education Essays (353 words) - Education, Knowledge Sharing

While the ideal of education (to instill a love of learning into every child, regardless of his ability) may be an admirable one, it is unrealistic. In today?s education system, those who do not perform well are simply shunted to one side and either discreetly or blatantly told that they are failures. Naysayers believe this goes against the ideal of education, and to a large extent, they are correct. When one is told from young that one is unable to do something- for example, math- one would inevitably develop a mindset that he is unable to do it for life. Such self-fulfilling prophecies are held up as examples, ironically, as incidents where the education system has failed. However, this is an oversimplification. In today?s increasingly competitive world, a society which allows an ideal education system to flourish will find it difficult to survive economically. However, a prevailing view is that with such an education system, children would naturally learn more. Certainly, if You must Login to view the entire essay. If you are not a member yet, Sign Up for free! the world were perfect, this theory might hold water. The ideal is such that every student is motivated to learn simply for the love of learning, or rather, because he can. This would result in the student being an all-rounded and balanced person, yet always open to new ideas and theories. However, consider the possible repercussions of having a system which would encourage this ?learn-all? approach. Having such an approach effectively dismisses testing as a means to educate. After all, tests are one of the most effective indicators of the academic performance of a student; failing one would lead to a sense of discouragement and in the long run, could lead to a sense of unwillingness to learn. This would go against the ideal of education. Yet if one did not test, the purpose of education cannot be fulfilled. This is because the purpose of education is to provide a strong and capable workforce. However, the most effective means to determine the academic proficiency of workers...

The NAFTA Act of 1993 essays

The NAFTA Act of 1993 essays In 1993, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was passed. Included was a gradual removal of tariffs on various goods traded between Mexico, Canada and the United States. The first implementation of these tariff removals began on January 1, 1994. According to the U.S. information service, "Under the NAFTA, all non tariff barriers to agricultural trade between the United States and Mexico were eliminated. In addition, many tariffs were eliminated immediately, with others to be phased out, resulting in full implementation of all agricultural provisions by the year 2008." (Economic Perspectives, June 1996) It may be worth noting, in the aftermath of the recent outbreak of mad cow disease in a northwestern United States dairy herd that among the tariffs removed, making trade easier and more profitable for Canada, were restrictions and tariffs on agricultural products, including cattle. The infected cow was traced to a dairy cow producer in Canada. Since 1989, a U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement had been in effect; all the provisions incorporated in that, including tariffs, had been incorporated into NAFTA all tariff affecting agricultural trade between those two signatories to NAFTA had been removed by January 1, 1998. (Economic Perspectives, June A similar process was instituted, under NAFTA, regarding Mexico. All non tariff measures affecting agricultural trade between the U.S. and Mexico were eliminated in that first round, on January 1, 1994. Tariffs were to be eliminated in phases, with some tariff removed almost immediately. On January 1, 1996, the third round of tariff cuts with Mexico went into effect. Duty-free U.S. access increased 3 percent under Mexico's tariff- rate quotas covering corn, dried beans, poultry, barley, animal fats, eggs, and potatoes. (Economic Perspectives, June 1996) USAID noted that both Mexico and the U.S. have...

Inflation in Zimbabwe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Inflation in Zimbabwe - Essay Example These are permanent dollarization, joining the Common Monetary Area membership, usage of its dollar as the only legal tender and employment of variable regimes. However, in its conclusion and recommendation, the brief singles out joining of the CMA as the best choice for Zimbabwe to permanently curb its inflation. Situation brief When Zimbabwe attained independence in 1980, its dollar’s worth averaged $1.25 (Kramarenko et al. 2010). Over time, inflation rose steadily under the presidency of Robert Mugabe until towards the end of the 1990s when the confiscation of land from White settlers had negatively affected food production (Coomer & Gstraunthaler 2011). With the seizing of these commercial farms, foreign investors fled away leading to halting of manufacturing and reducing the supply of foreign currency needed for importation of goods. Tax revenue also reduced drastically. In order to ensure that the government funded its debts, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe increased its pr inting of currency causing a rise in inflation to triple digits as of 2001. ... Wines (2006) referred to this as one of the world’s highest inflation. As of July 2008, Zimbabwe was suffering a high inflation at 231 million percent per year. President Robert Mugabe employed various strategies so as to bring this inflation into control. The economy was turned over to the president’s closest allies in the National Security Council. Intelligence officers and loyal army officers were used in controlling key functions including tax collection and food security. Key supporters of the president had their salaries increased drastically to cushion them from the effects of the inflation with the central bank printing more notes. This instead led to hyperinflation due to the circulation of too many worthless Zimbabwean dollars. By November 2005, the inflation stood at 400% which edged in January 2006 to over 600% (Wines 2006). By June 2008, this was at 11.2 million percent per year and kept increasing in the subsequent months to over 231 million percent in 200 8 (Berger 2008). In January 2009, the 100 trillion Zimbabwean dollar note worth $30 was introduced into the circulation (Pindiriri 2012). The US dollar exchanged for Z$180 officially but fetched Z$8,000 in the black market. This was further worsened by the deadlock that existed between the Zanu-PF party of Robert Mugabe and the Movement for Democratic Change, the opposition. The closest Zimbabwe came to finding a solution was with the dollarization in February 2009 where authorities allowed for trade with five different currencies, though the US dollar became the principal (Pindiriri 2012). The use of the Zimbabwean dollar was discontinued. But this was considered as a short term measure that would not give a permanent solution to the problem of inflation in Zimbabwe. Therefore, the

Music of Beethoven Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Music of Beethoven - Essay Example He changed the musical form but not the structure in this period. One of his quartets had 7 movements instead of 4. One sonata had 2 movements: one movement and a set of variations of the theme of the movement. His 9th Symphony, Joy to the World: was based on Schiller's Ode to Joy. He used two principle ideas: universal brotherhood through the love of God. The choral was magnificent. As one point there were 4 solo voices to sing. His late works were so intimate and intimidating. His whole life he considered music as a mode of self expression His compositions of the third period of his life were beyond the understanding of most. We do not consider the compositions avant-garde as we have heard what came afterwards. Beethoven is an excellent introduction into an avant-garde composer of his time. He did not conform to society. He adapted new forms of compositions and orchestrations. He wrote for different groups of instrumentation. He was not understood by his contemporaries; and he comp osed for himself. The last issue in which Beethoven was not affected was the patronage of royalty. Beethoven early in his life decided what he was going to compose and for whom. Most composers had patrons and as artists, they wrote what was asked of them. 19th avant-garde composers compositional or other issues. Berlioz and Liszt were contemporaries. They were forced by the times to be more than just composers. They did not have patrons. They had to work by supplying their incomes through writing (literary).

