Discuss the influence of cognitive learning theories on educational Essay

Discuss the influence of cognitive learning theories on educational policy and practice - Essay Example Behaviorism The behaviorist learning perspectives started off in the early 1900s. They later became dominant at the beginning of the 20th century. The main idea used in behaviorism is the fact that learning consists of behavior changes due to the reinforcement, application and acquisition of associations among stimuli achieved for the environment and recognizable responses of a person. Many behaviorists are attracted in measurable changes seen in a person’s behavior. Thorndike, a most important behaviorist theorist, asserts that a response to an incentive is toughened when followed by positive rewarding effects (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2013). He goes on to assert that response to incentives become stronger by repetition and exercise. This learning view explained is akin to the programs of drill and practice. Skinner, one of the most influential behaviorists, projected his variant of behaviorism referred to operant conditioning. In his views, gratifying the right parts found on the more difficult behavior reinforces it and supports its recurrence. As a result, reinforcers have power over the occurrence of the preferred partial behaviors. Many people understand learning as a successive or the step by step approximation of the proposed partial behaviors by using punishments and rewards. In Skinner’s theory, the best known application is programmed instruction. This shows how the right sequences of the partial behaviors needed to be learned are specified by complicated task analysis (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2013). Cognitive psychology Cognitive psychology was instigated in the late 1950s. This psychology has made a contribution to move away from behaviorism. The individual is no longer seen as responses collections to external incentives, as the behaviorist understand. Cognitive psychology views these individuals as information processors. Additionally, cognitive psych ology paid more concentration to difficult mental phenomena unnoticed by behaviorists and was inclined by the coming out of computers as information processing devices, which later became analogous to the mind of individuals. In cognitive psychology, individuals understand learning as gaining of knowledge. The person learning is the information processor that takes in information, carries out cognitive operations on the information and stocks the information in memory. Therefore, the preferred instructional methods used in cognitive psychology are reading and lecturing textbooks. At its most greatness, the person learning is a passive knowledge recipient by the instructor (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2013). Constructivism Constructivism was established in the 1970s and 1980s. It gave rise to the ideas that people learning are not passive receivers of information. These learners actively build their knowledge by interacting with the environment a nd by reorganizing their mental structures. The individuals learning are seen as sense-makers, not only recording any information issued but also interpreting it. These learning views made people change from acquisition of knowledge to construction of knowledge metaphors. The growing evidence supporting the

Mini was a little girl, who was unusually fond of conversations Essay Example for Free

Mini was a little girl, who was unusually fond of conversations Essay Mini was a little girl, who was unusually fond of conversations. She had a makeshift mind that moved between various topics within her scope. Although she was young, she could start a conversation with people double or even triple her age. Eventually she became friends with Rahamat, an Afghani money lender, whom she fondly called Kabuliwala. It was a delight to watch the two banter. Rahamat, was a tall, bearded man, who carried a sack on his shoulders while Mini was a tiny little girl who would chatter all the way. Initially Mini, was afraid of interacting with him, because she believed that Rahamat abducted little children in his sack. But Rahamat, because of his obvious fondness for the little girl, broke the ice, by presenting some raisins and apricots from his bag. Mini came from an aristocratic Bengali family and Rahamat was just an ordinary fruit peddler from Kabul yet it seemed like they were close chums. The two friends had a few stock phrases and jokes which were repeated in their conversations. For example, the moment she saw Rahamat, she would ask with a hearty laugh, ‘Kabuliwala, O Kabuliwala, what is in your sack?’ Adding an unnecessary nasal tone to the word, Rahamat would roar, ‘Hanti.’ The essence of the joke was that the man had an elephant in his sack. Not that the joke was very witty, but it caused the two friends to double up in laughter, and the sight of that innocent joy between a little girl and a grown man on autumn mornings used to move Mini’s father deeply. However Mini’s mother wasn’t too pleased with the growing friendship between Rahamat and her daughter and often nagged Mini’s father to keep an eye on him. One fine day, her worries came true; when Rahamat was arrested on charges of stabbing a man because the man had denied the debt he owed Rahamat, in the heat of the argument. Rahamat was in the midst of hurling abuse in an obscene language at the dishonest man when Mini came running out of the house, shouting, ‘Kabuliwala, O Kabuliwala.’ In a flash, Rahamat’s face was filled with expressions of happiness. Innocently Mini asked him, ‘Will you be going to your in-laws’ house?’ ‘That’s exactly where I am going,’ Rahamat replied with a laugh. When he noticed that Mini did not find the answer quite amusing, he pointed to his hands and added in his heavily accented, broken Bengali, ‘I would have beaten up the in-law. But what can I do, my hands are tied up.’ Charged with grievous injury, Rahamat was sent to jail for several years. That was the last time that Mini saw him and quite child-likely forgot all about him as she grew up. Several years passed. Mini’s wedding match had been fixed. On the day of the wedding, her father was busy looking at the wedding accounts when a man appeared before him, he had no bag, nor the long hair, nor the same vigour that he used to have. But he smiled, and Mini’s father knew it was Rahamat. Mini’s father knew what he had come for. But he refused to allow him to meet Mini as he thought that it would be bad omen. Disappointed he put his hand inside his big loose robe, and brought out a small and dirty piece of paper. With great care he unfolded this, and smoothed it out with both hands on my table. It bore the impression of a little band. Not a photograph. Not a drawing. The impression of an ink-smeared hand laid flat on the paper. This touch of his own little daughter had been always on his heart, as he had come year after year to Calcutta, to sell his wares in the streets. Tears came to Minis fathers eyes. He forgot that he was a poor Kabuli fruit-seller, while he was nothing more than he. He also was a father. That impression of the hand of his little daughter in her distant mountain home reminded him of his own little Mini. When Rahamat saw Mini after all these years, he staggered. He could not revive their old friendship. At last he smiled and said: Little one, are you going to your father-in-laws house? But Mini now understood the meaning of the word father-in-law, and she could not reply to him as of old. She flushed up at the question, and stood before him with her bride-like face turned down. Mini’s father deeply touched by what had just happened gave Rahamat, enough money to go back and see his own daughter in Afghanistan. Having done this, he had to cut down on some of the marriage festivity costs, but to him the wedding feast was all the brighter for the thought that in a distant land a long-lost father met again with his only child.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Essay -- Narrative Life Fr

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The tone established in the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is unusual in that from the beginning to the end the focus has been shifted. In the beginning of the narrative Douglass seems to fulfill every stereotypical slavery theme. He is a young black slave who at first cannot read and is very naà ¯ve in understanding his situation. As a child put into slavery Douglass does not have the knowledge to know about his surroundings and the world outside of slavery. In Douglass’ narrative the tone is first set as that of an observer, however finishing with his own personal accounts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When first introduced to Douglass and his story, we find him to be a young slave boy filled with information about those around him. Not only does he speak from the view point of an observer, but he speaks of many typical stereotypes in the slave life. At this point in his life, Frederick is inexperienced and knows nothing of the pleasures of things such as reading, writing, or even the rights everyone should be entitled to. Douglass knowing hardly anything of his family, their whereabouts, or his background, seems to be equivalent to the many other slaves at the time. As a child Frederick Douglass sees the injustices around him and observes them, yet as the story continues we begin to see a change.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With the progression of time we find Frederick Douglas begin to shift the tone to a focus within himself. The story begins to c...

