Ethics and Business Practice

One of the many challenges facing businesses today is how to harmonize their organization, work and professional ethics in line with the prevailing business practices and environment. Beckton Dickinson lies between a rock and a hard place. They would want to carryout their business activities strictly adhering to not only their organization’s policies and ethics but also the stipulations by the US government that vehemently outlaw any form of corruption or bribery.The US laws on international trade made it illegal for any multinational operating both at home or in foreign territories, to engage in any malpractice that seeks to influence a decision by any government, institution or individual. Many multinationals especially in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa where there no stringent laws on tendering, have been known to give kickbacks to influence the process. The individuals and the key decision makers behind tendering are also known to ask for gifts and kickbacks so that they would favor a specific company. These gifts or commissions may range from a small gift to a colossal amount of money.Beckton Dickinson management team strives to maintain high standards that embrace fairness and honesty, and have designed a guide advocating for the same. They have issued clear guidelines to their employees detailing the company’s expectations on the proper conduct and business practice both within the United States and globally. This guide touches on the issues ranging from political contribution to what is considered to be a gift. The employees have raised their reservations on these guidelines and would wish the amount in regard to what is acceptable in terms of gifts to be defined according to the regions involved.Kickbacks and bribery as indicated in this report is not only a problem limited to any specific corporation, industry or government. It is a universal problem that equally requires global attention. It has permeated every aspect of business life and practice. An analyses of the problem would reveal that almost all the parties involved play a role in perpetrating the vice. The big corporations are in business and would want to under all cost secure the most profitable deals. Beckton Dickinson would in no doubt wish to expand its sales and maintain its market leadership position in supplying health sector appliances.To keep its competitor a bay it might be forced to engage in malpractices to secure the contracts. The tendering individuals also may be asking for bribes as well as the government officials. This problem hence is not perpetrated by a single party but by almost all the players. World opinion of late seem to be tilting towards unanimity in the need to establish strict anti-corruption laws in the procurement departments. Bribery is a vice that leads to morals and societal degeneration. In condoning this vice the perpetrators are threatening the social good.The principle of integrity, fairness and honesty are being threatened. It is imperative that steps be taken to curb this menace to ensure that fairness thrives. Small businesses are being threatened, as some of them cannot afford the bribes and kickbacks. There should be strict adherence to business ethics to level the playing field and ensure fair competition. Performance expectations gap is the gap that exists between what the society and shareholders expect the company to deliver in terms of performance and what it (company) actually delivers (www. abrema. net).The shareholder and the state have insisted on the adherence to the stipulated laws as far as proper business ethics is concerned. The accountants and auditors of Beckton Dickinson are having it rough and are in a dilemma as far as accounting fro the gifts and the kickbacks is concerned. The company has issued clear guidelines on the require business ethics. It is advocating for mandatory compliances on the side of the employees. The employees especially the personnel on the groun d claim the situation is hostile and tends to lean more on bribery and kickbacks.If you don’t pay for the gifts, the rival companies will do it and clinch the tender. The company has not been able to harmonize its ethics to encompass all levels of its operations. There should be distinct guidelines in the different regions. Whereas some gifts may be considered ethical in for example the United States, in Japan it is a different story altogether. The company should not abet bribery in some countries while being strict in others. However the recent steps taken by the company is a positive indicator that even though the problem is serious, the organization is taking bold steps to curb it.The top management has flown into the regional branches to train the personnel and emphasis on the companies stand as far as business ethics are concerned. The trend is not expected to change overnight. Gradually the company will achieve its key objective and instill discipline in this workforce . The situation though in the internationals scene will take long to change. The remedy to curbing this unethical practice requires a multifaceted approach, an approach that will encompass all the players involved. There are different approaches that can be taken in this.Some scholars claim that the big corporations are to blame, having recognized a weakness especially in the developing countries systems of governance; they have been known to use all manners of strategies ranging from intimidation to bribery. Hence in ending those unethical practices, corporations have to be at the forefront. Self-regulation of these companies has to be emphasized, change must come from within rather than without (www. newstarget. com) compliance with the ethical guidelines by Beckton Dickinson is a step in the right direction and should be emulated by other players in the industry.The key to unlocking this ethical deadlock however, many will agree, lies in the government structures and policies the mselves. The United States for example issued the stipulations on business practices and ethics as far as bribery and kickbacks are concerned. This greatly reduced the cases as bribery as corporations can now be faced with legal actions upon contravention of the rules. It is upon the governments as the key decision makers, to streamline their procurement rules to ensure fairness, transparency and accountability. Legal redress should be provided to the aggrieved parties.Although the corporations and the society have a role to play the governments hold the key and should be the one to initiate this change and ensure stiff penalties to the defaulters. Reference Dani Veracity, Bribery in medicine: how drug authorities, Big pharmapushers and other medical racket operations forfeit ethics for powers and profits. Last updated on January 10,2006. Retrieved in 23/09/07 from http://www. newstarget. com/016676. html ABREMA. Activity based risk evaluation model of auditing. Retrieved on 23/09/0 7 from http://www. abrema. net/abrema/expec-gap-ag. html