Tom Clancy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Tom Clancy - Essay Example Tom Clancy is something else again. The flap jacket of Tom Clancy's first successful book, The Hunt for Red October, contains this anecdote: "He has had a private chat with President Reagan, and lunched with the White House staff. His maiden novel was a top seller at the Pentagon. Yet the author is neither a former intelligence nor a naval officer. Rather, Tom Clancy is an insurance broker from a small town in Maryland whose only previously published writing was a letter to the editor and a three-page article about the MX missile. He always wanted to write a suspense novel, and a newspaper article about a mutiny on a Soviet frigate gave him the initial idea for Red October. He did extensive research about Soviet-American naval strategies and submarine technology. Then in the time he could spare from his insurance business, Clancy sat down at his typewriter and wrote. The rest is history." This insurance man with very little writing experience invented the "techno-thriller" genre, a hybrid of military, spy, political and suspense thrillers which became part of popular American culture 20 years later (Greenberg, M., 1992). Clancy's suspense thrillers are political intrigues mixed with rich details of modern military technology, which are focused on the Cold War and take a grim view of the former Soviet Union. This struck a responsive chord among political conservatives. These novels are also distinguished by the intricacies of their plots, attention to detail, and technical accuracy in military and intelligence topics (Wikipedia). An amazing achievement for one who never had any training in intelligence or military affairs, which gives his popularity a dimension bigger than that of all the best-selling authors combined who are known to have some previous expertise in the fields they are writing on. As a result of the immense popularity of Clancy's books, he became the only author in history whose works have been "branded,' a new publishing phenomenon in which other authors publish books using his name to ensure brisk sales. These publishing ventures are called "Apostrophe Books" as in "Tom Clancy's Op-Center with Steve Pieczenik." (Britannica.com) Tom Clancy's initial attempt at novel writing, The Hunt for Red October, was modeled after authors he admired most. These include the British masters of suspense and spy thrillers - Frederick Forsyth, John le Carre, Alistair MacLean and Len Deighton. Martin Greenberg, who collaborated with Clancy on his Mirror Image series, recalls that Clancy worked on the novel from November 11, 1982 to February 23, 1983, or within a space of only three months. The novel concerns a prolonged sea chase involving high-tech submarines so he referred it to the Naval Press Institute, hoping to obtain the stamp of authenticity that he doubted from the start. As Clancy feared at the time, his knowledge of submarine technology and weaponry was found wanting in places by the Naval Press Institute. Thus, the manuscript was returned to him three weeks later, full of suggested rewrites. Clancy dutifully did the rewrites, learning from that experience as he did so. In November 1983, sometime after Clancy brought back the revised manuscript to the Naval Press Institute, the institute was impressed enough to make an offer to publish it on a $3,000 deal with the first-time author. The institute had never published a book before and it was a measly contract by industry standard, but Clancy

