The Media and Its Role Today Essay Example for Free

The Media and Its Role Today EssayThe media has always been playing the main role in providing protestation to us. Whether it covers on education, information or entertainment, gaining the latest news on these topics has been made easier nowadays with the help of the media. There ar a number of the types of media that could be obtained nowadays. This includes television, radio, newspapers, magazines and internet. Although the main idea of the media is to educate people on the latest happenings, and connect the people from different parts of the world, there is also a downside of it. Some durations, the media could confirm an concussion towards a persons personal lifestyle. one of the many impacts that could be catchd by an individual due to the media is their state of health. Exposure of the media could influence us each mentally, physically and socially as well. 2. 0 So How Does the Media mould a Persons Health? 2. 1 P bent Child Relationship commencement of all, the me dia in a non obvious way is actually influencing its audiences social relationship between p arnt and child.There is no doubt that when relating to the media, families atomic number 18 always getting together whenever they be watching a movie or enjoying their favourite sitcom aired daily. This is one of the healthy influences of the media as it helps to bring forbidden closer bonds between parents and their children. A recent study estimated that 65 to 85 percent of young childrens viewing is with family members, where more than half viewing with their parents. (Van Evra 1998) entirely on the other hand, some people tend to mis usance the media as a way to get out of family crisis.This could be seen normally among teenagers and young children where they suit to the media to avoid interaction between family members, especially their parents. It is indeed true that parents are the main contributors towards how their children be puzzle. Nevertheless(prenominal), it also could no t be denied that the media is also one of the major influences of this affaire as well. Nowadays, the younger generations are more advanced, in terms of how they think and act. It is due to the movement that they are too exposed to the media contents portrayed in films and music videos.The younger children as well as teenagers mostly, imitate these behaviours and adapt them to their everyday life. For example, if they were to see a scene where a child talks prickle to their parent, the child volition tend to do the same thing to their own parent. Other than that, due to work load and inconsistent working hours, parents tend to use the media as a way to keep their children occupied. They will leave their children glued in front of the television or play station while they are away, whether for work or leisure.According to a recent study in the US, watching television often re prats the time for doing homework, playing and reading which is essential in cr have closer bonds between a parent and child. This influences the child to become addicted to the media, and they will constantly be attached to it. Due to this matter, relationships between their parents will be reduced. Therefore, we could argue that relationships between a parent and child groundwork be influenced by the media. 2. 2 Diabetes and Obesity It is agreeable that the medias main role is to inform and educate its viewers on latest events happening around the world.Another main role of the media is to act as a medium for advertisers to advertise their products. Advertisements endure be gained from different types of media. For instance we have newspapers, magazines, internet, radio and the most common medium which is the television. Fast food companies advertise their products often to attract viewers to grease ones palms them. It is true that advertising sells, but it may affect impressionable youngsters and self-conscious adolescents. An online survey showed that an individual watching tele vision for 2 hours per day would have seen a total of 20,000 food advertisements in on the dot one year.The most commonly showed commercials are food containing high sugar and fat, which is known to be dangerous to the homophile body. Without even noticing, the media is supporting the food industry which is contributing towards a significant effect on future problems involving tilt issues. Besides that, children in particular are cosmos exposed to the media without any parental guidance. Parents are letting their children having television sets in their bedroom, which is not a good thing as this promotes unhealthy habits, such(prenominal) as eating while watching television.A recent online study showed that children who have televisions in their bedroom are more analogously to have weight problems, in this case obesity and diabetes than those who do not have televisions in their room. From that online research, the statistics showed that 27. 3% of children with a television in their room are overweight, which is high compared with 17. 7% of children who do not have a television in their bedroom. Therefore, it is also arguable that the media could influence the occurrences of diabetes and obesity. 2. 3 AnorexiaThrough out the decades, our definition towards beauty has been adapted dramatically. We no longer value people from all shapes, sizes and skin colour. The underlying cause is the portrayal of beauty standards in the media in this generation. One of the focus on beauty standards is body image. In order to be accepted, you have to be thin or else there is no place for you in Hollywood or the world of modeling. These beauty standards set by the mass media has impacted women and young teenage girls especially to aspire to be as stick thin as celebrities in the media.Examples of stick thin celebrities are Nicole Kidman, Keira Knightley and Victoria Beckham. These days it is difficult to flip by a magazine or watch television without savour swelled ab out ones body. The medias portrayal of stick thin beauties has attributed to many young teenage girls and women developing a eating derange. One of the eating disorder is anorexia. Anorexia is an eating disorder associated with women and young teenage girls to drive themselves to near starvation in order to be thin. Even though they are thin, they still see themselves as fat and drive themselves further by not eating or barely eating.In short, they have developed a fear for food and a fear for getting fat. The influence of media is on our daily lives, so often we are not aware how it is affecting us. Celebrities being the main focus of the media, how they portray themselves will indirectly influence their viewers especially young girls who are not old enough to make punishing judgments. In the television serial publication, Ally Mcbeal, apparently the shows star refused to eat so that she could keep up with the thinness of her co-stars such as Lucy Liu, Courtney Thorne-Smith and P ortia De Rossi.These atomic girls will grow up thinking that thin is in afterwards watching shows that condone unhealthy body image. That is when they will most in all probability have a tendency to develop an eating disorder such as anorexia. Related statistics by the National Eating Diorder Association indicates that 40-60% of high school girls are on diet, 30-40% of junior high school children are concerned about their weight and 40% of 9 year olds have dieted. Lately the influence of celebrities such as Keira Knightly, Nicole Richie and Kate Moss with emaciated stick-thin bodies have inspired young girls and women alike to emulate their body type.Put it simply, the extreme exposure of celebrities with size 2 or less figures has made women and little girls unhappy or dissatisfied with their body image. still, parental influence can also plays an important part in contributing to a childs idea of an ideal weight or size. Mass media may be bombarding young minds with unrealist ic standards of beauty, but it is a parents job to educate the child from young to know what is healthy and what isnt. If a parent is constantly dieting and complaining about unhappy body image, indeed a child will more likely be vulnerable to developing an eating disorder such as anorexia.Anorexia is a very good mental illness as it has caused many deaths in women and teenage girls because of their refusal to eat. A study by the National Eating Disoder Association indicates that 5-20% of those with anorexia nervosa will face complications associated with the disorder such as kidney failure and heart problems. This means that among all the mental disorders, anorexia has the highest mortality rate. Their minds have been conditioned so badly to think that by eating the slightest bit that they will get fat.Their bodies lost of nutrients, fat and minerals can cause them to die unless they get treatment in time. Prevention can save lives by encouraging healthy, realistic attitudes towa rds weight and diet. 2. 4 Violence Lets face it, the media is cool, whatever is being done on television is being emulated by the public. For example fashion trends, smoking habits, binge drinking and premarital sex. But what happens when violence as seen on television is being seen as the way to do work problems? Violence these days is on the rise. People think it is alright to solve problems using violence.For example solve a feud by firing burning arms at each, beat up someone for not giving money, or blowing up a public facility. These cases especially involve young adolescents who occur too much time viewing violence on television and video games. The problem with violence in real life is that one cannot pretermit getting hurt from a violent action. Most television dramas portray characters still end up alive or not hurt at all during a round firing bullets at each or that a character can survive a major bomb blare in a construct by some stroke of luck.It is unrealistic t hat someone get up on his feet with barely a few bruises after being bashed up by a bunch of gangsters. That is what has been aired on television time after time. For example, the latest popular drama TV series Heroes and Smallville show unrealistic events such as rising from the dead multiple times after being killed many times. The shows character flying into the sky world power make children under 6 think that flying is possible as in the case of a boy who thought he could be venereal infection flew out the window and died.It is also unrealistic that people can develop supernatural powers by being infected by alien meteorites or through gene mutation. However, most viewers who are children and teenagers might not have good judgment to know that violence cant solve anything would emulate their actions on television in real life. The case of two teenage boys who shot dead 13 people in a Columbine spirited School were fans of the highly popular video game DOOM. DOOM is a very hi ghly violent video game where players go around building tiers to shoot characters in the video game.Analysts theorize that part of the killers problem may have desensitization due to the vast amount of time spent on video games, music and vidoes filled with violent imagery. Even violent music lyrics have been shown to instil violent thoughts and emotions in a person. A research conducted by New Scientist revealed that children who listen to violent music lyrics all the time were more likely to make aggressive association with words like animal, rock and stick. This is especially so with the availability of downloading softwares, whereby anyone can download violent songs and listen to it in a portable device such MP3, MP4 and Ipod anytime.Violent messages will constantly be bombarding their heads and more likely bringing out violent actions in chidren and teenagers. According to a survey carried out by American academy of Pediatrics ( AAP ), studies have shown that excessive exposu re to violent imagery in the mass media increases the likely hood of a child committing acts of violence. Base on statistics, nearly 2 out of 3 TV programs contain violent acts, averaging 6 violent acts per hour. An average child would have seen 10,000 violent acts per year by just watching 2 hours of cartoons a day.Teens who watch more than 1 hour of TV a day are four times more likely compared to other kids to commit violent acts. A typical kid who enters middle school would have seen 8000 murders and 10,000 more acts of violence aired on television. In some other study, researchers found that by cutting down television and video game consumption to less than an hour a day decreases verbal aggression by 50% and physical aggression by 40%. This is very serious as violence is the leading cause of death for children, adolescents and young adults which is a higher(prenominal) cause compared to diseases, cancer or congenital disorder.In the past, violence was seen as a way to solve d isputes as it was important to determine the survival of the fittest. However this media-exposed generation has been influenced to think that violence is cool and acceptable. We must remember that this is the real world, people can get injured and dont heal miraculously or wake up from the dead. Destruction and chaos are the result of despicable violent acts committed by people. 