Explore the behavioral and humanistic theory Essay

INTRODUCTION This project, emphasis is on the behavioral theory and humanistic theory. My research constructed chiefly on two behavioral theorists Burrhus Fredric Skinner and John Broadus Watson and two humanistic theorists Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers. In behavioral theory, the founder of psychological behaviorism, John Watson believed that internal thinking process could not be observed; therefore, psychologists should not focus on it. An American psychologist, Burrhus Fredric Skinner social philosopher behaviorist, inventor, and author, developed the theory of Operant conditioning believed we learn new behavior through traditional or operant conditioning and all behavior is learnt from the environment. One of the early pioneers of humanistic psychology was Abraham Maslow; he established the hierarchy levels of needs and believed that by achieving the needs in the correct order would allow individuals to become self-actualized. However, Carl Rogers a psychologist and father of Client–centered theory felt that in addition to Maslow’s hierarchical needs, in order for someone to achieve self-actualization they need to be in a positive environment. Which would provide them with, approval, understanding and authenticity, and if one were deprive of such nourishment in an environment, healthy personalities and relationships would be unable to blossom. Humanistic Theory Emphasis of the humanistic perspective is on the self, which interprets into â€Å"you†, and â€Å"your† opinion of â€Å"your† experiences. This assessment claims that you are permitted to select your own performance, rather than responding to environmental stimuli and reinforcers. Such as matters dealing with self-esteem, self-fulfilment, and needs are vital, the chief focus is to enable personal development. There are two major theorists associated with this view Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow. Carl Rogers feels that each individual functions from an exceptional frame of reference in terms of building self-regard or his or her self-concept. As we know, self-concept is one’s own belief about one’s self. Such beliefs stem, in part, from the perception of unconditional positive affection which occurs when individuals, (especially parents), exhibit unconditional love, and  conditional positive affection happens when that love appears only when cert ain conditions are met. Rogers’s theory states that psychologically healthy people enjoy life to the fullest; hence, they are seen as fully functioning individuals. Carl believed that, along with Maslow’s hierarchical needs a loving, respectable, and truthful environment has a big part to play in developing a person, and without such commodities in the environment; healthy personalities and relationships would not be able to grow. Nevertheless, Abraham Maslow developed his theory not by studying mentally ill patients, (which is where much psychological knowledge derived from), but by studying healthy, productive, creative individuals lives and careers. Maslow felt that individuals have definite needs that must be met in a hierarchical fashion, from the lowest to highest. These comprise f basic needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, achievement needs, and ultimately, self-actualization, according to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the needs must be achieve in order. For example, one would be incapable of fulfilling their safety needs if their physiological needs are not met. This theory founded upon the knowledge that everyone has the prospective to contribute to the social order and be a respectable person if his or her needs are attained. Psychotherapy Humanistic psychology introduced in the 1950’s as a movement to bring psychology to an understanding of what it means to be a person. The theory took psychology beyond unconscious thoughts, beliefs or behavioral responses to stimuli, to a process of understanding free will, feelings, ethics and relationships with others. Humanistic psychotherapy was initially promoted as a â€Å"third force† in psychotherapy. Humanistic theory seems to provide both the therapist and client the opportunity to focus on what the client is doing right, as well as the challenges that he or she may face. Given the emphasis on emotional genuineness, humanistic psychotherapists place a great deal of importance on the therapist  ¬client relationship. One could argue that humanistic theory cannot be taken seriously because it is intent on blending the medical and scientific along with philosophy and subjectivity. Yet, if the APA affirms that, the theory’s focus is â€Å"on people’s capacity to make rational choices and develop to their maximum potential† (APA.org), it  is difficult to determine if the critics of the theory have a valid case. Nevrtheless, added methodologies also identify the significance on the therapist  ¬client relationship, viewing the relationship mainly as a means of providing the treatment. In humanistic therapy, the relationship is the treatment. The Major Concepts of Humanistic Theory Humanism came about as a reaction to the theories of psychoanalysis and behaviourism. Humanists felt that focusing on unconscious thoughts in psychoanalysis ignored the thoughts humans were having and the experiences they caused. Unlike behaviourists, humanists felt humans have more control over their responses than to simply be a puppet to conditioning. These new thinkers focused on what it was to be human and the entire spectrum of human feeling. Qualitative Research and Idiographic Approach †¢The humanists believed that statistics and numbers told very little about the human experience and were, therefore, irrelevant as research. The only thing that mattered was so-called qualitative research, such as case studies, unstructured interviews and diary accounts. This also outlines an idiographic approach, or studying individuals. Only by experiencing what it means to be human can the researcher truly understand what a person is going through. Humanists believed in studying individuals in-depth to understand the human condition. The Self and Congruence †¢Humanists believed that the ultimate aim of human beings was to achieve a state of congruence. This is when the actual self is the same as the ideal self. They believed in the constant pursuit of self-knowledge and self-improvement to achieve this state. All people are thought to have inherent worth merely by being human. A person’s actions may be positive or negative, but that does not affect his worth. Holism †¢The person in humanism is studied as a whole. She is not looked at in separate parts but is looked at as an entire unit. The theories that came before the humanists focused on the unconscious mind or observable behavior  rather than on how a person thinks and feels. This theory was groundbreaking for focusing on what it means to be human rather than the scientific, laboratory data that other theories produced. Hierarchy of Needs †¢Abraham Maslow was one of the pioneers of the humanist movement. He developed a pathway of needs that people must meet in order to achieve self-actualization or congruence. It starts off with the need for physical things, such as air, food and water. The pyramid moves on to the need for safety, love and belonging, self-esteem and then knowledge. It ends with the pursuit of aesthetics and then self-actualization. This is where a person achieves his entire potential. This is a point not many people ever reach. Free Will †¢People who believe in free will believe that humans have the ability to choose how to live their lives free of any external forces making them chose. Humanists believe that all people have this ability and can exercise it at any time. Instead of believing that things such as behavioral conditioning or animalistic drives determine our choices, humanists believe that we naturally want to choose the positive path and will do so freely Theoretical Concepts Underlying Humanistic Theory The motivation for the development of humanism was a reaction against the idea of the human as a machine, towards a holistic and inherently optimistic view of people. The humanistic or â€Å"third force† perspective is based on the belief that the sources of personal distress lie in the conscious mind and result from experience (George Boeree 1998b). Maslow developed a theory of personal motivation based on the idea of a hierarchy of needs (Noel Sheehy 2004 p163, George Boeree 1998a). At the top of this hierarchy Maslow believed was the possibility of self-actualisation, but he saw it as a rare achievement reached by only a very few people, since in his theory all lower-level needs had to be met before self-actualisation could take place. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Rogers also believed in self-actualisation, but in contrast to Maslow, believed that it was a motivating force in all humans he saw babies as the  best examples of self-actualisation. This led to the core concept in humanistic theory the Actualising Tendency (Steve Vincent 1999). This is the tendency to thrive that is built-in to human beings. This tendency also implies that people are inherently good and healthy this is a given. The emphasis then in humanistic therapies is on the â€Å"potentiality model† of human development rather than the â€Å"deficiency model† of other therapies (Dave Mearns et al. 2000 p33). Rogers proposed that distress is a result of incongruence in the individual (George Boeree 1998b, Brian Thorne 2003 p31). The greater the incongruence, the greater the distress. Incongruity is the difference between the Real Self, which is the you that you can become as a result of self-actualisation, and the Ideal Self, which is the you created by external pressures such as society, family. Thus incongruence is like the tension in an elastic band attaching the two selves the greater the separation the greater the tension. A person has a basic need for Positive Regard. However, in society this is made conditional there are social attitudes that say you are only worthy if you conform. These Conditions of Worth combine with the in-built need for positive regard to create Conditional Positive Regard and this shapes the Ideal Self as something other than the Real Self conditions of worth push the ideal self away from the real self and generate incongruence. In time this force becomes internalised as Conditional Positive Self-Regard so the person generates their own incongruence. The aim of therapy is to achieve Congruence the situation where Real Self and Ideal Self match or at least decrease incongruence and therefore distress (Carl R. Rogers 1961 p279). This is achieved by building an unconditional sense of self-worth which then gets internalised as Unconditional Positive Self-Regard. In the therapeutic relationship, counsellor and client form a personal relationship rather than a power-based professional one and it is the quality of this relationship that is key to success. It is Rogers’ claim that there are just three Core Conditions which a therapist must achieve for therapy to be effective (Carl R. Rogers et al. 1967 p89). The first is that the counsellor must be Congruent that is, without a front or professional mask in the therapeutic relationship and that the counsellor must share this congruence with the client. Secondly, the counsellor must be Empathic towards the client, that is they experience the client’s internal world and can sh are this with the  client, but without losing the separation between the counsellor’s world and the client’s. Finally, the counsellor’s view of the client must be one of Unconditional Positive Regard, one of accepting and prizing the client as a whole, without reservations or judgements. There are other forms of humanistic therapy than the Rogerian person-centred approach. Probably the best known is Gestalt therapy, founded by Fritz Perls (Gary Yontef 1993, Frederick S. Perls 1957). This has much in common with Rogers’ theories in that it focuses on process rather than content, in which counsellor and client share their perception, with the intention of allowing the client to become aware of their internal process, how they are doing it and how they can change it. There is a strong emphasis on acceptance and self-valuing. One aspect of Gestalt theory that is not present in Rogerian theory is the idea of Unfinished Situations. The idea is that a person’s natural state is one of homeostasis. However, whenever something, such as an upsetting situation, happens to the person, that disturbs the balance. The normal outcome is that the person responds in such a way as to restore the balance or a different balance that accommodates a change. However, if the nat ural response is interrupted, for example by social pressures not to respond, the person stays out of balance. This is an unfinished situation and Gestalt therapy aims to finish this situation and restore balance again. Critically Examine the Humanistic Theory The humanistic theory has profoundly affected our society. It provided much of the impetus for a broad social movement of the 1960s and 1970s in which many people searched inward to find direction and meaning to their lives. It renewed the age-old debate about free will and determinism and focused attention on the need to understand the subjective or conscious experiences of individuals (Bargh & Chartrand, 1999). Rogers’s method of therapy, client-centered therapy, remains highly influential. And perhaps most important of all, humanistic theorists helped restore to psychology the concept of self that center of our conscious experience of being in the world. Yet the very strength of the humanistic viewpoint, its focus on conscious experience, is also its greatest weakness when approached as a scientific endeavor. Ultimately your conscious experience is known or knowable only to an audience of one you. Yet how can humanistic  psychologists ever be certain that they are measuri ng with any precision the private, subjective experience of another person? Humanistic psychologists might answer that we should do our best to study conscious experience scientifically, for to do less is to ignore the very subject matter human experience we endeavor to know. Indeed, they have been joined by cognitive psychologists in developing methods to study conscious experience, including rating scales and thought diaries that allow people to make public their private experiences to report their thoughts, feelings, and attitudes in systematic ways that can be measured reliably. Though verbal or written statements of private experiences are a step removed from consciousness itself, they provide a means that scientists can use to study people’s subjective experiences. Critics also contend that the humanistic approach’s emphasis on self fulfillment may lead some people to become self-indulgent and so absorbed with themselves that they develop a lack of concern for others. Even the concept of self-actualization poses challenges. For one thing, humanistic psychologists consider self-actualization to be a drive that motivates behavior toward higher purposes. Yet how do we know that this drive exists? If self-actualization means different thin gs to different people one person may become self-actualized by pursuing an interest in botany, another by becoming a skilled artisan how can we ever measure self-actualization in a standardized way? To this, humanistic psychologists might respond that because people are unique, we should not expect to apply the same standard to different people. Humanistic Theory Usefulness to Nursing Practice Nurses provide individual care recognizing the holistic needs of the patient. Nurses seek to understand the health needs of the people they work with but also to change their behaviours, thoughts and feelings to enhance the well-being of the person, not only at present moment but also for the future. At times nurses need to provide very basic care for the people they work with but they are always looking to develop the person’s ability to be more independent in any area of their life. Nurses can use psychological research and theories to enhance their nursing practice, and most nursing practice has a foundation in psychology, sociology or biology. Nursing now  has developed its own unique body of knowledge but other sciences can still enhance nurses’ understanding and practice. Applying Theories to Healthcare Practice allows growth in a positive way for both the client and the nurse. Spontaneity, the importance of emotions and feelings, the right of individuals to make their own choices, and human creativity are the cornerstones of a humanistic approach to learning (Rogers, 1994; Snowman & Biehler, 2006). The major contribution that Rogers added to nursing practice is the understandings that each client is a unique individual, so, person-centered approach is practice in nursing. Humanistic theory is especially compatible with nursing’s focus on caring and patient centeredness an orientation that is increasingly challenged by the emphasis in medicine and health care on science, technology, cost efficiency, for profit medicine, bureaucratic organization, and time pressures. Like the psychodynamic theory, the humanistic perspective is largely a motivational theory. From a humanistic perspective, motivation is derived from each person’s needs, sub jective feelings about the self, and the desire to grow. A positive self-concept, and open situations in which people respect individuality and promote freedom of choice. Maslow (1954, 1987), best known for identifying the hierarchy of needs which he says plays an important role in human motivation and nursing care. At the bottom of the hierarchy are physiological needs (food, warmth, sleep); then come safety needs; then the need for belonging and love; followed by self-esteem. At the top of the hierarchy are self-actualization needs (maximizing one’s potential). Additional considerations include cognitive needs (to know and understand) and, for some individuals, aesthetic needs (the desire for beauty). An assumption is that basic-level needs must be met before individuals can be concerned with learning and self actualizing. Thus, clients who are hungry, tired, and in pain will be motivated to get these biological needs met before being interested in learning about their medications, rules for self care, and health education. Beside s personal needs, humanists contend that self-concept and self-esteem are necessary considerations in any situation. The therapist Carl Rogers (1961, 1994) argued that what people want is unconditional positive self regard (the feeling of being loved without strings attached). It is essential that those in positions of authority  convey a fundamental respect for the people with whom they work. If a health professional is prejudiced against patients, then little will be healing or therapeutic in her relationship with them until she is genuinely able to feel respect for the patient as an individual. Rather than acting as an authority, say humanists, the role of any educator or leader is to be a facilitator (Rogers, 1994). Listening rather than talking is the skill needed. Because the uniqueness of the individual is fundamental to the humanistic perspective much of the learning experience requires a direct relationship. Safe clinical environments, where humanistic principles can be taught through caring, role modeling, small group discussion, case discussions, attention to self-awareness and feelings, role playing. Humanistic psychology contends that feeling. Humanistic principles have been a cornerstone of self-help groups, wellness programs, and palliative care. Humanistic theory has also been found to be well suited to working with children and young patients undergoing separation anxiety due to illness, surgery, and recovery (Holyoake,1998) and for working in the areas of mental health and palliative care (Barnard, Hollingum, & Hartfiel, 2006). Similar to psychodynamic theory, a principal emphasis is on the healing nature of the therapeutic relationship (Pearson, 2006) and the need for nursing students and health professionals to grow emotionally from their healthcare experiences (Block & Billings, 1998). Principles Derived From Humanistic Theory t o Improve Assess and Plan Care for Mentally Ill Client. Sometimes people understand psychosis or schizophrenia to be unrelenting, even with the intervention of psychotherapy. It is contended herein that therapy, and humanistic therapy in particular, can be helpful to the psychotic individual, but, perhaps, the therapist may have difficulty understanding how this approach can be applied to the problems of psychosis. Although it is a prevalent opinion in our society that schizophrenics are not responsive to psychotherapy, it is asserted herein that any therapist can relate in a psychotic individual, and, if therapy is unsuccessful, this  failure may stem from the therapist’s qualities instead of those of the psychotic individual. Carl Rogers created a theory and therapy indicated by the terms â€Å"umanistic theory† and â€Å"person-centered therapy†. This theoretical perspective postulates many important ideas, and several of these ideas are pertinent to this discussion. The first of these is the idea of â€Å"condi tions of worth†, and the idea of â€Å"the actualizing tendency.