Education Key to Success Essay

In the 21st century technology should replace traditional teaching methods in order to stimulate student engagement. As social networking becomes more and more famous and teachers have to compete with something they Just don’t have the right tools to fight them with the fight is Just unfair. With all the modern technology that todays students are surrounded with their attention spans have drastically decreased and with entertainment at the touch of a button away from them it becomes very hard to keep a class of 30 students entertained for an hour and as time passes by this will gradually get more and more orse. I am personally a very geeky technical person to me computers are like real life people who talk to you and guide you as long as you ask them right questions. I have started depending so much on computers that whenever I need help rather than asking my teacher I look it up on google because it is so much faster and easier to do but that information is not always true. I think the solution to this problem isn’t to completely get rid of todays teaching methods or not allow students to use their technological devices at all I think the solution is a medium between these two paths o that the teachers have an easier time teaching and students find it more enjoyable to learn education materials. I think todays use of power points in lectures makes it so much more easier for teachers to make their lesson plans and for students to access them later on whenever they need it. But for a couple of years that is where it’s been stuck it power points get more and more fancier but they aren’t necessarily helping the students engage into the material that they are learning in class. I think school district should have a set amount of money put aside for labs and competitions where students can ruly discover their talents. I think science classes in high schools are kind of pointless where students never actually get to experience how it truly feels like to be a scientist that thrill of having succeeded in performing a lab right is Just a fantasy to them which rather than doing it themselves they watch others do in their science class on the projectors. Parent support is also necessary for these type of activities they are always worried about keeping their children safe and not exposing them to dangerous things but the truth of the situation is that the world is unpredictable and hat isn’t necessarily good or bad but they also have to encourage students as well as teachers to be creative with their work. One of the rising problems the education system is facing today is the low standards set in math classes. Students have such a hard time in math today and rather than pushing themselves to try and work harder students take out the easy way and only fulfill the required math classes that they need to take some even avoid taking math classes if possible and pursue careers where they don’t have to do any math at all I am not an expert but Just from personal experience I think math after pre-calculus ust becomes so abstract that I stopped seeing the real life applications of pre- used to love math when I was in elementary and middle school but that all changed once I took pre-calculus what once used to be my best friend was now my sworn enemy I would do anything to avoid doing math homework I understood the concepts that was never the problem but I always knew where it would end everyday me sitting in front of that same smart board everyday seeing the teacher solve problems and asking him every day where in real life I could apply it to use and the answer would always be the same â₠¬Å"Oh you need this for higher level hysics† or â€Å"Oh you use this in engineering† I had grown so bored of these redundant answers that I completely shut myself down in my math class. I knew the math I was learning in class was to be appreciated it was Just ingenious but I never understood its purpose in MY life so I never bothered with it. And I am sure that I am not the only one my friends would complain about the amount of math homework they had to do each day and how much they regretted having taken a math class that year but I think it can all be changed if the students were Just given something more tangible to nderstand not some strange concepts that brilliant mathematicians had worked their lives on using proofs and theorems that I cant even begin to pronounce. Another problem in todays education system is the need for results everyone wants higher test scores no matter what and scientific research has proven that tests don’t necessarily show if you understand the concept or not it’s Just how good of a test taker you are. This is causing a lot of psychological issues in todays students they are all awfully stressed out right before a major exam or test and that stress later on leads to medical conditions. I think we need to rethink our approach to tests they don’t fulfill their purpose yet they are valued so much. I think I might have a simple solution for that problem rather than wasting money on standardized tests schools across the nations should have and end of the year project varying from subject to subject which would actually show how much of the material that they have actually learned and how much of it have they retained. Tests today are Just unfair to most of the kids they are not only timed they are â€Å"State Standardized† so whatever material that your teachers didn’t go over is also put in the test it can result in loss of onfidence early on in the test totally ruining the students test scores. Last but not least the final problem I want to address in this essay is the motivation that the students lack which can either be the result of teaching material or teaching method either way resulting in a loss of years and years of education. Students all around the world already know what they want to become the second they leave high school they have been exposed to all the subjects enough but in U. S we barely scrape the top of the iceberg over 80% of college bound students go undecided into college t isn’t necessarily bad but they waste years doing something that though they liked in high school but end up changing their major I think students can reach their potential faster if the standards in high school are increased every year or so. The more the students are exposed to different kinds of learning materials the easier it is for them to find what they truly like once they leave high school. it is used that might make it look that way but if technology were to combine with education the results would open up unbelievable opportunities for teachers and students.

Utilitarianism and Happiness

The philosophical theory that I choose to do is called â€Å"utilitarianism†. In a brief sentence, utilitarianism means the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Basically what this means is, doing the right thing is based on how many people your action benefits rather than how much it benefits you. According to the Oxford American Dictionary utility means â€Å"the state of being useful, profitable, or beneficial†(oxford dictionary,2013). The whole theory is all about how much it benefits and how useful or profitable an action or an idea is. For example: if killing one criminal brings forth happiness to a hundred people, then killing that one criminal is not a bad idea. Simply because it makes one hundred people happy. According to utilitarian’s the ultimate goal or the most important part of life is to seek happiness. But the happiness that you seek must not only benefit you, but it has to benefit a large sum of the people. This is called the â€Å"greatest happiness principle†(Wikipedia, Feb, 11,2013). Now this is the main idea of utilitarianism, but it does branch out in the different direction due to many philosophers that thought of this theory. Utilitarianism is not discovered by just one person, it’s made up of many ideas from many different philosophers. Although many people believe that utilitarianism started with Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, there were philosophers that came up with similar ideas as utilitarianism. Before we talk about the authors of this theory, we must really understand the history of utilitarianism and how it came to be. Way back in history when humans invented writing in the Sumerian Civilization of the Old Babylon, the ancient Mesopotamian people wrote a poem/story called the â€Å"Epic of Gilgamesh† about a friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. In this story there’s a character by the name of Siduri that tells Gilgamesh â€Å"Fill your belly. Day and night make merry. Let days be full of joy. Dance and make music day and night†(Wikipedia, Feb, 3, 2013). This quote dates back to the very first advocacy of hedonistic philosophy in the human civilization. It is believed to be written during 2500 – 2000 B. C. A little forward in time and we come to meet Aristippus of Cyrene (435 – 356 BC). Aristippus is a student of one of the greatest philosophers to ever oam the planet, the father of philosophy, Socrates. Though Aristippus didn’t follow in the footsteps of his teacher, he had his own ideas and own theories of philosophy, one of them being hedonism. Aristippus idea of hedonism is that all people have the right to do anything to achieve the greatest amount of pleasure. For example: if drinking and doing drugs bring you the greatest amount of pleasure and happiness, then there is nothing wrong in doing so. You may be asking yourself, why I am telling you about the history of hedonism. So let me explain, in the 18th – 19th century. The British philosopher’s by the name of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill came up with the theory of utilitarianism by taking hedonism of Aristippus and adding the â€Å"greatest happiness principle† (Kerby Anderson, 2012). The hedonistic theory of doing anything to achieve the greatest amount of pleasure turned into doing anything to achieve the â€Å"greatest good for the greatest number of people† which is now called utilitarianism, this philosophical theory is basically an innovation of hedonism. Though many philosophers had part in its discovery, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill brought utilitarianism to its true glory, if they didn’t explain their philosophy in the way they did. Perhaps I wouldn’t be writing this essay right now. So the ones to be credited for utilitarianism is Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. But its not to say that this theory doesn’t have its advantages and disadvantages. Like all things in life, there are benefits and there are hindrances. The Advantage of utilitarianism is simply the happiness that you gain from doing something, whether the happiness is for you or someone you care about. In the end, someone is happy. If you’re in confusion on a certain decision and don’t know what to do, you can simply apply the greatest happiness theory and make your decision based on that. That way, you don’t seem selfish only thinking about your happiness and people will respect that choice and someday repay your kindness by sacrificing their happiness for yours. By sacrificing your happiness for someone else already makes you good human being. Its fits to show that our actions have consequences. If someone cares only about his/her actions alone, he/she wouldn’t have many friends ue to the lack to affection and concerns that he/she shows towards others. Another important advantage of utilitarianism is when you’re faced with a challenging and difficult task; it gives you the methodology of choosing the right path, the one that will benefit the most people. Instead of questioning how beneficial it will be for you. You begin to value other peopleâ⠂¬â„¢s happiness over your own. Therefore giving you the best possible option. Though it is good to put other before you, utilitarianism has its disadvantages as well. This particular philosophical theory has many disadvantages, but the one that matters to me is. Utilitarian’s only care about happiness, whatever brings the greatest amount of people the greatest amount of happiness. Sure, happiness is good, but what about people who don’t get that happiness. For example: out of 50 people, 35 of them get happiness. What happens to the other 15 people? Are we to just ignore how they feel? They are humans too, they have feelings as well. We can’t abandon them just because the other 35 people are happy. Secondly, if we care about others more than we care about ourselves. How can we possibly be able to live with ourselves? We can’t always be looking out for other people. We have to take care of ourselves as well. In the end, it’s our life. We have to look out for ourselves and make the decisions based on how well our life is going to be. There’s a saying in the famous movie pirate of the Caribbean â€Å"Even a good decision if made for the wrong reasons can be a wrong decision†(Jonathan Pryce, 2003) So, I strongly believe that when it comes to making life changing decisions, we must always put ourselves before others.

Leadership Approach Paper Essay

Organizational behavior comes into play to aid management in enhancing their understanding of human behavior within organizations to better communicate, allocate resources, delegate tasks, plan, organize, direct, and control work activities. The main purpose of understanding organizational behavior is to increase leadership effectiveness, motivate workers, and inspire them to work toward a common objective. Although there are many leadership approaches, we will focus on the situational leadership approach. We will analyze the purpose, strengths and weaknesses of the situational leadership approach, and provide an example of how it can be applied to real situations. Situational Leadership Approach As it name suggests, the situational leadership approach states that leaders should use different approaches as situations change. In short, leaders should be flexible, embrace change as it comes, and be capable of adapting to it. The situational leadership approach is a model that was developed by Kenneth Blanchard and Paul Hersey in 1972. The theory states that leaders should match their leadership style to the maturity of followers and to the specific tasks on hand (Lerstrom, 2008). As people within organizations acquire more experience and become more knowledgeable about their job, leaders will need to adapt new leadership styles to keep these people motivated. According to May (2013) the core concept of the situational leadership approach is that â€Å"one size does not fit all†. The best leaders are not only those who have a vision, but â€Å"the most successful leaders are the ones who are able to adapt their leadership styles across a broad range of varying maturity levels readily present within the average organization (May, 2013). † Moreover, using the situational leadership approach suggests that leaders use a mix of other leadership approaches to be effective. According to Phatak (2012), â€Å"The philosophy of a leader should be flexible enough to adapt to situations and changing times. We need a mixture of transactional and transformational leadership techniques to get the job done. The basic idea behind this theory is that one must adapt strategy with changing conditions. † Strengths As mentioned earlier, situational leadership allows for more flexibility. As the world evolves, organizations have to make adjustments to survive. Tomasco (2013) states that with the situational leadership approach, leaders get the opportunity to adapt their leadership style to their followers’ needs. Consequently, as leaders effectively match their leadership style to situations and followers’ needs, work activities will run smoothly, interactions will be more successful, relationships will be built up, and followers will achieve optimum performance. Weaknesses Although the situational leadership approach appears to be the best course of action due to its flexibility, it has weaknesses that one cannot ignore. Phatak (2012) explains that constantly changing strategies with time, a leader will find it difficult to implement new strategies on the go. A long term vision may elude him due to constant changes. † Further, Wile (2013) identifies four weaknesses of the situational leadership approach which are confusion, leadership or management, outside factors, and perception. Indeed, followers may become confused as leaders change a newly implemented leadership strategy as a result of changing conditions. The situational leadership approach is often misconstrued with a management strategy to lead employees to achieve better outcomes. One cannot downplay the impact external factors have on organizations and organizational behavior. Leaders should demonstrate their ability to understand the organization’s external environment and to assess followers’ behavior to implement a leadership approach that will work. Finally, people within organizations have different perceptions and react differently in similar situations. Hence, the situational leadership approach may not give accurate predictions of followers’ behavior. Situational Leadership Approach in Real Life Alan Lerstrom from Luther College did a case study using the situational leadership approach in which he demonstrated how academic advisors can alter their leadership style based on students’ maturity as they advance higher in their studies. Lerstrom applied the Hersey and Blanchard’s model of situational leadership in the case study. The model suggests that effective leaders will adjust their leadership styles in accordance with changing situations and followers’ maturity. According to Lerstrom (2008), Jay, the student in the case study began showing signs of maturity as he better understood the major he wanted to pursue and classes he needed to enroll in. Also, Jay became more confident about his abilities, understood the requirements associated with his major, and was more willing to communicate with the advisor. â€Å"Situational leadership provide theoretical and practical tools that help advisors in understanding changes in the readiness levels of their students, and it suggests patterns for relating to students (Lerstrom, 2008, p. 7). † Conclusion Situational leadership is the approach that states that leaders must be flexible enough to adapt their leadership styles to changing situations, to specific tasks, and to organizational behavior. This study showed that although the situational leadership approach yields positive outcomes it has weaknesses. Thus, it is important to leverage the strengths of the approach to alleviate its weaknesses. For increased effectiveness, leaders will need to use organizational behavior research methods to better understand the situations at hand, their followers’ perceptions, and the organization’s internal and external environments. This method will provide guidance in applying the appropriate leadership style. References Lerstrom, A. C. Advising Jay: A Case Study Using a Situational Leadership Approach. NACADA Journal; Fall2008, Vol. 28 Issue 2, p21-27, 7p May, R. (2013). Basics of the Situational Leadership Model. Retrieved from http://www. businessdictionary. com/article/724/basics-of-the-situational-leade rship-model/ Phatak, O. (June 20, 2012). Pros and Cons of Leadership Theories.

