Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Buying Behavior & Market Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Purchasing Behavior and Market Analysis - Essay Example For this situation, the organization utilizes the perfect errand of the web of moving data to its advantage. This plan of action around eBay has increased a great deal of accomplishment in the neighborhood American market. Also, the model has been taken to various outside business sectors increasing a ton of achievement. For example, the model has been fruitful in the European markets in nations, for example, Germany, France, and England. Be that as it may, recreating this achievement has end up being an immense test for eBay in its Asian markets. Basically, there has been a disappointment of the model by eBay in Korea and China while its tasks in other Asian markets experience moderate development. Thusly, this uncover clarifies the elements adding to eBay’s disappointment in building up itself while utilizing the worldwide showcasing ideas. The Korean auxiliary of eBay, Internet Auction, commanded the closeout showcase over the web in South Korea in 2004. For this situation, the eBay auxiliary incomes represented 33% of eBay’s incomes in the Asian market. Nonetheless, a Korean upstart called Gmarket overwhelmed Internet Auction as far as the piece of the pie and thusly incomes profit altogether dropped. It is important that eBay’s chief opponent, Yahoo!, held a 10% stake in the startup. Viably, before the finish of 2006, Metrix brought up that the 17.2 million special guests in Gmarket outperformed the 17.1 million guests for eBay (Ihlwan, 2006). Then again, Eachnet’s- - the auxiliary unit of eBay in China- - CEO suddenly surrendered. As indicated by advertise investigators and specialists, the explanation behind the renunciation was eBay’s loss of its top situation in the Chinese web closeout showcase. For this situation, Alibaba.com’s Tao Bao positioned first while eBay’s Eachnet followed. It is essential to take note of that, the main opponent, Yahoo!, held 40% of Tao Bao’s adventure. As indicated by an organization, incompletely claimed by the administration, called China Internet Network Information Center semi, Tao Bao drove the online sale advertise in China with a 67% offer while eBay’s Eachnet held 29% of the piece of the overall industry (Mangalindan, 2006). One factor that eBay never considered was that, the worldwide methodology wherein online sale firms offered items across countries was down to earth in cases that opposition was constrained. For this situation at that point, since eBay controlled the Asian market before section of its rivals, it never did what's needed planning to realize when to change its unloading procedure. Furthermore, being the prevailing player made eBay become increasingly careless. The carelessness, pundits guaranteed, was confirm by eBay’s move in moving its Chinese operations’ dynamic obligations to its base camp in the United States in the wake of getting Eachnet. Indeed, pundits state that this procedure caused a brea kdown in correspondence with certain cases where it took a long time to address errors on their site (Lou and Feng, 2010). Then, eBay’s contenders focused on complaints by eBay’s customers and sellers. Inability to time its entrance into the Asian market, all the more so in Japan affected intensely its Asian achievement. The company’s move to join the market five months after its opponent Yahoo! bombed in its mission to build up itself as the pioneer in the Asian online closeout showcase. For this situation, there is the critical advantageous factor in setting up a solid footing by a first-mover in the online auctio

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Business accounting and the finance Pearson

This report has been set up on an Australian pany which name is TPG Tel restricted. This pany is working under the IT business and the Australian tel munication industry. The fundamental administrations of the pany are cell phone administrations and the internet providers. As indicated by a report, TPG tel is the second biggest apny in Australian market in network access supplier panies. This pany is for the most part a merger between complete peripherals gathering. This pany has been established in 1992 by Vickey Teoh and David. Fundamentally, this pany is performing great as far as money just as far as account (About us, 2018). Possession corporate administration of the TPG tel communicates about the way great structure of the financial specialists. 82.74% load of the pany own by the main 20 investors. The biggest investor of the pany is WASHINGTON H SOUL PATTINSON AND PANY LIMITED. The pany has held 25.15% supply of the pany. As of now, there are 6 investors in the pany who has over 5% stock in the pany’s shares and just 1 investor has over 20% stock. Further, the yearly report depict the CEO, official chiefs, non official executives, CFO and so on of the pany has been assessed and David Teoh is the official administrator of the pany, Denis Ladbury, Robert Millner, Joseph Pang and Shane Teoh is the non official executives of the pany. The report of top 20 investors of the pany clarifies that no individuals from the pany have over 2% load of the pany (Annual Report, 2018). Execution proportions of the pany have been depicted underneath. Execution proportions clarify about the positive changes, position and the presentation of the pany. Following are a portion of the exhibition proportions of TPG Tel as follows: Profit for resources of the pany clarifies that the presentation of the pany is very better. It clarifies that how much benefit is earned by the pany in setting with the complete resources. Following is the estimations of profit for resources of the pany: Profit for value of the pany clarifies that the exhibition of the pany is very better. It clarifies that how much benefit is earned by the pany in setting with the all out value. Following is the counts of profit for value of the pany: Net benefit after duty/common value Obligation proportions of the pany clarify about the position and the capital structure of the pany. The present capital structure of the pany is way better. It clarifies that how much all out liabilities are held by the pany in setting with the all out obligation. Following is the counts of obligation proportion of the pany: EBIT/TA * NPAT/EBIT * TA/OE = NPAT/OE All out resources and absolute value decide the ROA and ROE of the pany with the assistance of the Net benefit after expense. In the event that the all out resources and the complete value of an association changes than it straightforwardly has an effect over the ROA and the ROE (Deegan, 2013).â The above computations on the TPG tel ’s ROE and ROA have been assessed and it has been discovered that the ROA and ROE of the pany is 10.59% and 28.57%. It clarifies that the arrival on value is constantly more prominent than the arrival on resources because of the bookkeeping standard which expresses that the advantages are the aggregate of liabilities and the value. The investigation of stock cost has been assessed further and it has been examined that the stock cost of the pany and the stock cost of AORD, both are very unstable in nature and clarifies about the great execution of the pany (Yahoo account, 2018). The accompanying diagram clarifies about the stock costs of both the stocks: Further, the diagram epxlains that the connection of the pany is in negative as it clarifies about the negative relationship among both the stocks. It epxlains that the adjustments in the load of TPG is very higher than the instability of AORD stocks. Further, it clarifies that at present the stock cost of the pany is way better (Brown, Beekes and Verhoeven, 2011).â Further, the elements has been evalauted which have imapcted on the stock cost and because of which the supply of the pany has been changed. The primary purpose for chnage is the petetion level of the pany, current report about the pany that is the second biggest pany in the business, further, the examiners hasâ portrayed in their report about a superior situation of the pany in the market (Davies and Crawford, 2011). Then again, because of new innovation and patetion the stock cost of the pany has been brought 2 down to multiple times. The computation on the stock cost of the pany delineates that the beta of the pany is 0.7415. The necessary pace of return of the pany is as per the following: Estimation of cost of value (CAPM) The above estimations express that the pany’s cost as far as value is 5.48%. On the off chance that the pany needs to raises the assets through value than the pany needs to pay 5.48% of all out benefit as cost of value to the investors of the pany. The expense of value of the pany is moderate.â As indicated by the assessment, it has been discovered that the danger of the pany is lower and return of the pany is very higher and in this manner the pany is a moderate venture. Computations of WACC are as per the following: Computation of cost of value (CAPM) The above computations express that the pany’s cost as far as value is 5.48% and regarding obligation is 4.2%. On the off chance that the pany needs to raises the assets through value than the pany needs to pay 5.48% of absolute benefit as cost of value to the investors of the pany. Then again, regarding obligation, pany needs to pay 4.2%. The expense of value of the pany is higher than the expense of obligation of the pany. The above figurings express that the expense of capital of the pany is 4.07%. Ideal capital structure of the pany clarifies that the liabilities of the pany have been diminished by the pany to deal with a superior capital structure. (Earthy colored, Beekes and Verhoeven, 2011) Equipping proportions of the pany clarifies about the liabilities of the pany which has been diminished and the borrowings of the pany has been expanded in current month and in this way the outfitting proportions of the pany has been brought down. All out Liabilities/Capital utilized All out Liabilities/Capital utilized The yearly report of the pany communicates that the pany offers an incredible profit to the pany with a 1.25% development rate every year. It delineates that the pany is following important profit strategies (Annual report, 2018). Pertinent profit arrangements are a piece of profit strategies. These strategies disclose to the pany that they ought to report and give a decent measure of profit to the investor with the goal that the speculation level of the pany could be upgraded. Subject: R mendation about venture. It is r repaired to you to put into TPG tel . The report of assessment of TPG tel briefs that the present situation of the pany is very alluring. It presents that the colossal benefit is earned by the pany and the extraordinary measure of profit is given to the investors of the pany. The market stock cost of the pany is additionally acceptable. It clarifies that the financial specialists ought to put into the pany.â Along these lines, it is the best alternative for you to contribute at the present time. About us. 2018. TPG Tel Limited. seen Jan 25, 2018, https://www.tpg .au/ Yearly Report. 2018. TPG Tel Limited. seen Jan 25, 2018, https://www.tpg .au/about/pdfs/FY17%20Annual%20Report.pdf Earthy colored, P., Beekes, W., and Verhoeven, P. 2011. Corporate administration, bookkeeping and money: A review. Accounting and finance,â 51(1), 96-172. Davies, T. also, Crawford, I., 2011. Business bookkeeping and fund. Pearson. Davies, T. also, Crawford, I., 2011. Business bookkeeping and fund. Pearson. Deegan, C., 2013. Monetary bookkeeping hypothesis. McGraw-Hill Education Australia. Jiashu, G. 2009. Study on Fair Value Accountingâ€â€on the fundamental qualities of monetary bookkeeping [J]. Accounting Research,â 5, 003. Morningstar. 2018. TPG Tel Limited. seen Jan 25, 2018, https://financials.morningstar/income/cf.html?t=XBER:YST&region=deu&culture=en-US Hurray Finance. 2018. TPG Tel Limited. seen Jan 25, 2018, https://au.finance.yahoo/quote/TPM.AX/chart?p=TPM.AX