2. 5 Racial and Ethnic discrimination The media is so much part of young peoples lives these days that it is impossible to not base life and make judgments by comparing to the media.Media influence is so prevalent that when we look at a race with tend to stereotype them to what is being portrayed in the media. If are not careful, we will be growing up with a narrow mind by thinking everything the media says is true. For example, minorities such as the blacks and Latinos are always portrayed as the bad guys. When we pit one in real life, we tend to immediately shun them thinking they are not good people as seen on television. Another reason media influence has caused discrimination among certain races and ethnic groups is that the minorities are seldom cast as the lead character.Almost always they are second to the lead character, the victim, the bad guy or the first to die in the movies and television drama. Caucasians are mostly cast as the lead actor or actresses whether they are distress, out to save the world or leading a normal family life. This is a bad influence to the young generation who are exposed to the media 24/7 thinking that Caucasians or Americans will always be the superior person in power, never the minority. Discrimination among certain races and ethnic groups due to media influence has caused us to belief that Caucasian looks are all that.Media influence has caused us to believe that fair, big eyes, sharp noses and high cheek bones are standard beauties of today. We have ignored other qualities of other races to be deem as beautiful. These include people of colour , people with slit eyes, people with the big lips which is an attribute among the blacks and so on. merely do you see an African woman or man donning the covers of magazines. On the contrary, it is history that has influenced the media to portray a certain race or culture in a discriminated way. The blacks were brought to America as slaves in the olden days.Most cab drivers in New York are Indians. The Chinese culture believes that women cannot be independent and Indonesians in Malaysia are mainly maids and construction labourers. So, what the media has done is simply highlighting real life situations and portraying them as they are. Hence, a local movie would most likely portray the maid of a family as an Indonesian for this is common in Malaysian society. Therefore, we cannot argue the fact that it is the people who have instead influenced the media. In conclusion, media can influence peoples beliefs of a certain race or culture.However, we must not forget that it is peoples beli efs in the first place that has influenced the media to portray them in a certain way. This cycle can only stop if we change our own beliefs to influence the media on race and culture. 3. 0 The Media Does Influence a Persons Health The mass media is a very powerful tool. It can shape our beliefs, influence our perspective and distort our views on anything and everything. In addition to that also, our state of health could easily be influenced by the mass media. We should always take extra precaution and note that the people ehind the media are just out to make big bucks, where they will portray whatever it is they want you to see and believe so that you will be obsessed with their product. Therefore, we must give lessons in children from young to always create a filter in their minds to differentiate right from wrong whenever they are exposed to the media. Although media influence is strong, with parental die and the right education, it can make all the difference in raising the n ext generation to make sound judgments about the contents in the media.Individuals should be exposed on the harms that media can cause, in this case towards our health in order to generate a better future.

Victorian society and life style Essay Example for Free

squared-toe society and life style EssayThis essay uses A Conan Doyle interpretation of three cases in the adventures of intelligence officer Holmes, to demonstrate how language, setting, characterisation and the role of the women reflects different aspects of Victorian society and life style.A Conan Doyle uses typical language that is germane(predicate) for the Victorian period. In each of the cases, we expect to find a wide range of techniques used to emphasise and create an image of Victorian society and life-style in the readers mind.A Conan Doyle applies figurative language, repetition, grotesque and satirical caricatures and long complex sentences with detailed explanation. These techniques that A Conan Doyle uses helps the reader to understand the setting and characterisation more than understandably and clearly.A Conan Doyle uses figurative language to make the reader create an image in their heads of the character or setting. Figurative language is a range of met aphors and similes that ar being compared to a mortal or thing. Here is an example that A Conan Doyle has used in the speckled band (description of Dr. Roylott), high thin fleshless nose gave him rough what resemblance to a fierce old bird of prey. In this quote the author is comparing Dr. Roylotts facial features to a fierce old bird of prey, this a metaphor used to help visualise the characters appearance.A Conan Doyle uses grotesque and satirical caricature in some cases. He uses this technique to describe the villain. In the description of Dr. Roylott in the speckled band, A Conan Doyle makes the readers imagine how nasty Dr. Roylott looks by putting in, bile shot eyes. This makes the villain more imaginative and easier for the readers to picture as vitriolic and mean.A Conan Doyle uses long complex sentences to make a character or setting bold and clear, so the readers scum bag easily relate and become more involved in the adventures. In long complex sentences A Conan Doyl e uses Victorian words. These words are not often used today, so readers can rattling understand the distinct differences between today and back then the Victorians used really old English, however by using these words the reader is given a bolder, clearer and much more of a characteristic image.A Conan Doyle uses very long complex sentences to describe the king of bohemia in the grease in bohemia, undefiled the impression of barbaric opulence which was suggested by his whole appearance. This gives the readers a clearer and detailed description of the event. In the quote it says he came with an uncultural but rich appearance centering on detail. The sentence is considered complex as it uses more than one clause and unusual and uncommon words and metaphors where not familiar the words and terms i.e. opulence.In Victorian history women were be considered weaker than men. The readers can manipulate this through some of A Conan Doyles cases. The man with the twisted lip women wer e really handless and weak. The readers can see this from the way Mrs. St Clair always kept fainting at the sight of blood, Mrs. St Clair had fainted at the sight of blood., however there were some woman that were really sly and cunning, like Irene Adler from scandal in bohemia, when she tricked Sherlock Holmes and eloped with her fianc, how best plans of Sherlock Holmes were beaten by a womans wit. In Victorian times women were really weaker than men. The second stain describes a clumsy woman, where a man blackmails a woman for a letter that could start war with another country. The weakness shows as she gives in to the man, in return for my mystical not to be let out, he told me to get the blue envelope in the box. So I didA Conan Doyles thee adventure of Sherlock Holmes, gives readers an image of how Victorian London appeared. Readers are given the impression that Victorian London was a very coveren, dirty and contaminated place. In most cases Victorian London was very nasty, dirty and a scary place, especially the way it is described in the man with the twisted lip. The setting in the man with the twisted lip is realistic, as at the same time jack the ripper was known, upper swandom lane is vile alley.This quote gives the reader an impression that Victorian London was very unclean and dirty. proud flight of steps leading down to a black gap like the mouth of a cave. This quote gives the reader a frightening and dull suspense like of the setting and atmosphere. Dr. Watson is at the top of the flight of stairs and he is looking down them, when he looks down them he sees that the stairs lead to total darkness. The reader imagines a never-ending staircase or something gruesome waits at the bottom.In the adventures of Sherlock Holmes readers are able to understand Victorian lifestyle. This can be identified through the character Sherlock Holmes. In each case Sherlock Holmes is considered to be the hero as he is described as a, professional investigator. D r Watson describes positive factors regarding Holmes, he admires, the rapid deductions, as swift as intuitions, and yet always founded on a logical basis, with which he unravelled the problems, which were submitted to him.This quote shows how Sherlock Holmes was dedicated to his work. Another example of the values of the period is seen through the character Dr.Watson. In the story the man with the twisted lip we see Dr.Watson helping a woman in distress, because her husband is missing, so he investigates by himself, I could manage it better if I were alone. This was considered very heroic at the time. As he is protecting the innocent woman.The character of Dr Roylott from the speckled band shows the readers the values, which were detest of at the time. In the speckled band Dr Roylott is described as a furious and raging person, Holmes the Scotland yard jack-in-office and, we heard the hoarse roar of the doctors voice, and saw the fury with which he shook his clenched fists at him. From these quotes the readers can tell that Victorian people despised this sort of attitude, because he turns violent and furious easily.By reading Sherlock Holmes the readers find many lifestyles, it just depends on which character is described. If it is a poor person then there lifestyle is at the opium den where it is a, low room, with thick and heavy brown opium smoke, and back in the Victorian times there were a lot of poor people, so the opium dens wouldve been packed, forecastle of an emigrant ship. If it is a heroic person like Sherlock Holmes or Dr Watson than their lifestyle is rich and cosy lifestyle for example a house with a maid, big cosy armchair, in front of a big chimney fire in a, cheery academic session room, with a nice friendly atmosphere. But if it is a villainous and hated person like Dr Roylott then their lifestyle will be dark, very meritless and unpleasant, for example an old wrecked house that nobody has cared for, the few acres of bramble covered land.

