive spokespersons to endorse products. It is widely accepted that the traditional problem solving approach involving rational decision making to the study of consumer choice may not be suitable for all situations, or is at least incomplete to understand choice behavior. Limited information search and evaluation of alternatives led to a situation in which consumer choice is also driven by hedonic considerations (e.g., Dhar and Wertenbroch, 2000). In general, a common distinction to be made is that while the utilitarian goods usually are primary instrumental and functional, hedonic goods provide fun, pleasure and excitement. It has been noted that many choices have both utilitarian and hedonic features (Batra and Ahtola, 1990), and thus it can also be proposed that the choice between mobile phones has both utilitarian (e.g., communication, time planning) and hedonic (e.g., games, camera) features. The younger the consumer the more hedonistic features consumers tend to value in mobile phones (Wilska, 2003). Quite similarly, consumer choice can also be approached from the perspective of conscious and nonconscious choice (e.g., Fitzsimons et al., 2002). Quite many choice situations occur outside of conscious awareness and with limited information search (Kivetz and Simonson, 2000) and it can be stated that many choices have both conscious and nonconscious motives. Fitzsimons et al. (2002) found that in many cases nonconscious influences affect choice much more than is traditionally believed by researchers. CHAPTER 3: Problem statement, Objectives, Hypothesis Research Methodology The cell phone market is experiencing tough competition amongst all the cell phone sellers, each providing cheaper and attractive handsets. A variety of handsets have been launched to attract the customers. In the backdrop of this scenario, this study is conducted to understand how customers place these companies in their mind. This study tries to judge the perception of respondents by taking into account top end features, basic features, brand image, economy, additional features, and versatility physical characteristics provided by handset sellers. Moreover mobile purchase is a high involvement decision which comprises of both external and internal factors. Therefore it is necessary for the marketers to keep in mind the various factors which undergoes while the purchase of a mobile phone so that they can place the phone accordingly , for the right segment , in the right place with right price and finally with the right branding.Accordingly following objectives were determined for re search. Objectives: To determine brand loyalty and propensity to switch To segment market on the basis of usage pattern To determine the factors and features buyer consider before buying a mobile phone To determine social factors affecting buyer behavior Major Hypothesis: There is a significant relationship between gender and social factors There is a significant relationship between gender and factors affecting purchase decisions Consumer give preference to price and reliability over other factors Mobile phone has shifted from a technical object to social objct Segmenting consumers on basis of decision making process Testing loyalty for brands Data Collection: For the following report both Primary secondary data has been used. Respondents were chosen on random basis judgmental sampling was done. Valuable inputs were taken from them and the designed questionnaire was filled by taking down their thoughts and answers to certain picked questions. Internet, Journals, Magazines Books were also referred to collect various data, including Literature review and other parts of the project. Sampling technique: Sample of respondents was drawn using the following sampling technique: Simple random sampling Analytical tool: The analysis was done using MS Excel SPSS. Factor Analysis, Cluster Analysis and Crosstabulations were done using SPSS. MS Excel was used to draw graphs and charts. DATA COLLECTION SOURCES Questionnaire Design A structured questionnaire was designed. It contained closed ended questions. {Specimen of the questionnaire is attached in Annexure}. SAMPLE SIZE: A sample size of 150 was taken to facilitate the research. Gender Frequency Percentage Total Male 74 49.3 150 Female 76 50.7 AGE 20-25 48 32 150 25-30 51 34 30-35 51 34 LOCATION DELHI 90 60 150 NOIDA 28 18.7 GURGAON 32 27.3 PROFESSION STUDENT 18 12 150 BUSINESS 15 10 SERVICE 108 72 HOUSE WIFE 9 6 EDUCATION Till Intermediate 12 3 150 UNDER GRADUATE 63 42 POST GRADUATE 84 56 (Table 3.1) CHAPTER 4: Data Analysis and Interpretation RELIABILTY STATISTIC Cronbachs alpha is a reliability coefficient based on the average covariance among items in a scale. Because alpha can be interpreted as a correlation coefficient, it ranges in value from 0 to 1. (Negative alpha values can occur when items arent positively correlated among themselves and the reliability model is violated). A high alpha (.7 and