Knowledge Management Mastercard Essay

The company MasterCard is a technology company and payments industry leader. For over four decades, the company has been a driving force at the heart of commerce, making the global economy safer, more efficient, more inclusive and more transparent for all. Consumers, merchants, business partners and governments in markets around the world have reaped the benefits of our innovative products and solutions which, simply put, are designed to make life easier. The mission of MasterCard consists in imagining a world beyond cash and their mission is very simple: Every day, everywhere, Master Card uses their technology and expertise to make payments safe, simple and smart. In the last four decades, people and companies worldwide have changed their way of payment for goods and services. The rise of the electronic payments has fueled economic growth while delivering value to consumers, merchants and governments. From the earliest days of credit cards to the contactless and wireless payment options of today, MasterCard Worldwide has led the industry, driving this evolution. MasterCard works in a three channel method. Those 3 channels are: Franchisor, Processor and Consultant. In the Franchisor channel, products such as Maestro ®, Cirrus ® and MasterCard ® PayPassâ„ ¢ appear. With those products, the company affects more than 32 million establishments. The processor area makes operation with other companies and partners around the world in a simple and smart way. The big key point for these attribute is based on the fast network, one of the biggest VPNs of the world, offering not just agility, but also integration and trust. Least, the Consultant channel provides insights and solutions that promote a better and more competitive market. The research Inside the organization, the Product department and the Commercial department are directly linked. The first one is related to the care of the different products in many different categories that are offered by the organization, while the commercial area is primarily responsible for the customer relationship and supply of structured products to the product area. The commercial departments, responsible for all customer relationships, are divided to provide a better service by segmenting customers according to their importance to the business. For example, for Citibank, one of the most important banks for MasterCard, there are more than two, three people responsible for one client, while for minor banks, there is sometimes only one person responsible. This allows the commercial area to meet its customers by giving attention proportional to the size of each account, seeking solutions that fit in each case, so that one can be created, the best care possible. The product department is targeted through the products it offers, that way, the areas are divided by types of cards (traditional types such as debit and credit, corporate, pre-paid and others). Each group works to meet the needs of the commercial area, seeking the best solutions according to the demands. So we have two areas that work together, but have different focuses, which can cause disagreements about the best way to deliver a product to a given customer. That way, we can find a good topic to do our research based on this issue. Question Due to the analyses made on the previous topic, we can come up with the question for the paper. Why knowledge is not used by all parts? What can we do to improve this topic? Products and Commercial Departments Processes As said before, the process that the products department works is different from the commercial’s one. The products process is characterized by the division of groups and teams specialized in a specific product. That way, we can confirm that a wide knowledge is limited inside this department, but on the other hand, those groups have a high knowledge about a specific product. Differently, the commercial process is divided not by products, but by clients, issuers. So, those groups have a good flexibility when it comes to relation with the customers and so can have a wider knowledge. But, once this group works only with one client, it is possible that this client works with a small number of products, that way, the commercial group would not acquire knowledge in those other products. Tasks Within the tasks that the commercial department is responsible for we can highlight the following main topics: * Direct relationship with the issuers (Banks) * Project with issuers to enhance the number of MasterCard cards inside * Promotions * Campaigns * Raffles * Work together with different departments For the products area, we can highlight the following tasks: * Come up with new products ideas * Develop the product for the clients * Track the performance of the products KM Theory To illustrate the knowledge flow within the two departments, we are going to use a KM model that sustains and explains the formulation of a new departmentalization to enhance the performance of the company Figure 1: Observing, the General Knowledge Model (figure 1), we can make a comparison of that theory with the case that we are discussing. The Knowledge Creation associates entry of new knowledge into the system, and includes knowledge development, discovery and capture. For the MasterCard case, the Creation would be for both departments the new ideas of new products and also new ideas for product that already exist. That way, it would have do disparity of how those two departments work. Knowledge Retention includes all activities that preserve knowledge and allow it to remain in the system once introduced. Once the new idea is into the system, both parts have to work together to retain this concept into the system, and the only way for this to happen is if that both of the parts have the same knowledge of the concept (product) Knowledge Transfer refers to activities associated with the flow of knowledge from one party to another. This includes communication, translation, conversion, filtering and rendering. That part would be the most important of the process for the two departments. Here, the knowledge of one part would be transfered to the other, that way, the knowledge of the product would be the same for both parts. Last, but not least, Knowledge Utilization includes the activities and events connected with the application of knowledge to business processes. Data Using the Knowledge Acquisition tool, we can come up with important information and data. To start the KA analysis, is important to find out about the human reasoning process and the human cognitive system with its system constraints. After that step, is important to make a division in task characteristics and cognitive characteristics. That way, we can say that Knowledge Acquisition is about different methods to acquire and elicit knowledge; to make knowledge explicit; to stimulate knowledge transfer; to order, systematize and structure knowledge. That way, we can observe the different types of sources for knowledge acquisition. For the case in study, we can say that the way that knowledge is transmitted and acquire trough communication face-to-face between the product and the commercial department. Moreover, the knowledge about the products is also gain trough handbooks and organizational training. With those information, we can collect a data really important, the fact that knowledge is elicit trough structured (organizational training and presentations) and non-structured (communication face-to-face between commercial department and product department) ways. It is very interesting, that with this tool, we can observe that the knowledge both parts have about the same products is really different sometimes. As already expected, the commercial department has knowledge about sales attributes. On the other hand, the product department has more knowledge about the specific points and technological aspects of the product. To end this disparity of knowledge, a good choice would be to change the working ways in those areas, in other words, it would need a reformulation on the organization structure of MasterCard. Results * With the reformulation that was discussed before, the products would be created jointly, aiming each client and their own segmentation, making products no longer offered by the area of general commercial, but a specific form that would be created, allowing you to create a higher perceived value for the customers, since assembling products would create a synergy that would combine expertise in creating products possessed by product area with full knowledge of the client as the commercial area has. For this, the specialists of the products would have a greater knowledge of each type of product offered, reducing the segmentation of the area in premium products, and upscale retail and other products. So each specialist would be responsible for a niche within each client, allowing maintaining focus on the products he considers the most, rather than generalizing all segments within a specialist. This approach As described above, this approach is a way to get the specialists creating products together with managers of commercial accounts, specific products for customers, improving relationships and creating value for these. Moreover, we can say that with this reformulation, knowledge would be more used in the company and that way, the company would be more successful.

Assignment one Organisations and environment Essay

Discuss how an organisation’s competitive advantage can be enhanced with the introduction of new technology. In this day and age with almost all markets being highly competitive it is at top of businesses agendas to ensure they have a firm competitive advantage. 1 .The term competitive advantage is the ability gained through attributes and resources to perform at a higher level than others in the same industry or market. If a business can ensure that they have a competitive advantage it enables them to be one step ahead of their competition, this is curtail for a business’s success especial given the economic climate as it stands. One of the main examples of competitive advantage is pricing/cost. We see these most frequently in supermarkets, as most firms compete for the lowest prices this is because their consumers all want to find the best price for the product they want to buy. We also see this in other markets as consumers always look for a better offer therefore th e firm with the lowest prices generally has the higher demand. Another example is quality. When consumers look for witch product or serves to purchase quality is key element witch influence their diction. We see this on the high street time and time again as consumers consistently go to big brand names such as apple because they know that quality will be ensured in their purchase. As a result of this apple or able to boost prices and in turn create a higher profit margin for products. From these simple examples we can see how important competitive advantage is because of the additional finical gain it can bring to a business. These examples are basic as a competitive advantage can come in many forms as long as it befits a business and their competitors do not have it. A competitive advantage can prove extremely important to a business, for this reason it is just as important to maintain the advantage and enhance it if possible. One way to do this is by the introduction of new technology. If a firm is willing to invest in new technology it can be seen as a competitive advan tage in itself. This is because the technology is brand new and competitors do not have it yet. This gives the firm a unique advantage and will in turn attract customers. The introduction of new technology can also be used to enhance a firm’s competitive advantage. If we take the manufacturing industry as an example the firm’s competitive advantage may be there product and the way that it functions and the price that it is made for. If the firm then  introduces some new technology to its production line (machinery) their competitive advantage may be enhanced as the quality of the product is now better due to the new technology. This will make customer chose that firm over its competitors. The introduction of the new machinery may mean that less staff is now needed in that area of the production line. This in turn will enhance the firm’s competitive advantage as unit costs for the product will become lower due to the reduction of staff. This means that firm can charge less than their competitor’s causing a higher demand for their product. Another example of how firm can use new technology to enhance their competitive advan tage is in the researching of consumer information. A firm can only be successful in the long run and have a competitive advantage if it knows their consumers’ needs and wants. From this information the firm can devolve a product portfolio and brand that matches the consumer’s needs and wants, in turn giving them a massive competitive advantage. An example of this could be Tesco. Tesco are using new technology in order to help them understand their consumers more and in turn enhance their competitive advantage. They have done this by introducing their club card scheme. This is a reward scheme for customers as an incentive to make them more loyal to their supermarket; however this also offers Tesco’s the opportunity to see exactly what their customers are buying how often and at what times. This is very useful as it enables them to develop sales strategies and obtain the correct products to complement their consumers’ needs and wants. This will then improve customer loyalty and in the long run make more money. This is another example of how a firm can you new technology (in this case a database and swipe card) in order to enhance the firm overall success and competitor advantage. 2. To gain competitive advantage a business strategy of a firm manipulates the various resources over which it has direct control and these resources have the ability to generate competitive advantage. This quote reinforces the idea that firms are able. This quote again highlights the fact that in order for a firm to enhance their competitive advantage they need to look at the resources in their direct control and look at how to manipulate or enhance them in order to give them a better competitive advantage. One of the most popular and most successful ways of doing this is by the introduction of new technology to a business. A common example of this found in the retail industry is stock control. A resource under the  direct control of all retailers in on the high street is their own inventory/stock. Over the last ten year there has been a massive change in the way businesses handle the problem of stock control. Instead of the now old fashioned way of stock ordits and counts, most retailer now have a database system which shows all their stock including how much they have on the shop floor as well as in back-up storage. They also know when they have sold any given product and can be told by a computer alert that stock needs to be replenished on the shop floor, or that stock should be order as they have ran out. This system combined with the JIT (just in time strategy of stock control) has lead retailer to be more efficient saving money and time and overall improving their competitive advantage. Other ways that businesses can use new technology to enhance their competitive advantage is via their websites. Many firms underestimate the value of using their websites to gain significant competitive advantage in their given markets. With firm simply using their websites as a means to explain what their business is and show off their product portfolio. However if businesses invest in new web design technology they may be able to enhance your distribution networks. This may include using the web portal to enhance logistics, create new marketing channels (for example affiliate channels) or provide better or faster product access for customers. It is imperative that businesses use new technology in order to change and grow as a business as well as improving its competitive advantage. If this does not happen the business may be felt behind as the market progress and grows with new technology along with their customers. A great example of this could be Woolworth with left the high stre et in 2009 leaving 27,000 people unemployed. Woolworth downfall lied in its inability to change and grow with consumer demands. 3. Professor Alan Wilson, from the city’s Strathclyde Business School, said one reason Woolworths did not survive was because it didn’t offer the quality of some other stores. â€Å"And it couldn’t offer the prices that the discount stores such as Primark, Lidl and others could actually offer,† This ultimately shows the impact of what can happened to businesses that do not change or put enthuses into new technology in order to enhance their competitor advantage. Although I have mentioned many examples of how new technology can be used to enhance a firm’s competitive advantage there is some disadvantages when it comes to the introduction of  new technology. Firstly any firm that is considering the introduction of new technology will first have think about the initial investment. New technology is never cheap and can be quite expensive and time consuming to install. T herefore businesses most think carefully about if the investment is worth it and will it pay for itself in the long run. Also the introduction of new technology can bring de-motivation into the workforce. For example in the case that I mention early about manufacturing firms where staff could be laid off because of the introduction of new technology, this would a prime example of staff being de-motivated as they are worried about their job and think they could be the next one to go. However even though there are some small drawbacks new technology is still a very important factor when it comes to the enhancement of a firm’s competitive advantage and should be looked into carefully by all firms that want to be successful and grow. References; 1. Christensen and Fahey 1984, Kay 1994, Porter 1980 cited by Chacarbaghi and Lynch 1999, p. 45 2. Reed and Fillippi 1990 cited by Rijamampianina 2003, p. 362 3. Professor Alan Wilson thoughts on Woolworths- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7811187.stm

Submitting Free Essays

Submitting Free Essays Among the numbers of academic help services are companies that offer to purchase the original essays and on the contrary there are agencies who provide free essays or sample essays. For a student who cannot afford a fortune thus is willing to get a paper done getting a free paper seems to be a rather attractive and tempting option. As a result many of the students download sample essays ignoring the great risk of being dismissed for academic dishonesty. The essence of this troublesome situation lies in the notion of the free essays or sample papers itself. Unlike the paid assignments produced from scratch individually and fully original the sample papers are available to public and free to download to everybody. Therefore there is no guarantee that submitting this paper you will be the only one who used it. There is a real chance that students from one and the same class can download the sample paper and turn it in to the same professor which can not only cause them trouble but also result in expelling both from the university. Such a shameful end of the hard academic studies is the least you would wish for. Services providing free papers work much as a mousetrap. They offer you a complete paper for any topic that you can get now and free of charge. Which student can resist that? To put yourself aside from trouble you need to make sure that if you order a paper online it will be forwarded to you personally, complete from scratch by your individual instructions and never distributed to any other party. This way you will be able to insure yourself a successful submission of the assignment.