Literature Review On Leadership Effectiveness Management Essay

Literature Review On leaders Effectiveness Management EssayIn the preliminary chapter it was discussed the purpose and reason for this investigative study on lead effectiveness and its possible mediating affects on subordinate job cheer.The chapter provide critically review the publications characterised the ideas and topics surroundingThis chapter will seek to critically review the literary productions surroundingGeneral concepts and models that have been developed discussed on leadership, competences and job satisfactionInfluence of competences on the ardor of leadershipInfluence of leadership style on subordinate job satisfactionBy reviewing existing literature will aid in highlighting, indentifying and discussing factors of a critical nature thus allowing sound understanding when taking the influences of competences on leadership style and its ripples on subordinate job satisfaction, if any.The contents of this literature review will dispenseA definition and explanation o f leadership through the use of academic principles, conceptualization and models where suited. Complimented with competences profiling and subordinate job satisfaction when introduced.The critical evaluation will look at key authors and their insights in the atomic number 18as of leadership styles and competences.To observe areas which have been the focal points of interest base on the topics creation acknowledged, research will be made on leadership style and impact on subordinate job satisfaction.Based on what has been revealed whilst reviewing literature will allowed what has been learnt and to pin any hypostasis by what has been viewed.(Please note that some of these paths may and may not follow suit to allow for consistency) leadThe concept of leadership has had multi attempts to define and evolve what leadership is more often or not proving to be an enigma for theorists and practitioners. These attempts have grown from fields such as management, psychology, ideology, anth ropology and sociology. With so much attention Burns (1978) described the matter by stating that leadership is one of the most observed and least understood phenomena on earth (p. 2). Having been legion(predicate) attempts in defining the meaning for the term leadership, this has resulted in taking many interpretations. Stogdill (1974, citied in Northouse, 2007, Pg 2) pointed out in a review of leadership research, there are almost as many different definitions of leadership as there are people who have tried to define it. In Stogdills Handbook of Leadership that was revised and expanded by Bass in (1981) highlighted different definitions and conceptions of leadership had previously been reviewed briefly by Morris and Seeman (1950), Shartle (1951a,b, 1956), L.F. Carter (1953), C. A. Gibb (1954, 1969a), and B. M Bass (1960). This is only a smaller numerical amount compared to Crainer (1995 cited in Mullins 2007, pg363) that it is claimed there are over 400 definitions of leadership and it is a veritable minefield of misunderstanding and difference though which theorists and practitioners must travel warily.At best of times theoretical perspectives define the concepts being views as a trait, behavioural style, the manipulation of individuals and groups derived through interaction, influence to gain followers and the slip in which its attended. The constant upheaval of leadership suggests that many investigators see leadership as a key structural beam for organisational effectiveness and its influences on the feat OEs arent just segmented to monetary frolicover but a measure of a dependant variable star that is employee job satisfaction (Robbins, 2003).Traits Theory of LeadershipFrom the thirty-something the trait possibility of leadership have been under Jerry et al (1984) , Wexley et al (1984), Smelser et al (2002) Moran et al (2007)Behavioral Theories of LeadershipMichiganOhioSituational Theories of LeadershipThe theory of business office leadership primary principle distinguishing leadership effectiveness in an particular situation and also what leadership style is most suited to be alive(p) in that situation. Most, if not all situational theory hinges on that the style of leadership obtained by a manager should acknowledge sets of circumstancesManagement elements such as competencies, personalities and driveEmployee elements such as needs derived from personalities, drive and skillsGroup effectiveness such as task, structure and developmentOrganisational procedures such as standards, rules, power and quantifyThe idea of situational leadership have recognisable and influential models that circulate around this phenomenon, these are indentified asFiedlers deterrent example ContingencyHouses Model of Path-GoalFiedlers Contingency ModelFieldler (1967) based his theory on explaining that two variables that have a direct impact the performance of a group. These two variables are widely known as style of leadership and situationa l favourability. Fiedler (1967) asserted that the most profound leadership trait and situational favourability is distinguished by their similarity that causes the effectiveness of a leader. When leadership trait is said it is the constitution that causes relationship-oriented or task-oriented leader.Fielders contingency theory has come under criticism like most theorists do. The criticism came from the likes of Ashour (1973) Vecchio, (1977) (1983) which suggest the method of measuring the variables and the empirical research conducted were meagerly in allowing for the theory to have any validly. Such an observation is farcical simply because Fiedler has spent years tuning and perfecting his well established and used theory.Houses Path-Goal ModelHouse (1971) based his theory from Vrooms expectancy theory. House (1971) suggests in order for a leader to motivate its subordinates by a way of two means firstly to recognise between individual subordinate needs and an organisations g oal(s) by understanding the relationship between the two factors and secondly the leader must secernate and ease the chosen course not only for the organisational goal(s) but as well as fulfilling their own individual needs. Houses path-goal theory is very much influenced on situational characteristics. Thus allowing its ability to predict the effects it has on behavioural structuring. House also suggests the expectancies and motivations in subordinates are created through the behaviour of the leader this in turn would create job satisfaction by subordinates recognising their capabilities and the weight they perceive their job would get results.Drenth et al (1998) raised a number of criticisms regarding the path-goal theory they asserted that Houses theory doesnt cultivate the collective members as a whole based on behaviour and performance. Secondly they highlight the relationship between leadership behaviours and the group may be heavily influenced by environmental interactions. Lastly it is suggested that when empirical studies are conducted using the path-goal theory most enthusiasts use standardised leadership styles to measure the variable of effectiveness.Morden ManagementLEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES AND SKILLSJOB SATISFACTIONFulfilment TheoryDiscrepancy TheoryEquity TheoryHerzbergs Two-Factor TheoryFocal Theoretical ResearchBurns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. in the altogether York Harper Row.Robbins, S.P, (2003). Organisational Behaviour. 10th Ed. Pearson Education, New JerseyJerry, L., Gray, A., Starke, F. (1984). Organizational behaviour Concepts andapplications. New York A Bell and Howell Co. Inc.Wexley, K, N., Yukl, G. A., (1984). Organizational behaviour and personnel psychology. US Richard D IrwinSmelser, N, J., Baltes, P, B., (2002) world-wide encyclopedia of the social behavioral sciences. Oxford Elsevier IncMoran, R. T., Harris, P,R.,, Moran, S. V., (2007) Managing cultural differences global leadership strategies for the 21st century 7th ed. Oxford ElsevierMullins, Laurie J. (2007) Management and organisational behaviour / Laurie J. Mullins . 8th ed. . Harlow Financial Times scholar HallNorthouse, P, G., (2007) Leadership Theory and Practice 4th ed. United Kingdom Sage Publications.Bass, B, M., (1981) Stogdills Handbook of Leadership Revised and expanded Edition. New York The Free charge upGordon, J. R. (1987). A diagnostic approach to organizational behavior. NewYork Allyn and BostonFiedler, F. E. (1967) A Theory of Leadership Effectiveness, New York McGraw-Hill.Vecchio, R. P. (1977) An Empirical Examination of the Validity of Fiedlers Model of Leadership Effectiveness, Organizational Behavior and Human Performance 19 180-206.Vecchio, Robert P (1983) Assessing the Validity of Fiedlers Contingency Model of Leadership Effectiveness A Closer look at Strube and Garcia, Psychological Bulletin 93 404-8Ashour, A. S. (1973) The Contingency Model of Leadership Effectiveness An Evaluation, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 9(3) 339-55.Lawler, E. E., III (1973). Motivation in wager organizations. Brooks/ lucre Publishing Company Monterrey, CA.Locke, E. A. (1969). What is job satisfaction? Organizational behavior and human performance. In E. E. Lawler (1973). Motivation in work organizations. Brooks/Cole Publishing Company Monterrey, CA.House, R, J., A Path-Goal Theory of Leadership Effectiveness, Administrative Science Quarterly, vol. XVI(1971), 321-38Drenth, D J P., Thierry, H., De Wolff, J, C., 1998 A Handbook Of Work And Organizational Psychology linked kingdom Psychology Press Ltd

Influence of Magazines on Beauty | Cross-Cultural Analysis

Influence of Magazines on Beauty Cross-Cultural AnalysisINTRODUCTIONBeauty is not concrete and may vary from last to floriculture ever-changing over time and shifting according to location. Beauty is an film which has been created by federation to which charr and custody have had to subject themselves to be real. The ideology of steady or what is accepted as cosmos the right appearance has been created by association and largely propagated by media. For United States of the 1950s Marilyn Monroe was the pinnacle of salmon pink which in short changed to Twiggy in the 1960s. While porcelain skin is assessd in China, scarification of the skin and decorating it with tattoos is considered as a status symbol in Africa. Thus the physical attri yet nowes and ideas inclined to hit vary a b whole up cultures.Womens time industry is understood as a monolithic meaning producer, circulating magazines that contain messages and signs nigh the nature of femininity that act to promo te and legitimate dominant interests. (Anna Gough- Yates). A majority of feminist critics argue that media is prudent for establishing and promoting gender differences and inequalities in society. In respect media persons argon considered responsible for reinforcing capitalism and patriarchy manipulating society to attain subjoind circulation figures.Magazines atomic number 18 a great source, to study the society. Recording changes, from the purely means magazine couture age of 1920s, to modus vivendi and home of the 1940s when domestic athletic supporter was rare and char to a personal interest in their homes. To New woman of the 1980s when woman began to pop off alongside men in almost every field to do it your self of the 20th century with soaring costs and economic d protestturn. Magazines reflect revolutions in society and influenced the opinion of women crossways nations.Given the increase in trade to Asia and the spread of the debaucher industry across nations, there is limited study available on how people are depicted internation altogethery in the fashion magazines. Previous research has established that womans magazines can act as agents of publicizing gender stereotypes and p each(prenominal) tree ideals the wish size zero and institutionalizing conventions like photographic poses. (Rudman and Verdi, 1993 Griffin, Viswanath, Schwartz, 1994). Yet little research has been d unmatched on the differences in representation of women internationally and local anestheticly.POWER OF IMAGES