It Is Hard to Possess a Sense of Belonging When We Are Unsure of Our Own Identity Essay

The journey in finding our identity and belonging can often be a struggle, since we ask ourselves, ‘who am I’ vs. whom do others want me to be? And where do I belong? This point in our live is subjective, because we want to feel accepted in society we deny ourselves of what we really are. It’s hard to have a sense of belonging when we ourselves are unsure of our own identity. There comes a time where our opinions and beliefs are differentiated from those around us, during this time some people may discover where they belong, where as many others do not. We are all different in our own ways no one is born equally some may take their differences as an advantage and some take it as a disadvantage and tries to hide this imperfection in order to fit in. Although we all live in the same world we are all different be it the shape of our eyes, the colour of our skin, the country we were born or the accent that we speak in and to others their sexuality. These are all the traits that come together and create our identity, however this differences are sometimes not accepted in the society that we live in, and the sad part is that even if we know what we really are deep inside, our society tells us otherwise. Shuffling through the book Growing up Asian in Australia, I read a lot of stories that made me feel nostalgic, having flashbacks in my head when I first step in Australia and the feeling of deja vu overwhelms me with emotions, while flipping through the stories I read something that caught my attention ‘My First Kiss’ by Lian Low. Her story is not something I would say that I could relate to completely, She grew up in country where ‘homosexuality is a criminal offence’, and deep inside she knew she was different but her surrounding kept her from being true to herself, â€Å"becoming more ‘womanly,’ I suddenly lost foot of my tomboy world† she denied herself in order for her to blend in. She wanted to be equal with the people around her but the difference can’t hide what she is â€Å"I felt a foreigner whenever I open my mouth. Whenever I spoke my accent betrayed my origins† â€Å"My attempt to blend in failed me as soon as I opened my mouth†. The reason why we are all unique is because we ultimately choose what does or does not impact us in a crucial or unimportant way, we have the choice to accept or deny our uniqueness but whichever we choses influences our form of distinctiveness. Everything and everyone can influence a person’s identity, while some influences can be minor, some can have a major effect on our lives just like Lian Low’s story after concealing and denying her sexuality she finally learned to accept her difference after her first kiss with a girl. She erudite in writing that once became her source of comfort and used to bury herself with, â€Å"Writing and performance have been outlets, `they have let me be myself, express myself and explore my multiple identities: Asian, woman, queer, migrant, Chinese-Malaysian-Australian. † It is not solely one stage of our lives when we are confronted with an identity crisis, but a continuous challenge throughout our lives as we encounter new experience that will alter our thoughts, emotions and perspective on ourselves. We have to learn to love and accept our individuality, In order for us to feel welcomed and accepted by someone or something In fact as suggested by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, a psychology theory cantered on human’s innate desire of fulfilment, belonging is a need that we naturally seek in order to feel loved. Whether it’s belonging with your friends’ family or surrounding, we need to embrace our individuality to know what we want, what we are, and what we’re not.

How Society Defines Crime Essay

Criminology as explained in an institutionalized setting is viewed as an outside view of behavior which leads to defining crime as an intentional behavior that can be penalized by the state. Our text explains crime as any violations that occurs against the law. Crime is considered a social issue and so it is studied by sociologist who create theories. Over the years, many people have developed theories to try to explain how we come to decide what a crime is. A few theories as to why people commit crimes sometimes seems to equal the number of criminologists. So which theory is the best? Our text concludes that criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, consequences, social reaction, and control of criminal behavior. Collica, K. & Furst, G. (20120 because criminology is a social construct, it may shift over time. This shift consequently had an enormous inï ¬â€šuence on changing attitudes towards punishment and towards the purpose of the law and the legal system . Classical ideas about crime and punishment is defined by numerous writers on the subject. Some writers like Beccaria (1738–94) and Bentham (1748–1832), argued that there was an invisible relationship between the individual and the state and that the relationship as it stood was chaotic. As a part of this relationship individuals gave up some of their liberties in the interest of the common good, with the purpose of the law being to ensure that these common interests were met. For Beccaria, this meant that the law should be limited and written down so that people could make decisions on how to behave. Offenders are viewed as reasonable people with the same capacity for resisting offensive behaviors as non-offenders. This guided the principal of innocent until proven guilty. The central concern of the law and the criminal justice process was therefore the prevention of crime through this deterrent function. So how does society define a crime? The idea that criminal behavior is determined, or caused, by something, leads to the legal, social, and cultural factors that influence the decision to label some behavior’s as criminal while others or not. Like marijuana. Although it comes from the earth in plant  form its hallucinogenic effects and inability to tax mak es it illegal in most stated to manufacture produce without medical and government clearance in the states that have adopted the drug as legal. Some argue that â€Å"Drug prohibition causes the bulk of murders and property crime in major urban areas by creating a black market characterized by warring suppliers, who charge inflated prices to users, who in turn steal to pay for their habits. Drug prohibition also fosters crime abroad, funding violent entrepreneurs and even terrorist insurgencies that threaten fragile civilian governments in poor countries† (Bandow 16). It should be noted however that the classical school of thought has had an enduring inï ¬â€šuence as many legal systems are built on some of its key precepts. The idea of intent for example, emphasizes the importance of the state of mind of the individual and their capacity for making choices. To smoke or not to smoke? To plant or not to plant and to distribute or not to distribute? Many reviews of the development of criminology begin with reference to the inï ¬â€šuence of positivism. Marijuana is linked to many negative aspects outside of a few minor h ealthcare benefits like chronic pain in cancer patients and glaucoma While the speciï ¬ c meaning to be attached to this term is open to some debate, in the context of drugs inside of criminology is usually used to refer to a scientiï ¬ c commitment to the gathering of the facts that distinguish whether or not an offense has been committed. It is this search for facts which most clearly describes one of the differences between this version of criminology and classical criminology. The other main difference between these two different versions of the criminal individual was the commitment of the early positivists to search for the cause of crime within individual biology rather than individual free will (Williams &ump; McShane, 2010). Creating a policy on crime seems to give it definition when the public can prove that there is a danger to society as a whole. It is hard for anyone to grasp the concept or be able to understand why people commit heinous crimes or engage in criminal activities. We as human beings are all capable of committing or engaging in delinquent behavior. What stands in the way of a person that makes them decided to engage in deviant behavior or to choose not to commit crimes at all? It may never be truly understood what the real reasons are behind why people make decisions against the laws implemented for mankind’s protection. Philosophy can only dig so deep to  find these truths and the evolution of criminal behavior only expands with more knowledge of what works and what does not work. What is considered criminal today could be legal tomorrow and what is legal today could be found criminal as well. References Collica, K. & Furst, G. (2012). Crime & society. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Hostettler, J. (2011). Cesare Beccaria [electronic resource] : the genius of on crimes and punishments / John Hostettler. Hook, Hampshire, U.K. : Waterside Press, 2011 http://youtu.be/teKTNwgErCc Morris, R. G., TenEyck, M., Barnes, J. C., & Kovandzic, T. V. (2014). The Effect of Medical Marijuana Laws on Crime: Evidence from State Panel Data, 1990-2006. Plos ONE, 9(3), 1-7. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0092816

Scientific Integrity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Scientific Integrity - Essay Example these areas, many times their knowledge is just in politics and regulation and lacking in the particular areas where scientists are the ones who are the experts. Though politicians allegedly have the interest of the common good in mind, however, if the issue somehow interferes with the belief of their party affiliation or platform, it can determine how politicians vote on regulation. The article in regards to Feymans commencement speech addresses that the scientific method should always be used and it is scientific integrity to tell all evidence, whether it proves or disproves a theory and even recognizes that politicians may describe something scientific in a way that works in their favor, rather than looking at it from the scientific point of view. Errors in science are not necessarily scientific in nature but instead by human error and lack of intelligent judgment. Politicians are the people in power that can help make the regulations and it is necessary in some cases for regulations to be set to protect the people. However, they are uninformed which makes it impossible for them to make intelligent suggestions about

Ann Arbor Probation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ann Arbor Probation - Essay Example Due to this department being a state agency it reports directly to the governor and as a result, is indirectly influenced by citizen voters. This influence, fortunately, does not affect the day to day workings of the probation department. Management of the field operations administration falls directly on the correctional facilities management administration and then back to the director’s office. The political aspects rarely directly affect the workings of the probation department in this respect. The strengths of a tall hierarchy as seen in our local probation department is that they have the full power of the state of Michigan supporting their decisions and a clear chain of command allowing for a much better approach regarding efficiency. The weaknesses would originate from the political side and could potentially cause disruptions in service if allowed to directly affect the daily working of the department itself. Given the insulating effect of multiple layers of structure, the political leadership is, however, hampered in its ability to truly affect change at a base level within the organization itself. Would it be possible for this agency to move to a flat hierarchy and still maintain positive control of the daily workings within the department, the short answer would seem to be no. However, if the flat hierarchy was approached with a private mentality looking to a profit based outlay the possibilities begin to open up. For instance, using a flat hierarchy and a profit based structure for employees and management one could potentially prevent loss of command control through the use of financial motivation among the staff and individuals working there. The idea would be to base bonuses on a net profit/loss approach and drive productivity to reflect a desire for additional money.

Future Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Future - Assignment Example – (Baudrillard, 1993) Baudrillard was of the view that the art world, in recent years, has moved into dark insight for future, with creativity significantly stifled by lack of curiosity and aesthetic sense. The artistic intellect of people has been largely paralysed, leading the art world into anarchy and blindness. It is same as a biological system being affected by disorder in its internal genetics and inherent rules that govern it. Similarly, art world has faced turmoil due to collapse of the underlying components that establish its foundation. The above quoted statement suggests that currently, the field of telematics has suffered largely from its own backfired initiative taken for promoting transparency and candidness. To make it worse, eventually technology came into role-play which focused primarily on creating mobility and connectivity. In due course of achieving these goals, technology led the society into a scenario where face-to-face communication is no longer value d or considered (Baudrillard, 1993). Although, the whole propaganda of art has been observed to flourish across the globe in recent decades, this enhancement is not in real terms. The true spirit and obsession that was embedded in art forms in previous times has diminished largely. The innovation, that once led artists and spectators into an imaginary world and generated serenity and ecstasy for them, no longer exists in the modern world. Consequently, art has lost its cultural significance, emotional attachments and extrinsic value in our societies. Now, the masses have gone astray in absence of aesthetic sense for artistic objects and primarily focus on their materialistic values and religious implications (Gane, 1995). â€Å"Artists and ordinary Web surfers alike will have to determine whether cyberspace truly is a new form of absence and ‘transparent evil’, or whether, instead, it is a place for creative, intelligent, and beneficial sensory exploration and communal connection.† - C. Freeland Previously known merely as a network of computer terminals, cyberspace is no longer restricted to this simple and technical definition. Freeland claimed that the internet has embedded into our communities and lives to an extent where survival without it is not possible anymore. He stated that it has promoted transparency to unacceptable levels, thereby allowing social evils to be easily acknowledged by masses as part of the evolution process. It is only fair to state here that the global village is on the verge of entering an information and technology age where spatial creations shall be more valued than natural beauty. In context of art, internet has caused a major transition of people from appreciating reality and originality to accepting the virtual forms of art. Simulation discards the craving for an aesthetic eye to be pleased with some real piece of art; instead, it develops recognition for ‘hyperreal’ content which is limited on ly to screens that displays cyberspace interface. Transparency here refers to the increasing proximity of

International Business in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Business in UK - Essay Example The major benefit of outsourcing the operations to the European Union nations would be the opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of the European culture and market specifics, in addition to lower costs of manufacture and haulage. The European Union is a large potential market for UK based manufacturers. Thus, the strategy of outsourcing of business operations can give certain long-term benefits, though it would involve additional production set-up investments, exposure to translation and economic exposure and foreign exchange risks. However, the strategy can be beneficial particularly in the long run and it would keep the UK based organizations in the forefront in terms of cost competition (Gillespie et al. 2010). Formation of the strategic alliance with a European supplier or distributor would help a UK based manufacturer to gain from the existing network and the market knowledge of the supplier. Furthermore, carrying out of this strategy would require limited resources and investment from the UK based companies. However, the companies would be open to the elements to foreign exchange exposure together with supply chain hazards. The potential costs could be both internal and external in nature. For example, the brand image of the UK based organization and the smooth business operation in the European markets would depend on the new outsource associates of the company, thus revealing it to internal risks (Dicken, 2003, pp. 247-250). The outsourcing of the operations to the European Union countries would enable the UK based company to have access to skilled workers, superior infrastructure, government subsidies and other technological support.  Ã‚  The European market is a huge market and carrying out the production there would give the company cost advantage.  