† Rogers asserts that our society applies to us â€Å"conditions of worth†. This means that we must behave in certain ways in order to receive rewards, and receipt of these rewards imply that we are worthy if we behave in ways that are acceptable. As an example, in our society, we are rewarded with money when we do work that is represented by employment. In terms of the life of a schizophrenic, these conditions of worth are that from which stigmatization proceeds. The psychotic individuals in our society, without intentionality, do not behave in ways that produce rewards. Perhaps some people believe that schizophrenics are parasites in relation to our society. This estimation of the worth of these individuals serves only to compound their suffering. The mentally ill and psychotic individuals, in particular, are destitute in social, personal and financial spheres. Carl Roger’s disapproved of conditions of worth, and, in fact, he believed that human beings and other organisms strive to fulfill their potential. This striving represents what Roger’ s termed â€Å"the actualizing tendency† and the â€Å"force of life.† This growth enhancing aspect of life motivates all life forms to develop fully their own potential. Rogers believed that mental illness reflects distortions of the actualizing tendency, based upon faulty conditions of worth. It is clear that psychotic people deal with negatively skewed conditions of worth. It is an evident reality that the mentally ill could more successfully exist in the world if stigmas were not applied to them. The mentally ill engage in self-denigration and self-laceration that culminate in the destruction of selfhood. This psychological violence toward the mentally ill is supported by non-mentally ill others. The type of self-abuse by psychotic individuals would certainly abate if the normative dismissal of the mentally ill as worthless is not perpetuated. In spite of a prevalent view that psychotic individuals are unsuccessful in the context of psychotherapy, Roger’s theory and therapy of compassion cannot be assumed to be unhelpful to the mentally ill. The key components of Rogers’ approach to  psychotherapy include unconditional positive regard, accurate empathy and genuineness. Unconditional positive regard, accurate empathy and genuineness are considered to be qualities of the therapist enacted in relation to the client in terms of humanistic therapy. These qualities are essential to the process of humanistic therapy. In terms of these qualities, unconditional positive regard is a view of a person or client that is accepting and warm, no matter what that person in therapy reveals in terms of his or her emotional problems or experiences. This means that an individual in the context of humanistic psychotherapy, or in therapy with a humanistic psychologist or therapist, should expect the therapist to be accepting of whatever that individual reveals to the therapist. In this context, the therapist will be accepting and understanding regardless of what one tells the therapist. Accurate empathy is represented as understanding a client from that person’s own perspective. This means that the humanistic psychologist or therapist will be able to perceive you as you perceive yourself, and that he will feel sympathy for you on the basis of the knowledge of your reality. He will know you in terms of knowing your thoughts and feelings to ward yourself, and he will feel empathy and compassion for you based on that fact. . As another quality enacted by the humanistic therapist, genuineness is truthfulness in one’s presentation toward the client; it is integrity or a self-representation that is real. To be genuine with a client reflects qualities in a therapist that entail more than simply being a therapist. It has to do with being an authentic person with one’s client. Carl Rogers believed that, as a therapist, one could be authentic and deliberate simultaneously. This means that the therapist can be a â€Å"real† person, even while he is intentionally saying and doing what is required to help you. The goal of therapy from the humanistic orientation is to allow the client to achieve congruence in term of his real self and his ideal self. This means that what a person is and what he wants to be should become the same as therapy progresses. Self-esteem that is achieved in therapy will allow the client to elevate his sense of what he is, and self-esteem will also lessen his need to be better than what he is. Essentially, as the real self is more accepted by the client, and his raised self-esteem will allow him to be less than some kind of â€Å"ideal† self that he feels he is compelled to be. It is the qualities of unconditional positive  regard, accurate empathy and genuineness in the humanistic therapist that allow the therapist to assist the client in cultivating congruence between the real self and the ideal self from that cli ent’s perspective. What the schizophrenic experiences can be confusing. It is clear that most therapists, psychiatrists and clinicians cannot understand the perspectives of the chronically mentally ill. Perhaps if they could understand what it is to feel oneself to be in a solitary prison of one’s skin and a visceral isolation within one’s mind, with hallucinations clamoring, then the clinicians who treat mental illness would be able to better empathize with the mentally ill. The problem with clinicians’ empathy for the mentally ill is that the views of mentally ill people are remote and unthinkable to them. Perhaps the solitariness within the minds of schizophrenics is the most painful aspect of being schizophrenics, even while auditory hallucinations can form what seems to be a mental populace. Based upon standards that make them feel inadequate, the mentally ill respond to stigma by internalizing it. If the mentally ill person can achieve the goal of congruence between the real self and the ideal self, their expectations regarding who â€Å"they should be† may be reconciled with an acceptance of â€Å"who they are†. As they lower their high standards regarding who they should be, their acceptance of their real selves may follow naturally. Carl Rogers said, â€Å"As I accept myself as I am, only then can I change.† In humanistic therapy, the therapist can help even a schizophrenic accept who they are by reflecting acceptance of the psychotic individual. This may culminate in curativeness, although perhaps not a complete cure. However, when the schizophrenic becomes more able to accept who they are, they can then change. Social acceptance is crucial for coping with schizophrenia, and social acceptance leads to self-acceptance by the schizophrenic. The accepting therapist can be a key component in reducing the negative consequences of stigma as it has affected the mental ill patient client. This, then, relates to conditions of worth and the actualizing tendency. â€Å"Conditions of worth† affect the mentally ill more severely than other people. Simple acceptance and empathy by a clinician may be curative to some extent, even for the chronically mentally ill. If the schizophrenic individual is released from conditions of worth that are entailed by stigmatization, then perhaps the actualizing tendency would assert itself in them in a positive way, lacking distortion. In the tradition of person-centered therapy, the client is allowed to lead the conversation or the dialogue of the therapy sessions. This is ideal for the psychotic individual, provided he believes he is being heard by his therapist. Clearly, the therapist’s mind will have to stretch as they seek to understand the client’s subjective perspective. In terms of humanistic therapy, this theory would seem to apply to all individuals, as it is based upon the psychology of all human beings, each uniquely able to benefit from this approach by through the growth potential that is inherent in them. In terms of the amelioration of psychosis by means of this therapy, Rogers offers hope. Behavioral Treatment Modalities that Evolved from Humanistic Theory Treatment modalities can be simply defined as methods of treatment. These are ways in which a doctor or an allied health professional would go about treating a condition. The major behavioral treatments in Humanistic Theory are: Client-Centered Therapy Carl Rogers and his client-centered therapy provide a clear example of the humanistic focus on the therapeutic relationship. Rogers wrote extensively about the process of fostering a warm and genuine relationship between therapist and client. He particularly noted the importance of empathy, or emotional understanding. Empathy involves putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and conveying your understanding of that person’s feelings and perspectives. The client-centered therapist does not act as an â€Å"expert† who knows more about the client than the client knows about himself or herself. Rather, the therapeutic goal is to share honestly in another human’s experience. Rogers encouraged self-disclosure on the part of the therapist, intentionally revealing aspects of the therapist’s own, similar feelings and experiences as a way of helping the client. Rogers also felt that client-centered therapists must be able to demonstrate unconditional positive regard for their clients. Unconditional positive regard involves valuing clients for who they are and refraining from judging them. Because of this basic respect for the client’s humanity, client-centered therapists  avoid directing the therapeutic process. According to Rogers, if clients are successful in experiencing and accepting themselves, they will achieve their own resolution to their difficulties. Thus client-centered therapy is nondirective. Gestalt therapy Gestalt therapy is a humanistic form of treatment developed by Perls. Perls viewed life as a series of figure-ground relationships. For example a picture is hanging on a wall. The picture is a figure and the wall is the back ground. For a healthy person current needs can be perceived clearly in that person’s life, just as figure can be perceived against a distinct ground (background).when current needs are satisfied, they fade into the ground and are replaced by new needs, which stand out in their turn and are equally recognizable. Perls believed that mental disorders represent disruptions in these figure-ground relationships. People who are unaware of their needs or unwilling to accept or express them are avoiding their real inner selves. They lack self awareness and self acceptance, they fear judgment of others. The technique of role playing that is to act out various roles assigned by the therapist. Therapies Identified in Humanistic Theory and their Therapeutic Benefits to the Client. The Benefits of Humanistic Therapy Applying Theories to Healthcare Practice allows growth in a positive way for both the client and the nurse. Spontaneity, the importance of emotions and feelings, the right of individuals to make their own choices, and human creativity are the cornerstones of a humanistic approach to learning (Rogers, 1994; Snowman & Biehler, 2006). During humanistic therapy sessions, patients are treated in a manner that emphasizes their innate goodness and potential. The humanistic therapist is encouraged to act in a manner consistent with the themes of unconditional positive regard, empathy, genuineness, and congruence. In an article on the website of the Association for Humanistic Psychology, humanistic psychologist Stan Charnofsky described the benefits of humanistic therapy in this manner: †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Humanistic therapy has  a crucial opportunity to lead our troubled culture back to its own healthy path. More than any other therapy, Humanistic-Existential therapy models democracy. It imposes upon the client least of all. Freedom to choose is maximized. We validate our clients’ human potential. Carl Rogers proposed that therapy could be simpler, warmer and more optimistic than that carried out by behavioral or psychodynamic psychologists. According to Carl Rogers he suggested that clients would be better helped if they were encouraged to focus on their current subjective understanding rather than on some unconscious motive or someone else’s interpretation of the situation. Rogers strongly believed that in order for a client’s condition to improve therapists should be warm, genuine and understanding. The starting point of the Rogerian approach to counseling and psychotherapy is best stated by Rogers (1986) himself. â€Å"It is that the individual has within himself or herself vast resources for self-understanding, for altering his or her self-concept, attitudes and self-directed behavior – and that these resources can be tapped if only a definable climate of facilitative psychological attitudes can be provided.† Rogers rejected the deterministic n ature of both psychoanalysis and behaviorism and maintained that we behave as we do because of the way we perceive our situation. â€Å"As no one else can know how we perceive, we are the best experts on ourselves.† (Gross, 1992) Believing strongly that theory should come out of practice, Rogers developed his theory based on his work with emotionally troubled people and claimed that we have a remarkable capacity for self-healing and personal growth leading towards self-actualization. He placed emphasis on the person’s current perception and how we live in the here-and-now. Theory is the notion of self or self-concept. This is defined as â€Å"the organized, consistent set of perceptions and beliefs about oneself†. It consists of all the ideas and values that characterize ‘I’ and ‘me’ and includes perception and valuing of ‘what I am’ and ‘what I can do’. Consequently, the self concept is a central component of our total experience and influences both our perception of the world and perception of oneself. For instance, a woman who perceives herself as strong may well behave with confidence and come to see her actions as actions performed by someone who is confident. The self-concept  does not necessarily always fit with reality, though, and the way we see ourselves may differ greatly from how others see us. For example, a person might be very interesting to others and yet consider himself to be boring. He judges and evaluates this image he has of himself as a bore and this valuing will be reflected in his self-esteem. The confident woman may have a high self-esteem and the man who sees himself as a bore may have a low self-esteem, presuming that strength/confidence are highly valued and that being boring is not. Person Centered Therapy Personal Centered Therapy or client centered therapy. The Rogerian client-centered approach puts emphasis on the person coming to form an appropriate understanding of their world and themselves. A person enters person centered therapy in a state of incongruence. It is the role of the therapists to reverse this situation. Rogers (1959) called his therapeutic approach client-centered or person-centered therapy because of the focus on the person’s subjective view of the world. Rogers regarded every one as a â€Å"potentially competent individual† who could benefit greatly from his form of therapy. The purpose of Roger’s humanistic therapy is to increase a person’s feelings of self-worth, reduce the level of incongruence between the ideal and actual self, and help a person become more of a fully functioning person. Client-centered therapy operates according to three basic principles that reflect the attitude of the therapist to the client: 1. The therapist is congruent with the client. 2. The therapist provides the client with unconditional positive regard. 3. The therapist shows empathetic understanding to the client. Congruence in Counseling  Congruence is also called genuineness. Congruence is the most important attribute in counseling, according to Rogers. This means that, unlike the psychodynamic therapist who generally maintains a ‘blank screen’ and reveals little of their own personality in therapy, the Rogerian is keen to allow the client to experience them as they really are. The therapist does not have a faà §ade (like psychoanalysis), that is, the therapist’s internal and external experiences are one in the same. In short, the therapist is authentic. Unconditional Positive Regard The next Rogerian core condition is unconditional positive regard. Rogers believed that for people to grow and fulfill their potential it is important that they are valued as themselves. This refers to the therapist’s deep and genuine caring for the client. The therapist may not approve of some of the client’s actions but the therapist does approve of the client. In short, the therapist needs an attitude of â€Å"I’ll accept you as you are.† The person-centered counselor is thus careful to always maintain a positive attitude to the client, even when disgusted by the client’s actions. Empathy is the ability to understand what the client is feeling. This refers to the therapist’s ability to understand sensitively and accurately [but not sympathetically] the client’s experience and feelings in the here-and-now. An important part of the task of the person-centered counselor is to follow precisely what the client is feeling and to communica te to them that the therapist understands what they are feeling. In the words of Rogers (1975), accurate empathic understanding is as follows: â€Å"If I am truly open to the way life is experienced by another person†¦if I can take his or her world into mine, then I risk seeing life in his or her way†¦and of being changed myself, and we all resist change. Since we all resist change, we tend to view the other person’s world only in our terms, not in his or hers. Then we analyze and evaluate it. We do not understand their world. But, when the therapist does understand how it truly feels to be in another person’s world, without wanting or trying to analyze or judge it, then the therapist and the client can truly blossom and grow in that climate.† Because the person-centered counselor places so much emphasis on genuineness and on being led by the client, they do not place the same emphasis on boundaries of time and technique as would a psychodynamic therapist. If they judged it appropriate, a person-centered counselor might diverge considerably from orthodox counseling techniques. As Mearns and Thorne (1988) point out, we cannot understand person-centered counseling by its techniques alone. The person-centered counselor has a very positive and optimistic view of human nature. The philosophy that people are essentially good, and that ultimately the individual knows what is right for them, is the essential ingredient of successful person centered therapy as â€Å"all about loving†.