Tibet essays

Tibet essays As Freud said man is wolf to man, meaning that man is always trying to gain power over the weak. World conflicts around the world confirm Freuds philosophies. Men are not gentle creatures who want to be loved, and who at the most can defend themselves if they are attacked; they are, on the contrary, creatures among whose instinctual endowments is to be reckoned a powerful share of aggressiveness. As a consequence of this hostility between human beings, disintegration, mob violence, and conflict between nations threaten society and the world as a whole. This negative and pessimistic view of human nature had its beginnings in the outbreak of World War I, and increased with the sophisticated military technology and mass destruction brought by World War II. The two wars and the following conflicts validated Freuds concepts and prompted an era of reactions; the sad part is that we are still witnessing conflicts between nations, conflicts motivated by the exaggerated need of power that is part of human beings. The conflict between China and Tibet is a good example of a conflict that had its origins in the desire for power and control. Before describing the conflict in detail it is necessary to know the geographical location of China and Tibet and a summary of their history. Tibet lies at the center of Asia, with an area of 2.5 million square kilometers. The earth's highest mountains, a vast arid plateau and great river valleys make up the physical homeland of 6 million Tibetans. The Plateau of Tibet comprises nearly the entire southeastern portion of China. (Goldstein, 19) According to many Tibetans the territory itself promotes a feeling of peace, meditation, and spirituality. The plateau is also the source of five of Asias greatest rivers, making it vital to the environment (Ferroa, 3). China, also known as the Middle Kingdom, sits in East Asia and covers an area of 3.7 million square miles....

The Anthropos Family

The Anthropos Family The Anthropos Family The Anthropos Family By Mark Nichol The Greek noun anthropos, meaning â€Å"male human being† or â€Å"man,† is the root of some familiar and not-so-familiar English words, which are listed and defined below. The best known of these are likely anthropology, which literally means â€Å"the study of humans† and refers to just that- especially in a cultural and social context (and, in a distinct theological sense, to their nature and origin)- and philanthropy (literally, â€Å"love for man†) which pertains generally to promoting the welfare of humans but usually is employed in contexts in which funding or gifts is provided for humanitarian purposes (or for cultural enrichment). The adjectival forms are anthropological and philanthropic, respectively, and those who practice such endeavors are anthropologists and philanthropists. A misanthrope, meanwhile, is unlikely to undertake either one pursuit; a misanthropic person (who practices misanthropy) has contempt or hatred for humans. Apanthropy, meanwhile, refers to the love of solitude or an aversion to human interaction. Anthropic means â€Å"relating to humans or to their time on Earth†; the term is part of the phrase â€Å"anthropic principle,† which refers to the belief that the universe, from the subatomic level to the scale of galaxies, was designed with humans in mind, though the conditions that make human life possible also make all known life-forms possible. (This is also known as the strong anthropic principle, to distinguish it from the weak anthropic principle, which reasons that this idea was able to be formulated only because a life-friendly universe allows sentient minds to observe and reflect on it.) The phenomenon of ascribing human attributes or forms to nonhumans, whether animals, gods, or objects, or to nature, is anthropomorphism (literally, â€Å"the idea of human form†). Cartoon characters who display human characteristics, therefore, are anthropomorphic. Anthropathy (literally, â€Å"human feelings†), meanwhile, is a related concept: that divine beings have emotions. An anthropoid is a primate that more or less resembles a human being, though the term has also been used pejoratively to describe people of inferior breeding or intelligence. On a related note, pithecanthropus (â€Å"ape man†) is the label for one of two extinct anthropoid species. Zoanthropy is a mental disorder in which a person believes that he or she has become an animal and behaves like one; lycanthropy originally referred to a delusion that one is a wolf, though it usually is associated with werewolf folklore. Anthropophagy (â€Å"man eating†) is a fancy synonym for cannibalism. (One who practices cannibalism is anthropophagous.) Anthropolatry is deification or worship of a human. By contrast, psilanthropism (â€Å"the idea of being a mere human†) is a rejection of the divinity of Jesus. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Rules for Writing Numbers and Numerals34 Writing Tips That Will Make You a Better Writer10 Functions of the Comma

The Male and Female Self in European Civilization Essay

The Male and Female Self in European Civilization - Essay Example Two of these personalities were Heloise and Abelard who became famous for their disastrous affair which shook the church in France during the Middle-Ages. Peter Abelard, a renowned philosopher and priest, fell in love with his beautiful and convent-educated student Heloise who eventually became pregnant. The affair ended in a tragedy when the couple secretly got married. When Heloise's uncle found out about the illicit affair and the marriage, he ordered Abelard castrated. Abelard spent the rest of his life in a monastery and Heloise decided to take vows as an Abbess, both embittered and separated from each other. Heloise's and Abelard's letters, written to each other at the height of their affair, compiled by Constant Mews, in a book called 'The Lost Love Letters of Heloise and Abelard,' radically and eloquently described the transcendent nature of their love. These collection of letters found and translated by Mews, only manifested that although men mainly dominated this period, th e voices of women in that generation could never be silenced by constraints on gender or the established religious institutions. In one of her letters, Heloise wrote to Abelard she preferred love to chains and freedom to marriage as marriage was done merely for conventional purposes. And if the name of wife appears more sacred and more valid, sweeter to me is ever the word friend, or, if thou be not ashamed, concubine or whoreI preferred to love to wedlock, freedom to a bond. I call God to witness, if Augustus, ruling over the whole world, were to deem me worthy of the honour of marriage, and to confirm the whole world to me, to be ruled by me forever, dearer to me and of greater dignity would it seem to be called thy strumpet than his empress. (Constant 27) Heloise altered her definition of 'self' from being 1'a woman of great wisdom and prudence and religion' to someone who is not 'chaste.' Constant Mews mentioned this as 2'an incredible insight into Heloise's perception of the hypocrisy of religious life.' A part of Heloise identification of the 'self' was her strong views about gender issues of her time questioning the functions of Christian women in religious life and how this life could be made to suit them and not the other way around. Mews added that 3'the traditions [Heloise] inherited were one in secular level' quite distinct from the love based on the Scriptures that Heloise had to follow or the love that '[was] talked about in monastic life.' The Middle-Ages were the period in which society identified women as the cause of decay and corruption and Heloise defied this prevailing idea by developing a notion of love which at best was liberal and beyond her time. In another letter to Abelard, Heloise wrote 4'I do not consider the friendship of those who seem to love each other for riches and pleasures to be durable at all since the very things on which they base their love seem to have no durability.' In many of her letters in which she professed love to Abelard, Heloise stressed equality and friendship as essential to love and relationships. For the most part, Abelard agreed with Heloise's view about love saying that they could live

Business, Marketing and Finance Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business, Marketing and Finance - Coursework Example A company cannot operate without competent leadership that could provide proper direction of the company using clear vision, mission, goals, and strategies. The human resource or their staffs, regardless if they are few, is the backbone of its business relations and operations to provide customer services or to relate with the market where the business establishment is present. Good leadership & staff Good leader or good staff? This researcher asserts that organizational management require both: good leaders and staff. Both are indispensable in organizational management and development. Good business leadership optimize human resources too for good decision-makings to professionally engage their commitments to attain business objectives and goals. Both the management and the staff are indispensable in contributing to the enrichment of the organization and for its operational management to reach targeted outcome. Its structure will often provide or contribute potential support to comp etitive advantage in business management. Both are stakeholders for organizational development and resource generation. Their cognitive abilities and skills are wealth that can be optimized in systematizing organizational management (Covey, 1992, p. 17) Their indispensable mutual assistance in decision-making will also support the business attain a healthy operational condition (Covey, 1992, p. 17) Good leadership is a principle centered-leadership inspired on personal-trustworthiness, interpersonal relational trust, empowerment-sensitive management, and organizational accountability (Covey, 1992). Covey (1992) contended that good business leaders consider all the natural laws, principles and operational frameworks that put virtues and moral responsibility significant in a person’s life, in relations, in contract management and within the core of the organization (Covey, 1992, p. 17). Covey (1992) asserted that effective and efficient leaders adopt on inviolable principles of practicable human nature that are further nurtured by good norms and culture in a society for better social cohesion. Covey (1992) opined that principles are built and nurtured by society and are imbibed in human condition, as well as, in consciousness. Good leaders prefer to adapt on good value system as guidance and direction for better decision-makings, in planning, in enforcing plans, in resolving conflicts, in managing changes, in valuating performances, and in exercising power in organizational development (Covey, 1992, p. 21). This is in correlation to the fact that an organization is not just a simple structure. Its leader must be a representation of great purpose and targeted outcomes rooted from clear planning and execution of coordinated or collaborated tasks to achieve desired outcomes. Covey’s integrated ethical code on business leadership put principles above interests to holistically nurture organizational development toward for a useful institution of the soc iety. Good transformational leaders are therefore essential as managers that could fully assist in the development of a mutually satisfactory business operation and practice that inspire socially acceptable moral imperatives and standards (Covey, 1992, p. 21). Meager capital? Without enough financial capital, a business cannot commence to operate and manage its supply chain. Effective business leadership knows financial management, although meagre, as essential for organizational management because it permeates stakeholders to make accurate decisions

