Psychological Definitions of Abnormal Behavior Essay Example for Free

Psychological Definitions of Abnormal Behavior Essay According to the science of psychology one’s behavior needs to follow a certain criteria in order to be deemed â€Å"normal†. If one’s behavior does not match the criteria, their behavior is seen as undesirable and wrong (requires change). For this physiologists need to be able to view a person’s behavior and be able to tell the difference between normal and abnormal. Whilst defining the â€Å"normality† of ones behavior physiologists need to be careful to remain objective and as free of any bias as possible, furthermore their experiment to determine ones behavior needs to be repeatable and reliable. In order to do this psychologists often consults the characteristics of ideal mental health proposed by Marie Jahoda in 1958. Marie Jahoda proposed 6 different characteristics for ideal mental health after surveying different doctors and psychologists; this is the list she came up with: * Positive self esteem and a strong sense of identity * Personal growth and development * Ability to cope with stressful situations (integration) * Autonomy and independence * Accurate perception of reality * Successful mastery of the environment, particularly relationships. Jahoda argued that if one does not meet these criteria then ones behavior can be deemed abnormal as a result of an existing problem. This in my opinion provides a strong applicable foundation for the determination of ones â€Å"normality† of behavior. However the problem with Jahoda’s ideal mental health scheme is the fact that the results obtained rely solely on the observer’s judgment, therefore presenting a inevitable bias not to mention the fact that no person can truly ever meet all of the suggested criteria. This mean that according to Jahoda every person is abnormal. Another way to look for abnormal behavior for psychologists is to find deviation form the social norm (majority). This is done by observing ones actions in public and seeing how normal it is. For example if you see someone wearing a bikini/swim trunks whilst walking around a supermarket, his or her behavior would be deemed as abnormal. The limitations of observing behavior in this manor lay in the fact that different cultures have different norms. Not to mention the fact that in any given culture norms evolve. What may have once been acceptable in the 80’s is not necessarily acceptable today. Abnormality of one’s behavior can also be monitored by looking at its statistical frequency. Meaning how common ones behavior is when compared to the rest of the public. If one’s behavior is shared by many it is deemed common and therefore â€Å"normal†, however if ones behavior is uncommon or rare, it is deemed abnormal. For example one may say that an individual who has an IQ below or above the average level of IQ in society is abnormal. The problem with this system is the fact that, it does not account for the desirability of the given behavior. In other words this system claims that both low and high IQ’s are an abnormality that need to be treated. Physiologists and others interested in â€Å"normality†, look over at ones behavior to see how well they can function. If one is unable to function adequately they are deemed abnormal. In order to determine how well one functions, psychologists consult Rosenhan and Seligman’s list of characteristics that define abnormality (1989). Rosenhan and Seligman argued that in order to classify someone as â€Å"inadequate in life† they must meet several of the characteristics as a pose to only one. This is their list: * Suffering * Maladaptiveness (danger to self) * Vividness unconventionality (stands out) * Unpredictably loss of control * Irrationality/incomprehensibility * Causes observer discomfort * Violates moral/social standards The possible limitation to Rosenhan and Seligman’s list of characteristics is the fact that â€Å"normal† people engage in activates which are potentially harmful like drinking or smoking, these people are not classed as abnormal. It is very difficult to classify behavior as to date no scheme to do so exists, which is perfect. Physiologists must tread carefully when labeling one with a disorder. Bias will always be present in one form or another, however the results can be deemed reliable if practicing psychologists consult multiple schemes in order to have a better chance of an accurate diagnosis. Bibliography * Class handout â€Å"abnormal?† Mrs campion. * DefiningAbnormality. AS Psychology /. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. http://as-psychology.pbworks.com/w/page/9174252/DefiningAbnormality. * Abnormal Psychology. Abnormal Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. http://www.simplypsychology.org/abnormal-psychology.html.