A Conjoint Analysis in High Involvement Purchase Decision

A Conjoint Analysis in High Involvement Purchase Decision There was a time when humans hardly cared for the environment around them, they rather saw the environment as a sphere to simply dominate (Merchant, 1989, p.7-9). Human society as a whole has moved miles away from that view point since then. Now, chances are high that even the regular Joe takes a look at the labels of the products he wants to purchase to make sure they are not harmful to the environment. Customers nowadays not only look for an environmentally safe product but also look into the depths of the production process of the said product as well. Factors such as animal testing, child-labor etc. are strong determinants in many consumer purchase decisions (De Pelsmacker, Driesen, Rayp, 2005, p.363; Unruh Ettenson, 2010a, p.96, 98). It is very common today that a regular coffee drinker makes sure that his/her coffee has UTZ Certified  [1]  logo, Rainforest Alliance Certified  [2]  logo, FairtradeCertified  [3]  logo, and Eco-friendly labels on the coffee pack or the at the restaurant menu prior to purchase (Gurskis, 2009). Continuation of this behavior can be seen when consumers pay extra for their airfare to off-set their carbon footprint, purchase a low-energy motion sensitive bulb for home usage, or purchase organic or ecological food products (GGAS, 2011; Soil Association, 2010, p.4-9). Needless to say, these shifts in customer trends have created quiet big impacts for the businesses and their policies around the globe. The emergence of the green consumer has made it absolutely essential for a business enterprise to obtain somewhat detailed information about its potential and/or existing customers (DSouza, Taghian, Lamb, Peretiatkos, 2006, p.144; Ryan, 2006 p.1). With more and more consumers paying more attention to the environmental features of the products and willing to pay more for such sustainable products, marketing (in the sense of transparent communication) of sustainable products to the potential and existing consumers has become more important than ever. Sustainable or eco-friendly product offerings can accelerate business growths, enable innovations, and build, rebuild, or establish brands (Ottman, 2006). From 2007 to 2009, the launch of eco-friendly products has increased by more than 500% across the globe (Unruh Ettenson, 2010a, p.94). Such an influx did not go unnoticed by the executives. Top businesses around the world now understand that being environmentally responsible can pave the way the to both business growth as well as differentiation (Unruh Ettenson, 2010a, p.96). And sustainability for the business enterprise can be achieved by striking a balance between social, environmental, and commercial goals (Unruh Ettenson, 2010b, p.113). The green trend has made its ground in virtually all product and service categories such as water filters to cleaning products to electronics. Today web hosting service providers such as iPage, fatcow, hostgator etc. have gone green  [4]  . The trend is so strong that even cable service providers are trying to come up with ways to go green (Unruh Ettenson, 2010b, p.114). The Green House Effect or global warming have become household phenomena these days. Either way, a change in global climate could result in severe consequences for planet earths vegetation, lifeforms (including human beings), habitable lands in short, the entire planet would be in danger (Held Soden, 2000, p.441-443). This danger warning was the reason behind the formation of the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change and devising a global treaty with the aim of stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system (UNFCCC, 2005, p.5). 1.2 The Emergence of Green Cars According to reports by Federation Belge De lIndustrie De Automobile Et Du Cycle or FEBIAC (2008, cited in De Craecker De Wulf, 2009, p.1), annually about 28 tonnes of CO2 is deposited to the atmosphere of which 37% comes from production of energy and 25% from transportation sector. The report also states that 10% of the annual global Carbon Dioxide or CO2 emissions are caused by private automobiles. So, it is no wonder that the automobile sector is one of the prime concerns for the environmental protection activities. The need for green cars or environmentally friendly vehicles was greater than ever. The automobile industry formally stepped into this Green or environment-friendly product category with Toyotas development and mass-marketing of Prius in 1997 (Lake, 2001). Since then Honda and many other leading automakers have followed suit. The list of auto-makers that already have developed and marketed hybrid (green) automobiles or those who are planning to introduce green automobiles is growing rapidly and even includes sports car giants Porsche (Unruh Ettenson, 2010a, p.98). As we have discussed above, the need for green products is growing day by day. About 75% of the European Union citizens are willing to purchase environment-friendly products (European Commission, 2008). Cars are no exception. This European attitude can be justified by the Belgian example, where, between 2003-2008, the sales of eco-friendly cars (with CO2 emissions of less than 140 g/km) has doubled while sales of more polluting cars (with CO2 emissions of 210-250 g/km) has decreased by 50% (FEBIAC, 2008, cited in De Craecker De Wulf, 2009, p6). About 75% of the European citizens are willing to purchase environment-friendly products (European Commission, 2008, p.27). This growing consumer need is one of the reasons for green cars emergence. The governments and regulatory agencies have also put new regulations to curtail emissions from the automobiles as transportation sector remains a major contributor of environmental pollution. The EU has implemented a policy of reducing CO2 emissions by 20% by the year 2020 (Lindfors Roxland, 2010, p.1). So, the member countries are applying various tactics and regulations to meet this goal. For example, Swedens automobile tax is now calculated based on the amount of carbon emissions by the automobile (Lindfors Roxland, 2010) and therefore creating an indirect push on the sales and development of the greener vehicles. The US government, among others, provides income tax credit of upto $7,500 for purchase of an electric car in or after 2010 (US Department of Energy, 2010). UK, China, and France have government programs that provide incentives to motorists who are buying green cars as well (Vaughan, 2011). Many cities (such as Stockholm, London) are exempting green car owners from pa ying congestion tax, driving tax etc (Lindfors Roxland, 2010). 1.2.1 Automobile Industry Initiative As Unruh and Ettenson (2010b, p.110) points out, a race is on in virtually all business industries to produce green products. The automobile industry is no exception. To illustrate the importance of the emergence of the need for green or eco-friendly cars, Fords Chairman William C Ford said in 2003, The automobile business is about to experience the most profound and revolutionary changes its seen since the Model T first hit the streets. (Cited in Office of Technology Policy, 2003, p. 27). Of course, the Model T was the first ever vehicle to be produced. So, according to the chairman of the largest automobile company in the world, the importance of the eco-friendly innovations for the automobile industry has the same magnitude as the invention of the automobile itself. Association des Constructeurs Europà ©ens dAutomobiles (ACEA) states that sustainability is now the key concern of European automobile industry and in the process manufacturers delivered 50 new CO2 reducing technologies (ACEA, 2009, p.10). The automakers are requesting for a à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬40 billion loan fund to develop new technologies to improve the green cars (ACEA, 2009, p11). ACEA entered into a voluntary agreement with the European Commission in 1998 to cut down emissions. As a result, in 2008, the total CO2 emissions of the new cars have been reduced by 20% compared to that of 1998 (ACEA, 2009, p.15). The most significant aspect of this agreement is that the ACEA initiated this even before and legislative restrictions on emissions were put in place. The willingness of the automakers towards developing eco-friendly cars can be clearly understood by this. Moreover, an ongoing initiative by the leading automobile manufacturers to produce even greener vehicles is gaining steady footing. Using bio-plastics for various engine and other components by Ford, Toyota, and Mazda yields proof to this (Guzman, 2010, p.20). Understanding the consumer preferences is one of the most fundamental activities for the businesses as this understanding leads to understanding the consumers needs, and business firms exist to satisfy the consumer needs (Bettman, Luce, Payne, 1998, p.187; Solomon, 2009, p.35). The automobile industry is no exception and is very keen to understanding consumers preferences and answering the needs associated with the resulting needs and demands. For example, a consumer demand for a hybrid car with the plug-in electric option (a switch on option that enables the car to be driven only on electric power to travel a short distance) opted Toyota to develop the Prius PHEV that is due out in 2012 (Vasilash, 2010, p.28-29). Nissan has moved another step further and introduced the Nissan Leaf an electricity fueled car specifically designed for city traveling (Vaughan, 2011). 