Three advantages of having globalization in Islamic Societies Term Paper

Three advantages of having globalization in Islamic Societies - Term Paper Example Globalization's flourishing of education has numerous advantages to Islamic Societies. First is the benefit of education that will not only make Muslims educated but will also enable them to fulfill their duties of attaining education (IslamiCentre 1). Through globalization, education will also become accessible to everybody and this will include the poor who would hugely benefit from a universal education because it would become affordable (if not free) and accessible to them (YaleInsights 1). Education will suddenly be transformed from being only available to the few and the elite to the general masses of Muslim. Globalization will also become education cheaper and thereby, affordable for almost every Muslim. The Muslims who never saw a classroom or a teacher can now be reached through globalization's global village that the day will come that every Muslim will become educated making Islamic society the center of learning again. Globalization’s advantage will also help propa gate the proper teachings of Islam. Its scholars would be able to reach more Muslims and this would result to more educated Muslims understanding the Quran and in the process helping them to become better Muslims and better persons. The proper teaching of Islam will also prevent its misuse where evil deeds are committed its name. Through the proper teaching of Islam, the extremists can no longer justify their acts because Muslims will find it unacceptable having understood the Quran well for they are properly educated. In the same manner, the West can no longer blame Islam for its terror because it will understand that Islam is never a religion of conflict and ignorance but a rather religion of peace and learning. A globalized environment will also increase the cooperation and collaboration between Islamic nations and it can lead to economic success in different Islamic countries. This can be done through increased trade, mutual protection and greater cooperation. Thus, poverty in t he Muslim world will cease and Islam can no longer be blamed for poverty. This will strengthen Islamic societies because when they are no longer poor, they will have more time and energy for study and self-development. In the process it will make Muslims closer to one another and in so doing, strengthens the bond between them making them brothers and sisters in Islam. This bond brought by globalization can address the common issue of Islam's fragmentation that Shininy stated in his study that there is lack of unity between various Arab nations. With globalization, there will be more opportunities for Muslims around the world to interact thereby making Muslims united again. In addition, globalization will make the mobility of people faster and this will help Muslims visit each other to foster unity. This unity can also counter the influence of the Western world and preserve the culture and tradition of Islam which had been assailed since (Shibiny X). In addition to the preservation o f Islamic culture and tradition from the influence of the West, globalization's trade can also lead to the strengthening of the ties of different nations in the Islamic world

Walmart's Implementation, Strategic Controls, and Contingency Plans Essay

Walmart's Implementation, Strategic Controls, and Contingency Plans - Essay Example One of the main issues that had become the root of all problems was its core values of providing low prices always. Some of the strategies that the company had implemented into achieving these policies were called into question. One of the important objectives of implementing the strategy for change management was to revive the falling sales and get the company back on growth platform. One of the turnaround factors for wall mart that is going to lift it out of the stage that it is currently in is to grow leaders at all stage. To grow leaders at all stage of the organizations among both the managerial and non managerial workforce is to impart them adequate training. Since wall mart is a large multinational organization so to impart training at large scale will require adequate planning. The plan to grow leaders at all stage of the organization should be done step by step (Walmart Inc, 2006b). The plan should be first inducted as a training module for a single branch and then slowly spread into other branches at first in a country, then in a continent and then through all the continents. Before going into next step of the process the company must first ensure that the first step has been successful with clear and positive results. The company by utilizing its innovative CRM tools has huge pile of customer data that it has collected over the years. A simple strategy would be look into what has changed in the customers buying behavior. If the customers are moving towards other store why on earth are they doing so? The key is to analyze the key lacunas and fix them. One of the key areas where wall mart might be lacking as compared to its competitors is that in a drive to give its customers â€Å"Always low prices. Always† the company gives discriminatory wages to its employees. So the company suffers from low employee productivity as compared to many of its competitors (Cascio, 2006b). Costco produced $21,805 in operating profit per hourly employee. This is

Launching Green Products in Kuwait Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Launching Green Products in Kuwait - Essay Example To discuss in-depth what green is, nevertheless, there are a number of issues that needs to be covered first so that there will be a proper understanding of what ‘green’ means and why it is necessary to ‘go green’. After an in-depth discussion on the most important issues surrounding the term ‘green’ and indeed what ‘green products’ are, the paper will look at how Kuwait as a nation can launch the products in the country. One of the topics worth mentioning when it comes to going green is pollution. Pollution refers to the introduction or hazardous compounds into the environment. During the industrial revolution, there was the development in the transport industry and manufacturing that saw the commercial use of fossil fuels. Initially, firewood was the most commonly used fuel. When the industries were incepted, it became a necessity to develop a kind of fuel that produced more heat per unit mass, the best choice was coal. The fuel became a favorite in industries and other sectors such as the transport sector that used the fuel to heat water that was supposed to produce steam. The steam was used for turning the wheels of a locomotive. In no time, the pollution levels hit a record high as industrialization revolution continued in more and more countries. Today, pollution is among the many things that have shaken the world. Factories are dumping waste in water endangering marine life and affecting impor tant sectors such as agriculture. Other than the water bodies, there has been the emission of poisonous gases into the atmosphere that, also, has affected a lot of lives today. When factories emit gases such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon dioxide into the environment, the gases lead to some of the most destructive phenomena such as acid rain which destroys plants and property. Other than this, the gases lead to the most famous effect of pollution, the

Walmart's Implementation, Strategic Controls, and Contingency Plans Essay

Walmart's Implementation, Strategic Controls, and Contingency Plans - Essay Example One of the main issues that had become the root of all problems was its core values of providing low prices always. Some of the strategies that the company had implemented into achieving these policies were called into question. One of the important objectives of implementing the strategy for change management was to revive the falling sales and get the company back on growth platform. One of the turnaround factors for wall mart that is going to lift it out of the stage that it is currently in is to grow leaders at all stage. To grow leaders at all stage of the organizations among both the managerial and non managerial workforce is to impart them adequate training. Since wall mart is a large multinational organization so to impart training at large scale will require adequate planning. The plan to grow leaders at all stage of the organization should be done step by step (Walmart Inc, 2006b). The plan should be first inducted as a training module for a single branch and then slowly spread into other branches at first in a country, then in a continent and then through all the continents. Before going into next step of the process the company must first ensure that the first step has been successful with clear and positive results. The company by utilizing its innovative CRM tools has huge pile of customer data that it has collected over the years. A simple strategy would be look into what has changed in the customers buying behavior. If the customers are moving towards other store why on earth are they doing so? The key is to analyze the key lacunas and fix them. One of the key areas where wall mart might be lacking as compared to its competitors is that in a drive to give its customers â€Å"Always low prices. Always† the company gives discriminatory wages to its employees. So the company suffers from low employee productivity as compared to many of its competitors (Cascio, 2006b). Costco produced $21,805 in operating profit per hourly employee. This is

Human Factors in technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Factors in technology - Essay Example However, technology had to progress, since it was unthinkable to hinder its journey towards a better and easier world. The first significant change I had to experience was the decrease in human contact that the Credit/Debit Cards, ATMs and telephonic and electronic transfers caused. It seemed in the beginning that the career prospects of a banker will become bleak due to these developments. There seemed little scope in such a scenario for many of us who spent quality time to acquire communication and interpersonal skills as part of our job training. The entire concept of working in the front office had been changing very fast. Though it took time for me to get acquainted with the new system, many of my apprehensions were proven wrong as I learnt how these skills were still relevant, even more so, in the technologically advanced scenario. Moreover, there were many customers, especially senior citizens, who needed time to get accustomed to the changes. They needed assistance from us, and this led to a stronger link with the customers. Any new advancement in the field brought in situations where many c ustomers needed support from us, and the human interaction involved in banking did not in fact decrease over time, though its dimensions have changed, as in every aspect of life. The fact that my profession called for a clear knowledge of the technological aspects related to it was in fact a blessing in disguise. Many of my senior colleagues found it difficult to gain or update their computer and electronic communication skills. However, the younger generation who were more open to these changes and eager to keep abreast of the technological advancements got a chance to learn more through their job trainings and refresher courses. This had in fact made many of us capable of meeting the new challenges in banking and other fields as well. For many of us, it was also an opportunity to get familiarized with the international

Edgar Allan Poe Essay Example for Free

Edgar Allan Poe Essay 1. According to the first paragraph, what characteristics of the Red Death make it such a horrible disease? * The characteristics of the â€Å"Red Death† that make it such a horrible disease are the profuse amounts of blood, sharp pains, sudden dizziness, and the seizure. 2. Describe in detail Prosperos plan for escaping the epidemic. * Prospero’s plan for escaping the epidemic was to gather a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from his court and keep them within a wall. The courtiers brought massy hammers to weld the bolts. Within the wall the people basically rejoiced to keep away from the â€Å"Red Death.† 3. What do the ebony clock and its arresting chimes add to the plot? Can you think of any symbolic value the clock might have? * 4. What symbolic evidence can you find in Poes use of the following? * A. the number seven B. the use of colors, especially the black and scarlet in the seventh room C. the movement from east to west in the sequence of the rooms and throughout the story 5. In your opinion, how does this allusion add a layer of meaning to this story? * 6. The want of parental affection, wrote Poe has been the heaviest of my trials. Explain why Poe would make such a statement. * 7. What prominent military academy did Poe attend? Did he graduate? Why or why not? * 8. In great detail, comment on Virginia Clemm. * 9. Why is much of what we know about Poe wrong? * 10. Poe is widely known for inventing what type of story? *