Case Study Chinese Automobile Industry

Case Study Chinese Automobile Industry A Car can be a vehicle which could be used for passengers or for transporting goods from one place to another like a truck or pick-up. A car which carries passengers normally has four wheels and is run through engines. The past of chinas automobiles could be related back to improvements which could be easily measured technical development in Europe. Recently, the automobile is the most important way of personal transportation for millions of people around the world, particularly in countries where people rely on their cars for passenger transportation from one place to another and trucks to travel to and from work, to transport goods, and sometimes only to travel. The increased number of automobiles that are produced and sold has made the automobile industry a global giant. Automobiles are sold all over the world. In many years it has being Germany, Japan and the United States that has dominated the global market share, but this has changed. There is a progressive and sustained increase in customers purchase of inexpensive automobiles globally. In the last past years, there has been global economic crisis and therefore people are getting more aware in purchase of automobiles. People are looking out for more features with lower affordable price. These factors have paved way for automotive industries of many developing countries to compete on different factors ranging from price to technology. Chinese market is known and famous all over the world for less price of its products. Chinas automobile industry has rapidly grown in recent years; the most important reason for the growth is cheap availability of labour. The labour in this industry receives salaries roughly $240 a month. It can also be calculated or said in another way as $1.50 an hour, related to $30 for working an hour in Germany and also related to $5 for working an hour in Poland. There are strong direction pressures for laborers to stay in line. Its research and development costs are minimal because designs are borrowed or copied from foreign firms. This implies that in China there are no independent workers who work on their own without any supervision which is an excellent attribute related to chinas automobile industry The history of the Chinese automobile industry is quiet interesting. The first truck in China was made by Zhang Xueliang in 1931 called Ming sheng. Yang hucheng, general from China, patronized Chinese inventor Tang Zhonming to manufacture an automobile which is coal fuelled. The first milestone in the Chinese automobile industry took place with the First Automobile Works, which was the first modern automobile factory in China. China produced its first 2 Â ½ ton truck (NJ130), which was based on Russian GAZ-51 in Nanjing. The truck was named Yuejin (meaning leap forward) by Chinas first Ministry of Industrial Machinery. In the late 1950s and 60s several automobile factories were set-up in different places in China like Nanjing automobile (Group) Corporation in Nanjing, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation in Shanghai,China National Heavy Duty Truck Group in Jinan, and Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corporation in Beijing. Later Second Automobile Works or Dongfeng Motor Corpo ration was founded. In the 1980s, overseas automotive industries started collaborating and tried to establish strong relationships with Chinese partners itself. The objective of the management was to expand a car industry as soon as possible and make it a profitable. Volkswagen and General Motors were the debut teams to start with the automotive industry. The main important thing is that there were barriers to entry in such kind of industry. In 1983, American Motors Corporation (AMC, later acquired by Chrysler Corporation) signed a 20-year contract to produce their Jeep-model vehicles in Beijing. The following year, Germanys Volkswagen signed a 25-year contract to make passenger cars in Shanghai, and Frances Peugeot agreed to another passenger car project to make vehicles in the prosperous southern city of Guangzhou. As a result there were three big joint ventures and three small joint ventures: 1) Beijing Automotive Industry had a joint venture with Hyundai Motor and Daimler Chrysler producing Jeep Cherokee 2) Ghauagzou Automobile Industry Group had partnership with Peugeot for producing Peugeot 504 range of cars. However in 1990s it was replaced by Honda for producing Accord and Fit with huge success. And then after 36 years, it began to produce cars which were a huge success specially the SE model of Toyota Camry. Making Guangdong province is now the main unit of producing cars for brands like Toyota, Nissan e.t.c 3) Tianjin Automotive Industry made its partnership with Daihatsu for producing Daihatsu Charade range of cars. After 1990s several automobile enterprises entered Chinese Automobile Industry as it was profitable to produce vehicles in China as the cost of producing a vehicle in China was less. Some originated from old Chinese defense companies Changhe and Hafei while others from the aged state owned companies like BYD auto, Brilliance China Auto, Chery Automobile, and Changfeng Automobile. Some private Companies were also formed like Geely Automobile and Great Wall Motors. Conclusion The growth of such type of an industry varies mainly on the type of industry structure it is. Since China tries to ignore old traditions, they mostly prefer new modern technologies in making cars which are the best overall which also includes quality cars, china tries to follow or copy other countries, knowledge must either be imported or developed by the Chinese automotive companies. This knowledge can be gained with the help of mergers and acquisition and joint ventures. MARKET STRUCTURE The market structure of the Chinese automobile industry is of perfect competition. Nevertheless the Chinese government is controlling and regulates everything on the Chinese market and in China the amount of car manufactories is outstanding. Today there are more than eightieth Chinese car manufactories. The majority of these are smaller companies that are struggling and attempting to get recognized in the global market. For that reason it results in a very high competitive market. Up to now the majority of these companies are quite unknown overseas, therefore the Shanghai Automotive Industries Corporation also known as SAIC and the Nanjing Automobile decided to build normal and typical design, so the production process and the sales management of these companies will for this reason obtain an increase of the export rate of Chinese cars. The major governmental department is the National Development and Reform Commission. But there are more than a few governmental departments that regulates the Chinese automobile industry. These minor governmental departments have their rights but they are limited. The automobile industry development policies in China are managed and organized by The National Developments and Reform Commission, also called NDRC. The make and emends these policies, but only carry out a small number of changes every year. The Sino-foreign joint ventures were established, so that the car manufactories have to request and get authorization by NDRC. They do not only have responsibility of administration the new energy car manufactures, but also of the recalls of the cars products with detectives. Administration of the sales of the vehicle brands and license of import of automotive products are managed and organized by The Ministry of Commerce also known as MOFCOM. The registrations of vehicle management enterprises are complete by the State Administration for Industry Commerce also known as SAIC. This is not only their occupation, they also have to verify and approve the business possibility of vehicles sales enterprises. And the also have to administrated the vehicles brand sales. The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, also called AQSIQ. They are the ones who will check the recalled defective vehicles, so they can gain knowledge of