Plato Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Plato - Essay Example ?The Allegory of the Cave† is taken from â€Å"The Republic† where he deftly handles the lack of knowledge of human beings and he elicits his answer from the mouth of Socrates his mentor. In this particular piece of writing, Plato cuts a clear distinction between knowledge of reality and shadows of illusion (ignorance) To portray this fact he takes the example of a cave in which human beings are chained to a wall with only a tiny light that casts shadowy images which some of the inhabitants take for reality. Those who are freed from the cave have a true knowledge of reality. Plato’s masterly use of imagery of light to depict knowledge and darkness to depict ignorance gives his essay the excellence it deserves, making it one of the most memorable ones. In his explanation of â€Å"absolute knowledge† and the way it affects the â€Å"shadows of images of justice†, he gives us another example of a person who is asked to look straight at the light. In doing so, the person is dazzled and feels pain and hence is unable to see the reality for what it is. But if his eyes get accustomed to the light, his vision would be clearer and he is moves on from seeing the shadowy images, to seeing the real objects. Finally he is able to gaze upon the sun in all its brightness and judge himself rightly. He would then be in a position to look back on his fellow prisoners who still live in the shadows of images and feel pity for them. This is what Plato means by â€Å"absolute justice†. According to Plato, it is better to suffer anything, than to live a miserable life filled with false notions and ideas. If a person lives a life in the shadows of ignorance, he would never learn the realities in life. But on the other hand, if his vision is not blocked or marred by the shadows of images, his vision would be so clear and he would be able to lead others out of their ignorance. In other words, if a person attains this beatific vision, he is unable to draw himself down to a lower level of

The improvement of the writing style Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The improvement of the writing style - Essay Example The improvement of the writing style Language barriers leave this writer without confidence but I do want to learn. There’s been so much information given and through hard work and diligence, I intend on being a good writer. I thank everyone for their insights and critical reviews that are sometimes painful. Hopefully, the end result is a better more clear writing style with apparently less effort. My first paper â€Å"Late Flight† at the end of January is potentially my best paper. I say â€Å"potentially† because I now understand the importance drafting, searching for ideas, outlining, peer review, rewriting is to the writing process. Creating a story or report is similar to building a house. The Designer (writer) must incorporate all known laws, know about all the materials needed, understand the weight of the structure and add supports where necessary. The paint is the title of the paper, and the entry way is the very first line capturing the reader using a â€Å"Wow!† appearance. My first paper lacked many details and the entry way was unlit and not swept. I now know it should have been written this way: â€Å"In Shanghai, down below, the raindrops fell like tears flooding my hopefulness with despair. The next time I am home, I will provide towels to my friends as I say ‘Good Bye’ from a bubble window 30,000 feet above them on my way to America.† Peer review and writing are much clearer to me now reflecting what is inside of me rather than what I see on the surface. I think now Chinese, Americans, Canadians or anyone feels the same types of separations the same. It is the mapmakers, the ones who draw the lines saying â€Å"You are not the same as the other person five feet away on the other side of the line† that turn people against each other. We are mostly the same people without the lines; and our differences are naturally different and wonderful! My second paper on guns might have been too one-sided in opinion. It is true that terrible tragedies did occur from gun-toting assassins but I did not ‘reflect’ deeply enough probably because English is a difficult language for me. On a deeper reflection, if the government did ban guns altogether then people would not stop killing each other. In my own c ountry, The Nanking Massacre in 1937 might have been different if the population had been armed. My use of Obama as a point suggesting it was his fault government didn’t do something about gun control was short sighted. Men and women in Congress are the Law makers in the USA and it is their responsibility to pass laws laid before them. I have read were it was said the main reason Americans should have guns is to protect them from an over-bearing government. I can’t say if I believe this or not because I have not thought about the matter enough; I’ve learned that technique’ in this class, â€Å"Think before you write.† Today, after the learning more about structure, I would probably write the paper with less emphasis on decisive language intended to galvanize and polarize each side of the issue; for and against. I know now this issue is quite important to the American public and if my paper were to make a difference, my paper needed to attract the c ompeting side by using arguments designed to speak to their values of â€Å"Love, honor, dignity and independence.† I would write it like this: Weapons designed for defense of Individual liberties and rights seem to add a loophole to those wanting to rain destruction down on innocent civilians. The balance between the 2nd Amendment and wanton murder again tipped in favor towards those focused on mass killings leaving more questions than answers. There must be a deeper discussion by all interested parties or headlines will continue to incite fear

Lindsay Anderson's View of British Class and Society Essay

Lindsay Anderson's View of British Class and Society - Essay Example He later became a film critic for the Sequence Magazine co-founded with his long life friends Karl Reisz and Gavin Lambert. He later wrote for Sight and Sound, a journal for the British Film Institute and the New Statesman, a left wing weekly. He lashed at contemporary critics and their objectivity pursuit in one article for Sights and Sounds. Anderson went on to develop a philosophy concerning cinema, which was christened the Free Cinema movement in the latter part of the 1950s. This philosophy held that cinema in Britain needed to break off from the class-bound attitudes it projected and that the national screens needed to be adorned with stories of non-metropolitan Britain. This paper seeks to examine three of Anderson’s films: â€Å"If...†, â€Å"O, Lucky Man†, and â€Å"Britannia hospital† and the view of British class and society that they provided. The use of the word new wave to describe cultural phenomena is a vital metaphor that when extended and scrutinised further allows one to picture the deep up currents and swellings that formed the wave (Allon, 2007 p7). These films challenged the old norms and were driven by an amalgam of social-democratic and liberal sentiments, which can ironically be viewed as a portion of the success of the economic boom in Britain that allowed the era’s youth to dream, in relatively secure economic mind-frames, about futures other than those that had been held as the norm. Perhaps a perfect example is If†¦, which came at the tail-end of the New Wave’s phase of social realism and had a nature that was ambiguous in both its recognition of a rapidly changing and expanding British future and its style, both in technique and theme. After his vital role in the Free Cinema movement development, he was involved integrally in the social realist filmmaking of the British New Wave (Anderson et al, 2007 p45). His movie This Sporting Life, based on flashbacks, was viewed as having too much intensity and purely naturalistic. In 1968, Anderson made If†¦, which exceeded the success of Sporting Life. This was the 1st and most successful film of the loose trilogy that included Oh Lucky Man and Britannia Hospital. While the last two were not as successful as the If, they are considered as films of their era. Anderson worked the script for if with David Sherwin, which was co-produced by Michael Medwin and the director. It was set in a great public school in Britain, where the ruling class of Britain traditionally schooled their sons in the use of power (Hedling, 2008 p32). The script attracted Anderson for its projection of schools as a microcosm, especially, in Britain where social system was mirrored in its educational system. The film’s photography work was done by Ondricek, with most of the film in black and white. Some of the scenes are in colour though this is done intuitively rather than rationally. The film has eight chapters, some of the chapters being â€Å"Resistance†, â€Å"Discipline†, and â€Å"College House† among others. These chapters are further sib-divided into short scenes (Hedling, 2008 p32). This division was, from the beginning, intended as a device of Brechtian alienation, succinctly reminding the audience that what they were watching was an artificial construct rather than reality. The film aimed at having a powerful objectivity element such as vital in all films targeting understanding. If†¦

Mini Case Study Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mini Case Study - Research Paper Example The specialist helps the clients to solve the particular problems by developing various techniques. Question to the Store Manager The store manager has been asked three questions by the performance improvement specialist to get proper information about the growing number of returned merchandises in their electronic store. The first question was asked regarding the service facilities rendered to the customer during purchase of goods and it was found that the customer was not provided with adequate knowledge about the products. The second question was regarding the sales staff qualities in the store and it was found that the staffs lacked in skill and knowledge about the electronic products available in the store. The third question was asked to the store manager about the brand of the electronics products they are using in their retail outlet and it was observed that they deal with the poor quality products and not the renowned brand available in the market. Thus, all these are the ou tcomes of various returned merchandises. Problem Fixation The term ‘return merchandise’ is referred to the return of goods by the recipient to the supplier because of certain problems within the products.

Compare four different authors about education Essay

Compare four different authors about education - Essay Example The disparity underscored here is the quality of education and the assistance the teachers and/or the managers of the schools offer students to make them ready to face life. The major failure of the management in the public schools is that teachers’ jobs are protected by the government such that no any teacher may be fired for underperformance, like it happens in the charter schools. The result is breeding of bad teachers in the public schools that makes students flee from these schools to charter schools. Worse still, the parents fight for their students to become enrolled in charter schools than in public schools. Ravitch proposes moderated sacking of bad teachers (the underperforming teachers) in the public schools and replacing them with good teachers in this context. Sharing the same view as Ravitch’s, Stanley Fish in â€Å"The Value of Higher Education Made Literal† critiques the modern education systems observed in various government. Fish taps into the fa ilures of the British government by commoditizing education such that the higher one bargains for the better the remuneration thereafter. Fish’s argument is that the government and the learned education moderators have collectively rewarded education with money such that currently there are different prices for different courses. Fish argues that the more costly the course one undertakes, the higher the reward – monetary pay. He says that it is not possible, today, as it were in the past, to take chances by following one’s dream profession – the nature does not provide such choices any more as it is now the ‘survival for the fittest’ mentality in action. The tougher and the more marketable course one undertakes the brighter the future, of course in terms of salary to be earned. The motivation of the students in the institutions of higher learning has thus shifted from ‘learning to become accomplished’ to ‘learning to earn h igher salaries in the future’. This will easily lead to washing away of courses that are not marketable while the marketable ones gains in this sense. Therefore, arts are more likely to lose value while sciences become high priced – the courses value is now money value attached to them. At the same time, as the students’ parents adapt to the new system and buy various courses according to their financial strength, the students do not have choice but take what is offered in the bargain. Instead of following their genuine aspirations, they adapt to the costly courses that will guarantee better returns in the future. Therefore, education is literally being sold (Midwinter 42) and the highest bidder takes it all. While the Fish believes that students are currently learning what is dictated by nature inevitably against their own will, Rebekah Nathan, in â€Å"My Year as a Freshman† underscores that the discipline in classroom has changed a big deal. Perhaps th e power to purchase a particular course or discipline changes everything. But Nathan, a professor at a university gets disturbed so much by the thought that students today lack in discipline and are difficult to teach. Nathan decides to go back to enroll as a student in a university, while hiding her real identity, to experience what students of today face. She previously coined that the students in today’s academic institutions are difficult to teach – they are volatile and rebellious –