Sunday, July 26, 2020

How The Minimalists Are Using Social Media

How The Minimalists Are Using Social Media Have you ever quit social media for an extended period of time? How did it change your perspective? After using social media almost every day for the last seven years, we decided to walk away for a month to see what would happen. So, on December 31, 2017, before the ball dropped, we deleted all our past tweets and Instagram photos, we ceased our Facebook and Pinterest activity, and we uploaded a cryptic video alluding to our disappearance. Then we were gone. And now, a month later, were still alive, and were entering February 2018 with a blank slate. During our month away, we learned some important lessons. And we unlearned a few bad habits. Most important, we discovered a need for us to use social media differently going forward. Lessons Learned Purpose. For us, once we’d created a blank slate, the purpose of social media became evident: communication. Not to sound overly simplistic, but we want to use these platforms to effectively communicate our thoughts, ideas, and creations, and engage our audience directly with questions and answersâ€"not broadcast our every thought. Social media can be a noisy place, and we dont want to add to the noiseâ€"we want to whisper to the people who are listening. Mindfulness. Whenever an activity occupies much of our mind, we need to take a step back and assess whether its worth the time we spend on that activity. Our friend Jessica Lynn Williams, who helps us organize our social feeds, discovered an important insight without the pall of social media in her everyday life: Stepping away from social in January gave me the clarity of mind to see the asshole in my mind running amuck (as Dan Harris says), and it has prompted me to adopt a regular meditation practice, which is something I’ve been afraid of for a while. This will be the year I take back my mind. Augmentation. We want to use social media to augment our creationsâ€"blog, podcast, books, filmsâ€"not as the main platform on which we create. While well be active on the different platforms, its worth noting that the best place to follow The Minimalists isnt social media; the best place to follow our creations is by subscribing to our blog or by subscribing to our podcast (or both). Social media will simply append those platforms. Unfollow. Whether it’s celebrities on Instagram, friends on Facebook, or news outlets on Twitter, the folks we follow often negatively affect our moods. We get caught up comparing ourselves with others, we get dragged down by naysayers, and we start twitching for 24-hour breaking news. Whenever this is the case, its best to unfollow those negative influences and instead curate a feed that includes people and brands who inform us, challenge us, and improve us. Letting go of the negative is the only way to make room for the valuable. Value. As The Minimalists, well post to social media only when it will add value for others. Before we publish to any platform, we must be able to affirmatively answer one question: Does this add value? If not, then delete. Unlearned Bad Habits Idiots. If the purpose of social media is to communicate with other humans, then we also must be careful with whom we engage. People find it easy to be keyboard crusaders, interactions with whom are rarely productive, so its important not to engage with the snarky critics, because this isnt for them. Hence, if youre a seagull, youll be blocked without discrimination, and you wont be unblockedâ€"ever. We have a renewed desire to communicate with our audience and a new vigor to avoid arguing with idiots. Pacifiers. By removing the social media apps from our phonesâ€"which often pacified us whenever we had a silent moment in an airport, waiting room, or other interstitial zoneâ€"we learned that new pacifiers always appear. If you get rid of Facebook, you twitch for Twitter. If Instagram is gone, YouTube steps in. Two thousand years ago, the Stoics complained about people getting lost in books instead of going out and experiencing the real world. Today, we complain that nobody reads books anymore because everyone is lost in the tempting glow of their screens. Whether its books or social media we get lost in, we must work hard to use these tools deliberately to help us function in the real worldâ€"not remove ourselves from it. Promoless. There’s too much “branding” going on these days. No, there aren’t any advertisements on our website or podcast or social media feeds, but even we have been guilty of too much self-promotion getting in the way of our own creations. Perhaps Derek Sivers said it best: putting ads in your work is like putting a Coke machine in a monastery. We feel the same about all the shameless self-promotion that’s going on these days, including our own. It’s solipsism run amuck. Were pledging to remove the Coke machine from the monastery immediately so you can better enjoy what were creating and sharing without the promotional eyesores. Yes, well occasionally talk about what were working onâ€"including events, books, and projectsâ€"but we won’t let it get in the way of what were creating. If anything, promotion should be similar to the end credits of a film, not the main plot. Triplicate. Over the years, we began using the different social media platforms the same exact way, which, when you think about it, is insane. It was a digital version of those old carbon-copy forms from decades past: post a photo to Instagram, repost it to Twitter, and then re-repost it to Facebook. Lather, rinse, repeat. Triplicating our efforts isnt only tedious, its the opposite of using these platforms intentionally. Using Social Media Differently Because each social media platform is different, we want to use them differentlyâ€"not as a carbon copyâ€"so weve decided to focus on the specific strengths of each platform by identifying their primary and secondary uses. These changes should help us avoid creative overlap and will allow us better communicate with our audience as a result. Facebook. Weve found our Facebook audience engages most with the articles we post. Thus, well use our Facebook account primarily to share useful links, be it our essays or others articles. Secondarily, well use Facebook to publish short Audiograms and photo albums from past tours. Twitter. Twitter is the best platform for us to share our text-only Minimal Maxims, so that will be its primary use. Secondarily, well use Twitter to communicate directly with our audience: the brevity of this platform makes it the best place to interact with other people, so if you want to interact with us directly, Twitter is the best place to do so. Instagram. Instagram is undoubtedly the best platform to share photos, so, going forward, well use IG primarily to share beautiful black-and-white images. Secondarily, well use the ephemerality of Instagram Stories to broadcast updates, current events, ephemera, and useful excerpts from our blogposts and podcasts. And well occasionally use Instagram Live for unplanned live broadcasts, which are deleted after 24 hours. Pinterest. Pinterest is the Internets corkboard, so its ideal us for us is to share letter boards that contain challenges and simple-living reminders from The Minimalists. Well also use our Pinterest account to repost photos of minimalist living spaces. YouTube. Since YouTube is the premier video platform, this is where well publish videos created by The Minimalists. This will be especially relevant when we add a video version of our podcast later this year. Secondarily, well use YouTube to post other video creations: video essays, web series, and scheduled livestreams. Youll notice our absence from most social platforms: Snapchat, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Ello, Google+, Periscope, Flickr, Reddit, Quora, et al. Thats not because these services arent useful; they simply arent useful for us right now. All things considered, we hope to use our new strategy to creatively add value to peoples lives. This is our recipe, and it isnt ideal for everyone. Truth be told, it might not be ideal for anyone but us. And even then, well likely adjust how we wield these tools after using them differently for a while. No, we dont expect you to follow us on every platform. Hell, we dont expect you to follow us on  any platform. But if you find value in what were communicating, feel free to join us on our new journey. And if you ever stop finding value in what were sharing, please unfollow us at anytime. P.S. Ella will continue tweeting her beautiful nonsense as usual. Subscribe to The Minimalists via email.