Fairy Tales Final Exam Short Answers Essay

1. The Idea of Naming Unique names and titles contribute greatly to the success of fairytales. In classic fairytales, readers identify the protagonist as an icon, rather than a requisite to push the plot. Timeless â€Å"appellations,† such as â€Å"Cinderella,† â€Å"The Little Red Ridinghood,† â€Å"Snow White,† â€Å"Blue Beard,† etc. inheritably connect to public impression. Nowadays, every name has a story behind it, and the name itself is a story. In general, classical fairytale names feature descriptive adjectives, especially colors, which directly refer to the protagonist’s physical characteristic. As a result, names sound both natural and indigenous that readers can easily remember. Thanks to the widely recognized popularity, these vivid appellations now become universal symbols. For example, â€Å"Snow White† denotes unsurpassable beauty rather than a beautiful child â€Å"as white as snow.† In addition, â€Å"Cinderella† literally addresses to a maiden who works all day long in â€Å"cinder,† while nowadays the appellation represents any girl who successfully achieves materialistic progress through marriage, such as Princess Kate. Furthermore, these lively descriptive dictions greatly impact fashion and entertainment industry nowadays; Recently, Christian Louboutin, the famous shoe designer known for his trademark red soles, announced his latest challenge: to design a pair of modern glass slippers since woman has been longing for centuries to find a perfect fit. Names in classic fairytales serve more than a reference to the character, but an idol to carry the timeless stories forward. However, compared to the straightforward names in classics, modern fairytale names feature simplicity and artificial symbolization. For more recent days, fairytale writers tend to simplify the names but focus more on the storylines themselves. Hans Christian Anderson, the celebrated fairytales authors in 19th century, emphasizes on the character’s identity such as â€Å"the little Mermaid, † â€Å"The little match girl,† â€Å"Princess on the peas† instead of detailed physical descriptions. Another 19th century writer, Oscar Wilde also adopts straightforward appellations such as â€Å"the Giant,† â€Å"The happy prince† that inevitably weaken the visual impact on readers. However, the simplicity contributes greatly to the story telling itself, since readers now pay more attention to the plot. People memorize the happy princess as a selfless donor rather than a beautiful, grandeur statue. Also, the â€Å"little match girl† from Anderson wins worldwide sympathy not for the fact she sells matches, but for the suffering. Thus, during the 19th to 20th century, fairytale names move toward simplification and frankness. Furthermore, in contemporary works such as Judy Budnitz’s Flying Leap and Donald Barthelme’s Snow White, writers either artificially embody names with symbolization, or utilize names as agent numbers. For example, in Judy Budnitz’s Hershel, readers intuitively connect the protagonist Hershel, who sells baby as a product through baking them in the oven, to the Hershey chocolate factory. What would happen if technologies allow human to reproduce as baking chocolates? On the other hand, names do not necessarily convey any information of the character. Barthelme assigns random names to the seven dwarfs such as Kevin, Edward, Huburt, etc. in Snow White that carry few significant annotations but effectively smooth the story telling. Thus, in modern days, authors add an artificial flavor to fairytale names that either designed for clarification purposes or for intentional symbolization. As a result, the impact of names gradually deceases from classics to modern works, since modern writers tend to focus more on the ideas rather than to establish a universally recognized icon. 5. Fairytale Family Tree Although most fairytales initially contain violence, cruelty, and sexual descriptions, modern readers intuitively associate fairytales with a perfect heaven-like world. Why? Throughout the past three hundred years, writers, producers, and scholars gradually collaborate to not only remove the dark side of fairytales, but also invest heavily on comic elements to win popularity. As a result, from traditional Perrault to innovative Shrek, modern fairytale reinterpretations celebrate laughter, humor, and optimism to a dramatic extent. As the first person to mark fairytales as a new genre, Perrault maintains most of the violence, sexual inference, and tragic endings in Tale of Mother Goose. However, he attempts to draw a moral lesson from each story, especially those with a sad ending. As a result, these comments provide valuable relief to readers. For example, in Little Red Ridinghood, Perrault warns children against the danger of â€Å"talking to strangers.† Thanks to the warning, children would fear less of the unpredictable death− swallowed by a wolf, but behave cautiously in real life. Obviously, although pessimistic elements inevitably accompany some fairytales, storytellers endeavor to restore the belief of ultimate truth, happiness, and beauty in the end. Following Perrault’s trend, Grimm Brothers deliberately minimizes the number of gloomy fairytale endings. Despite the remaining violence, almost all the princes and princesses symbolically â€Å"live happily ever after.† Since Grimm brothers target children as the major readers, they offer immediate satisfaction to intensify the optimism−originated from Perrault’s moral lessons. As a result, in Grimm Brother’s version, little red ridinghood successfully rescues her grandma as well as defeats the wolf through the hunter’s assistance. Along with Grimm Brother’s efforts, modern movie productions, especially the Walt Disney productions, further strengthen the delightful side in fairytales that elevate the genre as a symbolization of the ideal world. Thanks to the overwhelming influence of Disney productions, fairytales win the favor of children and parents from all walks of life. In addition to the ultimate happy ending, Disney eliminates most of the bloody scenes in movies. For example, in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the evil queen falls off the cliff instead of dancing until death on iron slippers. Thanks to Disney’s emphasis on the bright side, most antagonists receive reduced punishments. Moreover, Disney introduces music, funny appellations, and humanlike animal figures to promote the comical atmosphere. For the first time, producers assign distinguishable names, such as â€Å"Sleepy,† â€Å"Happy,† to the seven dwarfs in the Snow White movie. As a result, Disney movies root deeply in children’s hearts with a perfectly moral kingdom. Furthermore, modern artists seek innovations to alleviate the struggle on the protagonists’ quest in Disney movies; indeed, every moment should bring laughter instead of nervousness to the audience. In addition to the removal of violence, films and productions such as Shrek and Into the woods totally renovate the storyline. No longer serving as the puppets under writers’ manipulation, fairytale characters start to reflect, comment, and even tease each other in a good nature. Undeniably, worldwide audience celebrates the humor when the green ogre Shrek awkwardly kisses the green princess Fiona, proven by Shrek’s commercial and critical success. Based on Disney’s illusion of a perfect world, modern producers further reduce the struggles but laugh at the hardship into lighthearted humor. Overall, through Perrault, Grimm Brother, Disney and contemporary producers’ efforts, worldwide children and parents regard fairytales as the ultimate relief of the real world. Gradually moving away from the dark sides, fairytale nowadays celebrate love, trust, truth and most importantly, humor. 6. Dorian Gray and Budnitz’s stories, fairytales or not? According to Bruno Bettelheim’s definition, Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde hardly meets the qualifications of fairytales. For Bettelheim, fairytale must provide security to readers by directly addressing to the â€Å"existential anxieties and dilemmas,† while Dorian Gray fails to offer such assurance. Instead, Wilde industriously portrays the dark side of human psyche. Also, Bettelheim regards fairytale as a reflection of growth and maturity. However, Dorian Gray obviously never grows up but dies of self-obsession. In fact, Oscar Wilde focuses on Dorian’s struggle to fight against the physical aging process rather than addresses to spiritual awakening. Although Dorian sacrifices his soul in exchange of forever youth and beauty, the eventual punishment fails to show any lessons of struggle. Dorian not only fails to achieve salvation through good deeds, but also shows no regrets of the evil trade. Thus, Bettelheim would very likely dismiss the proposal of categorizing Dorian Gray as a fairytale. In addition, Bettelheim’s theory states that fairytales respond to â€Å"the desperate feelings of loneliness and isolation† rather than narcissism or hedonism. As an aristocrat, Dorian Gray enjoys both materialistic affluence and spiritual fulfillment. Physical beauty effortlessly wins Dorian the love from the upper class under the setting of Victorian London. Especially the appreciation from Lord Henry greatly satisfies Dorian’s self-pride. Thus, Dorian suffers from neither loneliness nor isolation as Bettelheim highlighted but self-obsession. Moreover, Dorian lacks adventures into the world since he mostly struggles against internal human greed, violating Bettelheim’s belief of â€Å"only by going out into the cord†¦can find himself†¦and others live happily ever after.† Furthermore, Dorian Gray’s interaction with the outside world only intensifies his self-obsession, as the crowd incessantly celebrating his beauty. As a result, Dorian Gray only portrays the dark side of human psyche without suggesting any lessons about maturity and growth. On the other hand, Budnitz’s short stories satisfy partially Bettelheim’s expectation of fairytales, but still fail to generate a valuable lesson for adult to learn and grow. For example, Barren directly addresses to the insecurity of adult world: what would happen if human suddenly lose the capability to raise children? However, the story itself fails to provide assurance and relief. In Barren, despite countless endeavor to make babies, humans achieve no progress. The protagonists â€Å"go out into the world† for solutions, for example adopting babies in China and Indian and orphans and sex. However, they return with disappointment and panic. Babies eventually re-appear not because of human’s efforts, but of the invisible hands of fate. Under Bettelheim’s theory, fairytales suppose to show children that â€Å"if one does not shy away from severe difficulties†¦but steadfastly meets unexpected†¦masters all obstacles and emerges victorious†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Unfortunately, Budnitz not only rings the alert of the danger of generation gaps, but also eliminates the optimism. Compared to fate, human efforts appear so fragile that even the most fundamental ability of reproduction faces the danger. As a result, at the end of the story, readers close the book with unprecedented fear rather than relief. Furthermore, even happy endings do not fully represent fairytales under Bettelheim’s theory. Although stories such as Direction provide a happy reunion, the story itself fails to articulate how to achieve such success. Even old magic provides the readers something to believe, instead of the absolute randomness. Compared to traditional fairytales, Budnitz’s stories leave the readers with too many concerns shadowing the satisfaction. Obviously, Bettelheim would not agree with such incompleteness. Instead, he would probably classify Budnitz’s stories as modern fables since they do teach a meaningful lesson to the readers. 7. Ownership of fairytales As fairytales evolve throughout history, every generation has a unique interpretation. Obviously, Disney productions dominate the modern fairytale interpretation, for children recognize the little mermaid as â€Å"Ariel† and Beauty as â€Å"Bella.† Understandably, critics such as Jack Zipes express blatant jealousy towards Disney’s success by charging that the animation giant â€Å"has attempted to fix them in our minds.† However, in the modern era, Disney movies achieve unprecedented popularity only because they capture the value of modern audience most successfully. Through animations, pillow books, toys, and Disneyland, Disney creates a universal fairytale kingdom with followers in every age group. Although Disney heavily emphasizes on American dream such as affluence, humor, endeavor, and perseverance, the cartoons cross the culture boundary and win recognition all over the world. After all, if Disney does own a monopoly, it is the readers themselves that voluntarily allow Disney characters to root in their minds as fairytale stereotypes. In addition, Disney domination not necessarily sentences the death of other fairytale interpretations. Beyond the Disney stereotypes, Anne Sexton’s Transformation and Bruno Bettelheim’s The Enchant of Fairytales revolutionize my impression of fairytales in the semester, especially the brilliant comments by Sexton. As a huge Disney lover, I never doubt the beauty of fairytale imaginaries. However, lines such as â€Å"The two sisters came to curry favor/and the white dove pecked their eyes out/two hollow spots were left/like soup spoons/† and â€Å"like two dolls in a museum case/never bothered by diapers or dust† in Cinderella add an intrinsic flavor of the real world imperfection into the Disney kingdom. Too many marriages end up with arguments. Maybe the relationship was as perfect as Cinderella and the Prince’s, but what daily arguments actually ruin the sweetness? Or perfect marriage only lasts in the museum case? Although readers frequently seek an idealistic escape in fairytales, such sarcastic comments actually provide an insightful reflection over the real life conflicts. Compared to Sexton’s abrupt commentary, Bettelheim explores the symbolic interpretation of fairytales under logics. In the past, fairytales bring nothing more than happiness, spiritual fulfillment, and moments of relaxation. However, Bettelheim’s The Enchant of Fairytales connects the most straightforward stories to the sophistication of literature. Every character symbolizes a group of children; every adventure teaches a lesson; every journey leads to growth. Most importantly, through Bettelheim’s psychological analysis, the seemingly artificial explanation indeed collaborates into a well-developed theory. For example, Bettelheim interprets the deprivation of the cow as a turning point for Jack to â€Å"encounter the world† and â€Å"do it by himself.† Also, the symbolization â€Å"gold† as pure wealth, â€Å"golden eggs† as the importance of producing wealth, and â€Å"golden harp† as â€Å"beauty,† or â€Å"higher things in life† totally fascinate me. As a result, Bettelheim’s logical analysis overrides my impression from Disney; for the first time that I realize that fairytales can suggest more than dream, but the complete process of growth and maturity as well. In addition, Bettelheim’s theory about the quest into the woods in pursuit of success arouses my personal memory. As an international student, studying abroad itself simulates the adventure. Maybe I am the Hansel or Gretal who fights for survival? Or maybe I am the Jack who climbs into the sky for wealth, recognition, and maturity? Fairytales serve as a reminder of the dream. Undeniably, audience cherishes Disney stories for the vivid visualization of fairytale characters, the celebration of success, or a moment of relief. However, insightful comments in Sexton and Bettelheim also provide an alternative view: rather than stories for entertainment, fairytales open an encyclopedia that guides the path to maturity.

Bureaucracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bureaucracy - Essay Example These concepts include, hierarchy, jurisdictional competency, command and control, technical expertise, and system of rules, and written documentation. An organizational hierarchy is the â€Å"arrangement of the organization by level of authority† in reference to the ranks above and below it (Grimsley 2014, para. 6). This therefore implies that in bureaucracy, there is existence of certain levels of authority ranging from the top level management to the normal employees. For instance, in a company a sales marketing director is below the overall chief executive officer (C.E.O), at the same level with the advertising marketing director and above the secretary. Therefore, this system dictates that each level should answer to the rank above it with the ultimate leader of the company at the very top of the hierarchy. Jurisdictional competency is another key concept of bureaucracy. Fundamentally, huge roles are broken down into smaller and simpler tasks which are then assigned to employees throughout the organization. This division of labor across the organization enables employees to master the skills and details of repetitive duties thereby increasing efficiency. However, though the division of labor could be highly proficient, â€Å"it can lead to a number of harmful organizational pathologies† (Rockman 2013, para. 5). This implies that division of labor could at times turn out to be ineffective due to a number of reasons. For instance, employees can be unable to adequately respond to problems outside their areas of jurisdiction, and may approach them from their own perspective. This could lead to an overall destruction of the organization’s performance. Command and control is another key feature of bureaucracy that weber discussed. Due to the fact that a bureaucratic authority is organized hierarchically, â€Å"responsibility is taken at the top and delegated with decreasing discretion at the lower levels of the organization† (Rockman 2013, para.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN, SLAVERY, AND THE CIVIL WAR Essay - 3

ABRAHAM LINCOLN, SLAVERY, AND THE CIVIL WAR - Essay Example During his childhood, a bitter, disturbing, controversial argument over the right and wrong of slavery was waged. The church to which the Lincoln’s belonged abhorred slavery, although, the region had more than a thousand slaves; the Lincoln’s owned none. It s recorded that in 1809, 15 members of a church relocated due to the issues of slaveholding. This has been detested by a number of historians some claiming that it was because of economic reasons rather than antislavery beliefs. However, it should be made clear that Lincoln did not get to see a large number of black slaves until the year 1828 when he made his debut boat trip to New Orleans. A study of his life reveals congruence with societal transformations that were critical in shaping the future of America. The main question that characterized this period of transformation was if the United States could transform and grow with the system of slavery, or it had to be abolished; Abraham was branded as the great emancipator because of his efforts in trying to abolish the institution of slavery. In his campaigns to political office in 1858 and 1860, Lincoln’s stand against slavery resonated throughout his campaign speeches and debates. During this period, there was a lot of hostility between the Northern states and the Southern states; Free states against the pro-slavery states. This meant that one had to be either in support of one of the two camps. Lincoln’s childhood and Christian beliefs led him to support the anti-slavery camp, which was agitating for the abolition of the institution (Johnson 29). In the period characterizing the senate elections in 1858, there were a series of debates in the fall totaling to seven. The debates were held at various locations within the state of Illinois. The debates pitted Douglas against Lincoln in all the debates with sometimes a crowd of up to ten thousand listeners. The debates were termed as being of an unequal

London city Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

London city - Essay Example Its fast-paced growth and advancements helped to produce a community of arts and letters such as had not existed since the Anthens of the fifth century. London is the home of a cultural and educational institution that is clearly depicted by the numerous images around the city. It is a world-class international city like no other as it pulsates with energy of business, style and rich cultural history. It is the home to a wide range of famous and spectacular sceneries such as museums and art galleries that have been in existence ever since the ancient times. Besides this, London is also known for its strengths in the commerce, arts, entertainment, fashion, finance, tourism, transport, and other myriad number of traits Cvetkovic, 2013). The images found along the street are eminently vital as they portray the identity of its people structure and meaning. One of the most striking feature surrounding the London City are the existence of thatched houses which are currently being referred to as cottages. Although being a few in numbers, the thatched houses represent the ancient times where there had not been any advancements in terms of housing. The cottages are described as being small dwellings of traditional build as it was in the olden days. The materials for building a thatched house had caused an alarm as it posed a great threat because of the materials being prone to fire. It is with this profound reason that the government passed on a bill that required its citizens to adapt to brick houses. However, there are still a few thatched houses that have been specifically designed to resemble the traditional ones thereby signifying the culture and traditions of the Britain citizens. London Bridge is another scenario that has caught many eyed due to its magnificent beauty and location. London Bridge is one of the historic sites found in London city and was constructed in the