1.3 Problem Discussion As this study intends to examine the consumer preference of green cars, it falls under the category of consumer behavior or to be more precise green consumer behavior. So, the authors looked into prior works into the fields of green marketing, green consumer behavior, green consumer profiling, and most importantly studies related to green cars. The field of green marketing is relatively new as it was developed during the late 80s and the early 90s (Polonsky, 1994, p.1). So, the number of studies in this field is relatively fewer than other branches of marketing. The approach of identifying and analyzing environment conscious consumers and formulating appropriate marketing strategies has only started over the last two decades (Moon, Florkowski, Brà ¼ckner, and Schonhof, 2002). In case of green consumer profiling, as both the green products and the green consumers are relatively new in this market, the initial studies were not always very conclusive. In studies conducted in the 90s, people were found to be conscious about environment and preferred the green products in general but did not intend to buy green products by themselves (Simmons Market Research Bureau 1991; Roberts 1996). So, the conclusion from these studies suggests that early consumers obtained the green attitude but not the behavior. However, subsequent studies show that the situation is different now. Laroche, Bergeron, Barbaro-Forleo (2001) conducted a study in North America to develop a profile of the green consumers. This study focused on consumers attitude, knowledge, values, demographics, and behavior and their influence on consumers willingness to pay more for environmentally friendly products or services. While the study finds that about 80% consumers are willing to pay more for gree n products, they would refuse to buy products (even green products) from the companies that are known to be polluters (Laroche et. al., 2010, p.519). Although the study by Laroche et. al. (2001) provides evidence of the transformation of consumer attitudes into behavior and successfully develops a profile of potential green consumers; it does not do so in a specific product or service category. That is, the developed profile may be useful to know the state of the green consumers, but it fails to provide us with information regarding a customer profile for a specific product. So, a need for green product or service (such as green or environment-friendly cars) specific consumer profiling exists in the academic arena. The studies relating consumers to green cars are even scarcer as the development of first successful green car dates back to only 1997 and, therefore, even fewer studies are conducted concerning green cars. However, the authors have encountered a few green or environment-friendly car related studies. These studies were conducted in Sweden, The Netherlands, and Taiwan. The first examined environmental-friendly car specific study was conducted in the Netherlands by Rijnsoever, Farla, Dijst (2009). They investigated the consumer preferences and information channels used for car purchases of about 1500 car owners using cluster analysis. Although green car specific, this study only covered existing car owners and did not investigate potential buyers and their preferences. The study was also more investigative of the information channels used prior to the purchase of the current vehicles. The next examined green car related study is by Lindfors Roxland (2010) that looks into the impact of Swedish governments green car rebate program on green cars sales performance. The results of the study showed that although the green car sales increased due to the rebate program, the program might be costing too much in terms of benefit (Lindfors Roxland, 2010, p.38). This study was conducted from the regulators point of view and examined the impact of incentives, regulations, and restrictions on the sales performance of the green cars and did not investigate the consumers or their preferences in any way. Jansson, Marell and Nordlund (2009) used a cluster analytical approach concerning green purchase and curtailment behavior on Swedish car owners as well. The study was conducted on Swedish car owners. There are two major components that have been identified in this research to measure green consumers attitude and behavior. The tendency of green purchasing behavior is to obtain green products and green technologies, while, on the other hand, curtailment behavior is to chop down the use of conventional products (Jansson, Marell and Nordlund, 2009). Value, Belief and Norm(VBN) theory has been taken into account to profile consumers. However, the researchers merely focused on alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) and not on other versions of green cars. In addition, the investigation was conducted only on car owners that show the post purchase behavior of car owners. This study did not investigate the potential owners and their preferences. The last examined green car related literature is an International Association for Management of Technologies (IAMOT) conference paper by Li-Hsing, Yi-Chun, Kun-Shiang (2006) presented in Beijing. This paper investigated the consumer preference of potential consumers of green cars in Taiwan. Conjoint analysis was used to identify the preferred attribute sets of the consumers. This study was conducted as green cars were about to enter the Taiwanese market, and although the results identified only 20% of the respondents as potential buyers (Li-Hsing, Yi-Chun, Kun-Shiang, 2006. p.6-8). Although this paper works to develop a consumer profile of green cars in Taiwan, it is incomplete as it could not take into account the post-purchase behavior (as green cars were to be introduced to the market and therefore no existing owners were there) of the consumers. The authors also acknowledge the inability of the study to be representative of Taiwanese market due to online data collection proces s and therefore the lack of reliability of the responses (Li-Hsing et.al., 2006. p.7). From the reviewed studies, we can conclude that a study that represents the potential owners of green automobiles may be of great importance from both business and academic perspective. Now, with the emergence of the Green Cars, consumers have different options in selecting their automobile of choice. So, an understanding of what factors or attributes of a green car can make a consumer tick or turn away can be of great academic interest. And, in light of the prior literature review, the authors believe that a green car specific study focusing on consumer preferences (including both existing car owners and potential car owners) is important to gain further knowledge in the field of green consumer behavior. And to the best of our knowledge, no other previous studies have used conjoint analysis to examine preferences of both potential and existing consumers on green cars rather they used cluster analysis, cross-sectional surveys, or co-variance models. So we believe a study employing Co njoint analysis would enable us to obtain an indirect mapping of the consumer preferences that would be helpful in answering the identified research gap. 1.4 Research Question The research questions that the authors would like to answer through this study is What are the determining attributes of consumers green car choice? How the defined attributes influence the consumer decision concerning green cars? 1.5 Research purpose The authors intend to study the consumer preferences concerning green car purchase. The authors would identify the determining factors in the green (car) purchase decision process. The study would examine both the existing and the potential green car owners to get the measure of the attitude towards the different attributes of green cars. A secondary purpose would be to partially develop a consumer profile of green car consumers. 1.6 Limitations of the Study This study will be conducted in Sweden and therefore only the Swedish definition of Green car will be taken into account. We understand that doing so, a global generalization may be inappropriate and unachievable. We conducted our study based on respondents from Umeà ¥ and Stockholm only. Although we tried to study the Swedish consumers attitude towards green cars, a study based on only two cities may not be entirely representative of entire Sweden. While our study relates to the marketing field of Green Consumer Behavior, we have only focused on the automobile sector. A study incorporating other aspects of green consumer behavior might have yielded a better understanding. This study will examine the consumer preferences related to the specifications available to existing green cars only. The developments in the pipeline are not considered. So, upon the arrival of such developments, a similar study might be conducted. We understand that the green market is evolving fast. This study aims to examine the current green consumers. Further evolution to the green consumer behavior may yield a need to study many different aspects of the consumer preferences apart from the ones we will examine in this study. 1.7 Disposition ** Text will be added here. CHAPTER-TWO (Work is in progress) 2. Theoretical Framework 2.1 Defining Green Car The exact definition of green cars differs from one country to another. However, we may start by stating the conventional perception of green cars. Any car that pollutes less (in reality, emits less CO2 or other pollutants into the atmosphere) may be considered to be environment friendly or green. There are many versions of green cars available in the market. These include, Alternative Fuel Vehicle or AFV, Patrol-Electricity Hybrid, Diesel-Electricity Hybrid, Bio-Fuel vehicle, and Electric vehicles. The AFVs run on non-fossil fuel such as Ethanol (alcohol), while the Hybrids use traditional fossil fuel along with an electric motor for reduced emission and increased efficiency. Bio-fuel vehicles use fuels produced from renewable organic sources such as Bio-diesel. These vehicles produce less emissions than traditional vehicles. Electric vehicles do not use any fuel at all and run on rechargeable battery-powered engines. These vehicles produce zero or no emissions, however, they have fairly short driving range. 2.1.1 Green Car in Swedish Context Both the authors are currently residing in Sweden and therefore would like to conduct this study on Swedish consumers of green cars. So, the specific Swedish definition of green cars would be appropriate here. According to Svensk fà ¶rfattningssamling (SFS 2007, cited by Lindfors Roxland, 2010, p.4), the Swedish definition of Environment-friendly Vehicles or Green Cars depends on the amount of carbon emissions and/or fuel consumption by a vehicle. For AFVs, if their consumption lies below the energy equivalent of 9.2 liters of gasoline/100 km, or 8.4 liters of diesel/100 km or 9.7 m3 of gas/100 km, they would be considered as green cars. Electric cars are considered green if the consumption lies below 37 kWh/100 km. For traditional or fossil-fuel powered vehicles, if their carbon dioxide emissions lie below 120 g/km, they would be considered to be green. Diesel powered cars must also have a particle emission of less than 5 mg/km meaning that they need to have a particle filter fitted to be green. 