Friday, May 22, 2020

Character Analysis of Sasha Uskov - 1765 Words

Authors use many literary methods to acquaint the reader with the main character. Most authors typically reveal the personality traits of their main character through characterization. In the short story, â€Å"A Problem† the author was able to allow the reader to explore the characterization of the main character, Sasha Uskov in several distinct ways. Through the narrator’s statement, the author was able to reveal to the reader the motives and conflicts of Sasha’s character and the other supporting characters. Describing Sasha’s character through his own actions reveals to the reader what they need know about his role in the story. The use of dialogue and thoughts helps the reader focus on how this affects the projection of point of view and†¦show more content†¦The dialogue among the other characters and revealed that Sasha’s problems began early in his life stemming from having no parents, being uneducated and lacked a moral compass: â€Å"†¦remember that Sasha had received practically no education; he had been expelled from the high school in the fifth class; he had lost his parents in early childhood, and so had been left at the tenderest age without guidance and good, benevolent influences. He was nervous, excitable, had no firm ground under his feet, and, above all, he had been unlucky. â€Å" This allows for the reader to decide whether or not to see Sasha through their own moral, ethics and compassion. The author purposely focused on the morals, ethics and compassion of the problem that centered around Sasha’s character and its impact on the Uskov family- â€Å"He felt neither terror, shame, nor depression, but only weariness and inward emptiness. It seemed to him that it made absolutely no difference to him whether they forgave him or not; he had come here to hear his sentence and to explain himself simply because kind-hearted Ivan Markovitch had begged him to do so. He was not afraid of the future. It made no difference to him where he was: here in the hall, in prison, or in Siberia.† His life’s hardships were mirrored by his family’s name and status in their respective community. Sasha’s thoughts influence his action and become the catalyst for the events in the story. Within the story’s dialogue,

Friday, May 8, 2020

Gender Roles Of Men And Women - 1998 Words

Men and Women have many different life experiences that allow their literature to be different from each other. Gender plays a really important role in society. From the day we are born, we are instantly given a blue blanket if we are a boy or a pink blanket if one is a girl. In society, we are told that we can be whoever we want to be, but many people especially women are criticized if they want to endure a path that is similar to a male. In literature, authors are able to express from their real life experiences and have that help them create stories. Many women authors write from the viewpoint of how men have power and are generally categorized as feminist. Male authorities may not want to lower their role as a man and relate to women because they do not feel like they are being â€Å"real† or â€Å"powerful†. Everyone views things differently and literature is a very good way to pick apart how females and males think similarly and different to one another. Although Feminism and Gender Roles have changed and men and women are more equal, by taking a look at the play â€Å"Poof!† by Nottage and article studies on these criticism one can see how they are still present in today’s society from the past. Feminism has been around for hundreds of years and women have tried to gain their rights to show men that they can be just as powerful. The story â€Å"Poof† by Nottage takes place in the 1930s. The Great Depression occurred around the 1930s, a lot of women worked at factories earning lowShow MoreRelatedGender Roles Of Women And Men845 Words   |  4 Pagesexpected to play specific gender roles. In Canada women and men are thought of as equal, having the same rights to respect, autonomy, and independence (Bonvillain and Miller 2013: 39). The CBSA ignored this right when the agency allowed religious travellers to avoid female guards. Although men and women may have different roles in their households and communities, their work and activities are equally valued and socially rewarded (Bonvillain and Miller 2013: 39). These roles play an important partRead MoreGender Roles Of Men And Women1749 Words   |  7 PagesRoles of Males and Females in Different Television Programs Americans watch an alarming amount of television starting from a young age. The average American watches five hours of television a day (Koblin 2016). This enormous amount of media input influences perceptions and is connected to cementing many things in people, such as gender roles. Gender roles are thoughts, actions, and feelings learned by a person fitting their gender due to cultural norms (Santrock 2016). Additionally, stereotypes appealRead MoreGender Roles Of Women And Men1461 Words   |  6 PagesFor years, women have always been inferior to men. Even the bible states, women must be submissive. During War World II, women got a chance to experience a hint of freedom. Not by choice of course. While men went off to war, women had to hold down the fort at home. This marked the beginning to pioneer change. No one foresaw this innovation until it was too late. In a society were men are superior to women, was no longer susceptible. The road towards equality was certainly not an eas y one. AlthoughRead MoreGender Roles Of Women And Men1464 Words   |  6 Pages Introduction: Gender Roles in media is how women and men are portrayed in everyday media such as tv shows, movies, and music. Today media can have negative effects on the thought of gender roles in the society because more and more people stereotype following the media, while stereotyping can lead to prejudices and gender discrimination. This is a controversial issue because men and women are depicted a certain way with unequal and identified gender-related stereotypes which influence the societyRead MoreGender Roles of Men and Women2024 Words   |  8 PagesThe gender roles of men and women are defined before a person is even born. When a parent finds out that their child is either a little boy or girl, themselves and other family members will begin the process of gender role socialization. Gender role socialization as defined in Gidden’s Introduction to Sociology is â€Å"the learning of gender through social factors such as schooling, the media and family.† (Giddens et al. 2014 : 216) By buying all blue or pink, making sure the boy will have trucks andRead MoreGender Roles Of Women And Men Essay1485 Words   |  6 PagesAbstract Through many generations women were not treated equally as men. Women have fought their way to have gender equality but it has been slowly progressing. More women are starting to have high ranked jobs, more have been going into the workforce and don’t have to stay home all day long to take care of the kids. There are many differences between the gender roles (how women and men act or how they should be) when it comes to certain things. Like if you tell a girl, she hits like a boy or tellRead MoreThe Gender Roles Of Men And Women1243 Words   |  5 PagesThe gender roles of men and women were quite different in pre-20th-century drama. In his play Lysistrata, Aristophanes creates a world to bring about his thoughts on the Peloponnesian war with the comedic relief of gender role reversal. The women in his play are not necessarily the way women of his time were, but more of what men thought they were as well as what men feared or fantasized women could be like. Through action an d dialogue, the play shows examples of several different types of women. LysistrataRead MoreGender Roles Of Men And Women1702 Words   |  7 Pagesthe agricultural to industrial societies gender role has gradually changed in many ways. It can be seen from today that the role of male and female does not really much different. From the past with the perspective that women need to stay at home and perform housework while men need to work outside, these perspectives have changed over the time. Gender role which was built within the social contexts and since the globe has changed role of both men and women should be able to transform themselves toRead MoreGender Roles Of Men And Women1362 Words   |  6 PagesGender Roles in Fairy Tales Fairy tales have been around for generations. They are a way to express the idealistic realities of society. In most fairy tales, the roles of men and women reflect the way men and women are portrayed in reality. Many cultures believe that women are to be seen and not heard and that the only necessity for them is to take care of the house and raise children to repopulate society. Fairy tales originated from oral tradition. These stories were passed down and here eventuallyRead MoreGender Roles And Expectations Of Men And Women1009 Words   |  5 Pagesthe last few decades, there has been a trend of shift in roles and expectations of men and women. The shift was dynamic in the latter half of the twentieth century. World had been made a great stride in acquiring and adapting to the new definition of gender roles. These changes can be seen in the fields of education, media, economics as well as many other things. The reason for the change is a rapid increase in the number of women at workplaces-worldwide. Unlikely, this wave of change is

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Critical Review of “Theology the Basics” Free Essays

Critical Review: Theology; The Basics By: Luke Knoll Survey Of Christian Beliefs Kerry Pretty Pacific Life Bible College Theology: The Basics; Critical Review As Christians we often believe certain things simply because it’s what our parents and the people around us believe. We often go about our Christian walk without ever giving thought or reason to why we believe what we do. The world of Christian Theology is a place where Christians can find answer to the ‘what and why’ of Christianity. We will write a custom essay sample on Critical Review of â€Å"Theology: the Basics† or any similar topic only for you Order Now If we are able to begin comprehending Christian Theology and the rudimental knowledge of it, then we can take it with us into more in depth books and discussions about theology, know the importance of it and how vital it is for Christians to actually know what and why they believe specific things The goal of the book Theology: The Basics is to introduce basic foundational terms of Christian Theology to those who have never studied theology before. It explains how we get doctrine and theology from the Apostle’s Creed and the technicalities found in it. The book attempts to have an unbiased approach at the ideas and theology brought up in the contents. The book can be easily summarized by looking at the flow of the chapters in the table of contents. Starting off with the basics, â€Å"What is faith? † (pg. 1) then moving into discussion on God, Creation, Jesus, Salvation, Spirit, Trinity, Church, Sacraments and finishing off with Heaven. This book thoughtfully moves and flows through some of the most thought about of topics. With each chapter the reader can dive into the meaning of these terms and if there are big intimidating words in front of their eyes they are able to refer to the glossary conveniently added in the back of the book. The tactics that McGrath uses in his book are very practical. McGrath takes a specific topic and meticulously teaches on it using both a historical and educational stand point. McGrath uses the history of the time period that the Apostle’s Creed was written in and gives historical background to add clarity on the topics he is teaching on. In doing this McGrath lets our minds have enough backstory to more easily understand the information given. After giving historical background McGrath breaks down the topic in a very clear format. When talking about Jesus (pg. 58-76) He talks about why Jesus is important â€Å"Christology†, but then he educates us by breaking down the considerably large topic of Jesus into more manageable categories such as the names of Jesus; Messiah, Lord, Son of God, Son of Man, God. After going through the names of Jesus he then educates us on other important theological discussions of Jesus like: Functional statements about Jesus, Early Christological Models, The Council of Chalcedon, The incarnation and icons, and Christ as mediator. Then after discussing the ‘meat’ of the topic he then gives us an opportunity to â€Å"Engage with a text† at the end of every topic. These texts give different examples and opinions for each topic and then McGrath gives the reader a short series of questions for individual or small group discussion about the text/topic he had given. Though McGrath did do a very good job at giving us insight on the historical background of the topics and also educated us in a very easy, elementary level on the theology, he lacked personal touch. In this I’m talking about some personal stories or experiences from his life that has helped him engage these theological terms and ideas. It was very â€Å"theological† in its approach, however the simple addition of some personal experiences might help him engage a broader and more diverse target audience. Even with that being so, the book was very well written and I enjoyed learning about the different topics about Christian Theology. This book did help me develop my own ideas of some of the terms, as it remained unbiased throughout majority of the book. One area where I think McGrath could have connected more with the reader is in the chapter discussing the Spirit. When he is discussing the term â€Å"Charism† (pg. 100) as he is discussing how it means the filling of an individual with the spirit of God. I believe that could have been a prime situation for him to give a personal testimony in attempt to connect with the reader and give additional examples. I do though understand that if McGrath were to start giving personal stories he would have to add them throughout the entirety of the text as well as change the voice of his writing all together. So even though McGrath may not be able to connect with every type of learning (as many authors cannot) he did create a great resource to be used by those of us who are just simply ‘newbies’ at theology. The books purpose as stated was to create a text in which people who did not have any knowledge of theology could come and learn about it in an easy, clear manner. In Theology: The Basics, McGrath did an excellent job at teaching us these somewhat daunting terms and topics. He admirably took a broad tip paint brush and went over all of the basic terms that are lined out in the Apostle’s Creed. In doing so he whetted our appetite in the world of Christian Theology and he was able to give us great rudimental knowledge that we can take with us into more in depth books and discussions about theology, the importance of it and how vital it is for Christians to actually know what and why they believe specific things. Overall the book did a good job at creating a medium to pass on knowledge as well as staying unbiased to keep us unoffended if his view didn’t entirely line up with the readers. How to cite Critical Review of â€Å"Theology: the Basics†, Essay examples