unrivalled must establish what people are looking at before one can hope to study why under the conditions peculiar to them, they externalize what they see Rudolf Arnhein (Arnhein 19774)An cooking stove is that stimulus or representation that compels us to cognition, interpretation and personal preference. If we understand that the commercialise is image based than we also begin to understand the importance of vision in understanding management in the info rmation society. Images are where visual communication starts. Jonathan E. Schroeder confirms in his study of media that visual consumption is critically important for understanding contemporary consumers. Today market placeing professionals are sensitive towards international customers and realise that they are enthusiastic consumers of images. Brand image, incorporate image and self image are significant economic and consumer values and that globular market culture is largely the construction of symbolic environments. (S. E. Jonathan, 2002) This is of great importance especially in the 21st century as the importance of marketing management and consumer research in this century may shift from problem solving to problem deferred payment from production of goods to the production of images (S. E. Jonathan, 2002)Through time marketers have learnt that markets are global which should translate into local approach. But when companies globalise they have more production determin ed wanting to sell more thus having common promotional strategies across cultures, sticking to one single image, hardly realising that there may be global products, nevertheless there are no global people. There may be global filths but there are no common global motivators to defile those tick offs. (M. De Mooij, 2009). Many snitchs have with the help of technology and communication tried to globalise nations. But technology has not brought a global village in which consumers all behave the same.GLOBAL MEDIAGlobalisation is scoop defined as the crystallization of the entire world as a single place (Robertson, Ronald. 1990. mathematical function the Global Condition Globalization as the Central Concept. Theory, Culture and Society 7)Due to the success of global brands writers have predicted an unavoidable colonization of world culture by internationalised brands that would most definitely lead to demise of local cultures. However there is also evidence that suggests well-dis posed relation delights and values in local culture are resistant to the negative effects of globalization. On one hand globalisation is judge to destroy local cultures and bring about homogeneity magical spell on the other hand it is also the reason for the revival of local cultural identities from various parts of the world. Today the expansion of western cultures values and ideas has domained the farthest corners of the world, right to Asian countries like India and China which have been dominant till the 21st century. Now that these countries have become important players in the world market, restoration expansion of values and culture can also be seen.Over the past few decades there has been a rapid expansion of global brands in the media sector more than ever in the area of womans fashion magazines. Local editions of Elle, Harpers Baazar and trend are now being published in Asia. The internationalization of a magazine is not a new phenomenon although until quite recently the most popular womans magazines have been published locally. Harpers Bazaar, a U.S magazine launched itself in U.K. in 1929 (Anna Gough-Yates, 1993), Elle a European magazine began publishing its first edition in Japan in 1960s while manner a U.S magazine entered the Indian market in the 21st century. However the establishment of an integrated global media market entirely began in earnest in the late 1980s and did not reach its full po extial until the 1990s. (Herman and Mc Chesney ,1997, p10)The latest NRS (National Readership Survey) figures suggest that the thoroughgoing readership market in U.K. for the calendar months of July and December 2008 has travel by 10% since last year, while the total market for womens lifestyle and fashion magazines has grown by 7 %. (IPC Advertising) A similar trend was observed in USA where magazine subscription reached a ten year high in 2008 and with the total number of magazines published reaching 20,590 the total percentage of subscription s also increased by 1.4% (MPA Magazine Publishers of America, ABC) Comparatively in Asia according to a Pricewaterho mapCoopers the Asia/Pacific magazine market excluding Japan is projected to grow by 7.2% annually, reaching $20.7 billion by 2010, Advertising is also expected to rise by 5% annually to $8.1 billion in 2010. This means theres plenty of potential for countries in South Asia, where advertising spending is just about 0.34% of GDP. Until now foreign brands were al busteded only 26% ownership when venturing into Asian countries. But in 2005 most of the Asian countries levelled the field for non news consequences allowing hundred% foreign address investment. (D. Ruth, 2007, Forbes)In an age looking towards the internet for all information and goods there is a risk that instill media and magazine subscriptions may fall contrary to predictions. A recent research conducted by PPA marketing suggests that the internet does not have any harmful effect on peoples desire to rea d offline, in point in some cases reading websites encourages them to read magazines. Out of 1500 adults between the age of 18- 34 surveyed online revealed that peoples expectations and goals from each medium depends on the subject matter and for the subject of beauty and fashion print magazines are an obvious choice. Also the idea of owning a piece of fashion history through the beautifully photographed and styled images in fashion magazines makes print media a lucrative choice.With fashion going cross cultures, print media being the apparent choice of the masses to keep them in trend and the governments giving publication houses the clear there is nothing stopping international fashion magazines going local. Like all the other global media, magazines use many different strategies to cross the borders. The main reasons for crossing borders are saturation of home markets and to generate revenue by providing international consumer brands with advertising vehicles that reach into the expanding foreign markets(Dr. Katherine Frith, 2006,pg4-5). For example Cond Nast which has a portfolio of 127 magazines in 23 countries had to close down Mademoiselle in November 2001 due to competition, flagging sales and saturation of magazine houses. Markets with rising economic rates like Asia and essence East, as a way out have become a target for westerns producers of beauty and fashion magazines.FASHION MAGAZINES AND THEIR IMPACTMany women across cultures are influenced by general trends in fashion and follow although at a distance the fashion industry. The relationship between consumers and trends is complex but it is mediated by fashion magazines.The difference between international fashion magazines and their local versions is that the international issues tend to carry a predominance of images for multinational products. (Shaw, 1999). Such magazines are growing in popularity in Asia and this popularity has bought about a change in perspective regarding the depiction o f woman and products in local magazines. Griffin, Viswanath, and Schwartz(1994) found in a study comparison images in weekly U.S. news magazines (Time and Life) to weekly Indian magazines (India Today and Illustrated weekly of India), that many of the western advertising principles and poses for women were being conveyed across nations. They confirmed that female models in India were taking on poses that related closely to gender portrayals of the advanced western nations. A recent analysis of magazines international and local in China by Frith, Cheng and Shaw (2004) suggests that Caucasian models are more frequently shown in seductive dresses than Asian models. Feminist critiques like Kates, Shaw and Garlock (1999) would argue that western magazines are cultural institutions that represent women in a problematic and often unacceptable way although attractive female bodies and sexual content have for long been used in the west to hold consumers to a product and generate interest. Comparing this to the representation of woman across cultures with reference to the few studies conducted on the topic Griffin, Viswanath and Schwartz (1994) concluded that the use of Sexual out of bounds as a theme was used three times more often in American magazines than magazines in India. In conservative Asian countries like Malaysia and Indonesia only Caucasian women were used in Lingerie advertisements (Frith and Mueller, 2003). all magazine wanting to be resonant with its target audience needs to represent the cordial norms and cultural values of the given society. International magazines like drift and Elle although have publishing houses in Asian countries most often train their employees in the west. The result being that the forms of representation and especially that of woman can take on a globalized look. As Kyung-Ja Lee,(2000, pg 86) has rightly said for thirty years, media have been taken to parturiency for reproducing and reinforcing stereotyped images of woma n. Yet unfair representation of woman in media still prevails worldwide. Sex stereotyping has been so deeply ingrained, even glorified, that the woman themselves have become desensitised to their own inferior portrayal. The prospects appear even gloomier as the globalisation of media progressesPrevious researchers have noted that the images of models used in magazines have been extensively retouched to represent the ideal of beauty that is unattainable for all but a very few people.(Greer,1999). By showing models that are uniformly thin, flawless and perfectly proportioned the media may contribute towards low self esteem and unhappiness among woman and give rise to problems like eating disorders.( Gauntlett, 2002) Media is also considered a large contributor to the global increase in plastic surgery to change physical appearance among young misss (Lee, 2007). With most models used in international magazines being white the publications are rarefying the ethnic beauty ideals. In fac t the obsession with whitening products may be a result of this overuse of White models in Asian publications.Finally as global media takes readers away from local publications and changing Asian beauty ideals it is important to study the doctor of international beauty ideal on local consumers. The Asian society has predominantly been a conservative society yet with the onset of westernisation this society is changing and adapting itself. But as Marieke de Mooij states, product usage or acceptance does not change overnight, as peoples behaviour is stable . A new idea or concept is only accepted when it is consistent to a change in society and does not imply a fundamental change in culture.Essay 2 THE VOGUE IMPACTThis essay will discuss Vogue magazines cover page and its relationship with its brand identity. Can the brand fortunately globalised by altering its cover page image, based on cultural and social variants in each of its markets? Would normalization of the brands cover pag e images and visual identity help to avoid criticism on its entry into a new market?VOGUE BEGININGStarted in 1982 Vogue magazine is predominantly an American cultural phenomenon. It began as a social weekly periodical and nurtured into a professional and self-confident monthly publication under the leadership of Cond Nast which took over trend in 1909. Primarily as a lifestyle magazine catering to both men and woman Vogue has come a long way to be at the pinnacle as the fashion magazine for woman in panache (David, A., 2006). In an age where French fashion was considered the ultimate Vogue managed to put American Couture on the map. Under the Cond Nast umbrella the magazine not only managed to become a brand severalize in its own farming but also exported fashion ideas to the world.Today Cond Nast which