higher) would be consistent with hypothesis that all of scale items are measuring the same construct. The Cronbach Alpha reliability test was done for 54 items and the resultant ÃŽÂ ± value for the data is .918. On the basis of high ÃŽÂ ± value we can conclude that data is authentic. Cronbachs Alpha N of Items .918 54 (Table 4.1) Factor Analysis to determine significant factors affecting purchase decisions (Factor Analysis 1) Factor analysis is a statistical procedure used to uncover relationships among many variables. This allows numerous inter-correlated variables to be condensed into fewer dimensions, called factors. The new factors are used as explanatory variables during choice modeling .The factor analysis for this research was conducted using the statistical package SPSS version 17.0 for windows. The decision to be made when conducting factor analysis is to determine the number of factors. One rule of thumb is to use an Eigen value of one as the cut-off value. That is, all factors in a particular solution must have Eigen values greater than one. Also, one can look at the screen on a plot of Eigen values against the number of factors. Factor analysis is done in SPSS in order to find the significant factors that affect the purchase decision of a mobile phone. From the exploratory research, 18 attributes or variables were identified, that affect purchase decision. The significant factors are then identified using factor analysis. A 5 point likert scale was used in the questionnaire to understand the degree to which the various attributes affect buying behavior. Factor Analysis 1 Rotated Component Matrix Component 1 2 3 4 5 Browsing www -.081 .189 .883 .055 -.161 Email -.234 .286 .825 .163 -.016 WAP services .115 .181 .823 .102 .245 Built in camera .378 .565 .494 .140 .112 Appearance .176 .678 .378 .131 .159 Small size .201 .343 .044 -.035 .761 Known Brand .042 .818 .169 .088 .158 Model at reduced price .779 .032 -.171 .075 .220 Innovative Features .249 .141 .464 .657 -.014 Multimedia .164 .210 .298 .722 .237 Design -.039 .625 .286 .408 -.030 Brand Name .102 .741 .142 .247 .026 Outside Influence .490 .370 -.049 .283 .074 Price .857 -.088 -.073 .104 .154 Reliability .839 .017 .069 .171 .104 Advertisements .139 .265 -.102 .712 -.173 User Friendliness .691 .373 -.004 -.069 -.437 Customization .799 .281 .227 .117 -.187 (Table 4.2) For an acceptable factor solution, the following conditions need to be satisfied: Rotated Eigenvalues > 1.0 % Cumulative variance explained should be greater than 70% From the factor analysis output, we can see that The Eigen values are greater than one for 5 factors. 72.667% of the variance is explained by the factors. Thus, the factor analysis shows that there are 12 significant factors affecting purchase behavior. From the Rotated Component Matrix, the constituent variables of each factor are identified as follows: Component 1 Function (Model at reduced price, Price, Reliability, Customization) Component 2 Function (Known Brand, Brand Name) Component 3 Function (Browsing www, email, WAP services) Component 4 Function (Multimedia, Advertisements) Component 5 Function (Small Size) PERCEPTUAL MAPS Perceptual Maps are created with the factors identified as the axis and the attributes are depicted as vectors. Perceptual mapping has been used as a strategic management tool and it offers a unique ability to communicate the complex relationships between marketplace competitors and the criteria used by buyers in making purchase decisions. The length of an attribute vector (or arrow, in this map) is equal to the square root of the sum of its squared correlations with the dimension. This can never be greater than one, and the rela

Karl Marx and the Ideal Society Essay -- capital communism freedom wor

Karl Marx and the Ideal Society One of the greatest debates of all time has been regarding the issue of the freedom of mankind. The one determining factor, for Marx, it that freedom is linked with class conflict. As a historian, Karl Marx traced the history of mankind by the ways in which the economy operated and the role of classes within the economy. For Marx, the biggest question that needed to be answered was â€Å"Who owns freedom?† With this in mind, Marx gives us a solution to both the issues of freedom and class conflict in his critique of capitalism and theory of communism, which is the ideal society for Marx. His theory of communism is based on the â€Å"ultimate end of human history† because there will be freedom for all humankind. Marx saw communism as the ideal society because it is "the genuine resolution of the conflict between man and man- the true resolution of the strife between existence and essence...between freedom and necessity" that capitalism fosters. Marx was also committed t o the notion that theory and action go hand in hand. Marx dismissed earlier thinkers because they (philosophers) "have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point, however, is to change