what went wrong, and with this improve the products. MITT which stands for Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also has a responsibility. What they do is to administrate the automotive fuel consumption. Clearly, Chinas car industry is open to foreign investment. However, the Chinese government restricts foreign investment on entire car manufacturing in a way, in order to protect domestic car brands. These restrictions can be circumvented, and it appears that component manufacturing remains relatively unregulated to a large extent. There are more than a few leading business in the Chinese vehicles industry. The first is BYD, which stands for Build your dreams. It was formed in 2003 by purchasing Tsinchuan Automobile Company Limited. Step by step they started to create their own vehicle brand. Today they have five main industrial bases placed in China. This Chinese automobile brand is the most innovative manufacture. Their growth rate for the last 5 years has been 100 percent and the amounts of vehicles sold in 2009 are 448000. Second is the Chana Automobile Company Ltd. They are known as Changan, and are very recognized on the Chinese market. Their headquarter are located in Chongqing. Changans goal is to achieve fuel efficiency and by this also protecting the environment. The majority of the cars that are manufactured are smaller cars, but also manufacture sedans and commercial cars. So they have a wide range of automobiles to offer to their customers. Their goal is to become a world class group in a very short time. The third is Beijing Automobile Works, also known as BAW. Their work is located in one of Chinese pioneers automobile industry. The vehicles which they offer to their customers is, light off-road cars, and also trucks. They have been in the market for almost forty years and it is a known brand. Chaoyang is the district where their headquarters are located. There are also the main distributers of vehicles to the Chinese military. The forth is Dongfeng Motor Corporation, and they started in the year 1969. They are also known as Second Automobile Works Co., in the real market place, and this is actually one of the top 3 huge automakers in this type of industry. The main focus of this was transferred for production of items like traveler vehicle, profitable vehicle, components, and equipment, which was a huge success. During the 40 years of its growth, a set of RD and developed services have been well-known as well as an extensive this also includes facilities like distribution and after-sales network. Its most important branches are situated in states like Shiyan, Xiangfan, Wuhan and Guangzhou. The firth is the First Automotive Grouo Corporation, also known as the FAW Group. This is a leading all over the globe, this also implies that they are there in the automobile industry since 50 years. It was basically started in 1953, FAW has managed to keep 133,000 workers all over the world and is successful in selling products all over. Its total turnover around the globe is more than 7 million vehicles worldwide, while doing this it doesnt lose its position also it maintains the lead market position within China, and now it also has plans of expanding into a market which is controlled internationally. 6) Chery Automobile Company Ltd. Chery automobile Company was formed as a state owned company on March 18, 1997 in Wuhu, Anhui province, China. It is one of the fastest growing companies in the Chinese automobile Industry. It is the first automobile company in China which exported its cars to other countries. Chery is aiming to become best automobile company in China but at the same time they are trying to use the European manufacturing equipment, stolen European factory designs and Japanese production techniques to make QQ minicars which are copied from Chevrolet spark , which are $1500 cheaper than the original Chevrolet spark. Both cars are so similar that their spare parts are interchangeable. 7) Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation also known as SAIC are the group which are mainly engaged in manufacturing, sales, research and development, and investment in passenger cars, commercial vehicles and components, as well as related services trade and financial business. Besides, SAIC holds seventy nine of the equity of SAIC Motor Co., Ltd. and 60.10% of HUAYU Automotive Systems Holdings Co. also known as HUAYU is an independent listed company engaged in auto components supply business. Therefore SAIC also has a part in Huayu Motors and is in the strong position when it comes to sale of auto parts as well as automobiles.Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation in 2008 once again topped the Chinese automotive groups for a sales volume of over 1.826 million units of vehicles, of which 1,118,000 units are passenger cars and 708,000 units commercial vehicles. The company is the first fortune 500 company from the Chinese Automobile Industry. 8) Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Company Ltd. Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co., Ltd. This is also known all over the world as JAC is an automobile manufacturer based in Hefei, Anhui Province; China. Anhui is best known to be the second Detroit of the world. It is the most important industrial base of China accounting for the 20% of the production of the Chinese vehicles. Anhui Jianghuai is a state owned company producing automobiles, trucks and minibuses 9) Geely Automobile Geely automobile are one of the Established as an independent firm in 1986, Geely launched its auto manufacturing business in 1997 and is today a fully integrated independent auto firm with a complete auto eco-system from design and research and development to production, distribution and servicing. In 2005 Geely Automobile Holdings Limited was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and has the responsibility in 2009, Geely Holding Group announced that it was close to an agreement to acquire Volvo Cars from Ford Motor Company. Geely automobiles are the new owners of Volvo range of cars which they purchased from Ford in 2010 10) Brilliance China Automotive Holding Ltd. Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Limited also known as BCA is a publicly owned Chinese investment holding company which manufactures variety of automobiles, automotive components and minibuses. Based in Liaoning province brilliance China automotive is listed in Hong Kong and Frankfurt stock exchanges as of 2009, Brilliance China Automotive holding was the eighth-largest automaker in China in the year of 2009 Conclusion As per the statistics of the Chinese automobile Industry from January to September 2010, sales of the top ten automobile manufacturing companies are provided below in the chart SAIC-2,647,500 Dongfeng-1,901,300 FAW-1,845,800 Changan-1,716,200 Beijing Auto-1,101,800 Guangzhou Auto-532,500 Chery-475,300 BYD-386,200 Brilliance-375,800 JAC-350,900 As we can see clearly SAIC is largest producer of the vehicles in China with 2,647,500 as per the statistics of September. SAICs production is clearly remarkable in terms of production. Second is Dongfeng which has the production of 1,901,300 vehicles. Third is FAW which has the production of 1,845,800.Then is Changan in the fourth position with 1,716,200.Beijing Auto is in the fifth position with 1,101,800 vehicles. And then there is Chery, which increased its production to 475,300 vehicles this year.BYD, the most innovative company in the Chinese automobile industry has a production of 386,200.And in the last position is JAC with the production of mere 350,900. From January to September, these ten companies sold 11,333,300 vehicles, accounting for 86% of total car sales which is simply outstanding. ESTIMATED SIZE OF THE INDUSTRY IN UNITS/DOLLARS Chinas automobile Companies are looking forward to the promising future after years of development in the Chinese Automobile Industry. In the year of 1999 China had a production of approximately 1.56 million automobiles, which if compared to the production of GM (General Motors) was only one sixth of General Motors