Gateway Engineering Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Gateway Engineering - Assignment Example To do so, managers are required to understand the role of each organizational member in the organization, their individual characteristics and personality differences. As part of their efforts to understand the behavior of people, managers must keep certain important aspects under consideration. Some such aspects that are to be kept in mind before trying to understand about the members of the organization are individual differences, the importance of personal dignity, multiplicity of roles and considering the person as a whole. Let us now look at these aspects at a slightly broader perspective. Individual Differences - Though several common traits can be noticed among human beings, each person is individually different from the other. Most people feel excited when they achieve something and are grieved by the loss of a loved one. However, within these broad similarities, each person differs from other in a million ways. Individual differences originate from differences in their psychology. Psychological differences and experiences in the past make each per respond differently to different situations. Thus, there is no average person. However in most enterprises, the assumptions that people are alike forms the basis on which rules and regulations, procedures, job descriptions, safety standards, job schedules and the like are developed. [1] (ICMR, 2003) It is the responsibility of the managers to understand the complexity and individuality of people before applying the principles of motivation, leadership, and communication. Though it is difficult to satisfy all the needs of an employee, managers should have considerable latitude to make individual arrangements to ensure that jobs are so assigned that they suit a particular person in a specific situation. To highlight the indifference certain managers can have, the manager of the Marketing Department would serve the classical purpose with a kind of 'know all' attitude when it comes to recruiting people. This can be clearly identified from the case study. Another issue to be highlighted with respect to the same department is that, it is contributing the maximum amount of attrition rate to the organization on a whole and specifically astonishingly high contribution to female employee attrition. As Dr. Suresh Arckatty in his famous book 'I CAN' says - "People join the company and leave the boss," does this point to work style issues with the marketing manager Female attrition, as mentioned above, is astonishingly high. This is clearly evident if the following figures are noticed. The data tables mentioned in the case study clearly depict that, female attrition is almost 21.42% in the marketing department which in turn is contributing to 18.64% of female attrition across the organization. Surprisingly, the female attrition of 18.64% clearly is an indicator of an organizational culture and behavior issue. [3] (ICMR, 2003) Going ahead, let us try and understand what these culture and behavior in an organization mean. In recent years, research has proved that culture has a tremendous impact on management practices. Some researchers examined the impact of the internal culture i.e., the corporate culture of the organizations, while others examined the

Family law Reform of Divorce Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Family law Reform of Divorce Law - Essay Example However, it is felt that it is considered to premeditate on the Act even though its situation is still indecisive, as it has a lot of powers and decency in the perpetuation of the establishment of a family. 2Under the enactment, intercession is presented since it has numerous recompenses such as it works out disputes harmoniously, and it can trim down the build-up of indictments in the court. There has existed anticipation that the debate underscores the decency of the separation reform that transpired in England. Possibly, we may gain knowledge of England in presenting a novel section of Family Law Act to the non-Muslims and to establish arbitration as a substitute approach in the resolution of a family difference of opinion. Overview of the Present Law on Divorce The divorce law that came in with the family law came as, reinforcement to the previous divorce law that had presented earlier, in the divorce reform that occurs in 1969. The Matrimonial Causes Act of 1973 has also been up dated further making the divorce law easier and diverse for persons in need of divorce. The above act barred the intention of presenting procedural no-fault divorce through the utilization of irrevocable breakdown basis, although, it fabricated matter through the retention of a slip up as proof of the presented collapse. The substitute consensual and non-consensual divorces that had been presented in early years approximately twenty years have gotten a replacement from the new laws that have become instituted, in the in the novel act.3The early reform provisions in the old constitution have gotten a replacement together, with the rest of the matrimonial faults that appeared, in terms of infidelity, manners and abandonment by the independent announcement of the matrimonial failures or collapses. The modification retained the existing auxiliary assistance system that has records or has been for all this time been in effect as from 1973 that had been uncovered to 1984 amendment.4 In ac cordance to the novel act, from the enactment, the absolute bar gets retained concerning the initiation of any divorce proceedings within the first year of a couple’s marriage as the issue got settled in the 1973 provisions on a matrimonial act that got endorsed in 19845. This insinuates that the matter discourages impetuous suits. In the act, some of the undeniable transformations are the new act concerning auxiliary relief. In this section, the exceptional trials have to be settled prior to granting of any divorce directive.6 In accordance with the act of 1857, the effigy generated a fresh divorce court that bared authority in marriage trails that formerly enjoyed the ecclesiastical courts. During this epoch, the foundation for the creation of a divorce trial steadily broadened with the commendations of the royal authorities up to 1937, when the current divorce law was acknowledged for the succession of the previous or former act on the same.7 Around this epoch in the accou nt of England, sexes, males and females had similar access to the matrimonial liberties unlike in the past where men got firsthand chances to offer divorces to their spouses. The idea of divorce became clearer on women’s side as they bared an access to bring their petitions. The matter came in as a compliment although, for most conserves of traditional practices, it came as a big surprise. The issue raised many outcries from the male dominion even though it was for the good of the ensuring democracy within all populace with  no regards to any prejudice.  

Parent-Adolescent Relationships. Piaget's Cognitive Development Essay

Parent-Adolescent Relationships. Piaget's Cognitive Development - Essay Example From this it can be concluded that both an understanding of the process of human development psychologically and also socially is required for a fair and balanced scientific analysis or consensus on the process. Mead’s theory compliments Piaget’s by adding a perspective of interpretation based in the social role of the individual and not only the mental processes of psychological development. The process of individualization occurs with the a priori of formal operational thought and through this process an unconscious awareness of the difference between the body-self and environment is conditioned in infancy through exploration. The trial and error process that characterizes environment exploration, operant conditioning, and memory is variable in the family or community environment, but the social role and operational ability represents a further level of complexity residing in the learned rules and codes of conduct of the social conditioning rather than the environment al exploration period. The Me-I dialectic reflects the epistemological function in human development when the self is seen as forming or becoming defined through knowledge verification. Epistemology is also used in self-knowledge valuation when it is applied to social roles by the individual in the adolescent experience or young adulthood particularly, as this is when the widest range of community exploration will occur as the individual seeks for definition in social roles. Social Intelligence refers to different aspects of the community, group, or personal relationships of an individual such as awareness of the symbolic base and logic of a culture, subtle gestures, habits, expectations, or linguistic accents, etc. The majority of these are transmitted as language but differ from alphabetic speech and formal grammar so that there may be multiple languages related to social role identities. Understanding the interplay of the symbolic, subliminal, informal, and cultural languages, as well as their modes of operation, is an aspect of semiotic interpretation. Social Intelligence is different than semiotic interpretation as it relates to the community, group, and individual and the complexity of language, meaning, and interpretation as reflected in human individuality in operant behavior. Vygotsky’s contribution is to recognize how the social definitions also evolve over time and change, as well as to illustrate how different social and community environments and groups differ in complexity of organization. Essay #2 - Ultimately, individuals must enter the larger society, using what they've learned about the world and their place in it. Explain how an individual can cognitively move from self-centered child to an adolescent who is able to 1) maintain social relationships and 2) use those relationships to further develop. Feel free to use your own development for examples if you wish. In human development, the exploration of the natural

Interactive and Digital Marketing Research Paper - 1

Interactive and Digital Marketing - Research Paper Example 636-645). Furthermore, in this age, both interactive as well as digital marketing is highly used in order to enhance the bonding within the customers and the organization. It is the bonding or relationship that acts as a catalyst for the organization of today’s age to improve its presence and sustainability in the market. However, in order to retain such type of relationship with the customers, it’s extremely essential to offer all sort of essential information or details regarding the products and services of the organization in an effective way. This report mainly deals with the information available within the web-sites of two retailers named Primark and marks and spender (M&S). It also describes the difference present within the websites of the two mentioned retailers along with the traditional bricks and mortar shops. According to Kotler (2008), marketing acts as a tool that may be used to identify, anticipate, and gratify the requirements and demands of the customers in an effective way. Moreover, in today’s age, marketing is essential to identify the target customers of the products or services of an organization. However, in this age of digitalisation, it might be possible only if an organization becomes successful in developing an online presence. Online or digital sites helps an organization to present its products or services to a wide range of customers of varying income profiles, age-groups and standards in a very short period of time as stated by market segmentation theory. Along with this, with the help of online or digital websites, an organization may immediately fulfil the queries of its target customers and develop the customised products that might prove effective in increasing its profitability and loyalty in the market among other rival brands (Keegan. 2002, pp. 456-467). Due to these underlining reasons, the level of preference of digital or online websites is quite high as

Media on Youth Essay Example for Free

Media on Youth Essay Media, the widest influence known to humans. The powerhouse of civilization. Why do the youth of today praise the photo-shopped bodies of Victoria Secret or Calvin Cline Models? Why do they thrive to keep track of the latest fashion trends that they see within the pages of popular magazines such as Vogue or Cosmopolitan? It’s the type of question that has no real answer, but far too many consequences. The ‘perfect’ body. Browse through the magazines, it’s there. Most teens will do anything to get that stick figure and emphasize on anything. Eating disorders are commonly found in youths. Disorders such as Anorexia and Bulimia are mental disorders that force youths not to eat because they believe they are ‘fat’. They then refuse food, vomit food they have eaten or in some cases, use pills to lose the pounds and continue to do so even when they are considered ‘skinny’. They gradually become too thin and frail. Some teenagers become obsessed with working out which is healthy, but not when they workout two to four times a day. Obsessive working out usually allows the patient to build muscle rather than lose weight. In this mental state disorder, they don’t want rock hard abs or strong calfs, they just want to be ‘skinny’. Flip open a magazine, proceed through it and Stop! Whats there? Probably an ad from a designer, or anything subliminal that enters the mindset of a teenager. This promise for beauty and perfection is brainwashing. Fashion this summer is going retro which means the youth will ransack expensive stores looking for the latest trends they saw in that Teen Vogue magazine, or during the commercial break while watching T.V. or maybe even mounted on a giant billboard. If it says â€Å"buy this†, teens will do anything to buy it. Some teens may get into shoplifting or stealing money from their parents to get these items. Money is hard to come by when young and out of work so staying on top of the trends becomes harder to achieve. The youth should learn the value of money which media does not teach. Youth should not obsess over their bodies. With a healthy balanced diet and the right exercise, they can stay in shape and look and feel good. Teenagers don’t need a new wardrobe every week. Buy clothes that is needed at reasonable prices, or look for sales to find bargains. The youth should not buy something because of impulse. Media makes it look so easy to have or get, but in reality it’s tempting youths to be something or someone they’re not. Media is a huge influence but with the right mindset, it can be overcome and taken lightly. Media will always be there, it’s up to the individual to take what they want from these messages within reason.