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Nike Considered Index TNS Review Final Essay Example

Nike Considered Index TNS Review Final Paper We refer to different aspects of the Index in this review, so a ascription of the approach and its parts is provided. We then give an overall assessment, followed by technical examination of different parts of the Index and commentary on its public release. 1) Insight into the environmental impacts of materials used in product creation (material scores). 2) Incentives for Nikkei to make more sustainable products, in line with the companys priorities and goals (product scores). 3) Communication of the performance results using Nines internal standards (Considered benchmarks e. . Gold standard). 4) Company targets for continual improvement (stretch goals for eating com panky-wide benchmarks of product performance by a given year e. G. All footwear to be Considered Bronze by 2011). The two main tools that make up the approach are: Assessment Method Backdating from Success The assessment has been conducted using both the sustainability principles and backdating planning method of the un ifying Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development, promoted by The Natural Step in collaboration with its international research and practitioner networks. Four science-based sustainability principles from the framework describe success in terms of the conditions added for a sustainable society, providing an operational definition of sustainability that allows for a gap analysis between where we are today and where we need to arrive at in the future. From this whole systems perspective, it needs to be clearly stated that there is no such thing as a sustainable or an unsustainable material or product; there are only sustainable material and resource management practices. Product and material sustainability claims therefore need to be viewed carefully, and as part of a journey toward sustainability one that has many possible pathways. Material Assessment Tool (MAT). This tool scores and ranks the material types used to manufacture Nikkei products from least to most preferred. The scoring is based on: Major, known supply chain environmental issues within defined impact categories. A life cycle perspective, from cradle to gate. We will write a custom essay sample on Nike Considered Index TNS Review Final specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Nike Considered Index TNS Review Final specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Nike Considered Index TNS Review Final specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Publicly available data that is compiled and aggregated for general material types and typical supply chain scenarios. Third party input from specialists in materials environmental impact assessment methods. Weightings are assigned to impact categories, based on Nikkei priorities. 2. Understanding purpose and Context for the Index All tools serve a purpose. They need to be examined with their purpose in mind, and understood within the context in which they are used. To judge if this Index is a good tool for supporting Nines movement toward sustainability, Nines overall approach to sustainability must be understood: The Index has been developed to aid design and material choices as part of Nines Considered design ethos, which is part of an overall company sustainability agenda. Nikkei has long-standing commitments to sustainability in place. ; The tool is integrated into Nines innovation process. Dedicated personnel support the tools development and integration across the organization. The Index connects with, draws from and supports many other aspects of Nines sustainable business and innovation agenda (for example, procurement sustainability and audit programs, restricted substances lists, company targets and policies etc). The Considered Index. The Index rewards design innovation choices related to product creation by assigning scores to products. It encourages the selection of environmentally preferred materials (as scored in the Material Assessment Tool) as well as other practices where the designer can improve the environmental profile of the product, I. . Less waste generation, use of desired chemistry and an innovation bonus for breakthroughs that can be transferred across models. Nikkei uses these tools in a number of ways for example, aiding procurement decisions, setting of internal standards and more broadly for defining sustainable design performance. Nikkei has chosen to externally label Silver and Gold standard products, sending a signal to the consumer about Nines Considered design ethos. 2 Overall Assessment Using Sustainability as a Driver of Innovation Many traditional tools and approaches for measuring product or eternal sustainability take a static perspective, attempting to measure and assess the scale and severity of known issues and impacts today (primarily a risk avoidance approach). On their own these life cycle assessment approaches have limitations in terms of guiding strategic decision-making toward 1) sustainable resource management and 2) related business opportunities. Just as an analysis of any single move or piece of sports gear used in a football game cannot tell you who will win, one needs to look at the whole picture. Organizations wishing to use the Index and build from Nines experience should bear this in mind and ensure they build the necessary competencies and structures in place to make the best use of the results from the Index. It is therefore refreshing to see the approach Nikkei has taken combining quantitative material assessment with qualitatively- derived scores rewarding improvements in product creation. This approach highlights an evolution in thinking on measuring sustainability away from solely impact minimization and movement toward an innovation enabling strategic perspective. We believe this Index is a powerful demonstration of an overall backdating approach for enabling sustainable design innovation, not simply a set of tools for measuring movement away from environmental impacts.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Free Essays on Euthyphro