annual output and if compared to Toyota, is only one third of their yearly production . After the years of development of automobile Industry of China, Chinese Automobile Industry has emerged as one of the fastest growing industries of 21st century, it has an average annual growth 22.2% and is increasing from 1998 to 2006.In the year of 2006; China overtook Japan as the worlds second largest auto consumer after the United States of America with auto sales rising from 25.1% year-on-year to 7.2 million units. Meanwhile, China surpassed Germany to become the third largest auto maker after the U.S. and Japan, with automobile production climbing to 27.6% year-on-year to 7.3 mil lion units. In 2007, the production of the automobiles increased to 20% in China even with the rising price of raw materials indicating that there is robust growth in the worlds second largest auto market. In 2007, the automobile production of China amounted to astonishing 8.88 million with an increase of nearly 22.02% when compared to 2006 production report. This figure closely approached the target of 9 million units set in the eleventh 5-year (2006-2010) plan which was set for the automobile industry by Chinas National Development Reform Commission (CNDRC) which is the nations top economic planner for the industrial development of the Chinese Economy. PRODUCTS Automobiles are depreciating and tangible, which require consistent servicing and repairing. Chinese Automobile Industrys is a huge industry with variety of products ranging from automobile to after sales products and services which are important for automobile to run smoothly. The Chinese automobile industry supplies auto parts, car related products such as tires, rear and front view mirrors e.tc. China also has a huge secondary market for used automobiles, spare parts and other used car related items. F-211 TRENDS IN SUPPLY AND DEMAND OVER RECENT YEARS When General Motors Vice chairman Bob Lutz was asked Will Chinese taste for vehicles drive demand in the future his answer was Yes, to a certain extent, because we do want to make sure that were successful in the worlds largest and fastest-growing automobile market and a market which will ultimately be as big as the European market and the U.S. market combined, Lutz says. We all have to get used to the fact that the future of the global automobile business I mean the center of gravity is no longer going to be Europe or the United States; its going to be China. And I think that to a certain extent China is helping drive our designs today. Lutz says the Buick Lacrosse is a good example of a vehicle that was jointly designed to meet the needs of consumer groups in both the U.S. and China. EXPORT AND GROWTH IN THE INDUSTRY AND ECONOMIC RISKS When the Geely automobile made its debut at the Detroit Auto show in 2006, they got quite a bit of attention with people saying that the Chinese have arrived, recalled Charles Cheung.Beijing has identified exports as a key part of its auto strategy. MACRO ECONOMIC FACTORS Among the worlds most powerful economies China ranks second with a GDP of U.S $ 4.4 trillion along with this it has the worlds largest population that helps the country to be most. As compared to developed economies, emerging economies in general present an optimistic outlook. Chinas macroeconomic fundamentals contain many favorable factors such as the increase of domestic demand incurred by economic restructuring, a strong growth trend of retails as well as the expansion of capital markets. A 10-percent growth rate cannot be explained as economic overheating given Chinese macroeconomic fundamentals, Goldman Sachs China economist Helen Qiao said. Goldman Sachs listed five factors backing Chinas sustainable development. First, domestic demand has become a major driving force. Secondly, internal and external demand tends to be stable. Thirdly, China has less reliance on exports to the United States, Europe and Asias developed regions, while the rest of the world relies more on Chinas exports. Fourthly, a tightening financial context has helped increase the credibility of Chinese policymakers control on the macroeconomic policies. Finally, Chinas 12th five-year plan has specified key role of domestic demand, and China will lay stress on both consumption and investment influential economies of world. National income / national income per capita China has emerged as bigger power and with economic soundness it is heading for achieving number one position in the world. Chinas Gross Domestic Product increased at an annualized rate of just 0.4 per cent, which is quite below the annualized 4.4 per cent growth in the first quarter of 2010 and counting to proof that global recovery is encountering tough headwinds. These figures stress China emerging as an economic authority that is changing everything from the global equilibrium of military and financial supremacy to how cars are designed. It is already the major exporter, auto buyer and steel producer, and its overall authority is getting higher. Interest rates Chinas expansion, running at more than three times the pace of growth in the US, may add fuel to arguments that the second-largest economy can withstand a stronger yuan. China raised interest rates recently for the first time since the global crisis, affirming policymakers confidence in the recovery and concern at price pressures. Although Chinas economy grew 9.6 per cent in the third quarter of 2010 its inflation grew at fastest pace in almost two years, adding weight to necessity for the engine of the global recovery to let its currency appreciate more rapidly. Consumer prices jumped 3.6 per cent in September from a year earlier, so China has to be careful about inflation as it would negatively affect huge segment of population. When China awakes, Napoleon said to have warned, The world will tremble. China was devastated by floods, famines, rebellions, civil strife and finally communist dictatorship. Its all more of a shock, then, that the sleeping dragon has now awoken with a vengeance. They have productive human capital therefore China has overtaken Japan as the worlds second largest economy. Chinas economy is huge and progressing rapidly in the last 30 years. It has grown averagely 8% p.a. in terms of GDP. Its economy has progressed more than 10 times during this period. China and India were the only two countries that were hit the minimum and came up quickly from the recent global meltdown. Hence it proves that Chinese industries are not very sensitive to economic fluctuation. The economists believe that substantial appreciation in the Yuan would result in huge unemployment and start social disorder. However there are still inequalities in the income of Chinese people and this income gap has increased in recent times. The inflation is soaring and unemployment rate is also rising marginally. CONCLUSION China is one of the largest Economies of the world. The automobile industry of china is growing at an astonishing rate and it has been proven in the last decade. Even in the time of the recession in the mid 2008 Chinas automobile Industry was in the strong position while in case of United States automobile Industry, it had collapsed with main companies like GM (General Motors) asking for bailout. As per the statistical data of 2009, the total passenger cars produced by China are 10,383,831 and the commercial vehicles accounts for another 3,407,163 which makes a total of 13,790,994 vehicles. In the year 2009.Chinese Automobile Industry has a growth rate of 48.3% which was 4.70% in 2008. And if we see US in 2008 they had a growth rate of -19.40 and in 2009 mere -34.3%.Comparing the growth rates we can see that USs production growth rate has sharply fallen and Chinas has increased. As a result China is replacing America to become the greatest economy in the world. China and America are two different countries with different perpectives, China likes to save and America likes to spend. But in last three years amount of sales in US have slowed down showing consumer inconfidence in the economy of America and it is opposite in China.