it." He also stated "Ideas cannot carry out anything at all. In order to carry out ideas men are needed who can exert practical force". However, Marx would have been appalled by the way his theory of communism was misused. It can be said, though, that Marx's theory of communism was clearly open for interpretation because he failed to offer "principles or guidelines of even the most general kind" for how the system of communism was to be fully established. It was this opportunity for interpretation that made Marx's theory of communism doomed for failure when it was used in practice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Marx’s theory stems from the social conditions existing during his lifetime. This was when the industrial revolution was hitting its stride. Great technological advances were being made to the modes of production, especially in the areas of agriculture and textiles. This was the main factor that drove peasants from the countryside to find work in the cities. In addition, capitalism had emerged as the dominant form of economics. Marx contended that class is based upon the economic conditions of society. He identified class through the history of the changing modes of production. In a capital... ...leads to change. Marx certainly believed and documented this and based his theory of communism upon it. However, the gaps left in his theory have resulted in varying interpretation to what he originally envisioned. A society without class or state may very well have been achieved if his theory had given more direction as to the details for its establishment. Instead, Marx's theory has been twisted and rewritten to suit the interests of others. Perhaps the greatest problem with his theory "is that no one has tried it". Bibliography Bakunin: The Philosophy of Freedom, Brian Morris, Black Rose Books, 1993. Marxism and Class Theory, Frank Parkin, Columbia University Press, 1979. Marx: A Clear Guide, Edward Reiss, Pluto Press, 1997. Revolution and Counter-revolution in Germany, Frederick Engels, Foreign Languages Press, 1977. Capital, Karl Marx, Progress Publishers, 1971. German Ideology, Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, International Publishers, 1996. European Democracies, Jurg Steiner, Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc., 1998. The Outlook: Worker-Capitalists of the World Unite, Jacob M. Schlesinger, The Wall Street Journal, Monday, November 15,1999.

the development of slavery in America :: Slavery Essays

Slavery was the main resource used in the Chesapeake tobacco plantations. The conditions in the Chesapeake region were difficult, which lead to malnutrition, disease, and even death. Slaves were a cheap and an abundant resource, which could be easily replaced at any time. The Chesapeake region’s tobacco industries grew and flourished on the intolerable and inhumane acts of slavery. Chesapeake colonies of Virginia and Maryland were settled in the early 17th century. It was a difficult live for the first colonist; they had limited labor and were constantly raided by Native Americans. Colonist tried to use the Native Americans as a source of slavery. Most of the colonist’s farms were by forest areas so Native Americans would just leave in to the woods. Colonists were afraid of pressuring them from the fear of getting ambushed by gangs of Native Americans. Another reason Native Americans men made bad slaves was because the women in the tribes did the agricultural work in the Native American villages. Colonist started to import slaves from South America in hopes that they would live longer and be more manageable to control. The slaves that were imported were trained past their first year of slavery, so that they would not die as fast. The first imported slaves came to America in the early 17th century. When they received the slaves they found out some of them were baptized, and were under the Christian religion. So they could not be treat as slaves under the religion so they were turned into indentured servants. There were very few vague laws on slavery, but it was always a permanent servitude. At first slaves had limited right, and were aloud to own land, after their period of slavery was over. They were allowed to marry and have children. The slaves kids that were born while they were enslaved were not consider to be slaves, but to be free under the law. Indentured Servants helped the colonies progress their population. England at the time was over populated, and jobs were hard to find. So many people that could not afford the boat trip over to America offered themselves as to be an indentured servant for a period of time. This contractual term can last from between four to seven years. Many colonists preferred having indentured servants over slaves, cause they also helped ward off Native Americans from attacking settlers. The one big draw back of indentured servant was that they usually did not make it pass the first year of their contract.