Time Value of Money Essay Example for Free

Time Value of Money Essay Time value of money is useful in making informed business decisions. For example the net present value method can be used to help decide the best alternative among multiple alternative uses of a firm or personal financial resources. By discounting various alternatives to their present value one can compare the alternatives. Time value of money can also answer such questions as what ones investment will be worth at a certain point of time in the future, assuming a certain interest rate. Time value of money can also be used to compute such useful information as car, mortgage and other loan payments. Another use of time value of money in accounting is reporting of certain long-term assets and liabilities. Time value of money is based on the principle of compound interest. Each time there is a compounding period the new principal is increased by the interest from the previous period. Converting Before Using the Tables When using the tables, you may need to convert if, for example, in a lump sum situation there are more than one compounding periods in a year. Or you may need to convert (to monthly compounding) if, for example, you are working with an annuity situation involving a car loan that involves monthly rather than annual periodic payments. You often need to convert whether it is a lump sum or an annuity situation. Do the following conversions before using the tables. See some of the examples which follow these notes. For semi-annual compounding [or for deposits every six months in an annuity], take the annual interest rate and divide it by 2. Take the number of years and multiply by 2. For quarterly compounding [or for quarterly deposits in an annuity] take the annual interest rate and divide it by 4. Take the number of years and multiply by 4. For monthly compounding [or for monthly deposits in an annuity] take the annual interest rate and divide it by 12. Take the number of years and multiply by 12. Lump Sum Amounts Future Value of $1 = Present Value X Future Value of $1 Table Factor Present Value of $1= Future Value X Present Value of $1 Table Factor Use the $1 table when you are dealing only with a lump sum amount. (However when you have an annuity in the problem, do not use the lump sum table; instead use the annuity table. Use the annuity table even if you are looking for a lump sum, as shown in No. 4 which follows these notes.) Notice that there are four variables with lump sum situations: Present Value, Future Value, Interest Rate, and Period. You need to know three out of the four to figure out an unknown. You saw above how to compute Present Value and Future Value. Now suppose you want to find the interest rate. Present Value Approach: PV / FV = computed PV Table factor Go to the PV table. Where the table factor and periods intersect is the interest rate. Use this same approach to figure the number of periods when you know the interest rate and PV and FV. Annuities An annuity means a series of equal periodic deposits, or rents which can be either payments or receipts; they are made at equal periodic intervals. Use the annuity tables when you are dealing with equal periodic payments or receipts at equal periodic intervals. Use Ordinary Annuity table for payments made at the end of the period. Use Annuity Due table for payments made at the beginning of the period. Future Value of an Annuity = Annuity Deposit X Future Amount of an Annuity Table factor. Present Value of an Annuity = Annuity Deposit X PV of Annuity Table Factor Note the Annuity Deposit may be either a payment or receipt. Now say you wish to find the amount of the deposit, which could be either a periodic payment like a car or mortgage payment, or a periodic receipt such winnings from the lottery or more realistically monthly withdrawls of cash during retirement. Rent or Payment/Receipt = PV / PV of annuity table factor or Rent or Payment/Receipt = FV / FV of annuity table factor You cannot just use either of the PV or FV approaches. Use the PV approach if PV is the given information. You would have to use the FV approach if FV is the given information. Often you use the present value approach though. For example if you are buying a car and want to figure out the car payments, the current price of the car is Present Value. It is assumed to be the cash-equivalent price. A Few Practice Problems 1. You want to know how much you should deposit in the bank each month in order to have $10,000 in four years. What type of problem is this? A. present value of an annuity B. present value of an amount C. future value of an annuity D. future value of an amount The correct answer is C. First you know this is an annuity because it involves equal periodic payments to the bank at equal intervals. You know it is future value because you are asked to find what future amount your annuity will grow to. Even though it is growing to a single amount, be sure to note that you are looking for the future value of an ANNUITY. 2. You want to know how much you should deposit in the bank now in order to have $10,000 in four years. What type of problem is this? A. present value of an annuity B. present value of an amount C. future value of an annuity D. future value of an amount The correct answer is B. 3. Someone will pay you $10,000 in four years. You want to know how much it is worth to you now, assuming a certain interest rate. What kind of problem is this? A. present value of an annuity B. present value of an amount C. future value of an annuity D. future value of an amount The correct answer is B. 4. What single amount do you have to deposit in the bank now in order to be able to withraw $200 a month for the next five years? What kind of a problem is this? A. present value of an annuity B. present value of an amount C. future value of an annuity D. future value of an amount The answer is A. Even though a single amount will be deposited, it is still an annuity problem. Hint: any time a problem involves equal periodic payments, use an annuity table. 5. When you were born your parents set up a trust fund designed to accumulate $88,000 by the time you are 50 years old. You are 34 years old today. If you negotiate getting the money today, what will you get? Assume an 8% interest rate and annual compounding. First realize you are looking for present value. Today and now are hints you want present value. Next realize you need to subtract your current age for 50 years to get the number of years, which would be 16 years in this problem. So PV = FV X PV table factor for 8% and 16 years 25,687 = 88,000 X .2919 6. You are very rich and will be retired soon. You want to take out $416,000 every six months for 6 years. You can get a 6% interest rate. How much do you need to deposit in the bank today to make this happen? You are looking for the Present Value of an annuity , since you want the amount to deposit TODAY, and you will be withdrawing equal periodic payments. So use the annuity table even though you are putting a lump sum in the bank. PV annuity = Deposit X PV annuity factor ( 3%, 12 semi-annual periods) = 416,000 X 9.9540 = 4,140,864, the amount you need to deposit today. 7. Trego County wants to raise $4,000,000 to finance the construction of a new high school. The school board wants to make semiannual payments to repay the loan over the next 15 years. What will be the amount of the payments assuming the interest rate of 10%?