The Importance of Facilitation in Group Decision-making Essay -- Group

The need for a facilitator arises from the dynamics of group decision-making. In real and everyday life in business, management, politics, crisis conflict, education, etc. group meetings, each individual in the group does not think in the same way (divergent thinking) in real life, humans tend to go off on tangents, lose the original focus for the group meeting. Facilitators are needed to get ideas to converge in a way that reaches the decision point (Doyle and Kaner, 2007). A facilitator is a person who creates an environment which allows groups or organizations to be able to be more effective; to achieve their goals. Facilitators have to be essentially neutral in their stance and they must also not have any decision-making authority (Doyle and Kaner, 2007). The lecture addresses: a) The meaning of Facilitation b) Core Values of Facilitation c) Role of the Facilitator d) Key Facilitation Skills and Methods e) The Benefits of Facilitation A facilitator is not allowed to advocate for a specific view point during the process. The facilitator could be from within the organisation as well from outside the organisation (Schwarz, 2002), nevertheless the chosen facilitator needs to be accepted by all parties involved in the meeting. Literature also suggests that facilitators are only there to lead the process, where the process refers to the dynamics of group work like communication, making decisions, solving problems and handling conï ¬â€šict and that the facilitators do not contribute to the meeting in terms of substance. The literature also suggests that facilitators need to improve the structure of the setting in which they operate, where structure can be seen as the makeup of the group and group roles and this leads to an improve... ...e ground rules for conduct and behaviour and the group members agree to them before any meeting even begins. Effective facilitation requires a certain level of awareness or discernment of personalities during the program. REFERENCES Bono, E. (1999). Six Thinking Hats, Back Bay Books Publishers. Doyle, M., & Kaner, S. (2007). Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision, Jossey-Bass Publishers. Heron, J. (1999). The Complete Facilitator's Handbook, Kogan Page Publishers. Hogan, C. (2002). Understanding Facilitation: Theory and Principles, Kogan Page Publishers. Rees, F. (1998). The Facilitator Excellence Handbook: Helping People Work Creatively and Productively Together, Jossey-Bass Publishers. Schwarz, R. (2002). The Skilled Facilitator: A Comprehensive Resource for Consultants, Facilitators, Managers, Trainers, and Coaches, Jossey-Bass Publishers.

The Fruitland Community Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Friutland Community   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A utopian society is very hard to come across these days. People tend to start a utopian society in order to better the life’s of others. Bronson Alcott of the Fruitland Community tries to find a utopian society that will last and be productive. The Fruitland’s goal is to abstain from worldly activity and integrate systems of trade and labor in order to find spirituality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Fruitland Community differs from the novel, Anthem more than it is similar. Bronson Alcott designed a community which would help others carry out all their philosophies. His practical needs to act on his high ideals made this community popular, but only for a short time. In the Fruitland community people are not free in all respects. This brings similarity and differences in relating Anthem stated that no individual is free. No one could express one’s thoughts, ideas, or even one’s feelings in Anthem. The Fruitlanders did have individuality, but the people in Anthem felt that it was a sin to see themselves as an individual person. The Fruitland leaders â€Å"wanted to eliminate cattle from the drudgery of farm labor and spare them from the degradation of slaughter for food. However, they also meant to end the need for human contact with animals due to the fact they felt that animals were revolting to the spirit† (3). The Fruitlanders only used resources that would grow above ground; consequently, their food became scarce. They only produced eno...

Essay --

Jane Eyre â€Å"Jane Eyre† by Charlotte Bronte is a novel about an orphan girl growing up in a tough condition and how she becomes a mature woman with full of courage. Her life at Gateshead is really difficult, where she feels isolated and lives in fear in her childhood. Her parents are dead when she was little, her dead uncle begged his evil wife, Mrs. Reed, to take care of Jane until she becomes an adult. But Mrs. Reed does not keep her promise, no one treats Jane like their family members even treats her less than a servant. By the end of this essay it will be proven that Jane’s life at Gateshead has shaped her development as a young woman and bildungsroman. In the beginning of â€Å"Jane Eyre†, Jane describes that she was happy before she moved to Gateshead. She says, â€Å"With Bewick on my knee, I was then happy; happy at least in my way. I feared nothing but interruption, and that came too soon.†(8).In this quote, Jane was like other happy girls with their family, she had nice house to live and fine food to eat. Everything has changed after her parents died. After she moves into Mrs. Reed’s...