of wisdom from the ignorant Eythyphro. Socrates makes a great point, in explaining that different god’s have different views. I know even Jesus and God had different opinions and views on certain religious theories. For an example god wanted harm brought against people who were evil, which Jesus preached about forgiveness and love for all humanity. Yes, he might be pleasing one or two gods , but at the same time pissing off other gods, who have different beliefs. I feel that Euthyphro did no wrong in... Free Essays on Euthyphro Free Essays on Euthyphro EUTHYPHRO Euthyphros charges against his father are ridiculous and impious. A man kills another man, "even it was in a drunken rage" deserves to be punished for his actions. That’s my view on murder, however I do feel there is a time to kill, like if his father was a vicious man or had killed before. The indictment, which happened many years ago, will have a great effect on his fathers life. I have no knowledge on the penalties that were received at for murder, but I am sure they were severe. I am not certain that Euthyphro thought out how sever the consequences of his charges, were going to be on his father. Maybe he did and just didn’t care, having that much hatred towards his father. If I had more background on Euthyphros relationship with his father, I might be able to understand a little better why he would do this to his own father. Euthyphro feels he is being pious for what he is doing, he has abandoned the fact, that the laborer killed the slave in cold blood. I realize that the man was just a degrading slave, but he is a human being too and deserves justice. In my eye’s that’s not being very pious at all. Euthyphro set double standards for his laborer and the slave. Where is the piouty in that? "I think, Socrates, that the godly and pious is the part of the just that is concerned with the care of the gods, while that concerned with the care of men is the remaining part of justice." Words of wisdom from the ignorant Eythyphro. Socrates makes a great point, in explaining that different god’s have different views. I know even Jesus and God had different opinions and views on certain religious theories. For an example god wanted harm brought against people who were evil, which Jesus preached about forgiveness and love for all humanity. Yes, he might be pleasing one or two gods , but at the same time pissing off other gods, who have different beliefs. I feel that Euthyphro did no wrong in... Free Essays on Euthyphro The title of the work that will be examined in this paper is the â€Å"Euthyphro† by Plato. Aristocles, also known as Plato, wrote this dialogue in the year 380 B.C.E., shortly after the death of his teacher and mentor Socrates (ca. 399 B.C.E.) (Pojman 16). The Euthyphro is a dialogue between Socrates and a religious expert named Euthyphro. During his lifetime Socrates never wrote down any of his teachings or thoughts so the Euthyphro and many other dialogues like it serve as the only source of information on the life and teachings of the Western World’s greatest thinker. The dialogue begins when Socrates meets Euthyphro by the Porch of the King Archon. Socrates and Euthyphro exchange greetings and each asks what the other’s business is at the court. Socrates explains to Euthyphro that he is being charged by Meletus, a hooked-nose unknown, with inventing false gods, not recognizing the gods of the state, and corrupting the youth of Athens. After a brief inqui ry to the specifics of the charges Euthyphro assures Socrates that his affair will end in nothing and that both of them shall win their cause. Upon hearing this Socrates asks Euthyphro what his suit is. Euthyphro responds that he is the prosecuter in the case of his servant’s murder by his father’s hand. Socrates becomes astounded when he hears of this and proceeds to tell Euthyphro that in order for a son to prosecute his own father he must have achieved a high state of wisdom because the common man knows little about these matters. Euthyphro, ironically, replies that yes a person must be extraordinary do undertake this task. Euthyphro then goes on to explain that whether or not the wrongdoer is a relative or a stranger they must be brought to justice by trial. It is at this point that the dialogue, which will attempt to answer the question â€Å"what is piety?†, ensues. This paper will analyze the four arguments and reversals posed by the dialogue. It will a lso give cr... Free Essays on Euthyphro Plato’s Euthyphro is an obscure dialogue conversation that attempts to unveil an ideal meaning of piety. The purpose of this paper as a whole is to analyze transitions as to where definitions of piety are being made. Furthermore, it will attempt to explain the separation of morality as independent of religion (a system of social beliefs), while attempting to define morality. It is essential to understand the role of the gods to establish the definition of piety. All those in Athenian society during Plato’s existence who did wrong, did wrong against the gods. Therefore, all wrong doers are prosecuted for the sake of the gods. It was seen that these wrong doers did commit a wrong that was ungodly. On the other hand, it was unknown to Plato what exactly godliness and ungodliness where. As the conversation continues and it seems there is a collaboration of thoughts and ideas on behalf of both men to develop the definition of piety. Plato states â€Å"that piety would be knowledge of how to give to, and beg from, the gods† [14d]. This final definition clearly indicates that piety is something that the gods receive from man. The offerings of thankfulness and outward respect to them are things which Euthyphro believes are dear to the gods. Thus, making what is dear to the gods pious. Being pious is approved by Gods; not the things which G ods thinks are pious. Humanity though, is provided with no basic understanding of the term piety. All they know of is one effect of piety. The fact that it is a thing that pleases the Gods is co-extensive with the definition of piety. An act of piety always has an element of justice, but an act of justice will not always be pious. How are morals established and who decides what’s moral? The â€Å"moral majority† decides this. The consensus of those which govern laws govern the morality of a particular society. However, everyone may not have similar beliefs as to what morality is. For examp...

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Primitive Data Types in Java Programming

Primitive Data Types in Java Programming In almost every Java program you will find primitive data types being used. They provide a way to store the simple values the program is dealing with. For example, consider a calculator program that allows the user to perform mathematical calculations. In order for the program to achieve its goal, it has to be capable of storing the values the user enters. This can be done using variables. A variable is a container for a specific kind of value that is known as a data type. Primitive Data Types Java comes with eight primitive data types to handle simple data values. They can be split into four categories by the kind of value they hold: Integers: these are positive and negative whole numbers.Floating Point Numbers: any number that has a fractional part.Characters: a single character.Truth Values: either true or false. Integers Integers hold number values that cannot have a fractional part. There are four different types: byte: uses one byte to store values from -128 to 127short: uses two bytes to store values from -32,768 to 32,767int: uses four bytes to store values from -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647long: uses eight bytes to store values from -9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to 9,223,372,036,854,775,807 As you can see from above the only difference between the types are the range of values they can hold. Their ranges directly correlate to the amount of space the data type needs to store its values. In most cases when you want to represent a whole number use the int data type. Its ability to hold numbers from just under -2 billion to a little over 2 billion will be suitable for most integer values. However, if for some reason you need to write a program that uses as little memory as possible, consider the values you need to represent and see if the byte or short is a better choice. Likewise, if you know the numbers you need to store are higher than 2 billion then use the long data type. Floating Point Numbers Unlike integers, floating point numbers like fractional parts. There are two different types: float: uses four bytes to store values from -3.4028235E38 to 3.4028235E38double: uses eight bytes to store values from -1.7976931348623157E308 to 1.7976931348623157E308 The difference between the two is simply the range of fractional numbers they can hold. Like integers the range directly correlates to the amount of space they need to store the number. Unless you have memory concerns its best to use the double data type in your programs. It will handle fractional numbers to the precision needed in most applications. The main exception will be in financial software where rounding errors cannot be tolerated. Characters There is only one primitive data type that deals with individual characters – the char. The char can hold the value of one character and is based on 16-bit Unicode encoding. The character might be a letter, digit, punctuation, a symbol or a control character (e.g., a character value that represents a newline or a tab). Truth Values As Java programs deal in logic there needs to be a way to determine when a condition is true and when it is false. The boolean data type can hold those two values; it can only be true or false.

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Failing Schools and Students in the US Research Paper

Failing Schools and Students in the US - Research Paper Example No Accountability of Individual Schools 3. Lack of Qualified Staff in Schools C. Is the Argument out of the School’s Hands? 1. Effects of the No Child Left Behind Act Conclusion Work Cited Introduction Today it is of crucial importance that education should be given utmost attention, as it is considered a guaranteed insurance into ones future. However, it is usual that children are failing consistently in many parts of the world especially USA. A student who is disinterested in the education will generally miss college lectures and would perform extremely poor in assessments tests. In worst cases, students would stop attending their schools or colleges and would thereby sit at home without concern for their education, career and life. It is important that causes of inability to perform well at school should be figured out before they can be pin down to improve performances in general and long term successes in whole. Does the issue lie with the students and/or the parents? Lac k of Parenting Today many of the children fail because of lack of parenting guidance or parents lacking such skills. Children today need their parent's guidance so they could help them make positive options instead of just trying to control them or choose for them what they are not interested in. If parents act as children’s guide they are letting them not rely on their inner guidance. If parents guide their children through the process of decision making they are letting them look in to the situations from all of its sides. This even helps them build a sort of self esteem that is they would start trusting them and believing in ability to make good choices. According to Mr. PubMed, the usual cause of lack of parenting skills is their low socio-economic status. Parents which are living below poverty lines have no such access to parenting skills. Teen parents simply have a hard time forming such parenting skills. In middle families this is mainly due to lack of emotional and fi nancial support and lack of awareness. In richer families this is mainly because parents simply lack time. Moreover, the younger parents were the ones who were more immature and less capable of giving the sacrifices sometimes that are required of parents. Furthermore, the parents that have abuse are more likely to make bad parenting choices. Students Hungry or Lack of Sleep August 2007 – One of the study by James F. Pagel who was the MD of University of Colorado school of Medicine has given reports that students could have insufficient sleep that could thereby have adverse effects next day not on adults performance but also on students performance. Hunger and sleep are two of the vital needs of a healthy society. Adolescents who have experience sleep disturbances are the ones more likely to receive bad grades. Based on a 238 questionnaires that were completed by the middle or high school students, the survey proved that those who have gained lower GPA were the ones who had mo st sleepless nights and such issues that include restless, a hard time waking up in the morning, when trying to fall asleep, difficulty concentrating during the day, snoring every night, aching legs, and falling asleep in class. James Pagel had said: Some of the previously conducted studies had proved that students who had irregular sleep patterns, inadequate sleep or otherwise poor sleep quality didn’t perform well in school in comparison to students who

Sunday, February 2, 2020

CORPORATE OWNERSHIP, GOALS, and GOVERNANCE Research Paper

CORPORATE OWNERSHIP, GOALS, and GOVERNANCE - Research Paper Example Blair looks at the rights of owners and concludes that shareholders do not have sufficient rights to be called the corporate owners. The article details the rights that owners have such as the right to acquire and dispose off assets and a right to get profits generated by the asset and its sale. The article claims that shareholders do not possess all these rights instead it is distributed to various stakeholders. The article argues that since these rights are not possessed by shareholders, it cannot be said that they are the owners of companies. The author also says that calling shareholders the owners of companies cannot guarantee them the rights of owners. However, the author in conclusion advocates for not distributing these rights because they may discourage investment. The distribution of rights between the shareholders and managers is also discussed. The shareholders, given that they contribute capital, have a right to elect the directors. Directors are the ones who make invest ment decisions on behalf of the shareholders. The shareholders do not possess the ultimate right to control the decision making of managers. The author says that this is because in large corporations the shareholders may be so many that even the managers may not know some of them. Shareholders also have limited liability and so cannot be responsible for the debts of firms. This author says this denies them the ultimate right to say that they are the owners of the firms. To support his argument, the author looks at how corporations create wealth. She says that wealth creation in a firm is not just because of the share capital of shareholders, but other stakeholders such as customers, employees and suppliers also make special investment contributions that are important to the company. The authors say that all stakeholders in the firm are investors. She gives an example of employees who dedicate their time and human resource to serve the firm. Even though they are compensated, they nee d to be recognized in the ownership of the firm. In conclusion the article discourages the view of looking at ownership of firms in terms of assets invested. It argues that the employees also create wealth for firms and their contribution must be respected. The article puts up a strong defense for inclusion of other parties, especially the employees in the ownership of firms. This view is good, but it fails to state what level of ownership can these stakeholders posses. Inclusion of employees as owners of firms just by virtue that they help in wealth creation would present a complex scenario in the ownership and management of firms. The only recommendation would be that the employees should be encouraged to buy shares in the firm so that they can be part of owners. â€Å"Corporate Ownership and Governance† by Connelly Brian et al The aim of this article is to demonstrate that corporate governance is not a reserve of the board of directors but also owners participate in the go vernance of firms. They do this by looking at the different forms of corporate ownership and how they influence decision making in the firm. They divide this in two categories, outside ownership and inside ownership. Inside Ownership This is when stock is held by the insiders. These insiders tend to make decisions that favor the