Prejudice and Racism - Color or Character? Essay -- Sociology Racism P

Color or Character? On TV and in magazines, you seldom see a dark-skinned black person. Our culture is still being led to believe that having lighter skin somehow makes you a better person. Black people with lighter skin get treated better; I believe this discrepancy stems from the days of slavery. In general, dark-skinned blacks labored in the fields while light-skinned blacks worked indoors. Slave owners and even slaves gave lighter-skinned blacks more respect. This segregation of shades within the same race is a serious problem. Colorism has always been an issue for the black community. In the past, some black social clubs and societies only allowed those who had light skin. "People say that in the early days at Spelman College (an historically black women' s college) young women were not admitted if they were darker than a paper bag," said one graduate. Today, colorism is reinforced by black children having white G.I. Joes and Barbie dolls with blond hair and blue eyes. It is also strengthened by the absence of dark-skinned...

Little Women speech

What is the point, Jo, my darling Jo, has just blatantly displayed that she does not, nor does she wish to, love me. She says that she loves me dearly as a friend but how can that be true if she could refuse me in the way that she did. How could she refuse me†¦ me of all people? We have been the best of friends for such a long time. She mustn't be as smart as I once thought. She speaks of how wonderful life would be if she had some money and I am offering that to her, but she has refused. Maybe I was wrong to love her. How could I have fallen in love with a girl who is so incredibly masculine and different? But I have and just knowing that she does not love me back, I know she would if she would just try. There isn't much I can do about it now though, she has made up her mind and if I know Jo as I know I do, once her mind is made up, not even she can change it. Maybe grandfather is right, maybe it is best for me to go away. I do not wish to waste my life here in this room, staring out this window watching the girls all day every day. But I do not wish to leave my Jo behind. She is the reason that I went to college. I graduated with honours for goodness sake, and all for nothing. I suppose I could go and join the family business but I would really rather focus on my music. I don't understand. Last night she seemed so happy to see me – I was sure she would accept me – she called me a hero. What girl in her right mind would not want a hero? But Jo is not a normal girl, she is †¦ well different and that made me love her all the more. She and her sisters are so incredibly wonderful and their mother reminds me of my own. I have always wanted my mother back and Marmee is so much like her it almost pains me to hear her speak. The way that she looks at the girls, the same way my mother used to look at me and Mr March is like Father. Father went away to war and a couple of weeks later we received news that he died in battle. Mr March, although is not like him, reminds me of him. I guess partly it could have been the thought of having a mother and a father again that I really fell in love with. Maybe Jo, my beautiful Jo, was just a way of getting that again. Good morning/ afternoon Dr Mayne and fellow students. The recount that I have just presented was told from Laurie's perspective and takes place after Chapter 35, Heartache. This chapter is the scene when Laurie asks Jo to marry him and she refuses. In this recount, Laurie is sitting at his window looking out at the March's house and contemplating why he asked Jo to marry him and his upcoming trip abroad. Theodore Laurence, or Laurie as he is known, plays a very important role in the book Little Women. He is a member of the wealthy Laurence family and is the heir to the Laurence business. He is a member of the middle-upper class of society. Laurie demonstrates a very different point of view from other men of the time. Being of this class, and asking Jo, a girl who is very much beneath him, to marry him, he challenges the discourse of class very strongly. In the time of the 1860s, it was very much frowned upon to marry beneath you. However, Laurie does not believe that class matters when he asks Jo to marry him. Also he challenges this discourse in that he has always associated with the March family. Laurie challenges both this discourse and the discourse of gender by not wanting to join the family business, as was the custom of the time for men, instead wanting to focus on his music. In addition, he challenges the gender discourse as the males of this time were supposed to be the â€Å"dominant† person in the marriage; however it is clear that he would allow Jo to be dominant. He also challenges this discourse simply by asking Jo to marry him as she is perceived to be very masculine and does not act as a young lady of that era was expected to act. In saying this, however, he also endorses this discourse. As he is wealthier than Jo, Laurie would be the â€Å"breadwinner† for the family, a role traditionally accepted by men at the time. Laurie not only supports Jo and her â€Å"masculine† ways but he often says that the girls are lucky. He does not like the fact that he has to study and he often wishes that he could be like the March girls and not have to study. He also falls in