has a portfolio of 127 magazines in 23 countries believes Vogue to be its cash cow. At present there are a million fashion and beauty magazines such as In Style, Elle and Cosmop olitan circulated around the globe, but in times of crises citizens all over turn to Vogue to confirm the latest fashion news. With readership and subscription levels of about 220,000 a month for the British Vogues, 133,000 a month for the French Vogue and American Vogue, at 1.2 million a month Vogue is the leading magazine in the business of fashion. (IPC Advertising reports) The once dinky publication eventually became an international phenomenon with issues being published in more than 12 countries.YEAR OF LAUNCHCOUNTRY /EDITION1916British Vogue1918Spanish Vogue1920French Vogue1924-1926Argentinean Vogue1928German Vogue1964Italian Vogue1975Brazilian Vogue1994Singapore Vogue1996Korean Vogue1996 Chinese Vogue1999Japanese Vogue1999Latin American Vogue2000Greek Vogue2005Chinese Vogue2007Indian VogueSince its birth the magazine has strived to serve the society by portraying an example of proper etiquette, beauty, composure and fashion. The magazine not only plays a role in setting lat est trends but also records the changes in cultural depending, actions and clothing through its images. Looking at Vogue through the ages it can be clearly seen that it is also a accompaniment of the changing roles of woman, and the influences of cultural ideas and politics over time. The power the Vogue magazine has over generations of women has inspired many new magazines like Cosmopolitan and Glamour all interested in its market share. In spite of this great quantity of magazines circulating around the globe, considering circulation figures and media impact no other publication has managed to accomplish the haunting power and success of Vogue. (David, R., 2007)VOGUE IMAGESelf definition has always been crucial to vogue. (David, A., 2006). Throughout its first 30 years vogue editors and illustrators made use of the French meaning of vogue, defined in the first dictionary of the Acadmie Franaise (1694) as the impulsion or movement of a galley or other ship by the force of rowing . It was only in the 18th century that vogue and fashion were listed as synonyms (Fraud 17878).Since its first issue Vogue magazine has been personified as a youthful young woman. The magazines first cover presented itself in the disguise of a debutante, a young socialite. When Cond Nast bought the magazine in 1909 he brought it into line with other successful publishing ventures and in just over a decade, circulation went from 14,000 to 150,000 while advertising revenue soared from $76,111 to two million dollars (Robinson 1923 170). He modernised the magazine not just the content but also the cover. He replaced the black and white drawings of the front cover with commissioned, lavish, stylised and signed illustrations. This change helped to attract attention to the magazine and increase circulations. As an advertising man, he understood the value of having a visual brand or logo and Nast revived the original Vogue trademark, a heroic little sketch which immediately became cognize as the Vogue girl (David, A., 2006). This first Vogue girl was just an illustration clad in a fancy dress with the than fashionable leg-o-mutton sleeves. Her unnatural ivory white skin, snow white wig, tiny waist and voluptuous bosom, was directed at the fantasies of the magazines readers (David, A., 2006).The Vogue girl represented the heritage of those Americans who wished to be different from the New World Americans and was constantly seen as wearing historical costumes and heirlooms. Than too the new world American woman aspired to look like her. All this changed in the 1920s when the Vogue girl was changed to an illustration by Georges Lepape. This new image was more streamlined and represented the woman at the heights of fashion in the 1920s. Vogue had gone from importing fashion to exporting it. As times changed so did the magazine cover from illustrations to photographs, devising models like Cindy Crawford and celebrities like Madonna a household name. This change in its i mage was a response to the internationalisation of the magazine.Today the vogue cover girls are the most glamorous, exotic, unusual and popular persons of the moment. The trend being more towards actresses than models dressed in the heights of fashion, styled by the best stylist and clicked by A-list photographers they are every girls aspiration and every boys fantasy. Like its cover girls the magazines is considered to be glamorous, glossy and trendy. (Alexandra Shulman, Vogue U.K. editor). Despite of having these factors common among them, the vogue covers are dissimilar in many aspects depending upon its country of publication.CULTURE AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOURAnglo Saxon psychological research states that the concept of self and record are the basis of Western consumer behaviour. The words identity or genius have no fixed meaning in the Asian culture. A global brand needs to consider the cultural differences to truly succeed in the world field. A number of research experts and cul tural studies suggest that a brand should think global, act local. This is based upon the theory that the way people think and perceive any brand or image is guided by the framework of their own culture (Mooij, M, 2009). The observation of Japanese individuality as a sign of westernisation of the country is a misconception of many global brands.For more than a decade international magazines have been accused of standardising a beauty ideal across the globe with disregard to the individual cultural and beauty ideals of the host country. For a short duration the values and attributes of a foreign or global personality exponent have a strong attraction, but ultimately people return to their own local values and culture. For a Brazilian woman the tension is on her bottom, um corpo de violo which literally means a guitar shaped body is most desirable. No matter how many international magazines showcase buxom beauties, the Brazilian woman would ultimately want a bigger bottom as the poi nt of attraction is the sweet swing of the hips. The illustration of a desirable Japanese woman in The memoirs of a Gesha suggest, that the Japanese appreciate soft delicate feminine features, small feet and long hair cut in layers. A abbreviate slender graceful body is more desirable than a curvaceous one. In Islamic countries the body is considered an obstacle in viewing ones true beauty. Any bodily decorations or changes are considered a veil over the inner beauty and the Hijab is another veil to conceal these changes so that the womans only public identity would be her inner self. For the Greek it has been symmetry in structure and features, based on Platos ideas that, beauty is that which irradiates symmetry rather than symmetry itself. The Nuba tribe in Sudan like dark skin and hairlessness. On studying traditional Indian paintings it can be concluded that the Indian ideals of beauty in a woman is voluptuousness, with the intumesce and hips being of prominence.( Ei, 2008) Th e image and identity associated with woman of different geographical locations are deep rooted in their respective cultures. The beauty ideals and a womans self image in any culture can be understood by studying its paintings, sculpture and artistic representations. Today the artistic or idealistic representations of women are magazine covers, images and photo spreads. These covers are also considered a mode of advertisement for the magazine within that culture. As Steve Taylor has rightly put in his book 100 years of magazine covers it is hard to identify another cultural artefact which embodies an advertisement for itself in such a powerful way. Magazine covers can be breathtaking, beautiful, confrontational, resonant, heartbreaking, stimulating, irritating and uplifting. At their best they come together as a kind of spontaneous street level exhibition, publicly displaying the work of some of our best creative talent, featuring what is most admirable and dismissible about the mode rn world, communicating the people and events that shape our culture.Apart from a mode of advertisement of todays culture a magazine cover plays a dual function of advertising the magazine brand itself. An impressive cover encourages people to flip through the magazine and buy it. (Alexandra Shulman, British Vogue editor). Getting the magazine cover right is not only ethically important but also financially important to the magazine in order to develop brand loyalty and increased circulations. Thus making it important to study magazine covers as a mode of advertisement and part of the marketing mix, for a magazine publication.MAGAZINE COVERS AS BRAND VISUAL IDENTITYIt is a common assumption that an advertisement would be hard-hitting if the viewer decodes the advertisement successfully, if there is a significant transfer of attributes. (Mooij, M., 2009). Thus while developing one idea for a global brand or one single motivator for different cultures, one should not assume that the responses would be alike too. An idea being interpreted accurately by the consumers would only happen if the senders and receivers share one culture. If they do not share the same cultural values it may result in misunderstandings and demeaning of brand value within that culture. For example consider the inaugural Vogue covers of India and China. The Indian Vogue cover was styled by the magazines British fashion director while the Chinese vogue was styled by French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld (China economic net and Fashion week daily dispatch). The covers were not rightly decoded by the consumers and received overmuch criticism. Whereas the covers for the preceding months styled by Anaita Shroff Adajania the fashion director for Vogue India was highly appreciated.(Fashion week daily dispatch)The essence of a brand is that it is a name in the memory of consumers. It is a perceptual map of positive and negative associations, a symbolic language, and a network of associations. (Moo ij, M.,2009). Vogue with its launch in many Asian countries received much negative associations with its local issues. The local Asian issues of Vogue are considered small ripples in the big pond of Fashion magazines (Armstrong ,L, 2009) and they could never manage to create the impact that American vogue or Italian Vogue have managed to create world over. Vogue India or Vogue China might be sell worldwide but it is not necessary that consumers in all countries consider them global brands. One theory suggests that a global brand is a brand that is strongly associated with its country of origin (Mooij, M., 2009) and for Vogue its been America. This can be considered positive if the country of origin has a stable global identity. With American values fit ambiguous and Vogue bifurcating into multiple countries over time its core identity may be threatened. The idea of incorporating local aesthetics with their global image might dilute the brands global image.STANDARDISATIONA multinati onal companys personality and identity are the biggest factors influencing consumer (Eales, 1990 as cited in Melewar,T.C, Saunders, J., 1998). Unrestricted global trade, a competitive securities industry and the fast technological developments have created a situation where consumers dont just buy the product they also buy the company that produces it. The brands character, its identity, its image and the confidence it inspires in them help in making the choice between two almost similar product offerings in the market. At the centre of any business and its projected image is its corporate visual identity system. The elements of this system are name, symbol, and/or logo, typography, colour and slogan (Dowling, 1994). These elements help to sell the company to consumers and its stakeholders. Corporate identity programs have risen due to globalisation (Ind, 1992). The changing business tactics, geographical locations, variations in cultures and changing markets have all encouraged c ompanies to change