2.2 Green Consumer Behavior Green consumer behavior may refer to the consumers attitude towards environment friendly products (Roozen De Pelsmacker, 1998, p.23). From this simple definition we can derive that when the consumer attitude towards purchasing (or not) a product is influenced by the green or environment friendly features of the product, we may call that green behavior. Aside from just purchasing, green behavior also includes performing other environmentally responsible activities as well, such as recycling, working in environmental organizations, taking part in environmental-friendly movements etc. (Haanpà ¤Ãƒ ¤, 2007, p.478). In terms of purchasing green, Young, Hwang, McDonalds, Oates (2010) state that consumers purchase green products for everyday use fairly easily but search for information extensively when it comes to high-technology products. They also say that in case of high-technology products, consumers are willing to pay extra and buy green product if it has credible environmental labelling, such as European Commission or EC Energy Label (Young, Hwang, McDonalds, Oates, 2010, p.23). So, having a reliable certification is an important aspect for green consumers. As mentioned earlier, green consumer behavior is not only concerned with purchase of product(s), it also involves not purchasing as well. As Laroche et.al. (2001) point out, majority of the consumers would not purchase products of polluting companins, Young et.al. (2010) find that brand boycotting over environmental concerns has become a regular occurrence as well (De Pelsmacker et.al., 2005, p.364; Young et.al., 2010, p.23). 2.2.1 Determinants of Green Consumer Behavior The determining factors for green consumer purchases tend to be consumers strong green value, prior purchase experience, available time for information search concerning the product(s), knowledge about product relevant environmental issues, availability of the product, and of course, affordability of the said product (Young et.al., 2010, p.29). So, an absence or weakened presence of any of these factors may adversely effect green consumer behavior. This can be justified by the finding of De Pelsmacker et.al. (2005). In that study, the key causes of not performing green stems from unavailability or limited availability of green products, lack of credibility of green label issuer, and lack of accessibility of green product information (De Pelsmacker et.al., 2005, p.383). 2.2.2 Consumer Preference towards Green Consumer preference is the basic groundwork to measure consumer demand and how they act in terms of buying a product. In economic and cognitive psychology traditions, consumer behavior is assumed as rational and consistent. Consumers act consistently on the basis of their preferences and beliefs (Rokka and Uusitalo, 2008,p.517). This is the subjective experience of an individual through which one can measure product attributes from various bundles of goods. As heightened rise of environmental issues consumers are well aware of their environmental product selection. In terms of auto mobility, studies have been found that consumers are highly aware about negative impacts of auto mobility but can not be referred to the changes in car use and purchase behavior. Although attitude and corresponding behavior are interrelated but in practice they find it hard to translate these values of attitude into behavior (Young et. al. 2010, p.20; Rijnsoever et.al. 2009,p.335). 2.3 Consumer Decision-Making Process Consumer behavior is an intermingle of more than one academic disciplines. It blends with psychology, sociology, economics, business and anthropology (Jansson, 2009, p.17). But the relationship of consumer behavior with marketing is inseparable. However, consumer behavior is a vast area of subject that starts with problem recognition and ends up with post-purchase behavior and evaluation (Jansson, 2009, p.17). In order to understand green consumer behavior, we must start from our understanding of the consumer decision making process. This decision making is the outcome of a consumers behavior (be it positive or negative) towards a certain product or service 2.3.1 The Five Stage Consumer Decision making Process In order to understand green consumer behavior completely, we must start from our understanding of the consumer decision making process. This decision making is the outcome of a consumers behavior (be it positive or negative) towards a certain product or service. A consumer goes through five stages during the decision making process. These stages are, Problem Recognition, Information Search, Evaluation of Alternatives, Product Choice or Purchase Decision, and Outcomes or Purchase Evaluation (Solomon, 2009, page 350-352). Figure:01 Stages of Consumer Decision Making Process Image source: Solomon, 2010, p.351 A consumer, recognizing the need searches for information available for satisfying that specific need. The information search may have various sources, such as friends, family, product commercials, internet search etc. Upon receiving sufficient information, the consumer evaluates or compares available alternative products or services that would meet his/her needs. Upon completion of this comparison process, the consumer then decides on which product or service to obtain, and after completing the purchase, the consumer evaluates the purchased product or service against the original need. If there is a gap between the product performance and the need, the consumer starts over these stages by initiating further information search and so on. 1. Need Recognition This is the initial stage in the consumer decision process. A consumer recognizes or realizes his/her need to solve a problem or fulfill a deficiency at this point. The need could be as simple as need for food, or as complex as need for enjoying a movie in a THX certified surround sound system. 2. Information Search Now the consumer begins acquiring information concerning the solution to his/her problem or need. For low-involvement purchases, this stage tends to be short while for the high-involvement purchases information search is almost always extensive (Jobber, 2004, p79). 3. Evaluation of Alternatives Upon collecting sufficient information, the consumer evaluates and compares among the available alternatives that would serve the need. Usually for the higher costing and/or technical products, this step is very extensive as the consumer usually wants the alternative list to be exhaustive (Jobber, 2004, p.79) 4. Purchase Decision This step is the outcome of the alternative evaluation step. Here the consumer chooses the alternative that would satisfy his/her need. The consumers decision of not selecting any alternatives (as none of the available alternatives may be suitable for the need) is also taken in this stage. Upon deciding, the consumer makes the purchase. 5. Purchase Evaluation This perhaps is the most important step for the business enterprise in the consumer decision making process. Here, the consumer evaluates his/her purchase decision and measures his/her satisfaction. If a high degree of satisfaction is attained, likelihood of repeat purchases would be greater, while dissatisfaction would not only eliminate the chance of a repeat purchase but also result in negative marketing of the product/service by the concerned consumer. This is a very basic and simple approach that we as consumers take almost everyday while selecting products to shop. This process implies that a product or service is a solution to a problem and we respond to that problem by researching, deciding, and finally acquiring the product/service that answers the said problem. The above mentioned five stages are not always equally important. For example, the decision process for purchasing hand soap and a TV would be different. While a consumer might rely on prior experience during a hand soap purchase and get it done in minutes without even comparing between alternatives, s/he might spend days in the information search stage and in comparison stage before finally deciding and making a TV purchase. As we mentioned earlier that automobile purchase falls under the high involvement product purchase category, some further understanding is required aside from this simple five stage process. As the green car is not merely the solution to a problem but is an effort to answer the growing consumer awareness of the environment, we need to examine the product decision process in a different and detailed way. 2.3.2 High Involvement Purchase Decision Making: The Cognitive Consumers The decision making process is comparatively complex in terms of high involvement purchase process. Consumers undertake more extensive pre-purchase information search in high involvement purchase (Foxall, Goldsmith, and Brown, 1998, p.28). The central point of this study is environment friendly cars. So, the framework has drawn on high involvement green car purchase decision process. Consumers seek information willingly in terms of extensive problem solving situation (Peter and Olson, 2005, p.188). According to Foxall, et.al. (1998, p.28-29) there are three major steps of high involvement decision making process: stimulus (receiving environmental stimuli- attentional and perceptual filter), organism (interpretation, formation and evaluation), and response (developing, acting, re-evaluating, storing). The S-[O]-R psychology is based on cognitive science. The three steps decision process can be simplified as inputs, central processing and outputs. The process primarily generated from social, business, cultural, political and economic environment (Foxall, et. al. 1998, p.29). Figure: 02 Consumer Choice Process Model Source: Adapted from Foxall, Goldsmith, and Brown, 1998,p.29 According to, Rijnsoever, Farla, and Dijst (2009, p. 335) consumers form an attitude before they get involved into purchasing a new car that lead them towards the probability of possessing a new car. 2.3.3 Multi-Attribute Attitude Model A car is a product that can be seen as a bundle of attributes. So, we need to consider choice behaviors as an automobile purchase involves a choice among two or more options (Ajzen, 2008, p.526). The Multi-At