Cash Flow Statement Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cash Flow Statement Analysis - Essay Example 2012). Operating activities are the main activities of the business because they reflect the underlying health of the company. It reflects the money that comes into and leaves the firm that is associated with the ordinary activities of the company (Warren, et al. 2012). Based on the above analysis of operating activities of the five companies, it is clear that Emaar Properties PJSC is the best performing firm because it generates most of its income from its primary activities compared to the remaining four. This implies that Emaar Properties PJSC is putting more emphasis on its core activities than the other companies hence more income from operating activities. Additionally, it shows that the operating activities of the company are more vibrant than the other firms. At 63.72%, Emaar has a good performance because its primary activities generate more than half of the total revenue. The second company, Deyaar PJSC Development, also has a good performance because it generates most of its income from its core business activities. The third company, Drake & Scull International PJSC, is also performing well because it has a positive net cash flow from operating activities. The third and fourth positions are taken by Arabtec Holding PJSC and Al Mazaya Holding respectively. From the analysis, it is clear that all the companies are good investments and the investors will be willing to invest in any of them because they produce a net positive cash flow from operating activities (Kapil, 2011). This implies that all the companies are putting more emphasis in their core activities thus more income from operating activities. However, investors would prefer Emaar because it generates more cash from their core business activities. The net cash flows from investing activities largely reflects the amount of cash associated with the sale and purchase of long-term business investments (capital expenditures) like assets, property, securities and equipment. From the

Job Application Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Job Application - Personal Statement Example In other words, I know that I should be very discrete in choosing job openings I wish to pursue so I can be successful in my pursuit. Despite the immediate need of finances, I know that I should not jump to a job because it fills my pocket. I made it a point to make myself well-informed. I took the time to research on newspapers, advertising and company announcements. All these in consideration, I decided I would pursue a customer related position at _________________. Upon determining the job opening of my choice, I concentrated on finding out the details about the company. I researched on __________________'s reputation, how it has faired in the business world. I also predicted the fulfillment I will have with the position of interest. I also performed a SWOT analysis and compared it to the requirements of the job. It is shown as follows: After the preparations, I then wrote an application letter, prepared my resume and collected endorsement letters. The completion of the aforesaid documents for application was a long process. To be sure I observe the proper format; I consulted books and reputable sources online. I also asked the assistance of people I know. I made the effort to make my application documents impressive for I am aware that these are the first things an HR manager will base his impressions on. I I am now ready to be interviewed. Though I am not required to go to an interview, I still researched on the proper attire and the proper decorum that is expected of me in an interview. As I have assessed myself via the SWOT analysis, I am now fully aware of my value as a prospect employee and will convey this value in the interview. Even before the interview, I already have an idea of what I want to happen. With the end in mind, I will act accordingly. To further increase my chances of being hired, I will bring with me a portfolio of my achievements and previous work experience; and bring this portfolio up when the time is right. All things considered, it can be said that every employer wants something from every one of us. It is our goal to identify to them this certain something. As Hellen Keller once said, "We can do anything we want to do if we stick to it long enough". Thus, the secret of a successful job hunt is dedication and passion to one's

The Justice System Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Justice System - Research Paper Example This generally helps in creating a peaceful society as the people are ensured of justice. Premised on this fact, disputes in a society are settled in an amicable manner thus reducing the conflicts that might arise. Without the criminal and civil courts it’s impossible for the justice system to operate as the need for a body to resolve issues is part and parcel of the justice system. The civil and criminal courts form the judicial system that ensures citizens of any country live safely as well as in a civilized manner. A society cannot do without a judicial system that ensures justice is done. Criminal courts Criminal courts form part of the judicial system that seeks to enforce justice in a society. The idea of criminal courts came about due to the need for an institution to enforce the criminal laws coded in the different states of various countries. Some acts and omissions have been criminalized under the Tennessee Criminal Code and as such the Tennessee criminal courts are institutions that ensure that the criminal justice system is enforced as provided in the law. The criminal courts came about to regulate alleged, potential and actual criminal activities within the limits that have been put in place by the law so as to protect the citizen of a particular country from the wrongful treatment as well as protection from wrongful conviction. The two main reasons why the criminal courts exists is, thus, to first ensure that people are protected from harm of any wrong doer. Secondly, to ensure that the alleged wrong doers are not convicted for a wrong they did not commit (Brown 65). Therefore, the criminal courts serve justice to the victim of the wrong doing as well as to the wrongdoer himself. In many countries it is wrong for citizens to take the law into their hands. For example mob justice is an example of a situation where citizen take the law into their hands and decide on the punishment of the wrong doer. The criminal courts are put in place to avo id such situation where fairness and justice are not seen to be done. Many a time the alleged wrong doer might not be guilty and as such it is important to determine his or her guilt in a free and fair manner through a fair trial and hearing. I addition to giving the alleged wrong doer a fair trial the criminal courts came about to give justice to the person who has suffered harm as a result of the wrong doing. Thus the criminal courts have to balance the interests of both parties of the wrong doing and ensure that justice is done. The idea of criminal courts also came about so as to determine the exact punishment of a guilty person. Every criminal act is known as an offence and various countries have provided for it in their status. Further for every offence provided the there is a punishment and in most cases the punishment provides for a fine not exceeding a particular amount or for a jail sentence not exceeding a particular number of years. This means that there is need to be a system that determines the specific amount of fine or number of years for a jail term. An example is where the Criminal Code of Tennessee provides that a person who commits Class A felony is to be jailed for a term not less than (15) years or more than sixty (60) years imprisonment. In addition to this, the code further provided that the jury may assess a fine not to exceed fifty thousand dollars ($50,000). In such a case there is need for a criminal court which determines the gravity

The differences between reading content area material and literature Essay

The differences between reading content area material and literature - Essay Example The reading of the content areas is mainly divided into three parts. The students draw upon a prior experience or knowledge about the text, during reading they identify with the text and after reading they make interpretations. The strategies of the teacher depend on the activities of the students. (Literacy matters, n.d.). The appropriate strategies of the teachers are as follows: The content materials have a different structure than the other varieties of texts. If the preview of the structure is provided to the students beforehand with headings and sub-headings, pictures and captions then it will benefit the students to understand the nature of the text beforehand. A teacher can discuss these features before beginning starting the lesson. Before starting a new lesson, it will be beneficial for the students if the teachers give an idea of the concepts present in the lesson. The teachers should enquire the students about their knowledge of the subject, which will help in the flow of teaching. Various techniques like the Concept mapping can be used to know the prior knowledge of the students about the subject. The content readings have a high level of vocabulary, which has to be made familiar to the students. The meaning of the new words should be clearly explained to the students. (Abromitis, 28th July, 2009). Reading literature is of great importance because it is through reading of literature that the student learns to view the thoughts and actions of the character compassionately. It develops a sense of emotion in the minds of the reader. Therefore, reading of literature is of utmost importance. The appropriate strategies of teaching literature are as follows: The teachers may teach the whole literature through creating mini lessons about the text. It will be easier for the students to relate to the bigger picture and form a generalized idea about the text. This strategy is helpful for both the

Wal-Mart and Union Representation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wal-Mart and Union Representation - Essay Example Advantages: Some of most considerable advantages that Wal-Mart can get while being represented by unions include better working conditions, increased number of benefits, good compensation, and secure place in the market. Wal-Mart can struggle for these benefits with the help of unions. Almost every retailer wants better working conditions not only to operate effectively but also to earn high revenue. Efficient supply chain, better relationships with suppliers, security of supply, and improved compliance are some of the main aspects of good working conditions for retailers. Along with these benefits, Wal-Mart can also raise its voice for good compensation and secure place in the market under the umbrella of unions. Working alone in foreign countries can be risky for Wal-Mart because there will be no one to support the business moves in case of any change in the economic policy. Therefore, in working with unions, Wal-Mart can achieve the above-mentioned benefits for its retail stores present in C hina and Canada. Disadvantages The capacity to accommodate economic strikes is one of the main disadvantages of union representation. Another disadvantage can be the rules, which people have to abide by under the representation of unions. Apart from these disadvantages, there is no big disadvantage of union representation for Wal-Mart.... cant benefits, which unions can provide to the employees, include increased wages, reduction in wage inequality, better way to raise voice against discrimination, job security, better fringe and health benefits, and improved working conditions. Almost every employee working for any company or organization wants increase in the wages and job security. Union representation is a perfect way for the employees to achieve these goals. Unions work for the favor of employees and do everything, which can secure their professional future. Strong labor unions set the pay scales for the employees, which employers need to follow in order to avoid conflicts. The collective bargaining power of unions also protects employees from being dismissed without any mistake (Blank, n.d.). Unions not only help employees get fringe and heath benefits from the employers but also they raise their voice in order to convince governments to develop policies regarding reduction in wage differences and workplace disc riminations. Workers represented by unions get their basic rights and benefits regardless of their race, sex, or religion. Therefore, we can say that unions really help employees get a considerable number of benefits. The disadvantages of unions for employees are not big enough to overshadow the benefits of unions. Some of the main disadvantages include limited workplace flexibility and limitations to adhere to the plans of the unions. Answer: no: 3 Wal-Mart tends to slow or stop union representation in the United States. The consequences of Wal-Mart’s efforts can be detrimental both for Wal-Mart and for the employees working in the United States. The consequences for Wal-Mart can be poor working conditions, decreased number of benefits, and insecure place in the market in case of