their corporate identity. As companies begin to pop off on an international basis, the image that they acquired as national producers often becomes inappropriate (Mills, 1988 as cited in Melewar,T.C, Saunders, J., 1998).Some international companies adopt a unified brand image in spite of government and consumer displeasure. The degree of de-standardisation of any company depends upon the strength of the host countries culture, government policies and target market. (Mooij, M., 2009). The decision to standardise a brand image also depends upon the competitive edge derived in either keeping activities central or decentralizing them. However a brand like Vogue that has a truly global orientation needs to express consistent brand values wherever it chooses to compete. Thus making its worldwide image more recognisable for its homogeneity than not.A major component of a corporate identity is the corporate structure. (Strong, 1987) According to Ind (1992) there exist t wo corporate identities, one that is the organisational structure and the other that is the visual structure. The Visual structure is concerned with the branding of the product, and how it appears to the consumers. (Gray Smeltzer, 1985 as cited in Melewar, T.C., Saunders, J., 1998). The basic concern with the visual structure is the degree of centralization and decentralisation.Thus the basic problem faced by Vogue is whether to sell an identical product image to all its consumers or to make modifications as per the local differences. A global brand can be a mass brand satisfying a common product need in all the countries or it can be a brand catering to a common niche in all the countries. Vogue magazine has two options, being a global brand it could standardize the brand and the brand image across the globe so that the Indian woman reading the Indian Vogue would feel equal to the French or American woman reading their respective Vogues. The other option it has is to go local, d ifferentiate between its offerings and treat each market as an individual and not a global product while standardising its visual image, giving the impression of a common brand.Researchers argue that standardisation of a brand helps the company to achieve a uniform image internationally which in turn increases sales.(Buzzell, 1968, Hovells Walters, 1972 as cited in Melewar, T.C., Saunders, J., 1998) . Others were of the opinion that standardisation makes consumers familiar with the product, its services, business diversities and competitive distinction thus helping to establish a uniform corporate image.(Peebles et al ,1977 as cited in Melewar, T.C., Saunders, J., 1998). Cosmopolitan for example is known around the globe to address personal and sex related issues as it does not change its editorials and articles depending on culture. The band logo/ font type, position or style does not differ according to geographical locations. The brand has achieved a sense of standardisation b y not having a distinct country name printed on its cover unlike Vogue.The research on global corporate visual identity systems by T.C. Melewar and John Saunders (1998) proved that firms with highly standardised corporate visual identity systems (CVIS) saw themselves reaping more reward from their CVIS than did those with low CVIS standardisation. All custom

Changing Pattern of Consumer Behaviour

Changing Pattern of Consumer BehaviourToday plaques need a deep insight into consumer behaviour and its ever-changing patterns in rank to survive in the market place. Large organizations have highly trained individuals recruited to collect information about the consumers constantly changing inevitably and trends so that they bath get focused on what is required by consumer so that they goat cater those needs as accurately and efficiently as possible .Harrods is iodin of the worlds about well-known de come apartment stores situated on Brampton Road in Knightsbridge, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, capital of the United Kingdom, England It was established in 1849 as a delicate mart store with only if two helpers. Today, it offers its customers with e rattlingthing from food to fashion, furniture to sportswear plus 20 in-store restaurants serving every kind of cuisine imaginable from pizza to sushi. serve range from piano tuning to fitting saddles. Must-see sights include the Food Halls, the Egyptian Hall and the Pet Department. (Visit London)Harrods after tenure of great success has lately seen a falling trend in its sales. Harrods, at that placefore, has nurture study the behaviour of its consumers much than closely in secernate to know the reasons of this unfortunate decline in sales. This writing contains an analysis of this study, external discharges and how they finish be used positively to augment the sales It mentions the strategies Harrods can use in order to get the same time-honored and prestigious position back in the marketplace.Task 1 Impact of out-of-door InfluencesAn insight into the behaviour of consumers at HarrodsHarrods is a high end departmental store which offers a great range of products and services. Once opened as a small grocery shop has now matured to become a good example for posh and glamorous shopping, complementing itself on its motto Omnia Omnibus Ubique which means that All things, for all tidy sum, everywhere. It is famous about Harrods that you can steal anything you can name at Harrods, from a hair pin to furniture. (go there guide)Consumer behaviour is a study of when, how and where muckle buy or do non buy trusted products or services. When buying a product, consumers usually go through several(prenominal) st dates which can be named as need recognition, information search, evaluation of disparate purchase options, purchase decision and post purchase behaviour e.g. a need arise when you see your menses television set is out go out and pretty aged(prenominal) fashion or whitethorn be its broken. You decide that you want a new television and then start looking for distinct options transferring yourself to the next stage and you start looking for which television to buy and from which place this is the stage when Harrods should come in the school principal of a consumer. Then a consumer evaluates mingled with contrary available options which Harrods has advantage of providing consumer all under unrivaled roof and then finally he buys a product. (East, 2008)Harrods is considered a glamorous shopping place. though nearly everything is available at Harrods but the target market segment that Harrods focuses on is the upper class. This is the market segment the luffion at Harrods keeps in mind while carrying out its marketing activities. state visiting Harrods may belong to any age group but majority of them belong to the social class A and expect a service that is up to the mark. They expect that the product available at Harrods would belong to the highest of the qualities available.Marketers define four instances of buying behaviours and it is based on the type of products that the consumer intends to buy. All four types of buying behaviors can be witnessed in the consumers at Harrods as a vast range of products be available at Harrods.Complex buying behaviourThis where the person purchases a high value mug and inquires abo ut a lot of information before the purchase is made. This may be when a consumer is buying a very expensive outfit of Paul Smith Black at HarrodsHabitual buying behaviourThis is when soulfulness purchases a product out of routine e.g. a daily newspaper, sugar or salt. This is applicable for a consumer buying grocery from the grocery section class seeking buying behaviourIt is when the person likes to shop around and try out with different products. Some consumers at Harrods do not have the specific vane in mind beforehand when they shop for any product so they experiment different brands.Dissonance reducing buying behaviourThis is the type of behaviour when buyer is extremely c oncerned with the purchase of the product, because the purchase is expensive or occasional. An example could be buying expensive furniture at Harrods. (Micheal.R.Solomon, 2005)The management at Harrods needs to keep all these consumer behaviour theories like what makes consumer buy a product, what kind of behaviours can they adopt while shopping at Harrods in mind and factors can cause a stir in consumer buying patterns in mind while they divvy up their management decisions. They specially need to be aw are of the expectations of their consumers and what exactly they want from Harrods in order to improve and find the loop holes which might be leading to a fall in sales.External Factors may influence Buying BehaviourConsumer behaviour can be affected by various factors that may be highly uncontrollable by marketers. These external factors may include the opinion of your friends, the values and the expressive style you are brought up, the media, the culture, certain groups you interact with etc. All of these external factors are mentioned in elaborate with respect to the consumers of Harrods as followsCultureCulture does influence consumer behaviour culture is defined as our attitudes and beliefs. The point that we need to know here is the way these attitudes and beliefs are devel oped. As a person matures, a child is influenced by his parents, siblings and other family members who may educate them about rights and wrongs. They learn about their religion and culture, which helps them develop these opinions, attitudes and beliefs.. (Micheal.R.Solomon, 2005) geographical CultureHarrods needs to determine the culture of people living in London. The way they are brought up and what their values are. Do people living in London like to go to glamorous shopping places like Harrods? Are they comfortable shopping at much(prenominal) high end places? What are their buying trends and do they prefer large shopping places over small ones? Can people living there afford to buy expensive or do they usually dismiss this much on average? All these questions need to be answered in order understand the psyche of consumers living in London and cater them according to their needs.If we go back into history, UK is a class based society and or so remains of such behaviour are s till existent. mickle who belong to a high class do like to show off and go to high end places but as time is breathing out this frame of mind is changing. This change of mind may be one of the factors leading to fall in demand for Harrods.SubcultureSubcultures can be defined as members that possess beliefs, values and customs that set them apart from other members of the same society. There can be nationality, ethnic, racial, geographical or religious sub cultures.People belonging to various parts of the world and belonging to various sets of beliefs and norms live in London, which leads a complex set of people who may have different beliefs and norms mixed up. Understanding and catering to all of them is not very realistic but Harrods needs have knowledge regarding major subcultures so that its products are designed according to it and their do not hurt anyones beliefs and norms. (Leon G Schiffman, 1997) global CultureIn order to make sure that the products it is offering is in line with the Global culture, Harrods needs to study the global trends of buying behaviour as well. Generally people around the globe have started preferring large shopping malls over small specific buying areas. This facilitates a consumer in a way that all the products are available under one roof. As people are acquire more and busier with their work lives, this saves time.Moreover the world is overly moving towards better quality products and services. Designer clothes and fashion apparel are getting popular. Brands are getting global. This trend of customers goes in favour of Harrods. Multinationals have the brought the consumer base to one platform which in a way has helped marketers to understand complex behaviours. (my library) root GroupsReference group is an actual or imaginary individual or group concealed of having significant relevance upon an individuals evaluations, aspirations and