Protagoras :: Philosophy Papers

Protagoras The passage in question begins with a breakdown in the discussion between Socrates and Protagoras because of disagreement about what its ground rules will be and concludes with the discussion’s restoration. Though formally a mere hiatus from the main line of argument, this passage in fact contains a parable about politics, addressing the question, "How can people of differing abilities and preferences come together to form a community?" Since the passage appears in the middle of a dialogue explicitly concerned with education, the parable extends to education as well. The passage thus provides a springboard for insight into some essential interconnections between and among philosophy, education, and politics. On the one hand, a genuine practitioner of any of the three is ipso facto a engaged in the other two at the same time. And on the other hand, the three share an internal structure which is reflexive and transitive at the same time. In the passage in question, the discussion between Socrates and Protagoras has broken down in disagreement about what its ground rules will be. After some angry saber-rattling from the principals, and some well-meaning intervention from the onlookers, order is restored and the dialogue continues. For all its vivid, memorable banter, the passage is thus apparently no more than a hiatus from the dialogue’s main line of argument.(1) A commentary may skip over it lightly;(2) an anthology may omit it entirely.(3) However, I claim that the passage is more than mere literary entertainment, and has significance beyond the methodology of Socratic dialogue. In this essay I would like to give a reading of the passage which shows it to be not only a dispute about philosophical methodology but also a parable for politics. I will then go on to show that this political parable, placed as it is at the center of a philosophical work in which education is explicitly at issue, suggests some esse ntial interconnections between philosophy, politics, and education. The discussion between Socrates, the dialectician, and Protagoras, the speech-maker, began in a friendly fashion (317e), but by 334d it has broken down entirely. Socrates’s elenchus has exposed some problems in Protagoras’s position, and Protagoras seems to realize that things go better for him when he makes a speech (as at 320d-328d). When he extricates himself from a tight spot into which Socrates has backed him by giving a short speech (334a-c) which brings him applause, Socrates realizes that Protagoras does not wish to engage in dialectic.