Inaugural speech Essay Example for Free

Inaugural speech Essay In the history of the United States, it has been a tradition that the President, makes an inaugural speech, when he begins his Presidential term. The first such inaugural speech was made by George Washington, on 30 April 1789. (Halsall Paul ). This essay makes an in-depth rhetorical analysis of one of the historic and important inaugural addresses- he one made by President John F. Kennedy, in 1961. He was he thirty-fifth President of The Unites States, and the youngest President to assume this prestigious office. He was the youngest president to die also. He graduated from Harvard University, and spent many years in the US navy. He was a very good writer also, and before assuming the Presidency, he was awarded the prestigious Pulitzer prize in history. ( John Kennedy) His education gave him the vision of a strong America striving for global peace, his naval background gave him the daunting spirit of challenging the enemy and his literal excellence helped in drafting an memorable inaugural speech in the history of the United States. His background is strongly reflected in his inaugural speech. This inaugural speech was delivered when world was at a very important juncture in its history. The dark clouds of the second world war had already vanished, the equations of power had changed, Germany and Japan were lying low, but USSR had risen to the level of a strong super power, always threatening the super power status of the USA. Great Britain, France, and China were as good as neutral not wanting to confront with either of the super powers. Both USA and USSR equated the power balance in such a way that neither can make an advancement. The rest of the world heavily relied on the aid of these to nations, to survive and sustain themselves. Globalization was an unheard word and each nation had its own independent economy. Markets of each nation were closed to foreigners. The cold war between the USA and the USSR for supremacy had just begun, when President John Kennedy made this address. In a narrow context this speech is intended for the Congress of the USA. However, in the broader context, President Kennedy wishes to address the Population of America, southern America in particular, because he takes the pain to make a special mention of them in his speech, and assures them justice and equality. The canvas of his speech is even larger, and crosses the boundaries of the United States. He seems to be addressing the entire population of this world. He cautions the strong nations to exercise restraint and assures help to he weaker ones to develop themselves. The government of the USSR is a special target of this speech. In a polite yet very stern and firm way, he extends an indirect warning to the USSR, to be cautious in their dealings with international affairs. President Kennedy intends to give three clear messages in his speech. One, he stresses on the freedom of every human being. He speaks of freedom not only at national level within the United States, but to all human beings. He clearly communicates his mind in one sentence, â€Å"And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe—the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God. † Undoubtedly, Kennedy firmly believes that freedom is a basic right of human being, not given by the state, but by God. In other words, all men are born free and no state has any right to deny this basic right to anyone. He shows his commitment to this freedom to the natives of southern states, which have experienced a past full of cruelty and brutality. The second point he makes is on the subject of peace and aid to the weaker nations. Both at national level and at international level. â€Å" To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support—to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective—to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak—and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run†, (John F. Kennedy ) he remarks on the subject of international peace and says that. â€Å" To those peoples in the huts and villages across the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required—not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. † ( John F. Kennedy ). On the subject of helping the weaker countries. His third point is a proposal to the ‘adversaries’ of the USA, namely, USSR, to strive for mutual co- operation which can benefit both he nations and the entire humanity. â€Å"Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction. † ( John F. Kennedy ) He remarks. This speech has two important undercurrents. President Kennedy, though very polite, is fully confident. His confidence is evident from one sentence of his speech. â€Å"And let every other power know that this Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house. † (John F. Kennedy). Second, while proposing mutual co-operation to the adversaries, he also indicates at some amount of suspicion towards their intentions. This is evident from the statement, â€Å"remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof â€Å". ( John F.Kennedy ). The structure of this speech is also very strong and has a natural flow. Beginning with the issue of freedom of Liberty and of all human beings, he switches over to the issue of helping the weaker sections of the American society and the poor nations of this world. He then makes a brief mention of the UN, and pledges American support in its endeavors. Quite surprisingly, a major portion of his speech is devoted to the issue of mutual co-operation between the two super powers. It is a clear indication of the importance Kennedy gave to this subject. But, the big question is, did this subject deserve that much of priority in the prevailing international scenario at that time? This should be a topic for historians to research into. He also reminds the citizens, with an authoritative tone, that they also need to fulfill their duties towards the nation. † From the linguistic point of view, this speech is just a master-piece of careful craftsmanship. It is not a very simple and a direct speech. The exterior gloss of politeness is filled with undercurrents of self-confidence and suspicion towards the attitudes and intentions of others. Figures of speech, namely repetition and metaphor are freely used throughout the speech, act as an ornament. One of his statements in this speech has become very famous, and will be remembered by all. This is, â€Å" And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. † ( John F. Kennedy ) President Kennedy fully succeeds in communicating the three main messages which he intends to pass over. He succeeds because of his style. A style which has nothing new to say, yet everything is new. The word ‘peace’ has great force to attract masses of humanity, and Kennedy has used this word very effectively in his speech. His commitment to peace and self pride for his nation, were, perhaps the reasons for his immense popularity, not within America but around the world. So powerful is the impact of his speech, that it can be safely concluded that Kennedy delivered this address not as the President of USA but as an international leader, to an international community. References : 1. Halsall Paul, [July 1998], History of inaugural addresses, Retrieved on 29 Sept 07 from: http://www. fordham. edu/halsall/mod/presidents-inaugurals. html 2. John Kennedy, The White House, Retrieved on 29 Sept 07 from: http://www. whitehouse. gov/history/presidents/jk35. html 3. Burton Grideon O. , Basic questions for rhetorical analysis, Brigham Young University, Retrieved on 29 September 2007 from: http://rhetoric. byu. edu/Pedagogy/Rhetorical%20Analysis%20heuristic. htm 4. John F. Kennedy, [ 20 February 1961] Inaugural address, Retrieved on 29 September 07 from: http://www. bartleby. com/124/pres56. html .