love with Jo even though she does not conform to the ways of the 19th century. In fact, that makes him like her more. Laurie is very kind and respectful towards women, unlike other men of his time, and has a very positive attitude towards them. Although he is expected to, he does not wish to join the family business, however in this recount, he begins to change his mind and feels that the business would actually be good for him. Up until he asks Jo to marry him, Laurie is quite careful with his money. After Jo refuses him though, he begins to spend it all. He wishes he could be freer and be able to do what he likes, like the March girls. This again, challenges the discourse of gender in a way, as he does not wish to act like a male is supposed to act. Laurie is very strong in his belief that women are equal. To coincide with this, he also believes in the equality of class. This is evident throughout the book and most obviously in his interaction with the Marches as a poorer family. A stereotypical male and upper class man of the time would not have associated with a family such as this especially because they are women of a lower class. It is very clear that Laurie is not like these men especially when he asks Jo to marry him. There are many gaps and silences that surround Laurie in this book. One gap that was addressed in the recount was the issue of Laurie's mother and father. It seems that Laurie's mother was a lot like Marmee and his father went to war like Mr March. It could be said that this is the real reason that Laurie wants to marry Jo and be a part of the March family. As he says in the recount, â€Å"he has always wanted his mother back† and being a part of the March family may fulfil that desire. While it is very clear in the recount that Laurie is not the typical male – he does not want to study or work in the business and seems to have a more feminine mind – other traits are only hinted at throughout the book. He could have a bit of a temper which is shown in the recount. It could also be said that he is quite selfish as he could just want to marry Jo to be a part of the March family and â€Å"have† a mother and father again. He also spends a lot of the family's money to make himself feel better after Jo refuses him. The audience is positioned to respond to Laurie in a mixed way. In some cases, the audience is positioned to like Laurie as he does not conform to the â€Å"rules† of the 19th century. He treats women equally and, although they are considered beneath him, treats the Marches as friends. The audience could also sympathise with him when Jo turns him down as he becomes very quiet and is genuinely upset. Theodore Laurence is a very submissive character in the book Little Women. He is very respectful towards women. He is not the stereotypical male due to his belief in the equality of gender and class. Throughout the book he develops a very strong love for Jo March, however, when he asks her to marry him, she refuses. Yes grandfather I will prepare for our trip. I know it will be good for me to travel abroad – I just wish that I wasn't going alone. I wish with all of my heart that Jo would come with me.

Impact of Organizational Culture in Decision Making Essay

In any organization, decision making has traditionally been put in the hands of the management or superiors. An organization’s hierarchy emerges when an organization experiences problems in coordinating and motivating employees. As an organization grows, employees increase in number and begin to specialize, performing widely different kinds of tasks; the level of differentiation increases; and coordinating employees’ activities becomes more difficult (Jones, 2004). As globalization and information technology has changed every sector of the world, business organizations have attuned to demand their leaders to make decisions quickly, without needless ado, and move on to other pressing matters. This creates the temptation to make the decision unilaterally, for the sake of speed and efficiency, and be done with it. On the other hand, it is becoming increasingly clear that healthy organizations characteristically find strength in opening up participation in decision making and empowering relevant people at all levels of the organization to contribute to the quality of the decisions made. There are two reasons for making decision making in organizations more dynamic. First, empowering people to participate in important decisions is highly motivating to them and second, broad participation infuses the decision making process with the full spectrum of knowledge and good ideas that people throughout the organization have to contribute. On the other hand, the concept of organizational culture is at the core of understanding organizational behavior such as decision making. Organizational culture involves the norms that develop in a work group, the dominant values advocated by the organization, the philosophy that guides the organization’s policies concerning employees and client groups, and the feeling that is evident in the ways in which people interact with one another. Thus, it clearly deals with basic assumptions and beliefs that are shared by members of the organization. Taken together, these define the organization itself in crucial ways: why it exists, how it has survived, what it is about. As an organization’s culture influences decisions made by its members it