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Environmental awareness any effect on this relationship

Environmental awareness any effect on this relationship INTRODUCTION The world is currently facing complex environmental problems that have resulted in environmental degradation. Western studies have evidenced that consumers in the USA and Western Europe have grown more environmentally conscious in the 1990s (Curlo E., 1999). Recently, green consumerism has started to gradually emerge in the Asian regions in a significant manner (Gura˘u, C. et al, 2005) Supporters of environmental protection tend to be younger in age (Martisons et al, 1997). Given the anticipated life span of this age group, the cultivation of its green purchasing behaviour may go a long way in reinforcing behavioural commitment for the next few generations, especially in the developing Asian economies, where a surge in income and purchasing power seems to be in the making. India, one of the biggest economies of the world and a growing economic powerhouse of Asia, suffers from dangerously high levels of air pollution, poor water quality, high levels of exposure to severe traffic noise and high levels of garbage disposal. Compared with what has been happening in the West, consumers in India are just at the stage of green awakening. The use of eco-friendly products is still not very prevalent in the country, though there seems to be a huge potential for such goods in the country. Our research is based on the consumer behaviour towards environmental-friendly products. We have studied the impact of attitude towards eco-friendly products on purchasing behaviour, and whether environmental awareness has any effect on this relationship. LITERATURE REVIEW Environment consciousness, environmental responsibility, â€Å"going green† and so on. These are the terms in which marketers are increasingly talking about, and selling, their products today. The subject of ‘Environment is attracting interest of the marketers, and this is not really a new phenomenon. It has been doing the rounds since the early 1970s. A plethora of products have been launched with the ‘eco-friendly tag. Various studies have looked into the relationship between environment and marketing (Kassarjian, 1971, Kinnear et al, 1974 and Fisk, 1973). Marketers are interested to know how much premium a consumer is willing to pay for buying an eco-friendly product. This type of consumer behaviour is primarily influenced by a persons attitude and awareness. However, not all regions have been successfully studied for the impact of such attitude and awareness. International green marketers have expressed that the unavailability of market information in Asian countries often becomes a major hindrance to the success of international expansion of their green products (Gura˘u, C. et al, 2005). Many international green marketers have failed to implement effective market segmentation in their overall marketing strategies due to insufficient information in Asian countries (Keegan et al, 2000). A topic which has not been properly explored is young consumers green buying behaviours and factors that affect such behaviour. Young adults constitute a large citizen group and have the potential for a powerful collective force in society for environmental protection. Past studies have found that young people are more willing than older generations to accept new and innovative ideas (Ottman et al, 2006). ECO FRIENDLY ATTITUDE The past few decades have seen a phenomenal rise in environmental concerns. Concern for the environment has increased significantly, and, at the same time, peoples values and attitudes towards nature has changed substantially. Studies conducted in different countries have showed an awakening interest in green products or increase in environmentally friendly attitudes (Barber, 2010). Environmental concern transformed into the specific activity of Green Consumerism emerged in the latter half of the 1980s. Surveys show that there has been a permanent change in the attitude of consumers. One of the functions of knowledge is to help maintain a strong attitude. Attitude is typically considered strong when it is resistant to change and persistent over time. Thus, knowledgeable people with a strong attitude are careful, expert processors of information. ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS The level of awareness influences the attitude and behaviour associated with green consumerism (Mittal, 1989). Recent researches suggest awareness in terms of their extent to which the consumer views the product itself as an important decision making variable affecting environmental behaviour (Dodd et al, 2005, Kolyesnikova et al, 2009 and Yuan et al, 2005). Another study has conveyed that an important component of environmental conscious consumer behaviour is the need for more information to be revealed about the relationship between products and the environment (Peattie, 1985). Increased awareness with green information sources has been shown to influence consumer purchasing decisions (Peattie, 1995). Americans have begun to develop an environmentally-conscious mind-set, with half of them saying that they do not have the information needed to be involved in increasing green behaviour and are less knowledgeable about which products and packaging materials are recyclable (GFK, 2007). A study conducted to examine the awareness and attitude of Zambian farmers towards environmental degradation and the relationships of these with a set of beliefs used to evaluate their perceived capacity and take corrective action towards improving the environment showed that awareness of environmental degradation is significant in depicting environmental self-efficacy and behaviour (ÃŽ ²=0.38; p ECO-FRIENDLY BEHAVIOUR The findings of several studies reinforce the notion that Proactive Environmental Behaviour, like most other behaviours, is to a large extent situation-specific (Roozen and Pelsmacker, 1998). By studying Danish consumers buying organic products, it was found out that there is a relationship between values, environmental attitudes and consumer behaviour (Grunert Juhl, 1995 cited by Bjà ¶rk 1995: 66). However, the correlation between such attitude and consumer behaviour is not always high. In geographical studies it has also become evident that environmental knowledge is not something that explains ‘spatial behaviour. This is explained by saying that behaviour is influenced by intentions, which are in turn influenced by attitudes, and further which are influenced by beliefs about social norms (Whalmsley Lewis, 1993). Hence, attitude is just one factor among others influencing consumer behaviour. In case of many consumers, preferences for environmental amenities are exhibited either directly through polls and surveys or indirectly by participating in outdoor activities, environmental organizations or causes, undertaking conservation, recycling, or other stewardship activities (Torgler et al., 2008). At the same time it was also being suggested that the complexity of environmental knowledge on attitude can affect purchase behaviour, whereby the more knowledge a consumer has about an issue and a product the better the attitude predicts the willingness to purchase (Frick et al. (2004), Krarup and Russell, 2005) HYPOTHESIS In existing literature, environmental attitude is commonly understood as a cognitive judgment towards the value of environmental protection. Contrasting results have been found between environmental attitude and behaviour. While some researchers have claimed a positive correlation between environmental attitude and environmental behaviour (Kotchen and Reiling, 2000), others have concluded that the relationship is either moderate or tenuous (Davis, 1995). The contradictory results in studies of the relationship between environmental attitude and behaviour suggest that further studies are needed to confirm the relationship between environmental attitude and behaviour. Thus, based on the view in majority of the literature reviewed, our hypothesis is: h3 :Eco friendly attitude positively impacts eco friendly behaviour. Though it has been debated whether awareness affects attitude or attitude affects awareness. But it is important to note that after developing an attitude, the awareness in terms of recognizing and observing different things about the topic comes into picture. This is especially valid for a country like India where these things are increasingly gaining understanding. Let us understand the impact of attitude on awareness through this simple example. A student has a class on environmental issues. To be specific, the teacher discusses an example of how pesticides enter the human body through food consumption and organic foods can help in reducing these toxic levels and lead to a healthy living. The student develops a positive attitude towards organic foods because of this knowledge. This positive attitude will lead to him subconsciously noting organic foods when in the superstore. This is what awareness is. Eco friendly attitude has an impact on the level of environmental awareness. Thus, based on the literature, our hypothesis is: H2 :A positive attitude towards the environment will positively impact the level of environmental awareness. Eco friendly behaviour is defined to the consumption of products that are beneficial to the environment (Mostafa, 2007). Past studies have examined what factors affect environmental behaviour in general (Johnson et al., 2004). According to these studies, environmental awareness can be an important factor towards determining eco friendly behaviour. (Chan, 2001). From the aforementioned, our hypothesis is: H3 :Environmental awareness positively impacts eco friendly behaviour. In this study we intend to explore the relationship between eco friendly attitude and behaviour. It has been generally seen that though environmental attitude is fairly high now, eco friendly behaviour does not show such high levels. This has been referred to as the attitude behaviour gap. (Alwitt and Pitts, 1996). Many studies have been conducted to explore this gap and what variables can be used to explain this. Environmental awareness is one of those variables. (Chan, 2001) This study explores the concept of environmental awareness as a factor that mediates the impact of attitude on behaviour. With reference to these literary studies, our hypothesis is: H4:Environmental Awareness mediates the relationship between eco friendly attitude and eco friendly behaviour. Certain literary works have evidenced that women reported significantly more participation in general environmental behaviour and specific green consumption than men (Maineri, 1997). Certain sample studies of western countries have shown that females express more positive attitudes towards the environment than males do (Tikka, 2007). Additional evidence also provides that women report stronger environmental attitudes than men across age and across 14 countries (Argentina, Canada, Columbia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, the United States and Venezuela) (Zelezny, 2000). A recent research conducted also claimed that female adolescent consumers scored significantly higher in environmental attitude (Lee, 2009). Equal numbers of males and females expressed a positive attitude towards organic foods according to study by (Dahm, Samonte and Shows, 2009). This finding varies somewhat from the literature, which identifies female s as being more aware and having stronger attitudes about organic foods. Based on these literatures, we have stated the hypothesis by breaking it into three sub-hypotheses: H5/A: The impact of eco friendly attitude on environmental awareness is more in case of Indian female consumers than their male counterparts. H5/B: The impact of environmental awareness on eco friendly behaviour is more in case of Indian female consumers than their male counterparts. H5/C: The impact of eco friendly attitude on eco friendly behaviour is more in case of Indian female consumers than their male counterparts. RESEARCH DESIGN METHODS OPERATIONALIZATION OF CONSTRUCTS AND VARIABLES The figure shows a diagrammatic representation of our research model. The definition of each of the constructs according to our interpretation is mentioned below. ECO-FRIENDLY ATTITUDE (EFA) Eco-friendly attitude (EFA) aims to measure the cognitive judgment of the respondent towards the value of environmental protection. It is the prerequisite to eco-friendly behavior (EFB). This is because the person should exhibit some environment friendly attitude before he takes definite steps towards improving the environment thus is considered as the independent construct in the model. ECO-FRIENDLY BEHAVIOR (EFB) Eco-friendly behavior (EFB) measures respondents readiness to take specific actions for environmental protection. These include consumers willingness to buy organic products, products which are certified ‘environmentally-safe. High eco-friendly attitude may or may not lead to eco-friendly behavior and hence latter forms the dependent construct under study. ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS (EA) Environmental awareness/consciousness (EA) measures the awareness level of the respondent about environment and current environmental problems. A person with high environmental awareness realizes that an effort is required, both at an individual level and organization level, to improve general environmental conditions. GENDER The variable gender has been obviously taken into two categories male and female. SAMPLE Content Validity was performed on the questionnaire before floating it to the sample respondents. The questionnaire was administered to eminent faculty of XLRI Jamshedpur and two social entrepreneurs. An email with the link to the survey was sent across along with a document explaining the constructs used. The explanation consisted of a small definition. The document also explained the research model and the hypotheses under test. Then a sample of 180 students in the age group 20-30 years, doing a post graduate course in Business management or equivalent participated in a questionnaire which inquired about their attitude towards the environment, awareness and purchasing behavior regarding eco-friendly products. The sample consisted of 102 male and 78 female respondents. The questionnaire was administered through the Internet and responses were directly received. MEASURES For the purpose of Content validity questions were asked in the following format: â€Å"I often buy products that are labelled as environmentally safe† measures Eco friendly Behaviour on a 5 point Likert scale. Yes No Cant Say For actual analysis constructs were measured by a five point Likert scale wherein respondents were asked to mark their responses from 1 (‘‘Strongly Disagree or ‘‘Not at all ) to 5 (‘‘Strong Agree or ‘‘definitely). The scores in each of the constructs was a direct sum of all the individual items ECO-FRIENDLY ATTITUDE (EFA) Respondents eco-friendly attitude was measured with a five-point Likert scale (1 indicates ‘‘Strongly Disagree 5 ‘‘Strong Agree) developed by Sweeney et al. (2001). The scale had 7 items. A sample item is ‘‘It is very important to raise environmental awareness among Indians. ECO-FRIENDLY BEHAVIOR (EFB) Respondents eco-friendly behavior was measured with a five-point likert scale (1 indicates ‘‘Strongly Disagree 5 ‘‘Strong Agree) developed by Sweeney et al. (2001). The scale had 6 items. A sample item is ‘‘I often buy products which are labelled environmentally safe. Items 2, 4, 5 and 6 are reverse coded and hence these items are added after subtracting them from 5. ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS/CONSCIOUSNESS (EA) Respondents environmental awareness was measured with a five-point Likert scale (1 indicates ‘‘Not at all 5 ‘‘definitely) developed by Vlosky et al. (1999). The scale had 5 items. A sample item is ‘‘I believe that environmental information on packaging is important. Gender was directly measured from a single question. The entire questionnaire is presented in Appendix A. ANALYSIS We have first of all conducted a reliability test for each of the three scales. Then for the purpose of our mediation analysis we have used a four step method that was developed by Kenny et al. (1998) and Baron and Kenny (1986) for the purpose of mediation analysis. This consists of four steps. In the first step we have used Eco Friendly Attitude as the independent variable to predict the dependent variable Eco Friendly Behaviour using linear regression. In the second step we have used Eco Friendly Attitude as the independent variable and used it to regress Environmental Awareness. The third step comprises of regressing Eco Friendly Behaviour using Environmental Awareness as the predictor variable. The final step comprises of regressing Eco Friendly Behaviour using both Eco Friendly Attitude and Environmental Awareness to determine the mediating effect of Environmental Awareness. RESULTS Content Validity reports showed that out of the 5 respondents, not more than 1 objected to the essentiality of any question out of the 17 questions in the survey. Hence none of the questions was discarded on those grounds. Reported in Table1 are the means, SD, correlations and internal consistency measure (Cronbachs ÃŽ ±). From the table we can clearly see that EA and EFB are very strongly correlated with each other. Even both of these are correlated with EFA but the extent of correlation of EFA is comparatively lower with EA and even lower with EFB hinting at a possible mediation of the EFA and EFB relation by EA. But a conclusive decision regarding the mediation can only be taken after we perform regression analysis for the same. Table 1: Means, SDs, correlations and Cronbachs ÃŽ ±. S. No. Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 Alpha (ÃŽ ±) 1 Eco Friendly Attitude 27.19 3.77 0.752 2 Environmental Awareness 19.52 3.7 0.606 0.797 3 Eco Friendly behaviour 18.89 4.47 0.457 0.738 0.847 Going forward, the regression analysis is presented in Table 2. In the first step we regress for EFB using EFA as a predictor or independent variable. The results show that the impact of EFA on EFB is significant (since p In the second step we regressed for EA using EFA as a predictor or independent variable. The results show that EFA significantly impacted EA (since p In the third step we regressed for EFB using the mediating variable EA as a predictor variable. The results again show a significant relation between the two which shows that the mediating variable here is significantly related to the criterion variable. Thus Hypothesis 3 is supported. In the final step we regressed for EFB using both EA and EFA as predictor variables to comment on mediation effect. EFA significantly affected EFB and EA as seen in step 1 and 2 but became non-significantly related to EFB in this step (p=0.795>>0.01). The same is emphasized by the fact that the significance of the impact of EA on EFB is still significant (p=0.000). Hence this shows complete mediation of the relation between EFA and EFB by EA. The mediation effect comes to 0.440 for EFA for its relationship with EFB. The Z-score using the Sobel calculator turns out to be 7.63 which is much greater than 1.96. Hence the mediation is significant at 1% level of significance (two-tailed). Hence hypothesis 4 is supported. Table 2: Regression Analysis Results for measuring the mediation effect. R ² Unstandardized ÃŽ ² Standardized ÃŽ ² Significance Change in ÃŽ ² Step 1 0.209 0.542 0.457 0.000 Step 2 0.367 0.594 0.606 0.000 Step 3 0.545 0.893 0.738 0.000 Step 4 0.545 0.88 0.728 0.000 Step 4 0.545 0.02 0.017 0.795 0.44 Once the mediation analysis is completed we now move to analysis of another important part of our model which is moderation of the relationships between EFA, EA and EFB by gender. Table 3 shows the regression re-performed separately for the male and the female samples. The mediation analysis again is shown to be significant in both the cases taken separately as seen from the fact that the first three relations are significant and in the step 4, the relation between EA and EFB is still significant showing that full mediation exists. The mediation effect turns out to be 0.62 in case of females and 0.322 in case of males. The Z-score comes to 6.38 in case of females and 4.57 in case of males. This shows that the mediation is significant in both the cases. Table 3: Regression Analysis Results for measuring the mediation effect (Female/Male). R ² Unstandardized ÃŽ ² Standardized ÃŽ ² Significance Change in ÃŽ ² Step 1 0.315/0.144 0.719/0.424 0.561/0.379 0.000/0.000 Step 2 0.519/0.262 0.839/0.427 0.720/0.512 0.000/0.000 Step 3 0.670/0.433 0.900/0.883 0.818/0.657 0.000/0.000 Step 4 0.671/0.435 0.947/0.844 0.861/0.628 0.000/0.000 Step 4 0.671/0.436 (-)0.076/0.064 (-)0.059/0.057 0.537/0.516 0.62/0.322 The standardized ÃŽ ² coefficient is shown for all the relationships in our model in the Figure 1 for both the male and the female set of respondents. The standardized coefficient clearly shows that for female respondents the impact of EFA on EFB is substantially higher than in the case of male respondents. The same is observed in case of the relationship between EFA and EA as well as between EA and EFB. Hence Hypothesis 5(a), 5(b) and 5(c) are supported. the Male/ Female set of respondents. DISCUSSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS The study conducted above analyzed the impact of Eco Friendly Attitude on Eco Friendly Behaviour and mediation of the relationship by Environmental Awareness in the context of the Indian youth studying in the post graduate schools of the country. Very little study, if any, has been conducted on this topic in the Indian Context so much so that only in 2009 has research started in Asia-Pacific by Kaman Lee (2009) on the same. This report provides a valuable insight into the topic for marketers as well as for future studies conducted in India. As can been seen from the analysis conducted above Eco Friendly Attitude seems to have a positive impact on Eco Friendly Behaviour which is consistent with the study conducted by Kotchen and Reiling (2000). This is very logical in the sense that people with a favourable attitude towards eco friendly products can be expected to have eco friendly behaviour even in spite of the extra price may be monetary or opportunistic that they have to pay for such behaviour. To have a better understanding of the topic we introduced Environmental Awareness as another construct and tried to find its role as a mediator. The first conclusion that came out of the same was that an Eco Friendly Attitude would imply a higher Environmental Awareness. This is in direct agreement to the study conducted by Mittal (1989). The logic behind the same is that an attitude would act as a motivation for them to learn more about these products hence increasing their awareness. The next conclusion that comes directly from the results is that Environmental Awareness leads to Eco Friendly Behaviour. This is again consistent with the study conducted by Chan (2001). This makes sense because people with more awareness about eco friendly products can be expected to have favourable purchasing behaviour towards the same. The results also establish the mediation of the relation between Eco Friendly Attitude and Eco Friendly Behaviour is being mediated by Environmental Awareness which is consistent with the studies conducted by Alwitt and Pitts (1996). This stresses on the importance of bringing about awareness about Eco Friendly Products among consumers. The conclusion that can be drawn here is that awareness about these products is more important than only an attitude towards the same. The results also show gender specific implications for each of these relationships. From the analysis for female consumers impact of attitude on behaviour seems to be higher which is in direct accordance with the study conducted by various authors like Maineri (1997) etc. mentioned in the literature review. The same is true to the other two relationships between Eco Friendly Attitude Environmental Awareness and between Environmental Awareness and Eco Friendly Behaviour. This makes sense because prominently household purchasing is done by females and hence there is a higher probability of attitude being converted to purchasing behaviour. Again females have been seen to exhibit more seriousness towards such issues as expressed in the literature review and hence the case. India is set to see a substantial increase in the market for eco friendly products. The study has great relevance for Indian marketers because this study emphasizes on the fact that awareness plays a key role in behaviour. This is a positive boost to the importance of environment awareness campaigns in bringing about eco friendly behaviour. This justifies the use of such campaigns in the drive for to create a host of environment friendly consumers. The fact that the impact of such awareness on behaviour is more in case of female consumers hints to the marketers about the possible benefit of targeting that segment of the consumers. The obvious conclusion from the above research is that the benefit from conversion of awareness and attitude to behaviour would be more in case of female consumers and marketing campaigns should be made to influence this particular market segment. LIMITATIONS, SCOPE FOR FUTURE RESEARCH AND CONCLUSION Firstly the primary data collection was done among a restricted age group (20-30 years) and hence the same cannot be generalized for all the other age groups. Similar studies need to be conducted among other age groups as well. Secondly the same is valid for the educational background. As for the purpose of this study we had only approached students from B-Schools or other equivalent post graduate schools. Hence this result cannot be generalized for other sections of the society. Thirdly there might be an influence of cultural behaviour on survey results as the same is restricted to Indian cities. Hence for the purpose of generalizing the results, future studies should take into account the cultural influence on different variables. Fourthly The media used for the dissemination of the questionnaire in our case is internet because of the scarcity of time. Hence this might have restricted a few of the respondents from our target group. A parallel on-paper questionnaire could have provided a more comprehensive sample from the target group. But for the restricted category of people from which our sample was taken and which forms a substantial market for eco friendly products the results hold true. Thus for this section Eco Friendly Attitude positively impacts Eco Friendly Behaviour and the same is moderated by Environmental Awareness. The impacts are much higher in female consumers compared to male consumers. Hence female consumers should ideally be the target of marketers to eco friendly products who try to drive in awareness about eco friendly products to people having positive attitude towards the same.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Dr. Jack-O-Lantern, by Richard Yates Essay