Analysis Of Marketing Mix

Analysis Of Marketing Mix We took up Amul Ice Cream as a product for our study and analysis. The project basic objective was to acquire a deeper understanding of the product and apply the concepts related to marketing mix, 4Ps of marketing and the consumer behavior as learnt in the course. The project was studied in three parts: Marketing mix of Amul Ice cream Study of the consumer behavior with the help of a structured questionnaire Marketing mix of two main competitors; Kwality Walls and Mother Dairy, suggestions and foresight about Amul Ice Creams In the first part, we studied the marketing mix of Amul ice cream which was further divided into four parts: Product, Price, Place and Promotion. MAIN CONTENTS Note: all corrections/additions/reasons in lieu of corrections are done below the remarks itself. SESSION 1 Marketing Mix of Amul Ice cream Amul Ice Cream was launched on 10th March, 1996 in Gujarat. It was launched on the platform of Real Milk. Real Ice Cream given that it is a milk company and the wholesomeness of its products gives it a competitive advantage. In 1997, Amul ice creams entered Mumbai followed by Chennai in 1998 and Kolkata and Delhi in 2002. Nationally it was rolled out across the country in 1999. It has combated competition from the established players like Walls, Mother Dairy and achieved the No 1 position in the country. This position was achieved in 2001 and it has continued to remain at the top. Today the market share of Amul ice cream is 38% as against the 9% market share of HLL, thus making it 4 times larger than its closest competitor. Product Amul has added a vast variety of flavours to its ever growing range. Currently it offers a selection of 220 products. Amul has always brought newness in its products and the same applies for ice creams. The broad heads under which Amul markets its ice creams are as follows: Royal treat range (rajbhog, cappuccino, chocochips, butterscotch, tutti frutti) Nut-o-mania range (kaju draksh, kesar pista, roasted almond, kesar carnival, badshahi badam kulfi, shista pista kulfi) Utsav range (anjir, roasted almond) Simply delicious range (vanilla, strawberry, pineapple, rose, chocolate) Natures treat (alphonso mango, fresh litchi, anjir, fresh strawberry, black current) Sundae range (mango, black current, chocolate, strawberry) Millennium ice cream (cheese with almonds, dates with honey) Milk bars (chocobar, mango dolly, raspberry dolly, shahi badam kulfi, shahi pista kulfi, mawa malai kulfi cream, green pista kulfi) Cool candies (orange, mango), Cassatta, Tricone cones (butterscotch, chocolate), megabite-almond cone), Frostik 3 layer chocolate bar, Fundoo range exclusively for kids, Slimscoop fat free frozen dessert (vanilla, banana, mango, pineapple), Health Isabcool In January 2007, Amul introduced SUGAR FREE ProLife Probiotic Wellness Ice Cream, which was a first in India. This range of SUGAR FREE, LOW FAT Diabetic Delight ProLife Probiotic Wellness Ice Cream is created for the health conscious. Price Amul has managed to stay ahead of its competitors by providing quality products at competitive prices, maximizing customer value. Amul followed the penetration pricing strategy and entered the market with prices much less than the leader in the market kwality Walls. This helped Amul in achieving great success at the start. Amul also captured a lot of the lower end untapped market due to its pricing strategy and gradually acquired a market share of 12-15% in the first few years. The pricing has been a major advantage of the brand. Following Amul, other players lowered their prices consequent to which Amul now follows a competitive pricing as its major strategy. Range of price minimum and maximum? Amul frostiks start from Rs 10 and go upto Rs. 20. The prolife pro-biotic icecream is priced at Rs. 15 for 125 ml. the super saver take away packs start from as low as Rs.110 for 2 litre whereas catering the higher end, exotica range starts from Rs. 120 per litre brick and extends upto Rs. 160 for different flavours. Place Ice cream, being a perishable item, it is very important to have a good distribution channel. Amuls head office is at Anand. The entire market is divided into 5 zones. The zonal offices are located at Ahmadabad, Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai. Moreover there are 49 Depots located across the country and Amul caters to 13 Export markets also. Amul follows four marketing channels to distribute its ice creams. Level Zero also called direct marketing channel consists of a manufacturer selling directly to the final customers how? Amul has entered into direct retailing through Amul Utterly Delicious parlours created in major cities Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Baroda, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Surat. These parlours surpass the regular softy and ice-cream scoop offering joints in terms of popularity and look set to give the more established ice cream brands in the cities a run for their money. In these parlours, icecream is stored and transported in a frozen condition (- 28o centigrade or below). They also keep frozen pizzas and frozen paneer. Level One contains one selling intermediary such as retailer to the final customers Level Two has two intermediaries typically distributor and the retailer Level Three comprises the distributor, retailer with the jobber in between Promotion Amul doesnt follow an aggressive marketing strategy for its ice creams. In the beginning, TV commercials for products such as amul tricone, real milk ice cream, frostik and premium ice cream were seen frequently. However these commercials cannot be spotted now. Instead the company prefers a more direct approach to sales promotion strategy. Offers such as super saver packs, one plus one and the likes are often given to lure the consumers into buying. Apart from these, Amul Company as a whole with its advertising partner FCB-ULKA puts up its hoardings which are famous for their satirical take on current happenings, for its complete basket of products including ice cream. The main reason for Amul retaining its dominant position in the market despite a conservative marketing strategy is because all the market players in this product category follow the same kind of strategy, i.e. minimal exposure to electronic media and high on sales promotion technique. In such a scenario Amul has been successful in creating a niche for itself. Amuls entry into ice creams is regarded as successful due to the large market share it was able to capture within a short period of time. The differential pricing, quality of products and of course, the brand name made this possible. SESSION 2 Consumer Buying Behavior We studied the marketing mix of Amul ice creams. Now well study and analyze the behavior in terms of consumers decision making process and factors affecting their buying behavior. Consumer behavior is how individuals, groups, and organizations select, buy, use and dispose of goods, services and ideas to satisfy their needs and wants. Consumer passes through five stages in buying a product: Need Identification Information Search Evaluation of Alternatives Purchase of Product After Sales Service Consumers dont always pass through all the above stages while making a purchase. For many of products (mostly perishable), the kind of involvement in the buying process is low. Consumers tend to do a lot of brand switching for the sake of variety and novelty. While buying a regular brand of ice cream, one goes directly from the need for ice-cream to the purchase decision skipping information search and evaluation. Even if they are present, the time given to each of these is negligible as compared to other stages. This is very important part of consumer buying behavior which in turn affects the factors affecting the consumer behavior. If one is loyal to one brand he will repeatedly purchase that brand and flavor. However if one doesnt find that product, he is very likely to switch to other available brands without much effort and may start liking it. Factors affecting the consumer behavior: Various types of factors which affect the consumer behavior and lead them towards a particular ice-cream brand are as follows: Product specifications, variety, price range, promotion strategies, and availability of product (which forms an integral part in case of variety seeking products) Reference groups (family, friends , media etc) and their effect on choices Knowledge of other brands existing in the market and their positioning in the minds of the consumers Demographics age, gender, income group Situational occasions where a consumer buys a product Involvement in buying the product in terms of frequency of purchase Studying the consumer behavior: In the survey conducted, (sample size=60) well first do a general analysis studying the market and Amul ice-creams position in it. In second part of the analysis, well see how different age groups may behave differently in consuming ice cream. Methodology: Samples for the study consisted of people from the age group of 18-40. Samples were taken randomly where a structured questionnaire was mailed to the people and their responses recorded. The questionnaire had the following dimensions: Demographics of the respondents such as age, income group, occupation, gender Knowledge/awareness about the various brands available in the market Frequency of purchase of ice cream, place of purchase, price preferences, reference groups, Favorite brands vis-Ã  -vis Amul in terms of ratings on the features of the product. Sample size: 60 respondents from the target population were approached to fill in the questionnaire. Result and discussion: The decision in buying ice cream is influenced by many factors such as taste, availability, pricing, packaging, variety of the product, occasions and mood and so on. Results of the data analysis will be studied in two parts: An overall analysis of all the factors. A comparative analysis of the age groups to analyze the difference in their behavior due to different age. Overall analysis: Demographics of the respondents: Data was collected with respect to four demographics of the sample; age, gender, income groups and occupation. Based on the analysis, it was observed that 68% of respondents were in the age group 18-24 and 32% in the age group 25-40. One third of the respondents were females. More than 50% of the samples were students owing to which the income range of less than 50000 Rs. bears the highest percentage in the income distribution. The following pie charts show the age, and income group distribution of the sample: Consumer behavior with respect to frequency of purchase and the occasions/moods leading the buying towards buying ice creams: The frequency of purchasing of ice creams is high. 7% and 35% of the respondents buy ice cream on a daily and weekly basis respectively. This implies that buying frequency for ice creams is fairly high. This influences the level of involvement in looking for the alternatives each time the buyer consumes an ice-cream. The consumer is more or less habitual own interpretation? in purchasing the ice cream due to which the 2 steps in buying behavior become redundant as already mentioned earlier. By habitual, we mean routine to be more precise. This can be seen in the following pie-chart which shows the frequency of purchase. Restating the data, 7% of the respondents are buying on a daily basis and 35% are doing so weekly. In terms of mood in buying, people generally buy ice-cream without any reason when buying very frequently. If they buy occasionally then the occasions on which buying is carried out on the occasions as given below: The samples are equally distributed over the occasions such as birthday, marriage, family outing, hanging out with friends, or part with the % of people consuming it with friends dominating the others. As far as choosing the flavor/brand of ice-cream is concerned, over 93% choose the flavor/brand themselves. It can be inferred that the influence of family and friends in choosing the ice-cream is very low and people go by their own choices while buying it. 5% of the people eat ice-cream flavors as decided by the family which may be the case when one is buying bricks of ice-cream. Rest 2% constitutes people who go by the friends choice in choosing the flavor/brand. Place of purchase and importance attached to packaging: More than 50% of the consumers buy ice cream from the corner shop of their colony. It signifies the importance of distribution channels and the kind of availability they need to have to maintain to create a position in the market. If they go out of stock they are at the risk of losing their customers to other competitors. The data infers that availability of Ice-creams are high in round the corner shop and Super markets whereas Malls may afford to go loose on all time availability. Regarding the packaging, 93% place importance on the packaging of the ice-cream which again makes it important for the brands to have a very attractive packaging in order to attract the consumers. Factors forming an important consideration for trying a new product/flavor: There are various factors which lead to trying out a new product launched in the market and make repeated purchases. The following pie diagram shows the constitution of various factors that may lead to trying out and repeated a new flavor, brand or product: It can be seen that taste forms the most important factor leading to buying of ice cream which is placed higher than the brand name also. It reemphasizes the fact that brand name of the ice-cream is not the most important. If the consumer likes the taste of other product, one may shift to the other brand. The 2nd most important factor is advertising. Ice-cream brands are generally low on their promotional strategies. However the importance of advertising with consumers is easily visible in the survey. For one fourth of the people, advertising is the force which leads them towards an ice-cream product. Most of the advertising for Ice-creams comes through billboards and hoardings and here Amul as a brand scores over others as the brand awareness of Amul is one the best. 2. Comparison of consumers favorite ice-cream and Amul ice-cream on various attributes: We asked our sample to rate their favorite ice-cream vis a vis Amul ice-cream on various attributes such as taste, packaging, price , variety and availability on a scale of 5 where 1 was the worst and 5 was the best (out of total samples 13 rated Amul as their favorite ice-cream also which is roughly 21% of the total samples). A comparative chart of the same is given below: Studying the parameters: Taste: People rate their favorite ice-cream as approx 3.7 (average of all the samples collected) whereas rate the Amul ice-cream as approx. 3.1. And as we saw that taste is the most important factor in determining the choice of consumers, how you can conclude this? Graph shows that Amul ice cream is lagging behind in this attribute to quite a large extent as compared to other factors. In the previous question, we had asked the consumers about the factors which would lead them to try out a new product/flavour/brand. The response was in favour of taste with over 50% of the respondents going for the same. We took five parameters in that question and weve taken the same in the rating scale also. So using the data from above, weve concluded that from these five factors, taste is the highest influence in making the choice for ice cream. Packaging: Favorite ice-cream stands at an average of approx 3.4 as against Amul ice cream which stands at 2.9. The company needs to work on its packaging also in order to attract the consumers. Price: Amul ice cream fairs slight better than the consumers favorite ice-cream. This is obvious as Amul is known for its lower range products. Kwality-walls among the other brands are known for slightly higher prices. Amul has been doing well on this front. Variety: Favorite ice-cream is rated at 3.4 Vis a Vis Amul rated at 2.8 on this parameter. Though Amul offers a wide range of products, but maybe people are not aware about the variety of the Amul ice-creams. Amul needs to create awareness among the consumers on this front. Availability: On the parameter of availability, people rate their favorite ice-cream as approx. 3.4 and Amul as 2.9. Amul has to ensure that it never goes out of stock due to the nature of buying behavior of the product. Awareness about other brands existing in the market: People are well aware about the brands in the market. Among the top 3 brands mentioned by the consumers, Amul and Kwality-walls feature the most among the two. For the 1st preference, Kwality-walls overtake the awareness whereas for the 2nd choice Kwality-walls and Amul stand at an equal rating. This is important from the point of view of Amul as the people who are variety seeking will switch over easily to the other brands if they are not happy with Amul. Among the brands that are well known to the customers, Amul, Kwality-walls and mother dairy are the most sought after brands. Other than these regulars brands, there are other brands such as Vadilal, havmor, Baskin Robbins, creambell, and others which constitute a small share in the market in terms of awareness level. Analysis with taking age, income (demographics) as the distinguishing factors: For analyzing the difference in factors leading to buying behavior due to difference in age, we have already divided the samples into 2 age groups 18-24 and 24-40 years. Frequency of purchase: Following is a chart depicting the total sample of people on the parameter of frequency of purchase divided age wise: It is clearly visible that 18-24 years consume ice-cream more frequently than the people in the age group of 25-40 years. 57% of people in the age group of 25-40 consume ice-cream occasionally which is only 31% in the case of the lower age group. On the other hand, the combined % of people consuming ice-cream on a weekly or daily basis for 24-40 year age group is only 25% as against 48% in case of 18-24 year olds with weekly consumption leading for the same. Factors consuming new ice cream product, brand or flavor: It can be observed from the above table that number of people preferring taste is much higher in case of 18-24 year olds. Also people in the age group of 24-40 years dont consider packaging or cheaper price as a leading factor while considering a new product. This is an important observation as Amul mainly sells on the lower price strategy. If it is offering a lower priced product, it needs to work on packaging as large numbers of people give importance to packaging in this group (also shown in the following chat). However it may or may not work so much on packaging if it is introducing a new product/flavor in the higher end markets. Willingness to buy sugar free ice cream at a higher price: To determine the level of health consciousness of the people and their willingness to buy the ice cream at a higher price if available, the data was collected, representation of which is given below: 70% of the people were not willing to buy the sugar free ice-cream at a higher price. This can be due to 2 factors: always better to ask from the respondents people are less health conscious people are price sensitive The options given to determine the same would not have been exhaustive. Possible the open-ended question wouldnt have been of much use. But yes, it is certainly better to ask from the respondents and due care would be taken next time. To further judge this, we distributed this data age wise to which how many people in which age group are willing to buy the ice-cream at a higher price. The representation of the findings is given below: In case of people in the age 25-40 years, over 42% of the people are willing to buy the sugar free ice cream if available at a higher price. However this falls to 32% In case of the age group 18-24 years. This can be again attributed to 2 factors: People in the lower age group are less health conscious or they are earning less so they are price sensitive or both. People in the higher age group are more health conscious or they are earning more so they can afford higher prices. Miscellaneous remarks about Amul ice creams: (optional in the survey) Amul is my favorite brand but more chocolate varieties are possible using different caramels and nuts. Its like since childhood I have an image that Kwality Walls is the best ice cream. Amul and Mother Dairy are my second best. They should come out with some good advertising campaigns for their ice creams and should really try out the social media to market their brand. It is good, but sometimes some flavors are out of market, especially mango flavor. The Amul ice cream should be readily available and the variety should be more. Also the marketing is very poor we do not see much. Amul seems to be a brand for common men the middle class, very well placed to cater to middle class people the biggest chunk of Indian populationalthough not very popular among the higher class These remarks about Amul ice cream highlight the fact that we have been saying all throughout out analysis. The variety in some products of Amul is not at par with the other brands or the needs of the consumers. The availability is on a lower side due to which some of the samples complained of the brand getting out of stock. Also the level of awareness of the ice creams of Amul among the consumers is very less due to which it suffers a lot. Amul needs to go aggressive on its promotion strategies so that it can expand its market share and perform well. Conclusion: From the above survey, we can conclude that major factors affecting Consumer behavior are Taste, Price, Packaging, Brand Perception and occasion. As Ice-cream is a variety seeking product, therefore the availability of Amul Ice-cream has a major impact on the actual consumption by the consumers and since Amul is very close to the market leader Kwality-walls. It has to take care of availability especially at round the corner stores and super markets where the sales of Ice-cream are maximum. Taste is considered the most important factor in determining the consumer behavior as per the survey. Amul Ice-cream is lagging behind in Taste as per the consumer perception when compared to Market leader. Attitude of the consumer is favorable towards Amul Ice cream and this can be seen through the comparative analysis of different brands in the market. Part of it can be attributed to Amuls brand perception across all the product categories countrywide. There is no significant difference in behavior towards purchasing Ice cream based on gender but the younger age group prefers to eat ice cream more than their older counterparts. Since most of the younger age group also falls in relatively lower income group, this shows the higher consumption trends by low income group in survey.