Bmw Films

Decision Problem The primary issue faced by Jim McDowell is what to do for his next marketing campaign. He will need to decide what direction BMW will take in order to stay current in the target market and position the brand as the leader in the luxury car industry. A sub issue that Jim is facing is that in order for BMW to stand out compare to the competition, it must be at the forefront of the marketing trend. There is always pressure on innovative marketing campaigns as a bad campaign can lead to severe damage in the company image and reputation. Decision Alternatives There are a number of alternatives that Jim faces when deciding in what direction to move with the BMW marketing campaign. Develop more short films and build a big series out of it. Develop a full length movie for the theatres Do nothing to the existing campaign and move on to develop a new campaign To continue to use the existing BMW films plus developing a new campaign Creating new films on the heels of the original films plus developing a new campaign Develop a full length movie plus developing a new campaign In order to decide the best alternative it is important to look at some key decision criteria. In this case the important factors would be: delivery time, risk, cost, competitive advantage, ease of implementation. Analysis of Industry In the luxury car segment, BMW and Mercedes have stand strong against the strong competition from Japan like Acura, Lexus, Infiniti. In year 2001, BMW is second best luxury car seller, just behind Lexus amount the other ten major luxury brands. However, BMW only ranked 8th in media expenditures, which again proved the great success on their innovative campaign. In terms of customer loyalty, luxury brand customers do tend to stay among the top brands and are very loyal. There are always customers who switch from BMW to Mercedes or the other way around. Since BMW has the competitive advantage of a younger clientele, it is very important for BMW to create marketing campaign to young adult so they can look forward to own a BMW when they can afford one. Analysis of Company Evaluation of Alternatives Alternative #1, 2, and 3 should only be considered as a short term alternative that can achieve quick beneficial results with no long term prospects because all the alternatives evolve around the same film concept, which eventually will wear out and target audience will not be interested in it anymore. Alternative #4 takes into account with BMW’s long term goal, to be the leader in the industry with innovative campaigns. However, developing a new concept takes time and research before implementation, therefore some immediate alternatives needs to be done before the new campaign kicks in. Alternative #5, 6, or 7 will achieve that goal. Alternative #5 Introduce the BMW films to new markets that may have missed the online films during the campaign period will enable BMW to entice an entirely new segment. By showing the films throughother mediums, BMW will be able to reach a wider audience plus raising the brand awareness. Since this campaign is so successful and unique, BMW can also produce DVD and make itas a collectible item. This alternative is easy to implement, low cost to run, low risk as the campaign is already running with huge success with good reputation. However, other companies may copy the idea and there is a chance that BMW will lose its competitive advantage as the films are getting overly exposed to the original audiences that BMW targeted during the initial campaign period. Therefore, developing another campaign while this is running is necessary in order to achieve BMW’s long term marketing goal. Alternative #6 The other option would be to follow up with another series of films on the heels of the original films. BMW would want to keep the number of films low to try and blend them into the successful original films and not to market them as another series of short films. This alternative will require some time to prepare, and the cost will be much higher in comparison to Alternative #5, which will make it harder as BMW will need more resources in creating a new campaign at the same time. It is easy to implement as all the ground works are in place from the previous films. However, this alternative will have a higher risk than other options due to the high anticipation of BMW to produce high quality films. If any of the film receives negative feedbacks, BMW will risk losing out on the campaign inwhole, plus the reputation of the series. BMW will still keep its competitive advantage with this alternative as they are still the one who leads the marketing trend. Alternative #7 Creating a full length movie can be the next big campaignfor BMW. It is a new approach and will make the brand stand out of all others. The target audience is also much wider in comparison to the initial campaign. It will take a long time to implement, and not as easy as short films because a full length film is more complicated in terms of plot and production. The cost will also go veryhigh that may use up all of BMW’s resources in marketing. It is a two sided sword because if BMW is not placed enough in the film there is no difference in doing product placement in the James Bond movie series; meanwhile if BMW is overly exposed in the film it may create negative feedbacks as it will look like an hour long commercial. The interest level of audience will also be much lower in watching a long commercial than a short film. Decision Criteria Chart Here is the chart for the best 3 alternatives: (X? low score, XXX? high score) Recommendation Based on the analysis above it is evident that the appropriate course of action is to utilize the existing movies in the short term while developing a new full scale marketing plan in the background. By utilizing the existing films BMW will be able to quickly get to market films that they have already completed. They will ride the coat tails of the internet marketing, however by introducing the films to another target markets, BMW will hopefully build on the impact created by the original films. There is relatively low risk to this model because BMW has already invested in the films and by using different mediums to convey their message it is likely that an entirely new market segment will appreciate the films as the original audience did. Although the potential payback may not as great as some off the wall innovative idea, the concept behind releasing the films to a different audience should allow more time and resources to develop another new campaign. If there are enough resources, BMW can also consider creating 1 or 2 more films to avoid losing the competitive advantage toward the target audience. Bmw