also influences its members’ acceptance or rejection of decisions made by its leaders. So when an organization changes its strategy, the primary interest involves assessment of the compatibility of a decision option with the organization’s culture–where an option is defined as a possible course of action in the case of a member who is making a decision, or a proposed course of action in the case of a decision that has been made by leaders (Beach, 1996, p. 118). For example, CEOs in different industries vary considerably from one another in terms of their background characteristics and experience, an observation that has intrigued the business and academic press. For example, a widely scrutinized and publicized CEO selection decision was Apple Computer’s decision in 1985 to replace founder Steven Jobs with John Sculley, an industry outsider with virtually no experience in the technology-driven personal computer industry. The arguments in this controversial decision centered around the relative suitability of these individuals given the changing nature of the personal computer industry. As a result of changing industry conditions in which marketing and advertising were viewed as increasingly important strategic levers, Sculley’s marketing background and experience at Pepsi’s beverage operations were expected to make him a better â€Å"fit† as CEO than the technologically oriented Steve Jobs (Datta, Guthrie & Rajagopalan, 2002). In this regard, the impact of organization culture in decision making is seen to be very vital. Organizational culture is a powerful environment that reflects past experiences, summarizes them, and distills them into simplifications that help to explain the enormously complex world of the organization. Efforts to reduce this complexity through simplification processes such as imposing decision-making models on it are not likely to be very workable. In this view, therefore, the culture of the organization represents significant thinking prior to action and is implicit in the decision making behavior of the organization’s leaders. So when two organizations merge, there will be an impact in it uniting the culture as to who will make the decision and the issue of empowerment and participation. Empowerment and participation would be viewed by some leaders as losing power by giving it away to others. However, modern empowering leaders understand that one gains power by sharing it with others because in collaborative effort the power available to the group multiplies. To make this effective, this effort should be accompanied by the support of ongoing technical training and consultation to help all participants to master the group process skills that are essential to making empowerment succeed. They must also be accompanied by the development of concrete and publicly known processes through which one participates in the collaborative process.

Philosophy of Sport

History of Volleyball History and Philosophy of Sport and Physical Education Lauren Swift March 26, 2010 Volleyball has grown over the past couple of centuries starting in 1865 to the 20th century. There are millions of people playing the game of volleyball and growing more and more each day. Volleyball has gone worldwide and many people have accepted the game and has become the most popular sport than any of the other sports in American and international countries. Volleyball became both a recreational as well as a competitive sport in the United States due to its popularity. The development of volleyball both gave people to play with no stress, fundamental skills, and to just have fun playing this newly developed game. as time went on, competitive play was introduced and more and more teams practiced and developed their skills to become better players at the game of volleyball. Since volleyball’s first origin, the sport has seen amazing changes and variations. Volleyball started out slow but now is in the Olympics every year where millions and millions of people watch the competition of the world’s best teams all over the country. When people watched volleyball at the Olympics or at a professional (college), they would leave thrilled and excited that the game of volleyball had such an impact on them. The game of volleyball was developed by William G. Morgan who was the physical director of the YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts. He attended Mount Herman Preparatory School, but after one year transferred to the School for Christian Workers (now Springfield College) where he received a good background in recreational skills (Bertucci p. 11). Springfield College was where the first volleyball game was played and consisted of two teams with five players on each side. He was involved with the Playground Movement in 1890-1900 for group games. Morgan developed future studies under Dr. Luther Gulick who said that games should have many participants rather than only a few. Volleyball began in the middle ages and moved all around the country from there. In 1893 the sport was introduced to Italy and then to Germany and they called the sport Faust ball. Morgan, however, when he developed the game in Holyoke gymnasium he called it mintonette and shortly after in 1896 Morgan changed the name to volleyball. When the first games of volleyball were played and the sport was globally impacting everyone who played the game, volleyball started to become more and