behaviour.Marketers have seen that name groups can strongly influence buying behavio urs. Reference groups are particular set of people some people may look up towards to that have an impact on consumer behaviour. So they can be only a band like the Savage Garden or your direct family members. Marketers have grouped reference groups into classes to comprehend the way the influence more clearly. (Micheal.R.Solomon, 2005)Types of Reference GroupsNormativeSome group and individuals are more powerful than others and affect a broader range of consumption decisions. A very good example would be family. Your upbringing really has a strong influence on your likes and dislikes, definitions of right and wrong. Family values and practices usually do not change and develop basic standards of behavior. If a family is used shop from department stores rather than individuals outlets or it may be particularly Harrods then this practice may be passed on to further generations as well and this how the cycle goes on. (M.Khan, 2007)ComparativeThese are the people you compare yourself t o and can relate to e.g. friends, neighbors or a club you are a member of. Some of these may be ones you aspire and want to imitate. A person may start shopping from Harrods because a friend of his shops from Harrods and he likes it very much and recommended him as well. (M.Khan, 2007)Reference groups can further be divided into direct and indirect reference groups direct are the ones you have suffer in person with and indirect may be the ones you may not have direct contact with such as celebrities. (Balythe, 2008)Marketers cannot directly manipulate your direct reference groups or use them for their benefits but indirect reference groups can easily be used by marketers. Harrods needs to study about its consumers reference groups and use them in its favour. If Harrods serves its existing consumers really well they will mechanically prove to be a resourceful reference group for some effectiveness consumers. They can also use celebrity endorsements referent powers. (Wagner, 2003)Op inion leaderOpinion leaders are the people who have greater knowledge about a certain thing than a lay man so you respect their views and that may influence consumer behaviour. Most of the times it would really affect the behaviour if the thing to buy is a highly technological product, may be a hi-tech computer and the opinion leader in that case may be a computer expert. (CL Tyagi, 2004)Economic EnvironmentEconomic environment has a great influence on buying behaviour. People usually spend more during good economic times and during an economic boom and likewise less during recessions.Lately aggregate demand around the globe felt imputable to global recession. People were out of jobs and businesses were heading towards a downfall which left people with less disposable incomes on hand to spend. This may also be one of the factors leading to Harrods reduced sales. (Angus Deaton, 1980)CompetitionCompetition is another factor which influences the consumer behavior. This provides consume rs with more options available so they start comparing between the available options and selects the one which benefits them the approximately. Harrods has a few potential competitors mentioned belowSelfridgesThere is store called Selfridges Co. It is also one of the largest areas in the world with 540,000 sq.ft of selling area. It is located on the Oxford Street which is a prime posh location. Like Harrods, it is also famous among consumers for providing a large range of products and services. The difference between Harrods and Selfridges could be that Selfridges is more focused towards entertainment as it has 15 bars, cafes and restaurants inside the area. It has two more smaller department stores, one in Manchester and the other in (business week)Marks and SpencerAnother strong competition would be Marks and Spencer (MS). It is a British retail chain and it has 330 department stores and over 340 food location all over UK. It does not operate in UK only but has over 300 location s in countries including Indonesia, South Korea, India and China. The factor that differentiates M S from Harrods is that it core range consists of mid-priced household items, fashion apparel and other products whereas Harrods is designed for the best or may be for everything rather a narrowed specific price range.M S has been in this market for more than cytosine years and has been ranked as the no. 1 supplier of women wear. Moreover, the company makes 90% of its sales in its home country which certainly is UK. It can devote Harrods a tough competition if Harrods get til now a little bit lenient in its services (business week)Fortnum MasonThis is 300 year old department store. It is very famous for its food which includes jams, teas, and sauces. It also supplies Queen with annual Christmas puddings. It has five restaurants and though it generates most of its sales from food but it also sells gifts, luggage, household products, cosmetics etc.Though its product range and the ar ea of focus are not exactly same as Harrods but it can be counted as a competition and was mentioned by a number of consumers at Harrods. (business week)Task 2 Recommended perspective StrategyPerceptionA study of human light can also help marketers to understand the consumer behaviour. Perception is the process by which people select, organize and interpret their sensations where sensation is how are sensory receptors (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, fingers) to basic stimuli such as light, colour, sound, odor and texture. Like a computer system human mind also processes the information in order to perceive things. (Martin E Evans, 2009)This is the age of sensory marketing. Marketers make use of impact of sensations on consumers product experiences. They use vision, hearing, touch and taste in order to create an compass of the brand in the minds of the consumer to create a competitive advantage. Marketers try and create brands unique association with the sensation. (Hawyer, 2008)Harrods may use a certain trade dress which is colour crew an organization uses so frequently that consumers start associating that brand with that colour combination. Whenever they see that colour combination around their mind recalls the brand in sub-consciousness. This is how marketers create an get word that can last very long in the minds of the consumers through our sensations as consumers start associating those brands to different things.Consumers perception about the brand consists of both its functional attributes as well as the symbolic attitudes. Functional attitudes may include its price its features etc. and symbolic may include its estimate. Marketers have discovered that consumers evaluation of a certain product is more dependent on what it means rather than what it does. This meaning has more to do with products market position and it may be more to do with our expectations of the product as communicated by its colour, packaging and styling rather than the product itsel f. (Kathy Niel, 2007)Therefore, Harrods should use these tools of sensation in order to create an send off of Harrods that consumers cannot forget an image that stays in the minds. It should create a certain sensation so that consumers can associate the brand with that sensation. This automatically attracts a consumer towards a brand as it creates a certain impact in the minds of the consumers that lasts for very longer periods of time.AttitudeAttitude is actually a learned behaviour. They may be favourable and bad attitude for a product or a service. Marketers say that attitudes have the quality of motivation, they can lead consumer towards certain behaviour or can even stop him from doing so. Harrods should try and develop a positive attitude about itself in the minds of the consumers. (Micheal.R.Solomon, 2005)Harrods have had certain issues which may lead to a prejudicious attitude. Harrods in order to maintain its glamorous image threw a lady out from the store. Eilene Kadden , from California, was ejected from the store because she did not have the right image she was too fat. Such kinds of incidents adversely affect the image of the brand and such incidents can lead to negative attitudes for the brand in the minds of the consumers. Harrods should respect its customers irrespective of race, colour, ethnicity and physical attributes of a person.Tri-Component Attitude flummoxAccording to this model attitude consists of three components which are cognitive, affective and conative components. (Micheal.R.Solomon, 2005)The cognitive component consists of persons cognitions i.e. his knowledge and perception about the brand. This may be formed by a combination direct exposure and from other sources. Harrods should create a positive impression in the minds of the consumers through its image, service and behaviour.The affective component is more about the speck of the consumer. How related and ruttishly attached he is to the brand. A family might be shopping f rom Harrods from last three generations and may develop an emotional attachment to the store. These emotions can further affect the actions of the consumers. They van be negative as well.The Conative component deals with the actual behaviour of the consumer, it is also called the consumers intention to buy.This model can help Harrods to develop a positive attitude among its current and targeted consumers. Harrods should try to factually as well emotionally create a positive feeling about the brand.SelfSelf-concept is the beliefs that customer holds about himself. It can be positive as well as negative. At times you feel that a part of you is more positive. People buy products which they can relate to themselves. What is the reason that social class A is the major consumer at Harrods? It is that all the products are designed keeping the social class as a target market segment and so they can relate to it.Positioning StrategyThis is the way a brand portrays itself and places itself i n the minds of the consumers. Positioning a brand is a very crucial task. This is what can either make a brand or break a brand. When a marketer targets a certain market segments, it intends to different itself from the other brands through its competitive advantage.How to PositionWhen a brand is to position itself, the very archetypical step when a business decides to enter the market to describe the market in which the brand is to enter and to struggle. The market where Harrods is to compete is London. It is posh area where people spend money to avail highest quality products and services. The next step would be to collect information from the relevant consumers about what perception do they have regarding the competing brands in the market. Harrods needs to understand what attributes regarding the shopping stores are most favourable in the minds of the consumers. It needs a complete knowledge about the likes, dislikes, preferences and frame of mind of the relevant consumers it i ntends to target. It needs to determine the share of mind of all the competing brands which are mentioned above including Selfridges, Marks and Spencer, Fortnum and Masom. It needs to rank the competitors and the attributes which would be hard to compete. At the end it needs to position itself using the combination of the preferable attributes and attributes of the brand itself to capture a territory in the minds of the consumer.Era of MarketingThis is the age of Marketing. Marketing a brand is becoming more important than the product itself. The Marketers study the market in detail, segment the market into different segments based on demographics and psychographics and then select the most profitable segment as the targeted segment. All the products and services are then designed keeping that particular segment in mind. All the decisions are also taken in accordance to that particular targeted segment. (Gerit Antonides, 1998)Harrods instead of taking decsions keeping the products a nd services in mind, needs to take decisions keeping the preferences of targeted consumers in mind. If a certain brand in preffered and renowned in