The Essence Of The Marketing Concept

The Essence Of The Marketing Concept Market segmentation can be defined as the process of breaking down the total market for a product or service into distinct sub-groups or segments where each segment may conceivably represent a separate target market to be reached with a distinctive marketing mix. Segmentation and the subsequent strategies of targeting and positioning start by recognizing that increasingly, within the total demand/market for a product, specific tastes, needs and demand may differ. It breaks down the total market for a product or service into individual clusters of customers, or segments. Here, customers who share similar demand preferences are grouped together within each segment. Effective segmentation is achieved when customers sharing similar patterns of demand are grouped together and where each group or segment differs in the pattern of demand from other segments in the market. In most markets, be they consumer or industrial, some kind of segmentation can be accomplished on this basis. 2 Targeted marketing efforts Most companies realise that they cannot effectively serve all the segments in a market, and must instead target their marketing efforts. For example, in developing a new car, the manufacturing firm will have to make a decision on many issues, such as should it be a two-, four-, or five-seater model, with a 1000, 2000 or 3000cc engine? Should it have leather, fabric or vinyl seats? The over-riding factor when deciding these issues is customer demand. Some customers (segments) may want a five-seater 2000cc model with leather upholstery, while others may prefer a four-seater with a 1000cc engine and fabric seats. A solution would be to compromise and produce a four-seater 1500cc model with leather seats and fabric trim. Clearly, such a model would go some way to meeting the requirements of both groups of buyers, but there is a danger that because the needs of neither market segment are precisely met, most potential customers would purchase from other suppliers who could cater for their specific requirements. Ironically, one of the biggest post-war car failures was the much heralded and much hyped American Ford Edsel car. This is a car that was produced following extensive marketing research, the results of which were aggregated, and the end product was a car that satisfied the true needs of very few buyers making it the most spectacular flop in modern motoring history. Target marketing is thus defined as the identification of the market segments that are identified as being the most likely purchasers of a companys products. Specifically, the advantages of target marketing are: Marketing opportunities and unfilled gaps in a market may be more accurately appraised and identified. Such gaps can be real (e.g. sweet, strong, harsh or mild) or they can be illusionary in terms of the way people want to view the product (e.g. happy, aloof, silly or moody). In the case of the former, product attributes can fulfil these criteria whereas for the latter these attributes might well have to be implanted in the minds of customers through an appropriate advertising message. Market and product appeals through manipulation of the marketing mix can be more delicately tuned to the needs of the potential customer. Marketing effort can be concentrated on the market segment(s) which offer the greatest potential for the company to achieve its goals be they goals to maximise profit potential or to secure the best long-term position for the product or any other appropriate goal. 3 Effective segmentation Theoretically, the base(s) used for segmentation should lead to segments that are: Measurable/identifiable Here, the base(s) used should preferably lead to ease of identification in terms of who is in each segment. It should also be capable of measurement in terms of the potential customers in each segment. Accessible Here, the base(s) used should ideally lead to the company being able to reach selected market targets with their individual marketing efforts. Meaningful The base(s) used must lead to segments which have different preferences or needs and show clear variations in market behaviour and response to individually designed marketing mixes. Substantial The base(s) used should lead to segments which are sufficiently large to be economically and practically worthwhile serving as discrete market targets with a distinctive marketing mix. The third criterion is particularly important for effective segmentation, as it is an essential prerequisite when attempting to identify and select market targets. In segmentation, targeting and positioning, a company must identify distinct subsets of customers in the total market for a product where any subset might eventually be selected as a market target, and for which a distinctive marketing mix will be developed. The following represents the sequential steps in conducting a segmentation, targeting and positioning exercise for any given product market. Select base(s) for segmentation and identify appropriate market segments. Evaluate and appraise the market segments resulting from the first step. Select an overall market targeting strategy. Select specific target segments. Develop a product positioning strategy for each target segment. 6. Develop an appropriate marketing mix for each chosen target segment in order to support the product positioning strategy. 4 Segmentation bases in consumer product markets Geographic segmentation consists of dividing a country into regions that normally represent an individual sales persons territory. In bigger companies, these larger regions are then broken down into areas with individual regional manager controlling salespeople in distinct areas. In international marketing, different countries may be deemed to constitute different market segments. Demographic segmentation consists of a wide variety of bases for subdividing markets, and each of these is now discussed: Age is a good segmentation variable for such items as clothes where the fashion-conscious young are more susceptible to regular changes in style and older segments are perhaps more concerned with such factors as quality and comfort. Sex is a strong segment in terms of goods that are specifically targeted towards males or females and again an obvious example is clothing. Here, fashion is a powerful element when purchasing, and a whole industry surrounds this criterion. Income as a segmentation base is more popular in certain countries like the USA than others who regard such matters very privately. Social class is possibly the single most used variable for research purposes. It is universally used. The National Readership Survey divides everybody into the following categories as shown in Figure 1: A Upper middle class (higher managerial, administrative or professional) which comprises about 3 per cent of the population B Middle class (intermediate managerial, administrative or professional) which comprises approximately 10 per cent of the population C1 Lower middle class (supervisory, clerical, junior administrative or professional) containing around 25 per cent of the population C2 Skilled working clsass (skilled manual workers) who comprise around 30 per cent of the population. D Working class (semi- and unskilled manual workers) or around 27 per cent of the population E Lowest levels of subsistence (state pensioners with no other income, widows, casual and lowest grade earners) who form the remaining 5 per cent, or thereabouts, of the population. Figure 1 Social class and grade structure Education is often related to social class, because, as a generalisation, the better educated tend to get the better jobs. It is generally acknowledged that a persons media habits are related to education. Accordingly, newspapers design to aim their news and newspaper content towards the upper or lower ends of the social spectrum, and encourage advertisers to target their advertising appropriately, depending upon whether an advertisers product has an up-market or down-market appeal. In fact they publicise their readership profile of the percentage of ABC1, etc groups that actually read their newspapers or magazines and this information is ascertained through independent auditors. This is done principally to alert advertising agencies who will place their clients advertising according to the social classes towards at whom their products are targeted. Nationality or ethnic background now constitutes a growing and distinctive segment for potential target marketing. Food products, clothing and hair care products are obvious examples of products that fit into this segmentation variable. Political is perhaps a less obvious segmentation base. An individuals political leanings might well influence the way he or she behaves in terms of purchases made. Such purchases are of course reflected in the types of newspaper and other media that is read, and this, in turn, contains advertising which is aimed at people who read such media, so political leanings might be more significant than it initially seems. Family size will have an effect on the amount or size of purchases, so this is certainly a meaningful segmentation variable. Family life cycle is a logical follow on to the above and this will tend to determine the purchase of many consumer durable products. This is based on the notion that consumers pass through a series of quite distinct phases in their lives, each phase giving rise to different purchasing patterns and needs. For example, an unmarried person living at home will probably have very different purchasing patterns from someone of the same age who has left home and is recently married. Wells and Gubar have put forward what is now an internationally recognised classification system in relation to life cycle and these stages are shown in Figure 2: Bachelor stage young single people not living with parents (which gave rise to the category of YUPPIES or young, upwardly-mobile persons) Newly marrieds no children (sometimes referred to as DINKIES meaning double income no kids) Full nest I with the youngest child being under six years of age (sometimes referred to as ORCHIDS meaning one recent child, heavily in debt) Full nest II is where the youngest child is six or over Full nest III is an older married couple with dependent children living at home Empty nest I with no children living at home, but the family head is in work (sometimes referred to as WOOPIES meaning well off older persons) Empty nest II where the family head is retired Solitary survivor in work Solitary survivor retired (unkindly referred to as COCOON meaning cheap old child-minder, operating on nothing) Figure 2 Family life cycle segmentation base SAGACITY is a refinement of the family life cycle grouping system. This is a system that believes that people have different behavioural patterns and aspirations as they proceed through life. Four main stages of life cycle are defined as: Dependent (mainly under 24 living at home) Pre-family (under 35s who have established their own household, but without children) Family (couples under 65 with one or more children in the household) Late (adults whose children have left home or who are over 35 and childless) Income groups are then defined as being in categories: better off and worse off Occupation groups are defined as white (collar) or the A, B and C1 social groups and blue (collar) or the C2, D and E social groups The system works as shown in Figure 3: Life cycle Dependent Pre-family Family Late Income Better off Worse off Better off Worse off Occupation White Blue White Blue White Blue White Blue White Blue White Blue Approx % 7 7 5 5 11.5 10.5 2.5 7.5 10 7.5 9 18 adults UK (NB Because of rounding, total figure does not add to 100%) Source: Research Services Limited Figure 3 Sagacity Life Cycle Groupings Type of neighbourhood and dwelling (ACORN) is a relatively new segmentation base. Its underlying philosophy the fact that the type of dwelling and area a person lives in is a good predictor of likely purchasing behaviour including the types of products and brands which might be purchased. This classification analyses homes, rather than individuals, as a basis for segmentation. It is termed the ACORN system (A Classification of Residential Neighbourhoods). The source of this is the 10-yearly population census that is undertaken during every year ending with one the next being due in 2001. The system was developed by Richard Webber for Consolidated Analysis Centres Incorporated (CACI). It breaks down the census of population into various categories of homes as shown in Figure 4. Acorn Type of dwelling Approx % UK population Group A Agricultural areas 3 B Modern family housing, higher incomes 18 C Older housing of intermediate status 17 D Poor quality older terraced housing 4 E Better-off council estates 13 F Less well-off council estates 9 G Poorest council estates 7 H Multi-racial areas 4 I High status non-family areas 4 J Affluent suburban housing 16 K Better-off retirement areas 4 U Unclassified 1 (Source CACI) Figure 4 ACORN Classification system These ACORN classifications are further sub-divided into yet smaller groupings. For instance, Group C which refers to Older housing of intermediate status, is broken down into: C8 Mixed owner-occupied and council estates C9 Small town centres and flats above shops C10 Villages with non-farm employment C11 Older private shousing skilled workers Mosaic system This system is an extension of the ACORN system except that this is based upon individual postal codes (or zip codes). Each postal code in the UK consists of up to seven letters and figures. An individual postal code represents approximately ten dwellings and each of these groups of dwellings is given an individual Mosaic categorisation, of which there are 58 categories. The idea of mosaic comes from the notion that if a different colour was ascribed to each category and superimposed on a map of the UK the resulting pattern would resemble a mosaic. The full Mosaic listing is not reproduced here, but by way of illustration some of these are described below: M1 High status retirement areas with many single pensioners 1.0% of population M15 Lower income older terraced housing 1.5% M25 Smart inner city plats, company lets, very few children 1.5% M33 Council estates, often Scottish flats, with worst overcrowding 1.3% M46 Post 1981 housing in areas of highest income and status 0.2% M50 Newly built private estates, factory workers, young families 3.3% M57 Hamlets and scattered farms 0.7% Taken together, the demographic bases described constitute the most popular bases for segmentation in consumer product markets, since they are often associated with differences in consumer demand. As such, they are meaningful to advertisers. For instance, occupation and social class are linked because of the way that occupation is used to define social class. It is, therefore, relatively easy to reach the different social classes through their different media and shopping habits, although boundaries between the purchasing power of different classes become blurred when, for example, skilled manual workers are able to earn higher incomes than their counterparts in lower or intermediate management. Direct or behavioural segmentation appeals to marketing people as it takes customer purchasing behaviour as the starting point for segmentation. Such bases include: Usage status when a distinction might be made between say light, medium and heavy users. Brand loyalty status where customers can be divided into a number of groups according to their loyalty, or their propensity to repurchase the brand again. Status categories are: Hard core loyals who purchase the same brand every time Soft core loyals who have divided loyalties between two or more brands and purchase any of these on a random basis Shifting loyals who are sometimes called brand switchers in that they buy one brand, and stay with it for a certain period, and then purchase another brand and stay with it for a certain period. They may then return to the original brand Switchers who show no particular preference or loyalty to one particular brand, so their purchasing pattern cannot be clearly determined. Benefits sought is a segmentation base that determines the principal expectation(s) that a purchaser is seeking from the product. For instance, in the case of an automobile oil, purchasers might be looking for cheapness, a well known brand, its viscosity or its engine protection reputation. Occasions for purchase also falls under this category. An example here relates to the purchase of holidays. Lifestyle or psychographic segmentation is based on the idea that individuals have characteristic patterns of living that may be reflected in the products and brands which they purchase. The advertising agency, Young Rubican, has come up with a classification system called Four Cs where C stands for consumers. These categories are: Mainstreamers or the largest group who do not want to stand out from the crowd. They are the biggest segment (over 40 per cent of the population) and tend to purchase branded products over supermarket brands. Reformers are people who tend to be creative and caring, many doing charitable work. They are largely responsible for the purchase of supermarket brands. Aspirers are usually younger people who are ambitious and keen to get on at all costs. Their purchases tend to reflect the latest models and designs. Succeeders are those who have made it and do not see the need for status symbols that aspirers seek. They like to be in control of what they are doing and this includes their purchases where they generally have very clear and firm ideas of what they see as a good product and what they see as being a less useful product. 5 Segmentation bases in industrial product markets Segmenting an industrial product market introduces a number of additional bases, uses similar bases and also precludes some of the ones more frequently used for consumer product markets. Such bases are: Type of application/end use e.g. adhesives for home, office and industrial use Geographical e.g. North, South, East and West regions or by country Benefits sought Closely related to the above, but in terms of what the product actually does for the buying company e.g. detergents for general cleaning or detergents that are actually used in the production process Type of customer e.g. banks or insurance companies or people who purchase for public authorities Product/technology e.g. fibres for the carpet industry or the clothing industry Customer size e.g. larger customers might receive different treatment to smaller customers and this is called key account selling whereby the sales manager deals directly with major accounts Usage rate e.g. light users or heavy users; regular or sporadic users Loyalty of customer e.g. regular purchasers of the companys products and sporadic purchasers. The treatment accorded to loyal customers might differ to that given to occasional customers Purchasing procedures e.g. centralized versus decentralized purchasing (which can affect the buyer/seller relationship); the extent to which purchasing is carried out by tightly defined, or more flexible, specifications which allows the seller more latitude in terms of making suggestions, the extent to which purchasing is by tender (i.e. by some kind of closed bidding system) or by open negotiation Situational factors considers the tactical role of the purchasing circumstances. In some purchasing situations it requires a more detailed knowledge of the customer whereas in others the buyer/seller relationship is kept strictly to commercial matters Personal characteristics relate to the people who make purchasing decisions As with consumer markets, industrial market segmentation may be on an indirect (associative) or a direct (behavioural) basis. A variety of bases may be also be used in conjunction with each other in order to obtain successively smaller sub-segments of the market. The essential criteria given earlier for bases of consumer market segmentation being identifiable, accessible, substantial and, most important, meaningful are equally applicable to bases for industrial market segmentation. A nested approach has been suggested on the basis of a hierarchy from the broad to the specific (See Figure 5). DEMOGRAPHICS OPERATING VARIABLES PURCHASING APPROACH SITUATIONAL PERSONAL CHARAC- TERISTICS Figure 5 A nested approach to segmentation in industrial markets At the centre we have people who actually make buying decisions and their personalities must be considered. Then come situational factors that look at the tactical role of the purchasing situation. This demands customer knowledge. Purchasing approaches examines customer purchasing practices (e.g. who actually makes buying decisions, or the decision making unit). Operating variables allow a more exact pinpointing of potential and existing customers within the final category that is demographic variables, or the broad description of the segments related to customer needs and patterns of usage. 6 Effective segmentation Once market segments have been identified, the marketers task is to assess these various market segments. This appraisal should be in relation to sales and profit potential, or in the case of a non-profit organization, their ability to add to organisational aims. This means that each segment should be viewed in terms of its overall size, projected rate of growth, actual and potential competition, nature of competitive strategies and customer needs. Companies that decide to follow a concentrated or a differentiated targeting strategy must decide which of the segments in the market they wish to serve. Such a decision to select specific target markets must be based on some of the factors outlined earlier, including resources, competition, segment potential and company objectives. There are four characteristics that make a market segment particularly attractive: It has sufficient current profit and sales potential to meet the organisations aims and objectives Competition in the segment is not too intense There is good potential for future growth The segment has some previously unidentified requirements that the company has recognised and is now in a position to serve especially well 7 Product positioning A company has to develop a positioning strategy for each segment it chooses to serve. This relates to the task of ensuring that a particular companys products occupy a planned for place in chosen target markets, pertinent to opposing competition in the marketplace. The notion of product/brand positioning is applicable to both industrial and consumer markets, and the key aspects of this approach are based upon the following suppositions. All products and brands have both objective attributes (e.g. sweet/sour; dark/light; fast/slow) and subjective attributes (e.g. modern/unfashionable; happy/sad; youthful/elderly). Potential purchasers might think about one or more of these attributes when deliberating which product and/or brand to purchase. That potential customers have their own thoughts about how the various competing products or brands rate for each of these particular attributes. In other words, the positioning of the brand along the parameters of these attributes (eg entertaining on the one hand to mundane at the other extreme) takes place in the mind of the customer. Once this is done, it is possible to establish important attributes in choosing between different brands or products, together with the customers perception of the position of competitors products in relation to these characteristics, and then establish the most advantageous position for the company within this particular segment of the market. The final step in the appraisal of segmentation, targeting and positioning is developing appropriate marketing mixes. This involves the design of marketing programmes that will support the chosen positional strategy in the selected target markets. The company must therefore determine the 4 Ps of its marketing mix, i.e. what price, product, distribution (place) and promotional strategies will be necessary to achieve the desired position in the market. There are four acknowledged strategic options for target marketing: Undifferentiated marketing where there is one single marketing mix for every potential customer in the market. Differentiated marketing where there are many marketing mixes for different segments of the market. Concentrated marketing which has a single marketing mix for a segment of the total market. Custom marketing which attempts to satisfy each individual customers requirements with a separate marketing mix. 8 Summary We can now appreciate how marketing begins to work. Having defined the purpose of segmentation we have looked at the obvious and the less obvious bases for segmentation in both consumer and industrial markets. We have also ascertained that used well, the techniques and concepts described in this chapter can contribute significantly to overall company marketing success. Market segmentation, targeting and positioning decisions are thus more strategic than they are tactical. Segmentation variables should be examined in detail, especially new segments. These should then be authenticated in terms of viability and potential profit. Targeting investigates specific segments in terms of how they should be approached. Positioning relates to how the product is perceived in the minds of consumers and a suitable marketing mix should then be designed.