Films Decision Problem The primary issue faced by Jim McDowell is what to do for his next marketing campaign. He will need to decide what direction BMW will take in order to stay current in the target market and position the brand as the leader in the luxury car industry. A sub issue that Jim is facing is that in order for BMW to stand out compare to the competition, it must be at the forefront of the marketing trend. There is always pressure on innovative marketing campaigns as a bad campaign can lead to severe damage in the company image and reputation. Decision Alternatives There are a number of alternatives that Jim faces when deciding in what direction to move with the BMW marketing campaign. Develop more short films and build a big series out of it. Develop a full length movie for the theatres Do nothing to the existing campaign and move on to develop a new campaign To continue to use the existing BMW films plus developing a new campaign Creating new films on the heels of the original films plus developing a new campaign Develop a full length movie plus developing a new campaign In order to decide the best alternative it is important to look at some key decision criteria. In this case the important factors would be: delivery time, risk, cost, competitive advantage, ease of implementation. Analysis of Industry In the luxury car segment, BMW and Mercedes have stand strong against the strong competition from Japan like Acura, Lexus, Infiniti. In year 2001, BMW is second best luxury car seller, just behind Lexus amount the other ten major luxury brands. However, BMW only ranked 8th in media expenditures, which again proved the great success on their innovative campaign. In terms of customer loyalty, luxury brand customers do tend to stay among the top brands and are very loyal. There are always customers who switch from BMW to Mercedes or the other way around. Since BMW has the competitive advantage of a younger clientele, it is very important for BMW to create marketing campaign to young adult so they can look forward to own a BMW when they can afford one. Analysis of Company Evaluation of Alternatives Alternative #1, 2, and 3 should only be considered as a short term alternative that can achieve quick beneficial results with no long term prospects because all the alternatives evolve around the same film concept, which eventually will wear out and target audience will not be interested in it anymore. Alternative #4 takes into account with BMW’s long term goal, to be the leader in the industry with innovative campaigns. However, developing a new concept takes time and research before implementation, therefore some immediate alternatives needs to be done before the new campaign kicks in. Alternative #5, 6, or 7 will achieve that goal. Alternative #5 Introduce the BMW films to new markets that may have missed the online films during the campaign period will enable BMW to entice an entirely new segment. By showing the films throughother mediums, BMW will be able to reach a wider audience plus raising the brand awareness. Since this campaign is so successful and unique, BMW can also produce DVD and make itas a collectible item. This alternative is easy to implement, low cost to run, low risk as the campaign is already running with huge success with good reputation. However, other companies may copy the idea and there is a chance that BMW will lose its competitive advantage as the films are getting overly exposed to the original audiences that BMW targeted during the initial campaign period. Therefore, developing another campaign while this is running is necessary in order to achieve BMW’s long term marketing goal. Alternative #6 The other option would be to follow up with another series of films on the heels of the original films. BMW would want to keep the number of films low to try and blend them into the successful original films and not to market them as another series of short films. This alternative will require some time to prepare, and the cost will be much higher in comparison to Alternative #5, which will make it harder as BMW will need more resources in creating a new campaign at the same time. It is easy to implement as all the ground works are in place from the previous films. However, this alternative will have a higher risk than other options due to the high anticipation of BMW to produce high quality films. If any of the film receives negative feedbacks, BMW will risk losing out on the campaign inwhole, plus the reputation of the series. BMW will still keep its competitive advantage with this alternative as they are still the one who leads the marketing trend. Alternative #7 Creating a full length movie can be the next big campaignfor BMW. It is a new approach and will make the brand stand out of all others. The target audience is also much wider in comparison to the initial campaign. It will take a long time to implement, and not as easy as short films because a full length film is more complicated in terms of plot and production. The cost will also go veryhigh that may use up all of BMW’s resources in marketing. It is a two sided sword because if BMW is not placed enough in the film there is no difference in doing product placement in the James Bond movie series; meanwhile if BMW is overly exposed in the film it may create negative feedbacks as it will look like an hour long commercial. The interest level of audience will also be much lower in watching a long commercial than a short film. Decision Criteria Chart Here is the chart for the best 3 alternatives: (X? low score, XXX? high score) Recommendation Based on the analysis above it is evident that the appropriate course of action is to utilize the existing movies in the short term while developing a new full scale marketing plan in the background. By utilizing the existing films BMW will be able to quickly get to market films that they have already completed. They will ride the coat tails of the internet marketing, however by introducing the films to another target markets, BMW will hopefully build on the impact created by the original films. There is relatively low risk to this model because BMW has already invested in the films and by using different mediums to convey their message it is likely that an entirely new market segment will appreciate the films as the original audience did. Although the potential payback may not as great as some off the wall innovative idea, the concept behind releasing the films to a different audience should allow more time and resources to develop another new campaign. If there are enough resources, BMW can also consider creating 1 or 2 more films to avoid losing the competitive advantage toward the target audience.