Kafka’s Metamorphosis: Transformations in Gregor’s Family Essay

While it is evident that the term metamorphosis mainly pertains to the unexplainable changes that Gregor Samsa faced, it may also be said that the other characters experienced a metamorphosis of their own. Specifically, despite Gregor’s misfortune and eventual demise, considerable changes have manifested for the benefit of Gregor’s family such as his father regaining enthusiasm in work (Mallison 15). To further explain, Gregor Samsa’s sudden change in an insect has caused his family to change their ways in order to survive. Taking into consideration that Gregor mainly provided for the needs of his family prior to his transformation, it was definitely no longer a choice for his father, mother, and sister to spend their days idly or unproductively. In addition to such changes, their manner of perception was altered throughout the progression of the story as well. In particular, a metamorphosis also occurred in how they perceived Gregor Samsa’s humanity and existence. Therefore, it is indeed irrefutable that Gregor’s father, mother, and sister all underwent a process of metamorphosis as well albeit not in appearance but rather in terms of their actions and beliefs. Gregor provided for the needs of his family entirely, as they no longer had to busy themselves with any form of toil and labor. As noted in the story, Gregor â€Å"felt a great pride that he was able to provide a life like that in such a nice home for his sister and parents† (Kafka 22). However, upon realizing that having no one to support the family due to Gregor’s unfortunate transformation into an insect, Gregor’s father knew that he had to change his ways and once again attempt to make a living. This was not an easy task though as Gregor’s father, having suffered from unsuccessful business pursuits in the past was â€Å"lacking in self confidence† (Kafka 28). Nonetheless, the father that Gregor once knew, who always acted and presented himself in a laid back manner, has undergone a considerable metamorphosis of his own. Not only did Gregor’s father acquire a job at a banking firm, hence explaining a change in aspects of clothing, a truly encompassing transformation is signified by having â€Å"piercing dark eyes, that looked out fresh and alert† (Kafka 36). With such great changes, it becomes apparent that by the end of the story Gregor’s father was no longer a man haunted by failure, but instead embodied worth and gained a renewed hunger for accomplishments. In addition to his father’s transformation, Gregor’s mother and sister underwent metamorphosis as well. First, it may seem that Gregor’s mother, being faced with a serious health condition would not be able to change her ways or to assume more responsibilities. Particularly, Gregor’s mother â€Å"suffered from asthma and it was a strain for her just to move about the home† (Kafka 28). However, as brought forth by the changes in their household, in addition to possibly seeing the noteworthy transformation of his husband, she was also able to live a more productive lifestyle. Interestingly, the task that Gregor’s mother accomplished in order to further secure the financial stability of her family required minimal physical strain; she â€Å"sew fancy underwear for a fashion shop† (Kafka 39). Grete, Gregor’s sister, on the other hand actually got a proper job, following the steps of her brother as she â€Å"had taken a sales job† (Kafka 39). Albeit previously not seeing the need to secure responsibilities of her own, her metamorphosis actually first occurred when she felt the need to care for her brother; having to accomplish the most basic chores without fail, even though she never became accustomed to his brother’s new form. Throughout the points mentioned above, it becomes clear that the other members of Gregor’s family underwent a metamorphosis in their actions or more specifically in their responsibilities and pursuits. Regardless, it transformations in terms of belief or perception should not be disregarded. To expound, the manner in which they believed or perceived Gregor as a family member, despite his abhorrent state, has also undergone a metamorphosis throughout the story. Once before, Gregor’s mother even questioned the notion of removing all furniture from Gregor’s room, claiming that â€Å"it’d be best to leave the room exactly the way it was before so that when Gregor comes back to us again he’ll find everything unchanged† (Kafka, 32). With such words, it is obvious that there is still a belief that Gregor is indeed the insect before them, only having gone through a temporary metamorphosis, a mere ordeal which would soon pass. However, as Gregor’s family soon became more self-sufficient, their perceptions regarding Gregor eventually changed. In the end, even Gregor’s most beloved sister exclaimed the following: â€Å"I don’t want to call this monster my brother, all I can say is: we have to try and get rid of it† (Kafka, 49). The metamorphosis of each member of Gregor’s family would not have been possible if his own metamorphosis has not occurred. Hence, metamorphosis in this sense may also be pertained to as an exchange or trade-off between fortune and misfortune, or between accomplishment and degradation. Particularly, such a perspective would most be most interesting to further emphasize in the context of Grete. As Hill specifically mentions in a criticism of Kafka’s work, â€Å"the story sadly implies that only false illusion can become a saving ideal, only under its grip can life blossom† (162). Even though not faced with a dire need to earn or to achieve financial success, as other members of the family have gained proper jobs, Grete still aimed to pursue similar goals. It is definitely intriguing to learn that she has acquired a similar job to that his brother once held, implying that she may be trying to complete the gap left by her brother as a gesture of respect. In conclusion, Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is not merely a tale regarding particular changes experienced by an individual but most importantly tells of how such changes may bring forth a myriad of possible outcomes for others. Works Cited Hill, Stanley. â€Å"Kafka’s Metamorphosis. † Explicator 61. 3 (2003): 161 – 162. Print. Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Vista, CA: Boomer Books, 2008. Print. Mallison, Jane. Book Smart: Your Essential Reading List for Becoming a Literary Genius in 365 Days. New York, NY: McGraw Hill Companies, 2007. Print.

Resume Tips Part 2 Words and Phrases to Delete from Your Resume

Resume Tips Part 2 Words and Phrases to Delete from Your Resume This is one of my favorite resume tips. It will help you show employers exactly what you did and what you can do for them. Most of us are familiar with the concept of â€Å"power verbs† on a resume. We also have unlimited resources for finding and choosing power verbs, such as  this list organized by category from the University of Iowas Pomerantz Career Center. How many times have you heard, â€Å"Every bullet in a resume should start with a verb? Dozens at least, right? Then why are you starting your bullets with the phrase responsible for? Responsible is not a verb, no matter how many times it shows up on your resume. Furthermore, you can be â€Å"responsible for† something and not actually do it! Employers care about what you did. Employers (or their computer systems at least) also care about keywords. I promise you, â€Å"responsible† or â€Å"responsibility† will never show up in a list of sought-after keywords. Begin with a Power Verb Compare: a. Was responsible for submitting two sports-related blogs per month for publication on website. b. Submitted two sports-related blogs per month for publication on website. And compare: a. Responsible for raising $250,000 by recruiting staff to run door- to-door canvass reaching 200,000 people. b. Raised $250,000 by recruiting staff to run door-to-door canvass reaching 200,000 people. Version b in both cases is shorter and more powerful than version a. You might be there saying, â€Å"But I didn’t just do things, I was responsible for them!† If you had supervisory or managerial responsibilities, there are verbs for that. Some of them are: Supervised Developed Managed Ensured Handled Monitored Even if you had many significant responsibilities that are important to list on your resume, try including your responsibility in a bullet that also includes an achievement, along with the important keywords you see in the job description. And remember to start each bullet with a verb! Be responsible for the words you choose on your resume. I hope you found these resume tips useful. If you want professional assistance to craft a powerful resume, please contact us.