The Needle Treatment Essay examples -- Biology Essays Research Papers

The Needle Treatment Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese method of "encouraging the body to promote natural healing and improve bodily function" (1) that dates back as far as 4,700 years ago. Now for the past 25 years it has appeared in the U.S. as a popular form of alternative medicine, and it is "a licensed and regulated HealthCare profession in about half the states in the U.S." (3). It is most often called upon for problems such as lower back pain, migraines, arthritis, and additional non-fatal aches and pains. Some people say it works, others are still skeptical. Since this method does not seem to be based on "actual science", is it merely a placebo effect? Can a medical practice dated nearly five millenniums ago still prove to be valid? When acupuncture was created, some of the medical concepts it employed were relatively new; there were not many falsified stories for it to build off from. In fact, "acupuncture is said to have been theorized... by Shen Nung, the father of Chinese medicine, who also documented his theories on the heart, circulation, and pulse over 400 years before Europeans had any concept about them" (1). Since then, Europeans and Asians alike have encountered centuries of medical dilemmas and successes. Over time, hypotheses emerge and are either disproved or continue to live on as part of scientific discourse and medical practice. For this reason, most old-fashioned treatments no longer hold true when compared to methods cultivated within the great wealth of knowledge attributed to medicine today – not because we are smarter now or are more civilized, but because the field of medicine has accumulated so much more experience and has improved methods to be "less wrong" countless times. So, wh y has acup... ...l position in the womb" (4). Altogether, acupuncture has withstood the test of time; not necessarily the test of criticism. The procedure seems to work sometimes, and so it has not been falsified. It seems very beautiful, ancient and creative, and so it is left alone as a non-conventional medical alternative. But there should be more studies done on the subject, especially to prevent people from depending on it because of a desire to be all-natural. This is not reason enough to abandon centuries of experience and of scientists getting it "less wrong". Acupuncture is a possible treatment – but not a perfect one. Internet Sources: 1) http://www.cdc-cdh.edu/hospital/cardio/art16.html 2) http://www.acupuncture.edu/laymans/index.htm 3) http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/991233942.html 4) http://www.tamu.edu/univrel/aggiedaily/news/stories/00/112900-3.html The Needle Treatment Essay examples -- Biology Essays Research Papers The Needle Treatment Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese method of "encouraging the body to promote natural healing and improve bodily function" (1) that dates back as far as 4,700 years ago. Now for the past 25 years it has appeared in the U.S. as a popular form of alternative medicine, and it is "a licensed and regulated HealthCare profession in about half the states in the U.S." (3). It is most often called upon for problems such as lower back pain, migraines, arthritis, and additional non-fatal aches and pains. Some people say it works, others are still skeptical. Since this method does not seem to be based on "actual science", is it merely a placebo effect? Can a medical practice dated nearly five millenniums ago still prove to be valid? When acupuncture was created, some of the medical concepts it employed were relatively new; there were not many falsified stories for it to build off from. In fact, "acupuncture is said to have been theorized... by Shen Nung, the father of Chinese medicine, who also documented his theories on the heart, circulation, and pulse over 400 years before Europeans had any concept about them" (1). Since then, Europeans and Asians alike have encountered centuries of medical dilemmas and successes. Over time, hypotheses emerge and are either disproved or continue to live on as part of scientific discourse and medical practice. For this reason, most old-fashioned treatments no longer hold true when compared to methods cultivated within the great wealth of knowledge attributed to medicine today – not because we are smarter now or are more civilized, but because the field of medicine has accumulated so much more experience and has improved methods to be "less wrong" countless times. So, wh y has acup... ...l position in the womb" (4). Altogether, acupuncture has withstood the test of time; not necessarily the test of criticism. The procedure seems to work sometimes, and so it has not been falsified. It seems very beautiful, ancient and creative, and so it is left alone as a non-conventional medical alternative. But there should be more studies done on the subject, especially to prevent people from depending on it because of a desire to be all-natural. This is not reason enough to abandon centuries of experience and of scientists getting it "less wrong". Acupuncture is a possible treatment – but not a perfect one. Internet Sources: 1) http://www.cdc-cdh.edu/hospital/cardio/art16.html 2) http://www.acupuncture.edu/laymans/index.htm 3) http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/991233942.html 4) http://www.tamu.edu/univrel/aggiedaily/news/stories/00/112900-3.html