Effect of Product Placement in Films

Effect of Product Placement in Films CHAPTER II: Literature Review Product placement Product placement in movies is no new phenomenon as Lehu (2007), describes product placement as the location or more accurately the integration of a product or a brand into a film or televised series. This form of advertising has been around for sometime although its not traditional advertising it speaks to an audience in a different form of communication which is either in your face or subliminal messages. Product placement comes in a number of different forms including visual, audio and a combination of the two combined. Visual product placement Is a visual representation of a brand in a movie, This includes strategically positioning a brand in the background or being used by the actor of a scene, displaying a billboard or some other form of visual advertisement in a scene, and any other visual representation of a brand-name product without any relevant message or sounds on the audio track which draw attention to the product (Gupta Lord, 1998). An example of this is Daniel Craig u sing a Sony Vaio in the movie Casino Royal (2006). See Appendix A. Audio representation of a brand can be the mention of the product in script but not necessarily shown on screen for example the movie Wall Street (1987) where Martin Sheens character says to a server, Get this kid a Molson Light (Gupta Lord, 1998). In combining these two formats Gupta and Lord (1998) defines audio-visual placement as the visual appearance of a brand with a verbal mention of the brand name or a brand- relevant message for example The Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas is seen and talked about in the movie Oceans eleven (2001) (Lehu 2007). Product placement, as a marketing tool, has many advantages due to its captive audience, the social nature that it is being viewed in and the lack of clutter, such as other advertisements (Dunnett Hoek, 1996). This form of communication is described as being an effective technique as Jhonson (2009) explains For subliminal suggestion to be effective an individual must be relaxed and open to suggestion. The subconscious mind is more open to suggestion when a person is relaxed. This practice has not gone without controversy, however, as its use is often debated by moviegoers and media experts. While some moviegoers feel that the use of product placement enhances a film by adding to its realism (Govani 1999). Others see the practice as an invasive one that sews itself a new seam in the blanket of brands that covers a strong consumer-based society (Phillips Purdie 1993). Some supporters of the practice argue that product placement allows them to relate to the characters (DeLorme, Reid, Zimmer, 1999) Product placement strategy Strategy Dates back a few decades, in an example where Joan Crawford is drinking Jack Daniels whisky in the 1945 production Mildred pierce (Wasko 1995). Back in these earlier times product placement was a casual affair, property masters would contact a local Jack Daniels distributer asking for the product to be used in the film. Today the product placement is more deliberate and sophisticated, Divisions dedicated to paying to have their goods inserted strategically into movies are of the norm for large corporations this is to gain access to what is seen as a glamorous medium with a relatively captive audience. Coca-Cola and Pepsi are amongst a number of companies who have formed in house divisions dedicated directly to product placement or Hollywood advertising (Wasko 1995). The belief of companies associated with product placement is that if a movie grosses $50 million, the advertiser has reached an audience of 13.7 million in theatre viewers, assuming this the movie will likely sell in DVDS/Videos adding additional impressions per placement along with celebrity credibility bought by the use of the product. (Wasko 1995). Kardes (2008) adds to the argument by stating that When a brand is shown in a movie it is definitely seen but a broadcast commercial can be skipped via the fast forward button on a DVR. However narrative coherence can be disrupted by strategies used to market products. Music videos related to films is used as an example The promotion of some features is helped by the use of videos featuring music from the film, examples include Flashdance (1983) , Footloose (1984), Purple Rain (1984), staying alive (1983) and The Bodyguard (1992) (King 2002). In these films the excess created by the conjunction of music and image creates a module separa te from the narrative, working against the sequential structuring of the film. Product placement within the Hollywood film industry Product placement increased dramatically since the appearance of Reeses Pieces in the 1982 Movie E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial caused the sales of the product to increase by 68%. (Balasubramanian et al 2006). Today product placement in movies is highly noticeable. In the film Minority Report (2002) at least 15 brands where placed, including Nokia, Pepsi and Lexus. In Die Another Day (2002) there were cameos from Jaguar, Aston Martin and Thunderbird, which are all owned by the Ford motor group (Jobber 2004). However alongside soft drinks one of the most common products placed in movies are cars. BMW invested ÂÂ £20 million on the placement of its Z3 roadster within the movie Goldeneye (1995) and the use of other advertising media to support the placement and create awareness (Fill 2005) Gupta and lord (1998) focus on studies concerning recall of brands placed within movies that have been undertaken; they found that prominent placements achieved higher levels of recall. Morton and Friedman (2002) mention that any contact with a brand in a film will help influence purchasing decisions. It is argued by Joachimsthaler and Aker (1997) that visibility of brands are underestimated as it signals leadership, quality and success, people like to know brands even if they have never used them. This appears to indicate that the primary benefit of placement in movies is the increase of brand recognition. Consumer behaviour Consumer behaviour is the study of individuals, groups or organisations and the process they use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society. (Sharma, A. 2006). The study of consumer behaviour helps organisations improve their marketing strategies by understanding the psychology behind consumer thoughts, feelings and by understanding his or her environment all which have an effect on the action towards a brand or product. Tyagi and Kumar (2004) state that there is a relationship between consumer behaviour and his attitudes, communication with him and how to motivate him. Family, social and cultural dimensions of consumer behaviour have a role to play. Product placement isnt about sales its about brand awareness claims expert Samuel Turcotte. (Galician 2004). Whilst awareness may be generated attitudes and perception also start to form towards the brand. Attitude formation can be on the bases of cognitive responses to stimuli or information of other sources; cognitive thoughts are responses we have to a communication. Positive thoughts will generally have a positive affect on attitudes whereas negative thoughts will have negative attitude formation (Hoyer Macinnis, 2008). Age has another implication on attitudes and perceptions of product placement. In their 1999 study, DeLorme, Reid, and Zimmer interviewed younger audiences (aged 18-21) and older audiences (aged 35-48) in a bid to compare different views on product placement. A number of focus groups resulted in the finding of distinct and diverse perspectives among many of the study samples. According to their research, (DeLorme, Reid, and Zimmer 1999) found that older audiences generally perceive product placements as implications of a changing society and the current use of product placement was an indication of a major cultural shift, according to the study older moviegoers associated brand props with feelings of insecurity, frustration, and fear of change (DeLorme, Reid, Zimmer, 1999, p.24) various examples of such feelings were provided. On the other hand younger moviegoers perceive product placement as Associated with an invitation to cultural belonging and feelings of emotional security. (De Lorme, Reid, Zimmer, 1999, p. 28) The younger generation grew up in a consumer-based society that is bombarded with advertisements and other promotional items, the younger generation does not generally place a heavy emphasis on product placements. However viewers are generally positive about the placement of product in movies. GÃÆ'Â ¼nnemann (2008) explains that product placement for the automobile industry can positively affect consumers perception of certain automobile brands image as a purchasing factor. He also looked at preference of product placement over advertising for automobiles, which showed European consumers have greater preference of product placement than their American and Asian counterparts where as American consumers on the other hand are the strongest proponents of product placement being more authentic than advertising, whilst Asian consumers have the lowest value in both categories. A study by Nebenzahl, Secunda (1993) on the attitude of film audiences showed that the majority of those interviewed preferred product placement over other forms of promotions because it was unobtrusively integrated into the film. The small minority who object are on ethical grounds. They perceive product placement as a clandestine approach which deludes the consumer and they believe this practice should be forbidden. (Pattyn, 2000). Brand Association: Contexts and Celebrities Williams (2004) shows that placements are contextually integrated and therefore are non-invasive, placement are therefore seen as an experience rather than an advertisement. Contextual integration can be achieved by product placement through character development and plot advancement in films, and product placement can also offer the chance of celebrity endorsement. Nelson and McLeod (2005) show that the credibility of an advertisement depends on the sources credibility; differing views on differing sources can alter the way in which a brand is perceived. The use of celebrities has the ability to influence the source credibility of a brand (Sawyer 2006). This can be achieved by tapping into the celebritys equity (Zyman 2002). Such use of celebrities or actors enables their personality to rub off on the product. (Rust and Varki 1996). This will have the effect of enhancing the brand personality. The use of a highly credible and recognised person can therefore influence levels of exper tise and trust worthiness. Ohanian (1991) found that the perceived expertise of celebritys actually increased purchase intentions, even though the celebrity may have no actual knowledge of the product. It appears here that the product placement allows the attractiveness of a brand to be increased through association with a particular individual, even if that individual would have little actual knowledge or expertise in relation to the product or brand. Ethicality behind product placement Gupta and Gould (1997) define ethically-charged products (or emotionally charged products) as products which especially arouse ethical concern and differences across consumers regarding their marketing and consumption the practice of product placement is sometimes referred to as unethical since audiences are rarely informed that they are watching paid advertising when they presume they are watching creative programming playing on peoples susceptibility (Plaisance 2009). The common ethical concern in many articles is the notion that product placement constitutes a form of subliminal advertising, since products are integrated into films, but no disclaimer is present that warns the viewer of any form of advertising in the film (Gupta Gould, 1997; Snyder, 1992; Nebenzahl Secunda,1993). The practice of product placement could be described as misleading as advertisers interest and intention to influence the viewer may be concealed behind something else, in the case of movies, the context of the story. Among the most controversial subjects, however, is the use of ethically-charged products in film. The most common discussed are the use of cigarettes, alcohol, and guns, this due to the potentially harmful implications their exposure can have on someone. A 1997 study shows some individuals impressions of such placements in films. The study measures undergraduate college students views regarding the acceptability of placing cigarettes, alcohol, and guns in movies. Results indicate that the acceptability of cigarettes, alcohol, and guns are 41.3%, 60.3%, and 38.7%, respectively (Gupta Gould, 1997). There is much concern over cigarette brands being placed in movies, a common argument cites a mandate made and enforced by the United States Surgeon General. It requires that all cigarette ads feature a health warning, making known the products potential hazards to the viewer. Surgeon General health warnings, however, are not found on films that feature these placements (Basil, 1997). Another common concern is that the use of these products will encourage the movies viewers to adopt smoking as a habit. (Basil 1997) and Everett, Schnuth, and Tribble (1998) cite Social Cognitive Theory in their respective articles. This states that through observation we learn a lot. Since moviegoers are actors smoking cigarettes (and in some cases adopting specific brands), and since this is usually portrayed in movies as glamorous the moviegoers may possibly be drawn to the habit (Basil,1997; Everett, Schnuth, Tribble, 1998). Research objectives Investigate attitudes, perceptions and beliefs of viewers towards products and brands after exposure to product placement in movies. Analyse viewers opinions on the ethical issues of product placement in movies. Examine the role of products in movies as a strategic marketing tool. CHAPTER III: Methodology This chapter refines and justifies the methodology deployed in this study. The process for gathering data focused more on that of a qualitative strategy however a quantitative means was also implemented, with the focus on consumer research and understanding consumer thoughts and feelings. The research identified issues such as why consumers have the attitude or perception towards a product or brand which they have experienced through viewing product placement in movies, underlining issues such as acknowledgement, deciphering the message, and even perceptions and attitudes that are based on emotional and cultural feelings sometimes we have a favourable attitude toward an offering simply because it feels good or seems right (Hoyer Macinnis 2008). The quantitative approach was in the form of a questionnaire distributed to 18-25 year olds, the questionnaires allowed data from the focus groups to be tested and extended by from input from a wider range of participents, results are discussed in chapter 4. Qualitative approach Focus groups Focus groups are a form of group interviewing that allows data to be generated through the benefit of communication between research participants (Pope Mays). The qualitative approach was incorporated because of its ability to capitalise on group interaction that provided distinctive types of data. This study is based on consumer attitude and perceptions towards products placement and arising ethical issues, therefore it is only suited that this approach was used as it allows for deeper discussion to take place with point of views coming across from different backgrounds and cultural values and group norms are emphasised. using a qualitative focus groups would produce a greater depth of information rather than just relying on the questionaire with pre-determined responses The two focus groups were used to achieve the following: Investigate attitudes, perceptions and beliefs of viewers towards products and brands after exposure to product placement in movies. Analyse viewers opinions on the ethical issues of product placement in movies. Participants Two focus groups were conducted in an attempt to gather data on consumer attitudes and perceptions and the other on a discussion around ethics. Both focus groups followed the same procedure however groups were split into two, Group A and Group B. This was done to ensure that every subject got the chance to participate and wasnt overshadowed by the over enthusiastic; small groups offer more of an opportunity for people to talk and are more practical to set up and manage (Litosseliti 2003). 6 individuals were selected for each group, Participants from Both Group A and B were selected on the bases of being from different cultural backgrounds and being socially connected. This is because it is important to understand that cultural backgrounds can have an effect on opinions, and it maximises the possibility of exploring the subject from different perspectives (Kitzinger 1995 cited in Litosseliti 2003 P4). It was important for participants to be socially connected to ensure good group dyna mics, this helped the participants be more comfortable and open towards discussion. The selection criteria was18-25 male and females, Gupta and Gould (1997) noted that many products possess gender identifications (p.39). The researchers hypothesized that males generate more favourable responses to products that are depicted as possessing masculine qualities. Therefore the ratio of male to female will be 50:50. This will allow data to be gathered and discussed from both point of views. The advantages of focus groups as shown by Patton (1990) are the checking that takes place within the group that eliminates false views and it is easy to establish consistent views. Group A focused on discussion and questions targeted towards viewers attitudes and perceptions whilst Group B was a discussion on ethical issues. Both groups were shown two movies in one sitting this was time efficient as opposed to showing both movies twice. The movies shown were Iron Man 2 (2010) and Transformers (2007), the movies were chosen for the large amount of products placed with over 45 placements in each movie. The movies were shown in whole as opposed to clips containing products placed, this was to show the product placements in the context of the movie rather than showing clips where the products were dominant. Showing clips of the movie where products were dominant would have emphasised on the product this could have misrepresent the findings as the goal was to evaluate them within the who le movie experience. At the end of both movies the discussion commenced on consumer attitudes and perceptions with Group A, followed by the discussion with Group B on ethical issues. Participents were encouraged to use product placement in other movies as well as the two shown as examples for discussion if they could recall them and the discussion was not based entirely on the movies shown. This allowed participents to discuss product placement that may have been potryaed in a different fashion for example: the use of different actors, characters or setting. It was taken into consideration that the time difference between conducted Group A and B could have an impact on the level of debate given that Group B had to wait, however all participants were University students on the same campus and the study was conducted on University grounds giving the other group time to go elsewhere and continue with other activities whilst they waited. There were a set number of questions used for each focus group and Each individual was required to participate and provide some input to increase the depth of discussion. A simple format of question then discussion was used, questions that arose from discussion would keep the conversation flowing. Conversation flowed freely in order to discover what the subjects found to be interesting and to explore wider attitudes but conversation was re-directed by the moderator when it was felt to be unproductive or pointless (Bryman 2004). It was made clear to participants prior to the discussion that there was no right or wrong answer in an effort to remove social desirability, what the respondent thinks they should say rather than feel (Black 1999). Both discussions were recorded using a CD recorder and were later analysed with key points noted for each discussion. A full play by play transcription was not practical due to the large amount of dialogue and it is felt that a full transcript woul d have broken up narrative flow, however a shorter version of the transcript highlighting key points and questions asked is available in the appendix (())))) by noting key points only it is felt that analysing content is much easier, Bryman (2001) claims that transcribing and coding leads to a loss of context. Quantitative research Questionnaires Questionnaires allow the participant to respond to a set number of questions, questions can be open ended or closed ended, and for the purpose of this particular research aspect closed ended questions were used. A closed ended question is amicable when the dimensions of a variable have been