Struggle for acceptance in the coming of age story, Dr. Jack-O-Lantern, by Richard Yates the main character Vincent Sabella faces struggles that force him to become a rebellious adolescent. Yates depiction of Vincent represents the maturation process of a ten year old orphan boy who grew up in New York and moved to a new city, enrolled in a new school, and had to make new friends. Vincent can be described as a quiet child with poor hygiene who became lonely and rebellious after moving to his new school. Coming from an orphanage, Vincent wasnt able to have someone around him that made sure his hygiene was taken care of. When Vincent arrived at his new school, his school mates made fun of him because he made an unintelligible croak and smiled fleetingly, just enough to show that the roots of his teeth were green (Yates). Not only were his teeth green, the clothes he went to school with were absurdly new corduroys, absurdly old sneakers and a yellow sweatshirt, much too small, with the shredded remains of a Mickey Mouse design stamped on its chest (Yates). The ridicule that Vincent had to face from his classmates made him a very lonely and depressed child. Along with having bad hygiene, Vincent became lonely and depressed. His first day at his new school he stayed on the apron of the playground, close to school, and for the first part of the recess he pretended to be very busy with the laces of his sneakers (Yates). None of Vincents school mates wanted to play with him. During class, Vincent gave a report to his class about his weekend. He made up a story about getting chased by the police on Saturday and his classmates began to catch on to his exaggeration. Recess was worse than usual for him that day; at least it was until he found a place to hide — a narrow concrete alley, blind except for several closed fire-exit doors, that cut between two sections of the school building (Yates). Because nobody was around, Vincent felt like his new hiding spot was safe so none of his class mates could make fun of him. Vincent began to feel like he was an out-cast at his new school and started to become a rebel in the making. At ten years old, Vincent already knew every vulgar word in the book. Standing in his newly found hiding spot in  the alley, he just stood there, looking at the blankness of the concrete wall; then he found a piece of chalk in his pocket and wrote out all the dirty words he could think of, in block letters a foot high (Yates). Because Vincent was treated as a loner in his new city, writing on walls was a way for him to release his anger created by his struggle. After having to clean the chalk off the wall, he went back to his alley and drew a picture of a naked woman and titled it Miss Price.Vincents struggles throughout the story caused him to grow into a rebellious adolescent with no responsibility. We can conclude that the author is trying to illustrate Vincents maturation process as a struggle for approval. Vincents quiet demeanor quickly turned into him becoming a disobedient child who longed for the acceptance of his new surroundings. Bibliography Short-storyRichard Yates, â€Å"Dr. Jack-O-Lantern†

Thursday, January 9, 2020

The Internet Is Not A Tangible Entity Essay - 1447 Words

The Internet Originally intended by America research scientists to correspond with each other, it evolved to be a widely accepted form of telecommunication for users of personal computers. The foundation of the internet is derived from an interconnection of computers globally numbering millions, information systems and communication entities. The internet uses standard internet protocol suites in linking many devices in a network of many other networks (WebWise Team, 2012). The man physical properties of the internet are based on its operation. For internet to exist, there have to be machines, hardware and data. The networks in the internet are connected suing network configurations that are either local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN). The internet is always evolving and its accessibility is also changing. With the integration of technology, there are more devices likely to be invented and e used in new and exciting ways to access the internet. The internet is not a tangible entity, but more of a concept that relies on physical infrastructure to be operational. Though nobody owns the internet, the over 2.4 billion users cannot work without monitoring. Internet organizations are responsible for the issuance of domain names and IP addresses that identifies. For a user to be connected to a network, there is an internet service provider (ISP) required to provide connectivity. Once connected to an ISP, the user becomes part of their network. 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