Nationalism and Political Identities in Asia, Africa, and Latin America

Chapter #36:Nationalism and Political Identities in Asia, Africa, and Latin America Time Period: 1914 to Present I. Translation of the Chapter Title: 1 Sentence (Translate the Chapter Title into your own words; use dictionary as needed) Nationalism: devotion to ones own nation Political Identities: arguments that focus on self interests Asia, Africa, and Latin America: places in the world II. Prediction Based on Chapter Title: (1 sentence—based on the title, what do you think this chapter will be about) I predict this chapter is going to be about the political identities of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. III. Opening Story: (1 Sentence Summary): Shanfei was a political person who was born in riches. IV. Summary of First â€Å"White† page before the Purple Writing (2-3 sentences): This talks about how Europe was still very dominant in global relations. The nationalist and anti-imperial governments had strengthened. V. Two Detailed Predictions About the Chapter Based on First â€Å"White† Page Before Purple Writing (2 sentences) I predict this chapter is about Europe. I also predict this chapter is going to be about the anti-imperial governments. I. Purple Section Title: Asian Paths to Autonomy. II. Purple Section Prediction (1 Sentence Prediction in Your Own Words—What Will this Section Be About): I predict this chapter is going to be about Asian paths to autonomy. |Interactive Questions |Dates |Notes From This Section: (Use Section Titles and Italics on Side Margins! ) | | | I. Asian Paths to Autonomy | | | |A. Indian’s Quest for Home Rule | | | |1. Indian National Congress | | |Mohandas K Gandhi- |a. ost influential against British Rule founded in 1885 | | |(1869- 1948) |b. Hindus and Muslims, Muslim League- both org. were established | | | |to take out British | | | |2. Mohandas K. Gandhi | | | |a. grew up in a Hindu household, married at 13, and left to go study | | | |law in London | | |Ali Jinnah |b. He went to South Africa and worked there for some time against | | |(1876-1948) |having Indians be second class, developed a technique known as | | | |passive resistance | | | |c. e became a vegetarian and renounced sex , spend hours each | | | |morning reading Bhagavad-Gita which was a sacred writing | | |Mao Zedong- (1893- |d. ecame active in Indian Politics, he worked hard to change caste | | |1976) |system so that the low class could have more privileges | | | |e. congress launched two assive movements: Non-cooperation | | | |movement and the Civil Disobedience movement, Gandhi called for | | | |Indians to boycott on British goods | | | |3. The Indian Act | | | |a. British offered a political compromise, British gave India the right | | | |to have self-rule over themselves | | | |b. ct did not work b/c Muslims feared the Hindus would take over | | | |the national legislature | | | |B. China’s Search for Order | | | |1. The Republic | | | |a. lunged into a economic disintegration marked by the rule of | | | |warlords, warlords placed themselves as provisional & regional | | | |rulers | | | |b. arlords were a symbol of disintegration, they also had unequal | | | |treaties | | | |2. Chine Nationalism | | | |a. fter Great war this developed very fast, expected U. S. to support | | | |the treaties they had, Chinese became interested in the Marxist | | | |3. Sun Yatsen | | | |a. ationalist leader who did not want a dictatorship | | | |b. his basic ideology was to eliminate privileges of foreigners, | | | |national reunification, and a economic dev. o have these goals be he | | |Jiang Jieshi- |was willing to take over and put Nationalist peoples party | | |(1887-1975) |4. Civil War | | | |a. fter Sun Yatsen’s death the power fell to Jiang soviet union | | | |trainy he launched apolitical and military offensive known as | | | |Nothern Expedition that tried to unify country and have china under | | | |Guomingdang rule | | | |b. china tried to not have anything to do with global economy | | | |devastation, Had a Red Army | | | |C. Imperial and Imperialist Japan | | | |1. The Mukden Incident | | | |a. cicilian government in Japan tried to halt the military incursion | | | |b. Great war and the Great depression helped with the ongoing of the | | | |nationalist | | | |II. Africa Under Colonial Domination | | | |A. Africa and the Great War | | | |1. War In Africa | | | |a. Some immediate consequences were that allies invaded the | | | |German colonies, Germans could not hoe to win the war in Africa | | | |b. olonial powers | | | |2. Challenges to European authority | | | |a. Africans mounted challenges to Europeans | | | |b. there was revolts | | | |B. The Colonial Economy | | | |1. Infrastructure | | | |a. Africa required investment in Infrastructure | | | |b. transportation helped and so did agriculture | | | |2. Farming and ining | | | |a. to pay Africans had to become cash crops farmers | | | |b. international farmers grew a variety of crops | | | |c. production of agriculture was intended for oversees | | | |d. olonial mining enterprises relied on African labor in parts of | | | |Southern Africa | | | |3. Labor practices | | | |a. colonial officers resorted to forced labor | | | |b. compulsory labor: corollary to our occupation of country | | | |c. lot of labor abuse had to do with â€Å"concessionary companies† | | | |who were given the right to exploit resources from a region for | | | |taxation | | | |4. Africa’s New Elite | | | |a. colonialism promoted a African social class called â€Å"new elite† | | | |b. he elite derived status from employment and education | | | |c. Jomo=spent 15 yrs. in Eur ope where he attended schools | | | |d. Kenyatta led Kenya to independence from Europe | | | |5. Forms of Nationalism | | | |a. nationalist looked for pre-colonial past for inspiration | | | |b. hey found identities that were based on religion, ethnicity, | | | |language and believed future nations would build on some of these | | | |principles | | | |c. there was representatives to Pan- Americanism one was Marcus | | | |d. Marcus preached on about black pride | | | |III. Latin American struggled with Neocolonialism | | | |A. The impact of the Great War and the Great Depression | | | |1. Reorientation of Political and Nationalist Ideals | | | |a. had spread of new ideas | | | |b. he revolutionary doctrines did not achieve any popularity in the | | | |Latin American States | | | |2. University Protests and Communist Parties | | | |a. people of Latin America experienced U. S. economic power | | | |b. capitalism did not come under attacj | | | |c. ariategui felt bad poor and Indians that made up 50% of Peru | | | |she also wrote and helped to create Peruvian communist party | | | |d. Apristas: advocated for indigenous rights | | | |3. Diego Rivera and Radical Artistic Visions | | | |a. Rivera studied in Europe and later returned to Mexico, he was a | | | |painter | | | |b. Rivera received a request so he could go paint murals for RCA he | | | |painted a work of Vladimir Lenin -> his mural got destroyed so he | | | |started to paint paintings of America’s Imperialism | | | |B. The Evolution of Economic Imperialism | | | |1. Unites States Economic Domination | | | |a. Latin America were no strangers to foreign economic domination | | | |2. Dollar Diplomacy | | | |a. Taft argued U. S. hould substitute â€Å"dollars for bullets† in the | | | |foreign policy | | | |b. wanted business to develop foreign markets | | | |3. Economic Depression and Experimentation | | | |a. exports into interwar to help nations have solvency | | | |C. Conflicts with a â€Å"Good Neighbor† | | | |1. The â€Å"Good Neighbor Policy† | | | |a. relied for more fully to dollar diplomacy | | | |. U. S. marines provided training for indigenous people | | | |2. Nicaragua and the Guarda Nacional | | | |a. U. S. financial interests influenced the economy of Nicaragua | | | |b. U. S. forces trained the Guarda Nacional in Nicaragua | | | |3. Cardenas Mexico | | | |a. Hull signed â€Å"Convention on the Rights and Duties of States† | | | |4. Neighborly Cultural Exchanges | | | |a. United Stated wanted to cultivate Latin America for its exports | | | |b. Hollywood adopted a Latin American singer raised in brazil | | | |but orn in Portugal | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |End of Chapter Exercises | |Documents that we encounter | |All Written Sources (basic meaning in own words and point of view): pg# | | | |Pg. 009 â€Å"Self-Rule Is My Birthright† | |This talks about how the people thought that the English government wanted the best for the people. It talks about how they thought that the English government was | |doing their best to protect the people but it was only what they thought not what was really happening. It also talks about the Pax Britannica. It talks about how the| |people are not trying to boycott but rather they are trying to have a way of stopping them. My point of view of this is that that is a wise choice to instead of | |probably using violence to solve their problems they tried to solve it politically. | | | | | | | | | | |One Map (write â€Å"none† if 0 maps; what does map show and how does it relate to chapter, in your own words): pg. # | | | |Pg. 023 | |This map shows the United States in Latin America this relates to the chapter because it has to do with Latin America | | | | | |One Painting/Drawing/Photograph (write â€Å"none† of 0; what does it show AND how does it connect to the chapter) pg. #1022 | |This picture is one of the paintings Rivera made to show Imperialism after they decided to destroy his portrait of Vladimir Lenin. It connects to the chapter because | |it shows one of Rivera’s paintings. | | | | | | | | | | | | |Changes and Continuities: (Summarize: what are the major changes in the chapter, and then separately summarize: what has been continuous or what has stayed the same | |in the chapter (e. g. Although the Mongols took over an enormous empire from the Chinese, trade was still flowing along the Silk Roads and there was still continuous | |supplies going back and forth between China and the Middle East). | | | | | | |Some changes and continuities is that some changes is that people now wanted to be mo re integrated and decided to let the indigenous people come to the United States. | |They wanted to be more culturally diverse. Some continuity is that they still had some form of government. People could vote and have a say in the things that got | |decided. | | | |