diagnosed. Closed ended questions expose participants to the same response categories and allow standardized quantitative statistical analysis (Johnson Christensen 2010). The purpose of the questionnaire was to expand further on the data that was concluded from the focus groups (this will be discussed further in chapter 4). The questionaires focused on getting participant responses for the purpose of conformatory research (Johnson Christensen 2010) in which specific data from the focus groups was tested. This gave the results more creadability and the questionnaire would allow the study to benefit from areas of investigation that the focus groups may have failed to answer or provide enough infor mation on. 100 questionnaires were distributed around university campuses as this was the most convienent location to find participents that meet the 18-25 demographic, however it was guaranteed that that all participents would be of the age 15 questions were composed and pre, the questionnaire can be viewed in the appendix (p)))) One to one interviews Interviews will aim to meet objective The research method that will be used here is one to one interviews with either product placement agencies or companies such as Sony. These interviews will be telephone based as availability to meet face to face with businesses is a little tricky given the time frame. Given the tendency for businesses to turn down students the agency or business that is to be selected will depend on the rate at which each representative replies. The Interviews will allow these companies to convey product placement from a strategic point of view and explain the practice from their own situation, perspective and in their own words. The interviews are based on not only conversation of product placement but with an aim to generate responses from the interviewee on intended consumer behaviour. The procedure will be to follow a script for the interview investigation which can be outlined by characterising a methodological awareness of questions, a focus on the dynamics of interaction between interviewer and interviewee, and also critical attention to what is said. CHAPTER IV: Results, analysis and discussion Introduction This chapter will focus on presenting and discussing the findings from the research conducted. Due to the large amount of field work that was employed for the purpose of the study, results from both the focus groups and the questionnaires will be compared and contrasted leading to the denouement of the findings. Analysis will be based on the most pertinent data that was found. qualitative researchers needs to communicate the findings in an honest and systematic manner, disseminating the richness of the findings and hence the experience of the researchers. (Easterby-Smith et al. 2002). Discussion has been categorised in three sections, each section will address the research objectives of this study and how the findings have helped in achieving those objectives. Attitudes and perceptions towards product placement will be analysed and discussed first highlighting the points that were extracted from both quantitative and qualitative research, followed by the discussion on ethical issues towards product placement practice. Finally the interview with the industry specialist will be discussed, analysing the role of product placement in moves as a strategic marketing tool. The data that formed this discussion can be viewed in the appendix ( ) Consumer attitudes and perceptions The first area of study was the attitudes and perceptions of viewers between the ages of 18-25 towards product placement in Hollywood movies and the products or brands that are being placed. Brand recall The first focus group identified that it was hard to recall a lot of the products that were placed within the movies. It was felt that this is because of the large amount of placements in the movies to begin with. participants claimed that they could only recall the placements that were dominant and showed a stronger on screen presence than other brands or products. Amongst the placements that were most effective were car brands, it was made clear that cars were amongst the top to be noticed because its repetition in the movies made it a strong focus of the overall viewing experience. The most noticeable examples were Audi in Iron Man 2 and Cadillac in Transformers. brands in other movies were also identified as being memorable such as Toyota In fast and furious and Aston Martin in Die Another Day. Brands that somehow were incorporated into the story of the movie had greater recognition; this is because they stood out more. As mentioned in chapter 2, prominent placements achieve high er levels of recall in movies (Gupta and lord 1998). Other placements that were regarded as being effective in terms of prominence were those that had audio presence as well as physical, Oracle and Vanity Affair from Iron Man 2 where amongst the ones that were recalled. Participants revealed that the audio presence and physical presence (placement being used) generated more attention as opposed to having a brand name in the foreground. A combined 66%percent of the respondents to the questionnaire that was carried out following the focus group agreed that products stand out more when a character uses or mentions the product/brand (see table.1). Whilst the recall of a brand is an important factor in how effective the placement is, the pace or complexity of the movie can cause a distraction from the placements. The focus group suggested that some of the placements were lost due to the pace of the movies shown. One participant commented that placements in the background of slower paced movies were more effective than those placed in action movies or those with a faster pace. It was later commented that products placed within faster paced movies needed to be emphasised on more to be noticed. It therefore appears that the genre of the movie will have an effect on the product placement with in it. The research suggests that viewers will have difficulty to recall brands/products that are placed in the background or foreground of a fast past movie. However if a product is used or mentioned by a character then this increases the chances of the viewer recall. On the other hand placements within slower paced movies are easier to recal l increasing brand awareness. This indicates that positioning of the product is a valuable consideration when the goal is to increase awareness Attitude product placement The overall suggestion from this study in regards to attitudes towards product placement within the movie is that the group members strongly appreciated the presence of products within movies. The research suggests that viewers acceptability of product placement within movies is on the basis that it enhances the realism of the movie by combining products that are seen on a daily bases. One example of this found in the Movie Iron Man 2 with the insertion of CNN and Larry King, the focus group agreed that these placements gave them the feeling that the event of the movie was taking place in our world as appose to a fantasy setting. They felt that these types of placements amplified the movies realism. The group compared the differences between having placements in movie to not having any. The findings suggested that having no product placement or having fictitious products in a movie reflected on the setting of the movie, it would create a fantasy world for viewers which was fine if it was a movie in the category of Lord of the Rings or Avatar. Williams (2004) suggested that product placements are contextually integrated into movies. Therefore It is important to note that placements are deemed to be acceptable by viewers because of the reflection these products have on real life. In the survey questionnaire that was carried out, a combined 63 out of 100 respondents agreed and strongly agreed that placements add to the realism of the movie (see table.2). TABLE 2: Viewers opinion on products adding realism to movies This confirms the findings from the focus group; however there are a large number of respondents that validate that they disagree with the statement. It is mentioned in the literature that some see product placement practice as an invasive one that sews itself a new seam in the blanket of brands that covers a strong consumer-based society (Phillips Purdie 1993). This is one suggestion as to why respondents to the survey questions may have disagreed. It could be argued that some viewers find placements invasive. however the findings from the focus group indicates that whilst placements add realism, the ones that appear without contributing to the story line or are emphasised in a way that seems to be out of context in regards to the movie can be described as annoying or blatant advertising. The views of the group were not that this was invasive but more or on the line of annoying. Examples that were noticeable were the Panasonic placement in Transformers. In a scene that was devoted to show a Branded memory chip, the character tilts the product towards the camera revealing the brand name. It was suggested that this had no association to the story line nor was it placed to emphasis realism; one participant described it as being an obvious plug. The common theme was the emphasis on the annoyance of pushy advertising, this research commends Balsubramanian et al (2006) who suggested that blatant placements have the ability to irritate. Therefore if product placement is to appear, the product needs to contribute to the content of the movie in order to generate positive attitudes and acceptability from the viewers. But it is important to distinguish between attitudes towards product placement practice (discussed here) and attitudes towards the brands being placed. This leads us to the next area of this study. Attitudes and perception towards brands In the previous paragraph we discussed the attitudes towards product placement; we will now discuss viewer attitudes and perceptions towards the product/brands that are placed. A common theme that was identified from the focus group discussion was that viewers did not generate a positive or negative attitude towards a product or brand because of the way it was placed in the movie. The findings from this study suggest that whilst awareness was created there was little change in attitudes towards the brands that were placed. one viewer generated a positive attitude towards the use of the Everlast in Iron Man 2 in a scene where Robert Downey Jr is boxing whilst exhibiting the branded clothing. The viewer associated with the bra Effect of Product Placement in Films Effect of Product Placement in Films CHAPTER II: Literature Review Product placement Product placement in movies is no new phenomenon as Lehu (2007), describes product placement as the location or more accurately the integration of a product or a brand into a film or televised series. This form of advertising has been around for sometime although its not traditional advertising it speaks to an audience in a different form of communication which is either in your face or subliminal messages. Product placement comes in a number of different forms including visual, audio and a combination of the two combined. Visual product placement Is a visual representation of a brand in a movie, This includes strategically positioning a brand in the background or being used by the actor of a scene, displaying a billboard or some other form of visual advertisement in a scene, and any other visual representation of a brand-name product without any relevant message or sounds on the audio track which draw attention to the product (Gupta Lord, 1998). An example of this is Daniel Craig u sing a Sony Vaio in the movie Casino Royal (2006). See Appendix A. Audio representation of a brand can be the mention of the product in script but not necessarily shown on screen for example the movie Wall Street (1987) where Martin Sheens character says to a server, Get this kid a Molson Light (Gupta Lord, 1998). In combining these two formats Gupta and Lord (1998) defines audio-visual placement as the visual appearance of a brand with a verbal mention of the brand name or a brand- relevant message for example The Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas is seen and talked about in the movie Oceans eleven (2001) (Lehu 2007). Product placement, as a marketing tool, has many advantages due to its captive audience, the social nature that it is being viewed in and the lack of clutter, such as other advertisements (Dunnett Hoek, 1996). This form of communication is described as being an effective technique as Jhonson (2009) explains For subliminal suggestion to be effective an individual must be relaxed and open to suggestion. The subconscious mind is more open to suggestion when a person is relaxed. This practice has not gone without controversy, however, as its use is often debated by moviegoers and media experts. While some moviegoers feel that the use of product placement enhances a film by adding to its realism (Govani 1999). Others see the practice as an invasive one that sews itself a new seam in the blanket of brands that covers a strong consumer-based society (Phillips Purdie 1993). Some supporters of the practice argue that product placement allows them to relate to the characters (DeLorme, Reid, Zimmer, 1999) Product placement strategy Strategy Dates back a few decades, in an example where Joan Crawford is drinking Jack Daniels whisky in the 1945 production Mildred pierce (Wasko 1995). Back in these earlier times product placement was a casual affair, property masters would contact a local Jack Daniels distributer asking for the product to be used in the film. Today the product placement is more deliberate and sophisticated, Divisions dedicated to paying to have their goods inserted strategically into movies are of the norm for large corporations this is to gain access to what is seen as a glamorous medium with a relatively captive audience. Coca-Cola and Pepsi are amongst a number of companies who have formed in house divisions dedicated directly to product placement or Hollywood advertising (Wasko 1995). The belief of companies associated with product placement is that if a movie grosses $50 million, the advertiser has reached an audience of 13.7 million in theatre viewers, assuming this the movie will likely sell in DVDS/Videos adding additional impressions per placement along with celebrity credibility bought by the use of the product. (Wasko 1995). Kardes (2008) adds to the argument by stating that When a brand is shown in a movie it is definitely seen but a broadcast commercial can be skipped via the fast forward button on a DVR. However narrative coherence can be disrupted by strategies used to market products. Music videos related to films is used as an example The promotion of some features is helped by the use of videos featuring music from the film, examples include Flashdance (1983) , Footloose (1984), Purple Rain (1984), staying alive (1983) and The Bodyguard (1992) (King 2002). In these films the excess created by the conjunction of music and image creates a module separa te from the narrative, working against the sequential structuring of the film. Product placement within the Hollywood film industry Product placement increased dramatically since the appearance of Reeses Pieces in the 1982 Movie E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial caused the sales of the product to increase by 68%. (Balasubramanian et al 2006). Today product placement in movies is highly noticeable. In the film Minority Report (2002) at least 15 brands where placed, including Nokia, Pepsi and Lexus. In Die Another Day (2002) there were cameos from Jaguar, Aston Martin and Thunderbird, which are all owned by the Ford motor group (Jobber 2004). However alongside soft drinks one of the most common products placed in movies are cars. BMW invested ÂÂ £20 million on the placement of its Z3 roadster within the movie Goldeneye (1995) and the use of other advertising media to support the placement and create awareness (Fill 2005) Gupta and lord (1998) focus on studies concerning recall of brands placed within movies that have been undertaken; they found that prominent placements achieved higher levels of recall. Morton and Friedman (2002) mention that any contact with a brand in a film will help influence purchasing decisions. It is argued by Joachimsthaler and Aker (1997) that visibility of brands are underestimated as it signals leadership, quality and success, people like to know brands even if they have never used them. This appears to indicate that the primary benefit of placement in movies is the increase of brand recognition. Consumer behaviour Consumer behaviour is the study of individuals, groups or organisations and the process they use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society. (Sharma, A. 2006). The study of consumer behaviour helps organisations improve their marketing strategies by understanding the psychology behind consumer thoughts, feelings and by understanding his or her environment all which have an effect on the action towards a brand or product. Tyagi and Kumar (2004) state that there is a relationship between consumer behaviour and his attitudes, communication with him and how to motivate him. Family, social and cultural dimensions of consumer behaviour have a role to play. Product placement isnt about sales its about brand awareness claims expert Samuel Turcotte. (Galician 2004). Whilst awareness may be generated attitudes and perception also start to form towards the brand. Attitude formation can be on the bases of cognitive responses to stimuli or information of other sources; cognitive thoughts are responses we have to a communication. Positive thoughts will generally have a positive affect on attitudes whereas negative thoughts will have negative attitude formation (Hoyer Macinnis, 2008). Age has another implication on attitudes and perceptions of product placement. In their 1999 study, DeLorme, Reid, and Zimmer interviewed younger audiences (aged 18-21) and older audiences (aged 35-48) in a bid to compare different views on product placement. A number of focus groups resulted in the finding of distinct and diverse perspectives among many of the study samples. According to their research, (DeLorme, Reid, and Zimmer 1999) found that older audiences generally perceive product placements as implications of a changing society and the current use of product placement was an indication of a major cultural shift, according to the study older moviegoers associated brand props with feelings of insecurity, frustration, and fear of change (DeLorme, Reid, Zimmer, 1999, p.24) various examples of such feelings were provided. On the other hand younger moviegoers perceive product placement as Associated with an invitation to cultural belonging and feelings of emotional security. (De Lorme, Reid, Zimmer, 1999, p. 28) The younger generation grew up in a consumer-based society that is bombarded with advertisements and other promotional items, the younger generation does not generally place a heavy emphasis on product placements. However viewers are generally positive about the placement of product in movies. GÃÆ'Â ¼nnemann (2008) explains that product placement for the automobile industry can positively affect consumers perception of certain automobile brands image as a purchasing factor. He also looked at preference of product placement over advertising for automobiles, which showed European consumers have greater preference of product placement than their American and Asian counterparts where as American consumers on the other hand are the strongest proponents of product placement being more authentic than advertising, whilst Asian consumers have the lowest value in both categories. A study by Nebenzahl, Secunda (1993) on the attitude of film audiences showed that the majority of those interviewed preferred product placement over other forms of promotions because it was unobtrusively integrated into the film. The small minority who object are on ethical grounds. They perceive product placement as a clandestine approach which deludes the consumer and they believe this practice should be forbidden. (Pattyn, 2000). Brand Association: Contexts and Celebrities Williams (2004) shows that placements are contextually integrated and therefore are non-invasive, placement are therefore seen as an experience rather than an advertisement. Contextual integration can be achieved by product placement through character development and plot advancement in films, and product placement can also offer the chance of celebrity endorsement. Nelson and McLeod (2005) show that the credibility of an advertisement depends on the sources credibility; differing views on differing sources can alter the way in which a brand is perceived. The use of celebrities has the ability to influence the source credibility of a brand (Sawyer 2006). This can be achieved by tapping into the celebritys equity (Zyman 2002). Such use of celebrities or actors enables their personality to rub off on the product. (Rust and Varki 1996). This will have the effect of enhancing