In Defense of Pit Bulls

Kylie Colyer In Defense of Pit bulls Pit bulls are among the most misunderstood and maligned (badmouthed) breed of dogs. Over the years, the media has been portraying them in a negative light. This kind of portrayal has largely been due to the misconceptions and myths associated with pit bulls. Prior to this negative depiction of pit bulls, they were considered the â€Å"perfect nanny dog† by children (Holland). They were seen as friendly in nature, stable, loyal as well as non-aggressive to children and adults. However, this has since changed, especially after 1990s when the media inappropriately started portraying pit bulls as bloodthirsty monsters that are more dangerous and harmful compared to other dog breeds (Coile). As a result of this false portrayal, parents and children have become increasingly afraid of them. They recoil in horror upon spotting one of them. Some pull their children closer with the intention of protecting them from what they assume are prowling werewolves (Lam). As this paper will demonstrate, this should not be the case. It will argue in defense of pit bulls by showing that they are still the loyal, stable, non-aggressive and friendly breeds of dog. Those against pit bulls and portraying them in bad light argue that they have features that make them inherently dangerous and vicious. For example, some people state that pit bull breeds have locking jaws. They also say that they are overly aggressive towards human beings. It is also their view that pit bulls are dangerous to adopt, especially if one has no known history and parentage from a shelter or rescue is not known (Dickey). There is also a widespread myth that pit bulls are preferred by people with irresponsible breeding habits; effectively stating that pit bulls attract the most irresponsible and worst form of dog owners (Marrs). All these perceptions and myths have only served to bad-mouth pit bulls and to make them unattractive to the majority of people in our society. They have also led to high rates of abandonment, torture and abuse of this breed of dogs compared to any other breeds (Landau). The negative portrayal of pit bulls is also as a result of some people using them as fighting dogs. They gained this bad reputation as early as 1066 AD during the England's Norman Conquest when they would be used as â€Å"bullenbeissers†, a term which means â€Å"bull biter† (Coile). During this time, they were trained to latch onto the nose of bulls and also how not to let go of an animal until it is subdued. The use of pit bulls was considered as the only way through which human beings would regain control after bulls have become agitated. Following the ban of bull-baiting in the 19th century, the popularity of dog fighting increased, especially among those who were involved in the quasi-illegal activities and underground businesses in the United Kingdom (Landau). The British immigrants to the United States brought this game into the country, and they too utilized pit bulls for this purpose. It is for this reason that pit bulls have continued bad reputation over the years. However, what is rarely mentioned is the fact that they were used as fighting dogs due to their extreme loyalty to their human owners (Lam). While the perceptions and myths above about pit bulls may appear to be valid, facts and scientific evidence provide otherwise. According to a study conducted by the American Veterinary Medicine Association, there is no evidence showing that pit bulls are disproportionately dangerous (Holland). It has also been established that this breed of dog does not have locking jaws; they do not have special enzymes or mechanism allowing them to lock jaws. A comparison of their skulls to that of other breeds of dogs shows that they share general bone structure and have similar characteristics. It is their determination that when biting down on something and not easily releasing makes them appear like they have locking jaws (Coile). The misconception that pit bulls are inherently vicious can also be refuted using facts. It should first be noted that this myth is a stereotype that is simply aimed at the entire breed (Landau). When evaluated on own merit rather than the breed, one can easily find out that a pit bull is truly a good dog that is inherently friendly to humans and other dogs. The argument that pit bulls are aggressive towards humans and other dogs is unfounded (Marrs). Perhaps the way pit bulls are raised or trained make them an aggressive breed.The myths and misconceptions associated with pit bulls have created an impression that their adoption is dangerous, especially if they have unknown parentage and history. This myth is inappropriate because it fails to acknowledge that, just like humans, each dog ought to be judged by their own behavior and personality (Marrs). It also fails to recognize that pit bulls that are portraying negative behaviors and personalities are not doing so because of their nature but because of other factors. These factors include having been horribly neglected and abused in the past or having been forced to fight (Landau). Pit bulls that have been rescued and raised properly tend to show proper temperament and behavior towards human beings. This explanation helps to address the other false portrayal about pit bulls that adopting a pit bull puppy is better than an adult one. Regardless of whether someone adopts a puppy or an adult one, the most important thing is how one treats a pit bull. One should nurture it in such a manner that enables it to develop desirable and positive traits (Dickey). From the above discussion, it is evident that pit bulls are loyal, stable, non-aggressive and friendly breeds of dogs. As has been noted, the myths and misconceptions that have been kept alive over the years regarding pit bulls and which have portrayed them in bad light are unfounded. There is no scientific evidence to show that those myths are actually natural to pit bulls. In fact, some of the reasons why pit bulls gained bad reputation such as being used as fighting dogs are anchored on their positive trait of being loyal to human owners. Therefore, these are the traits that should be portrayed and not some myths about them, It is also clear that humans have a role in making sure that pit bulls are being treated like other breeds of dogs so that they develop traits and personalities that are desirable and which can help them to sustain their loyal, stable, non-aggressive and friendly nature. Works CitedCoile, D C. Pit Bulls for Dummies. New York, NY: Hungry Minds, 2011.Dickey, Bronwen. Pit Bull: The Battle Over an American Icon. NY: A.A. Knopf, 2016.Holland, Joshua. In Defense of the Pit Bull.† 02 May, 2013, Salon TV. https://www.salon.com/2013/02/05/in_defense_of_the_pitbull_partner/ Accessed 23 Mar, 2018.Lam, Stephanie. Pit Bulls. Hauppage, N.Y: Barron's, 2012. Landau, Elaine. Pit Bulls Are the Best!Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Co, 2011.Marrs, Megan. â€Å"In Defense of Pit Bulls: Monsters or Misunderstood [Infographic].† 2018, Lifehack. ; https://www.lifehack.org/302240/defense-pit-bulls-monsters-misunderstood-infographic; Accessed 23 Mar, 2018.