Free Essays on Birth Order

Although families are getting smaller, the majority of American children still grow up with at least one sibling, and there is certainly no shortage of speculation about the roles that brothers and sisters play in a child’s life. Sibling rivalry is the spirit of competition, jealousy, and resentment that may arise between two or more siblings. For over a hundred years psychologists have been studying how our birth order determines our personalities and relationships. The reason psychologists find it important to examine birth order is because it can be very revealing. A person’s relationship with their parents appears permanently determined by their birth order, and their relationship with their brothers and sisters is the longest they will endure in their lives. The reason for this is because siblings are nearer in age than ones parents and we know them long before we meet our spouses and friends. Many psychologists believe that each person is born with a distinct character and special gift that distinguishes them from every other person in the family tree and society. When this inner capacity for goodness is identified, acknowledged and nurtured in childhood, it brings strength to society and success to the child. From this platform of success, the child is better equipped to master the challenges of life and experience happiness in relationships. Psychologists now argue first born children may be more alike other first born children than their own brothers and sisters, and the same applies to second born children and so on. This may explain why most people are friends with people who have the same birth order position as you. Some psychologists even argue birth order should be taken into account in marital choice. This basically means that better marriages may occur between those of similar birth order. One study found birth order can effect your career-successful men were more likely to have their closest sibling another bo... Free Essays on Birth Order Free Essays on Birth Order Although families are getting smaller, the majority of American children still grow up with at least one sibling, and there is certainly no shortage of speculation about the roles that brothers and sisters play in a child’s life. Sibling rivalry is the spirit of competition, jealousy, and resentment that may arise between two or more siblings. For over a hundred years psychologists have been studying how our birth order determines our personalities and relationships. The reason psychologists find it important to examine birth order is because it can be very revealing. A person’s relationship with their parents appears permanently determined by their birth order, and their relationship with their brothers and sisters is the longest they will endure in their lives. The reason for this is because siblings are nearer in age than ones parents and we know them long before we meet our spouses and friends. Many psychologists believe that each person is born with a distinct character and special gift that distinguishes them from every other person in the family tree and society. When this inner capacity for goodness is identified, acknowledged and nurtured in childhood, it brings strength to society and success to the child. From this platform of success, the child is better equipped to master the challenges of life and experience happiness in relationships. Psychologists now argue first born children may be more alike other first born children than their own brothers and sisters, and the same applies to second born children and so on. This may explain why most people are friends with people who have the same birth order position as you. Some psychologists even argue birth order should be taken into account in marital choice. This basically means that better marriages may occur between those of similar birth order. One study found birth order can effect your career-successful men were more likely to have their closest sibling another bo...

Applying Utilitarianism in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Applying Utilitarianism in Business - Essay Example Businesses have to apply this theory as its application is more realistic in ethical situations because the likelihood of doing actions that lead to greatest harm is more than that of greatest good and they lead to serious consequences. Businesses are required to use this policy in determining the most efficient way to release its negative externalities. Despite all the advantages in the application of utilitarianism in business, this theory has criticism that the businesses need to consider to facilitate their efficient application of the theory to maximize utility. Utilitarianism theory has difficulty distinguishing between different types and degrees of happiness. It is, therefore, the business duty to categories the types and degrees of pleasure in their application of this theory of utility. Categorization will solve the ethical dilemma in choosing between short-term happiness and long-term happiness. Businesses need to identify the degree of happiness that is preferable. Utilit arianism concept assumes that the pleasure is neutral between different types of people. Many criticize this assumption since the pleasure of a sadist cannot match that of the altruist. Businesses are required to evaluate the degree of happiness they inflict in the different types of stakeholders they associate within their application of utilitarianism since individuals respond differently to happiness. Businesses are required to consider the interests of the minority in their application of utilitarianism.

Low Back Pain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Low Back Pain - Essay Example LBP has been shown to impair an individual's quality of life and his/her functioning. The magnitude of the burden of this problem in the society can be gauged from the fact that the point prevalence of LBP in the general population has been reported to be 15-30% while its lifetime prevalence can be as high as 60-80% (MTABC, 2004). However, the duration of symptoms of this disorder can be reduced viz appropriate and timely management and a study conducted by Waddell et al. elucidated that almost 67% of patients who had taken time off from work due to LBP has returned to work within 1 week and within 2 months almost 90% of the patients became symptom free (MTABC 2004). The etiology of LBP is diverse and it can be attributed to a multitude of causes including the degeneration of the lumbar intervertebral discs, spondylosis deformans (Luoma, et al., 2000 cited in Hangai et al., 2006), osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis, disc disease, dysfunction of the sacoroiliac joint, cancers, infection, organ-related pain, inflammatory arthritis (MTABC 2004), spondylolisthesis and compression fractures which commonly occur due to osteoporosis (Shirakihara, et al., 2001 cited in Hangai et al., 2006). Moreover, several studies have also reported factors such as weakness of the abdominal and back musculature (Van Tulder, et al., 2002), physical loading of the lumbar spine (Bahr, et al., 2004 cited in Hangai et al., 2006) and arteriosclerosis of the abdominal and lumbosacral arteries (Kauppila, et al., 2004 cited in Hangai et al., 2006). Interestingly, the role of psychological factors has also been implicated in the etiology of low back pain by some studies (Takeyachi , et al., 2003 cited in Hangai et al., 2006). The diversity of pathologies which can manifest as back pain often leads to difficulties in determining the underlying pathology and thus makes diagnosis challenging. Similarly, knee pain has also been known to be triggered by a variety of factors such as obesity, increasing age and trauma. Moreover, female gender has been proven to be a definite risk factor for knee pain. Other factors such as ethnicity, smoking, osteoporosis, knee-periarticular muscle strength and exercise have also been implicated in the aggravation of pre-existing knee pain by certain studies (Fukuda and Nakamura, 2002; Burger et al., 1996; Cheng, et al., 2000 cited in Hangai et al, 2006) but these findings have not been replicated by further studies and a causal relationship between these factors and knee pain is yet to be proven. LBP can produce a varying range of symptoms depending on the specific causes. The location and radiation of LBP varies with the pathology and some diseases may cause more back pain than leg pain while others