the brand personality. The use of a highly credible and recognised person can therefore influence levels of exper tise and trust worthiness. Ohanian (1991) found that the perceived expertise of celebritys actually increased purchase intentions, even though the celebrity may have no actual knowledge of the product. It appears here that the product placement allows the attractiveness of a brand to be increased through association with a particular individual, even if that individual would have little actual knowledge or expertise in relation to the product or brand. Ethicality behind product placement Gupta and Gould (1997) define ethically-charged products (or emotionally charged products) as products which especially arouse ethical concern and differences across consumers regarding their marketing and consumption the practice of product placement is sometimes referred to as unethical since audiences are rarely informed that they are watching paid advertising when they presume they are watching creative programming playing on peoples susceptibility (Plaisance 2009). The common ethical concern in many articles is the notion that product placement constitutes a form of subliminal advertising, since products are integrated into films, but no disclaimer is present that warns the viewer of any form of advertising in the film (Gupta Gould, 1997; Snyder, 1992; Nebenzahl Secunda,1993). The practice of product placement could be described as misleading as advertisers interest and intention to influence the viewer may be concealed behind something else, in the case of movies, the context of the story. Among the most controversial subjects, however, is the use of ethically-charged products in film. The most common discussed are the use of cigarettes, alcohol, and guns, this due to the potentially harmful implications their exposure can have on someone. A 1997 study shows some individuals impressions of such placements in films. The study measures undergraduate college students views regarding the acceptability of placing cigarettes, alcohol, and guns in movies. Results indicate that the acceptability of cigarettes, alcohol, and guns are 41.3%, 60.3%, and 38.7%, respectively (Gupta Gould, 1997). There is much concern over cigarette brands being placed in movies, a common argument cites a mandate made and enforced by the United States Surgeon General. It requires that all cigarette ads feature a health warning, making known the products potential hazards to the viewer. Surgeon General health warnings, however, are not found on films that feature these placements (Basil, 1997). Another common concern is that the use of these products will encourage the movies viewers to adopt smoking as a habit. (Basil 1997) and Everett, Schnuth, and Tribble (1998) cite Social Cognitive Theory in their respective articles. This states that through observation we learn a lot. Since moviegoers are actors smoking cigarettes (and in some cases adopting specific brands), and since this is usually portrayed in movies as glamorous the moviegoers may possibly be drawn to the habit (Basil,1997; Everett, Schnuth, Tribble, 1998). Research objectives Investigate attitudes, perceptions and beliefs of viewers towards products and brands after exposure to product placement in movies. Analyse viewers opinions on the ethical issues of product placement in movies. Examine the role of products in movies as a strategic marketing tool. CHAPTER III: Methodology This chapter refines and justifies the methodology deployed in this study. The process for gathering data focused more on that of a qualitative strategy however a quantitative means was also implemented, with the focus on consumer research and understanding consumer thoughts and feelings. The research identified issues such as why consumers have the attitude or perception towards a product or brand which they have experienced through viewing product placement in movies, underlining issues such as acknowledgement, deciphering the message, and even perceptions and attitudes that are based on emotional and cultural feelings sometimes we have a favourable attitude toward an offering simply because it feels good or seems right (Hoyer Macinnis 2008). The quantitative approach was in the form of a questionnaire distributed to 18-25 year olds, the questionnaires allowed data from the focus groups to be tested and extended by from input from a wider range of participents, results are discussed in chapter 4. Qualitative approach Focus groups Focus groups are a form of group interviewing that allows data to be generated through the benefit of communication between research participants (Pope Mays). The qualitative approach was incorporated because of its ability to capitalise on group interaction that provided distinctive types of data. This study is based on consumer attitude and perceptions towards products placement and arising ethical issues, therefore it is only suited that this approach was used as it allows for deeper discussion to take place with point of views coming across from different backgrounds and cultural values and group norms are emphasised. using a qualitative focus groups would produce a greater depth of information rather than just relying on the questionaire with pre-determined responses The two focus groups were used to achieve the following: Investigate attitudes, perceptions and beliefs of viewers towards products and brands after exposure to product placement in movies. Analyse viewers opinions on the ethical issues of product placement in movies. Participants Two focus groups were conducted in an attempt to gather data on consumer attitudes and perceptions and the other on a discussion around ethics. Both focus groups followed the same procedure however groups were split into two, Group A and Group B. This was done to ensure that every subject got the chance to participate and wasnt overshadowed by the over enthusiastic; small groups offer more of an opportunity for people to talk and are more practical to set up and manage (Litosseliti 2003). 6 individuals were selected for each group, Participants from Both Group A and B were selected on the bases of being from different cultural backgrounds and being socially connected. This is because it is important to understand that cultural backgrounds can have an effect on opinions, and it maximises the possibility of exploring the subject from different perspectives (Kitzinger 1995 cited in Litosseliti 2003 P4). It was important for participants to be socially connected to ensure good group dyna mics, this helped the participants be more comfortable and open towards discussion. The selection criteria was18-25 male and females, Gupta and Gould (1997) noted that many products possess gender identifications (p.39). The researchers hypothesized that males generate more favourable responses to products that are depicted as possessing masculine qualities. Therefore the ratio of male to female will be 50:50. This will allow data to be gathered and discussed from both point of views. The advantages of focus groups as shown by Patton (1990) are the checking that takes place within the group that eliminates false views and it is easy to establish consistent views. Group A focused on discussion and questions targeted towards viewers attitudes and perceptions whilst Group B was a discussion on ethical issues. Both groups were shown two movies in one sitting this was time efficient as opposed to showing both movies twice. The movies shown were Iron Man 2 (2010) and Transformers (2007), the movies were chosen for the large amount of products placed with over 45 placements in each movie. The movies were shown in whole as opposed to clips containing products placed, this was to show the product placements in the context of the movie rather than showing clips where the products were dominant. Showing clips of the movie where products were dominant would have emphasised on the product this could have misrepresent the findings as the goal was to evaluate them within the who le movie experience. At the end of both movies the discussion commenced on consumer attitudes and perceptions with Group A, followed by the discussion with Group B on ethical issues. Participents were encouraged to use product placement in other movies as well as the two shown as examples for discussion if they could recall them and the discussion was not based entirely on the movies shown. This allowed participents to discuss product placement that may have been potryaed in a different fashion for example: the use of different actors, characters or setting. It was taken into consideration that the time difference between conducted Group A and B could have an impact on the level of debate given that Group B had to wait, however all participants were University students on the same campus and the study was conducted on University grounds giving the other group time to go elsewhere and continue with other activities whilst they waited. There were a set number of questions used for each focus group and Each individual was required to participate and provide some input to increase the depth of discussion. A simple format of question then discussion was used, questions that arose from discussion would keep the conversation flowing. Conversation flowed freely in order to discover what the subjects found to be interesting and to explore wider attitudes but conversation was re-directed by the moderator when it was felt to be unproductive or pointless (Bryman 2004). It was made clear to participants prior to the discussion that there was no right or wrong answer in an effort to remove social desirability, what the respondent thinks they should say rather than feel (Black 1999). Both discussions were recorded using a CD recorder and were later analysed with key points noted for each discussion. A full play by play transcription was not practical due to the large amount of dialogue and it is felt that a full transcript woul d have broken up narrative flow, however a shorter version of the transcript highlighting key points and questions asked is available in the appendix (())))) by noting key points only it is felt that analysing content is much easier, Bryman (2001) claims that transcribing and coding leads to a loss of context. Quantitative research Questionnaires Questionnaires allow the participant to respond to a set number of questions, questions can be open ended or closed ended, and for the purpose of this particular research aspect closed ended questions were used. A closed ended question is amicable when the dimensions of a variable have been diagnosed. Closed ended questions expose participants to the same response categories and allow standardized quantitative statistical analysis (Johnson Christensen 2010). The purpose of the questionnaire was to expand further on the data that was concluded from the focus groups (this will be discussed further in chapter 4). The questionaires focused on getting participant responses for the purpose of conformatory research (Johnson Christensen 2010) in which specific data from the focus groups was tested. This gave the results more creadability and the questionnaire would allow the study to benefit from areas of investigation that the focus groups may have failed to answer or provide enough infor mation on. 100 questionnaires were distributed around university campuses as this was the most convienent location to find participents that meet the 18-25 demographic, however it was guaranteed that that all participents would be of the age 15 questions were composed and pre, the questionnaire can be viewed in the appendix (p)))) One to one interviews Interviews will aim to meet objective The research method that will be used here is one to one interviews with either product placement agencies or companies such as Sony. These interviews will be telephone based as availability to meet face to face with businesses is a little tricky given the time frame. Given the tendency for businesses to turn down students the agency or business that is to be selected will depend on the rate at which each representative replies. The Interviews will allow these companies to convey product placement from a strategic point of view and explain the practice from their own situation, perspective and in their own words. The interviews are based on not only conversation of product placement but with an aim to generate responses from the interviewee on intended consumer behaviour. The procedure will be to follow a script for the interview investigation which can be outlined by characterising a methodological awareness of questions, a focus on the dynamics of interaction between interviewer and interviewee, and also critical attention to what is said. CHAPTER IV: Results, analysis and discussion Introduction This chapter will focus on presenting and discussing the findings from the research conducted. Due to the large amount of field work that was employed for the purpose of the study, results from both the focus groups and the questionnaires will be compared and contrasted leading to the denouement of the findings. Analysis will be based on the most pertinent data that was found. qualitative researchers needs to communicate the findings in an honest and systematic manner, disseminating the richness of the findings and hence the experience of the researchers. (Easterby-Smith et al. 2002). Discussion has been categorised in three sections, each section will address the research objectives of this study and how the findings have helped in achieving those objectives. Attitudes and perceptions towards product placement will be analysed and discussed first highlighting the points that were extracted from both quantitative and qualitative research, followed by the discussion on ethical issues towards product placement practice. Finally the interview with the industry specialist will be discussed, analysing the role of product placement in moves as a strategic marketing tool. The data that formed this discussion can be viewed in the appendix ( ) Consumer attitudes and perceptions The first area of study was the attitudes and perceptions of viewers between the ages of 18-25 towards product placement in Hollywood movies and the products or brands that are being placed. Brand recall The first focus group identified that it was hard to recall a lot of the products that were placed within the movies. It was felt that this is because of the large amount of placements in the movies to begin with. participants claimed that they could only recall the placements that were dominant and showed a stronger on screen presence than other brands or products. Amongst the placements that were most effective were car brands, it was made clear that cars were amongst the top to be noticed because its repetition in the movies made it a strong focus of the overall viewing experience. The most noticeable examples were Audi in Iron Man 2 and Cadillac in Transformers. brands in other movies were also identified as being memorable such as Toyota In fast and furious and Aston Martin in Die Another Day. Brands that somehow were incorporated into the story of the movie had greater recognition; this is because they stood out more. As mentioned in chapter 2, prominent placements achieve high er levels of recall in movies (Gupta and lord 1998). Other placements that were regarded as being effective in terms of prominence were those that had audio presence as well as physical, Oracle and Vanity Affair from Iron Man 2 where amongst the ones that were recalled. Participants revealed that the audio presence and physical presence (placement being used) generated more attention as opposed to having a brand name in the foreground. A combined 66%percent of the respondents to the questionnaire that was carried out following the focus group agreed that products stand out more when a character uses or mentions the product/brand (see table.1). Whilst the recall of a brand is an important factor in how effective the placement is, the pace or complexity of the movie can cause a distraction from the placements. The focus group suggested that some of the placements were lost due to the pace of the movies shown. One participant commented that placements in the background of slower paced movies were more effective than those placed in action movies or those with a faster pace. It was later commented that products placed within faster paced movies needed to be emphasised on more to be noticed. It therefore appears that the genre of the movie will have an effect on the product placement with in it. The research suggests that viewers will have difficulty to recall brands/products that are placed in the background or foreground of a fast past movie. However if a product is used or mentioned by a character then this increases the chances of the viewer recall. On the other hand placements within slower paced movies are easier to recal l increasing brand awareness. This indicates that positioning of the product is a valuable consideration when the goal is to increase awareness Attitude product placement The overall suggestion from this study in regards to attitudes towards product placement within the movie is that the group members strongly appreciated the presence of products within movies. The research suggests that viewers acceptability of product placement within movies is on the basis that it enhances the realism of the movie by combining products that are seen on a daily bases. One example of this found in the Movie Iron Man 2 with the insertion of CNN and Larry King, the focus group agreed that these placements gave them the feeling that the event of the movie was taking place in our world as appose to a fantasy setting. They felt that these types of placements amplified the movies realism. The group compared the differences between having placements in movie to not having any. The findings suggested that having no product placement or having fictitious products in a movie reflected on the setting of the movie, it would create a fantasy world for viewers which was fine if it was a movie in the category of Lord of the Rings or Avatar. Williams (2004) suggested that product placements are contextually integrated into movies. Therefore It is important to note that placements are deemed to be acceptable by viewers because of the reflection these products have on real life. In the survey questionnaire that was carried out, a combined 63 out of 100 respondents agreed and strongly agreed that placements add to the realism of the movie (see table.2). TABLE 2: Viewers opinion on products adding realism to movies This confirms the findings from the focus group; however there are a large number of respondents that validate that they disagree with the statement. It is mentioned in the literature that some see product placement practice as an invasive one that sews itself a new seam in the blanket of brands that covers a strong consumer-based society (Phillips Purdie 1993). This is one suggestion as to why respondents to the survey questions may have disagreed. It could be argued that some viewers find placements invasive. however the findings from the focus group indicates that whilst placements add realism, the ones that appear without contributing to the story line or are emphasised in a way that seems to be out of context in regards to the movie can be described as annoying or blatant advertising. The views of the group were not that this was invasive but more or on the line of annoying. Examples that were noticeable were the Panasonic placement in Transformers. In a scene that was devoted to show a Branded memory chip, the character tilts the product towards the camera revealing the brand name. It was suggested that this had no association to the story line nor was it placed to emphasis realism; one participant described it as being an obvious plug. The common theme was the emphasis on the annoyance of pushy advertising, this research commends Balsubramanian et al (2006) who suggested that blatant placements have the ability to irritate. Therefore if product placement is to appear, the product needs to contribute to the content of the movie in order to generate positive attitudes and acceptability from the viewers. But it is important to distinguish between attitudes towards product placement practice (discussed here) and attitudes towards the brands being placed. This leads us to the next area of this study. Attitudes and perception towards brands In the previous paragraph we discussed the attitudes towards product placement; we will now discuss viewer attitudes and perceptions towards the product/brands that are placed. A common theme that was identified from the focus group discussion was that viewers did not generate a positive or negative attitude towards a product or brand because of the way it was placed in the movie. The findings from this study suggest that whilst awareness was created there was little change in attitudes towards the brands that were placed. one viewer generated a positive attitude towards the use of the Everlast in Iron Man 2 in a scene where Robert Downey Jr is boxing whilst exhibiting the branded clothing. The viewer associated with the bra