US but people in UK prefer other brands over it which may even be of roughly lower quality, opting for that brand of better quality would not be sensible decision. Harrods has taken some bad decesions in the past to save its glamorous image it has kept a range of brands which are not even liked by most of the people in London which is a failure for Harrods to understand the psyche of its consumers.Suitable Positiong Strategy for HarrodsThe three major positioning concepts known among the marketers and they are functional, symbolic and experiential position. Functional position is when the firm shows itself as the resolving to problems. It promotes the benefits that can provide and gain a favourable position.Symbolic postioning is when a organization uses its image, belongingness and egoistic image which provides the comsumers with soci al meaningfulness. This is the kind of positioning suitable for an organization like Harrods and this is what it has been doing in the past as well but a certain change is needed to make this symbolic position better. These changings would be mentioned further in the report.Experiential position is when an oraganization makes use of the consumers sensory and cognitive stimulation and the concepts of perception to create an image in the minds of the consumers that consumers can relate to.Harrods Current PositioningHarrods has positioned itself as a high-end, glamorous, luxurious and high end department store. It has not positioned itself as a department store but as an unforgettable experience. Harrods has a reputation for excellence and a motto Everything for Everybody Everywhere. Consumers know it as a place where you can buy everything. From sugar and potatoes to luxurious cars, everything is available at the Harrods. The major component or competitive advantage that Harrods has u sed is its grand image and variety.Repositioning HarrodsSome of the Harrods policies to maintain its high end image has in turn adversely affecting its reputation. The incidents of forcing people out due to their physical appearance and strict dress code rules make customers inconvenient and lead to a negative impression. Harrods need to add a component of lowliness in its positioning statement. The feeling that one gets when he hears about Harrods is of arrogance and attitude. A tinge of humbleness needs to be added to the image in order to create a positive impression.Harrods should try and create an image of an environment amiable organization. People once protested against Harrods selling animal fur. Such kind of incidents would not happen if you have you have a complete knowledge about youre the culture and values of targeted consumers and people around.Harrods should encourage the brands operating inside the store to promote green environment and produce as many environment f riendly products as they can and take steps for protecting the environment from every kind of pollution. This will lead to a responsible image about in Harrods in the minds of the consumers which will unquestionably in turn improve the sales.Online and Offline Positioning MessagesAs mentioned under the heading of repositioning Harrods, Harrods needs to promote a tinge of humbleness with its glamorous image. The current motto used by Harrods is Everything for Everybody Everywhere and All things, for all people, everywhere which portrays that literally everything is available at Harrods.Messages like Everything that you need because we care would promote an image of care and responsibility on part of the organization. This would portray that the organization is not selfish about its own benefits only. The attitude of the employees in the store will automatically depict the position and set a mark in the minds of the consumers.Moreover for offline positioning, Harrods can launch campa igns for environment protection. It can sponsor such activities in order to create an impact and show that it actually cares and contributing towards the society.ConclusionHarrods is a very famous and well known brand. It has successfully achieved its targets and continuously improved and expand over the years. Its management worked efficiently to satisfy the needs of its consumers. It was clear and focused on the segment it was targeting and therefore tailored its products accordingly.Due to some external factors and some of the bad decisions that Harrods took declined its sales. The image that Harrods was enjoying is slightly damaged but its not late to make for the mistakes in the past.Moreover, every firm needs to innovate and re-position itself according to changing environment. Harrods in order to earn its position back needs to make slight changes in its positioning. It should get more humble towards its customers and promote environmentally friendly products.Task 3 Individua l Critical Reflection on Learning OutcomesCritical Reflection on Learning OutcomesBefore the start of the staff, I was not sure of whether it will further enhance my learning or not. The theories I was to expected to apply in the staff were the ones I had already studied several times so I was not looking forward to any further new learning and experience.As I started working on the module and started gathering information about Harrods, I realized that my perception about the module was entirely wrong. Though I didn.t learn anything new in the module but it gave me an opportunity to apply what I have learned in a real life situation. All the concepts and course material that I studied in the course was practically applied to solve the given problem of reduced sales.Moreover, while I was studying for the course I had an impression that most of the concepts mentioned in the course books are only for theoretical purposes and are not used or helpful to the firms in real life situatio ns. My opinion was turn up wrong while I working on the module as I saw that firms do use these concepts and they do help them in dread the behaviour of consumers which is critical for their success.This module was a great experience. Though collecting information and analysis was a little tough and tiresome but it was value it. The data collection on the external factors influencing the consumer behavior was really difficult classifying it and coming up with useful results and conclusions was even more troublesome. This module specifically raise my analytical skills and improved my confidence of practically applying theoretical knowledge.ReferencesAngus Deaton, J. M. (1980). Economics and consumer behaviour.Balythe, J. (2008). Consumer Behaviour.business week. (n.d.). Retrieved august 27, 2010, from business week http//investing.businessweek.com/researchCL Tyagi, A. K. (2004). Consumer Behaviour.East, R. (2008). Consumer Behaviour.Gerit Antonides, W. F. (1998). Consumer Behavio ur.go there guide. (n.d.). Retrieved august 2010, 28, from go there guide http//www.gothereguide.comHawyer, W. D. (2008). Consumer Behaviour.Kathy Niel, S. P. (2007). Consumer Behaviour Implications for marketing strategy.Leon G Schiffman, H. H. (1997). consumer behaviour.M.Khan. (2007). Consumer Behaviour.Martin E Evans, G. F. (2009). Consumer Behaviour .Micheal.R.Solomon. (2005). Consumer Behaviour buying, having, being (8th ed.).my library. (n.d.). Retrieved shocking 28, 2010, from my library http//www.accessmylibrary.comVisit London. (n.d.). Retrieved August 28, 2010, from Visit London http//www.visitlondon.com/attractions/Wagner, S. (2003). Understanding Green Consumer Behaviour.

Topics of Discussion in Educational Studies :: essays research papers

Topics of Discussion in Educational StudiesI read the article Another Look at what young Children Should Be learning because the title interested me, how do we decide what to teach and when? Who controls the standards for a school? Is it up to the teacher or is it something that the teachers were told to teach? In many cases I understand that it is a mixture of both the teachers influence and what the teacher is required to do. This makes me think back to my own experiences in school, being taught incompatible thing and now I think, why was I taught that? This article came up with some very interesting points about education.Some of these things that I read in the article I can directly relate to my own experience. In my high school and junior high we always had learning goals. They would come up with acronyms to foster us remember them and make us do project involving them. In high school they were called the ESLERS, what it stood for escapes me now. I guess the school thought it was a effectual idea to make sure that every classroom had these learning goals posted on the wall. I thought that was always a little silly, still I cant think of a better way of using them. It never really helped me personally but I could see how it could help others.Learning though interaction at a young age was also mentioned in the article, I have memories of this in use as well. In my elementary school we would always have these weird things that would be secretly teaching us something. Like our first grade teacher introduced us to algebra in a way. He drew this machine on the board, and then he said that he is putting a number in one side. so he showed us what came out the other side, and we had to figure out what the machine did. He let us put in different numbers, and it was fun. If I occasion a teacher I hope that I could be that creative when it comes to teaching.In the article they talk about how some methods of teaching could be good in the short run test scores, bu t not in the long run education of the student. They say that the amount of drills and practice in reading material is a good way to teach reading, but could undermine the students disposition toward reading.

Medieval Sourcebook: Bede: Conversion of England :: European History Essays

Medieval Sourcebook Bede Conversion of EnglandThe Arrival in Kent of the missionaries sent By Gregory the Great (597)In the year of our Lord 582, Maurice, the fifty-fourth emperor from Augustus, ascended the bathroom and reigned twenty-one years. In the tenth year of his reign, Gregory, a man renowned for learning and behavior, was promoted to the apostolic see of Rome, and presided over it thirteen years, six months, and ten days. He, macrocosm moved by divine inspiration, about the one hundred and fiftieth year after the coming of the English into Britain, sent the servant of God, Augustine, and with him several former(a) monks who feared the Lord, to preach the word of God to the English nation. . . . Augustine, with his companions, arrived in Britain.. The powerful Ethelbert was at that time king of Kent he had extended his dominions as far as the striking river Humber, by which the southern Saxons are divided from the northern. On the east of Kent is the large Isle of Thanet, containing, according to the English way of reckoning, six hundred families, and divided from the some other land by the river Wantsum, which is about three furlongs across and fordable only in two places, for both ends of it run into the sea. In this island arrive the servant of our Lord, Augustine, and his companions, being, as is reported, nearly forty men. They had, by order of the blessed Pope Gregory, brought interpreters of the nation of the Franks, and sending to Ethelbert, signified that they were come from Rome, and brought a joyful message, which most undoubtedly certified to all that took advantage of it everlasting joys in heaven, and a kingdom that would never end with the living and true God. The king, having heard this, ordered them to stay in that island where they had landed and that they should be furnished with all necessaries till he should consider what to do with them. For he had heard of the Christian religion, having a Christian wife, of the royal family of the Franks, called Bertha, whom he had sure from her parents upon condition that she should be permitted to practice her religion with the bishop, Luidhard, who was sent with her to preserve the faith. Some days later the king came into the island and, sitting in the open air, ordered Augustine and his companions to be brought into his presence.