more popular. In 1897, the printed rules of volleyball appeared in the first Handbook of the Athletic league of the Young Men’s Christian Association of North America. The game was thus taken by physical directors of the YMCA to countries throughout the world (Bertucci p. 3). In 1915, volleyball became so popular that it was noted as a team sport and was ranked with basketball, football, and baseball as another fantastic game to go into the school programs. Volleyball was also popular near the end or World War 1. The YMCA physical directors introduced to the troops the game of volleyball. The total participation from July 1, 1918 to July, 1, 1919, amounted to nearly a million (985, 876), and the distribution of more than 15,000 volleyballs by the YMCA alone bears out this statement (Bertucci p. 15). In 1924 in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania, the first scholastic volleyball program was developed by Harry Batchelor and C. Lawrence Walsh. They taught classes about volleyball, organized leagues, and created intramural teams in 1922. In 1946, schools began to develop club teams like; Stanford University, University of California, and Earlham College. In 1974, the federation of High School Athletics developed a committee to encourage on a worldwide scale that every high school be promoted to championships and to write their own rules and regulations. In 1956, there was reported that 60 million people were playing volleyball annually on an organized basis. Growth and development was essential to the game of volleyball and has made it to what it is today. Two organizations played a huge part in the game of volleyball to help get its start and room for growth and development; they are the YMCA and the USVBA. The role of the YMCA was to provide leadership and direction for volleyball and they were the only group that had facilities at that time to open to the public to play volleyball and other sports. The YMCA played such a huge role in the development of volleyball because, when volleyball first started out up until 20 years after the game came into existence, the YMCA ruled volleyball. Things changed after those 20 years and the original rules finally changed. The YMCA in 1916 was the main leaders in having the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) help out with revising the rules and regulations in effect to promote volleyball more efficiently. As a result the Spalding Athletic Library â€Å"blue cover† volleyball rulebook was published (Shondell, and McManama p. 7). The YMCA was the main leader in inventing the sport of volleyball, having facilities and gymnasiums where people can come and play indoors whenever they want, and giving the people a chance to experience and play the game of volleyball. The YMCA also was credited for the competitive aspect of the game and sponsored tournaments and also held their own YMCA championship in 1922. The YMCA continued th ese tournaments and championships while playing indoors until 1928. The USVBA has been around since 1928 and the first 30 years they were in business, volleyball had no direction or any rules of the game to be enforced. The USVBA was created to regulate the rules worldwide and to hold national open tournaments. The â€Å"father of volleyball† was Dr. George J. Fisher and was elected president and served until 1952 of the USVBA. The USVBA had its first actual tournament in Chattanooga, Tennessee that developed three divisions. One division was the maters division, 1949 they added a women’s division, and an armed forces division in 1952 but was cancelled or depleted in 1965. The USVBA consisted of many national organizations to involve all sport groups to promote the regulation of volleyball. The USVBA was the main company to govern the championships and tournaments, promoting the sport, and the rules and regulations of volleyball. The YMCA and the USVBA were the main two companies’ of the competitiveness of volleyball, but other groups contributed for the growth of the game of volleyball. Volleyball has been more and more educated by individuals over the past 30-40 years. Educators fully understood that volleyball was a team sport just like football, baseball, and basketball. The NCAA promoted that volleyball be given to a huge facility to where college students could take place in organized activities. From there volleyball was put into many different aspects of schools, and intramural programs in college settings. In 1960, Midwestern institutions formed an Intercollegiate Association (MIVA) and the main goal was to get volleyball to be included and discovered in Midwestern colleges while regulating the volleyball competition. The MIVA while being respectable were responsible for many types of leadership such as area, international, and national. In the 1960’s intercollegiate sports involved the overall goal of competitive volleyball. The NCAA and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) conducted investigations into the addition of volleyball to their national championship programs (Shondell, and McManama p. 59). When making intercollegiate history the NAIA made volleyball their 15th competitive sport. By making volleyball their 15th sport the coaches associated was put in place for the first time. The high schools added volleyball as a recreational sport to their physical education classes. The AAHPER â€Å"American Association