Existentialism & Fight Club Essay

?From an existentialism point of view, there is no right or wrong choice, since one gives an action value by the virtue of choosing it. Choices can only be judged on how involved the decision maker is when making it. Judging by this standard, the narrator is justified in killing Tyler, since he fully became involved in choosing to both accept and reject Tyler’s values by that action. â€Å"Existentialism’s first move is to make every man aware of what he is and to make the full responsibility of his existence rest on him. † In my essay, I shall first discuss how shooting Tyler is crucial in allowing the narrator to achieve the first move in embracing existentialism. He acts as the catalyst for the narrator to make the first move in existentialism: being aware of what he is by acknowledging all his primal instincts and assuming responsibility for his existence. Tyler does so through his acts of escalating violence and atrocity to provoke the narrator to confront both who he is and his responsibilities, culminating finally in his own death. I shall also discuss the theme of consumerism as portrayed in the movie, and how the decision of shooting Tyler relates to the narrator’s interpretation of this theme. The narrator had been hesitant to assume full responsibility for his existence at the start of the movie. He dislikes his present circumstances- he is jaded with his current job and lacks a clear purpose, as illustrated by the quote †A single serving package, a single serving†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Once he consumes the single serving, he is done. He makes a fleeting impression in someone else’s life before he fades from their memory. He feels his existence is meaningless because he has no connections with anyone. He is not content with the present state he is in, but makes no active effort to consciously define his own existence. He shows bad faith in this respect, because he deceives himself into believing that he lacks complete freedom of involvement in making this decision. He is a coward by Sartre’s definition: â€Å"Those who hide their complete freedom from themselves out of a spirit of seriousness or by means of deterministic excuses. † He possesses the desire to redefine his existence by rebelling against the values in society, but this conflicts with his conscious mind (the ego), which restraints him from doing anything socially unacceptable. His conscious mind hides these unacceptable desires in the subconscious mind, coming up with excuses that prevent the narrator from fulfilling these desires. Eventually, the repressed energy from these unconscious desires resulted in the fracturing of the ego itself- into two conscious minds, hence resulting in the manifestation of Tyler. Tyler represents everything that the narrator subconsciously wishes to be. He is the personification of the ID itself, representing the narrator’s repressed death instincts (our innate instinct for survival), aggression instincts (instincts for violence), and the libido. Before he meets Tyler, the narrator is defines his existence though furniture he purchases and assembles from IKEA. He attempts to make himself into a being-in-itself, believing his perfect state of existence can be reached by purchasing that last piece of furniture he needs. When the narrator’s house was bombed, annihilating the means by which he defines his existence, the narrator felt as though his existence itself was erased. â€Å"Every stick of furniture in there was my life. † Tyler teaches him not to rely on material goods but to define his existence by his actions. The fight club thus became the new means through which the narrator could define himself through acts of fighting. The narrator learns to revel in violence and physical pain as a means of defining his existence and to transcend the physical limits of the body. He achieves the first step of self-awareness by satisfying his primal instincts for aggression. His first epiphany occurs when he realizes Tyler is himself. In a sense, he realized that he (as Tyler) is free and capable of inventing and creating himself as whom he chooses to be. This is an important step because he now wants to assume responsibility for his existence. His second epiphany occurs when he shoots Tyler, and thus himself. On the first level, the narrator acknowledges his death instincts by confronting his fear of pain and death. He accepts Tyler’s ideas of experiencing death so as to be fully conscious of his physical existence. When he shoots Tyler, he does so with the awareness that he is shooting himself. This is the final step he needs to take in order to be fully aware of what he is. On the second level, by rejecting Tyler’s nihilistic ideas of destroying institutions and value systems, he chooses what values to stand for and thus creates his own purpose for himself. â€Å"In choosing his ethics, Man makes himself. † He also translates the belief in these values into the actual action of shooting Tyler, thus defining his existence through actual action. On the third level, by shooting Tyler, he assumes responsibility for all of Man, not just himself. He assumes responsibility for Man because he invents what Man should be: one who does not act in an uncaring and destructive manner towards others. On the fourth level, shooting Tyler allows the narrator to be defined in a way he wishes to be defined in the eyes of the â€Å"other†. Shooting Tyler is crucial towards removing the existence of Project Mayhem. He does not want Marla to find out about Project Mayhem because he will then lose his connections with her. It is important to the narrator to have a close relationship with Marla. Firstly, she is the only surviving real human being he has a close relationship with in the movie. Secondly, Marla, playing the role of the â€Å"other†, allows him to seek out knowledge about his existence and she is the condition for his existence. By shooting Tyler, he prevents the loss of this â€Å"other† that is crucial for his existence. Important themes discussed in the movie include consumerism. To be specific, it shows how the modern consumerist society affects Man’s determination of his existence. In Sartre’s words, how a change in the â€Å"a priori limits which outline man’s fundamental situation in the universe† affects Man’s determination of his existence with respect to these limits. According to Sartre, all configurations â€Å"either appear as attempts to pass beyond them or recede from them or deny them or adapt to them†. Consumerism imposes limits on Man to work and to consume, because only if Man works can he consume, and he can consume only if he works. He is emasculated because he is unable to fulfill his natural role as a hunter-gatherer as dictated to him by biology. Man is limited or restricted in the sense he is unable to fulfill his primitive instincts. As seen in the movie, Tyler tries to pass beyond these limits by destroying symbols of consumerism, such as credit card companies, so as to â€Å"return to Ground Zero†. Since many people define their existence by numbers in their bank accounts, destroying the bank records will erase their previous existence and allow them to create their existence anew, much like how the narrator’s apartment was bombed so that he could create his new existence through Fight Club. Tyler’s ultimate goal seems to be changing the limits by which people define their existence by. He envisions the destruction of modern civilization, and a regression back to a more primitive hunter gatherer state. â€Å"In the world I see you are stalking elk through the same canyon forests around the ruins of Rock feller Centre†. In the world he envisions, the new limits by which people will define themselves with respect to are undoubtedly physical strength and prowess. On the other hand, the narrator, like so many of us today, adapts to these limits by embracing consumerism as indoctrinated into him by society through advertisements. He avidly purchases IKEA furniture and defines his existence by these material goods. In Tyler’s words, he works jobs he hates so he can buy shit he doesn’t need. He assumes that his furniture uniquely defines him as a person, from the â€Å"glass bowls with imperfections made by the simple and honest people of wherever† to â€Å"his yin-yang coffee table†, while missing the irony that IKEA is a chain-store that mass produces furniture. He is no other different from many other consumers of IKEA who believe that their furniture is unique on virtue of it being selected by them. At the end of the movie, the narrator realizes he needs to strike a balance between the two opposing configurations, one that is in the pre-consciousness state, afraid to confront his freedom, and the other that embraces existentialism and freedom to the point of reckless destruction. Shooting Tyler thus allows him to reunite his opposing configurations and strike a middle balance. Marla is an example of how a person recedes from limits that outline the human condition. She does not know what values to choose to define her existence. As a result, she adopts a nihilistic attitude and attempts to hit rock-bottom by trying to court death. Lastly, another important theme in the movie is that of mental pain. Many characters in the movie experience mental pain because they are unable to reject the â€Å"being in itself† others force upon them. Thus, they cannot achieve a true state of â€Å"being for itself† This is because we â€Å"perceive others as a condition of our own existence†, as how Sartre puts it. According to Sartre, once we realize we exist, we realize the existence of others who are free to define us according to how they view us. We are objectified in the eyes of others because others view us as a â€Å"being in itself†. We lose our freedom through their perception of us. Only we looking back and viewing others as objects can we regain our freedom. Bob is viewed as a man who has lost his masculinity. He accepts this â€Å"being in itself†, believing that he is condemned to this fixed and unchanging physical body. Thus, he suffers mental pain because he does not reject the attempts of â€Å"being in itself† others force upon him by realizing his freedom to create his own existence. The narrator similarly suffers from accepting the â€Å"being in itself† society forces upon him- as a member of society whose purpose is to work, to consume and to obey his superiors. His ideal self-image is that of a strong and ruthless primal human being. However, he dares not embrace his freedom to reject this â€Å"being for itself† and work towards the transcendent goal of his ideal self-image. Thus, his mental pain caused Tyler to manifest, who violently abuses the narrator to symbolize the mental pain the narrator is experiencing. Tyler tries to push the narrator to be fully aware of his unconscious desires, and to assume responsibility for his freedom. Only when he confronts this mental pain (Tyler’s physical abuse) can he reject â€Å"being for itself† and achieve true â€Å"being-for-itself†, the state where he is constantly and freely choosing his future. His decision to shoot Tyler was justified-because he is freely choosing to reject Tyler’s destructive ideas, and to transcend his initial transcendent goal of becoming Tyler. In conclusion, the movie has strong themes of existentialism running through it. The act of shooting Tyler was justified because it signifies the first step of existentialism for the narrator- he becomes fully aware of what he is, and assumes full responsibility of his existence. It also shows how human beings may choose to define themselves with respect to the limits of the world they exist in. Lastly, shooting Tyler allows the narrator to confront his mental pain and reach the true state of â€Å"being for itself†.