of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation† gave leadership in volleyball for education purposes. The AAHPER provides charts, newspapers, journals, and many other printed materials to help the teachers with their profession. They were the main contributor to the game of volleyball both competitively and recreationally through the division for Girls and Women’s Sports (DGWS). The spread of volleyball internationally was a huge success and United States armed forces did everything they could to make this happen. England got first introduced to the game of volleyball in 1914 and moved rather quick and fast to Europe. Soldiers even though their training, recreational programs, and busy schedules they were also given a task to promote volleyball in other countries and at home with their families. The YMCA has the credit for promoting volleyball abroad as well spreading the news to Canada, Southern Hemisphere, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and Brazil. The foreign countries when introduced to volleyball they chose to take the competitive side, and they also played recreationally but when it came down to team strategy, and the skill they were very competitive. The International Volleyball Foundation was founded in 1947 in Paris and published rules and presenting or hosting yearly world championships. In 1949 the international competition was under way and the championships were held in Prague. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) designated volleyball as an Olympic team sport in 1957, and it was included in the 1964 and 1968 Olympic Games (Shondell, and McManama p. 0). International competition affected many techniques, riles, and equipment that were used in the United States. For example, the Filipinos made to where you can only hit the ball three times on your side then you have to get it over the net. In effect to the number of hits on each side and the development of â€Å"the spike† in volleyball by international co untries, the United States saw radical changes being made and the United States eventually changed the rules to what the international countries came up with. Volleyball had cultural impacts and contributions when the game was evolving. John D. Giles and Hill were YMCA directors and promoted the sport and they stressed that people should develop strong, positive characters. Both Giles and Hill stressed these important values in the very first volleyball rulebook. Playing with friends, family, or with new people that you just met can be fun and socially interactive. You can play the game and be competitive while socializing and therefore creating new friendships. A volleyball player or the team cannot mesh well together or work effectively if they don’t have loyalty, courtesy, agreeableness, and cooperation. Many volleyball teams can have problems and are usually created by negative attitudes. By playing volleyball you can improve your moral judgment in addition to your skills. For example; if a ball is out and you touched it with your hand then you should be a moral person and be honest about you touching the ball. There are many other values that are good to have with volleyball; alertness, determination, and persistence. Recreational and competitive volleyball is relaxing, fun, and stress free and in today’s society many people could use some stress free time to just relax and have fun. The values of volleyball are very important as to how this sport really flourished. President Eisenhower and President Kennedy encouraged more and more people to get out there and exercise and to be physically fit. The tools and equipment needed to play volleyball are not expensive to get and is a fun game for everyone to play and is easy to get access to as well. Volleyball can promote being active and to staying healthy while not doing too much of a strenuous workout, it gives you time to rest and to collect your thoughts. Volleyball has come a long way in the past 40-50 years since it was first invented. It has made groundwork for new organizations, scholarships, and traveling around the world by playing and creating the game of volleyball. Many changes were made in the United States and in foreign countries and we all came together to experience the joy of volleyball and to help the game flourish. I only played volleyball my senior year of high school and I have never played the sport before but I wish I would have played it earlier because once I experienced the game of volleyball, I fell in love with the game and now I got a scholarship and a great opportunity to keep playing the sport I love. In a sense, volleyball has opened a new door for men, women, kids, and teenagers to experience something new and eventually made its way through history to become one of the most popular sports today. Works Cited Bertucci, Bob. Championship Volleyball by The Experts. Volume 12. West Point, N. Y: Leisure Press, (p. 11-18). Print. Egstrom, Glen H, and Frances Schaafsma. Volleyball: Physical Education Activities Series. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Company Publishers, 1966. (p. 40-47). Print. Shondell, Donald, and Jerre McManama. Volleyball. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1971. (p. 55-62). Print. Thigpen, Janet. Power Volleyball for Girls and Women. 2nd ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Company Publishers. 1967, 1974. (p. 3-10). Print.