Death Penalty Essays (1081 words) - Capital Punishment, Penology

Death Penalty You have heard from the affirmative side and you may disagree or agree with some of their points, but the reality is that their plan will not and cannot succeed in today's society. True, on paper the plan looks very good, but it will not work. Today's present system, with the death penalty is much better off then without it. The negative side, which my partner and I represent, feels that the death penalty should not be abolished and that today's system, which allows states to choose if they want to impose the death penalty, should continue to be used. It is true that innocent people have been executed, but that number is miniscule compared to the amount of ?true? criminals that are rightfully executed. There is 28-step procedure necessary before any person can be given a death sentence. By having the process consist of numerous steps and involving many different people, human error is greatly reduced. The death penalty is not racially or gender bias, much to the contrary of what the affirmative team believes. The fact is that men commit more crimes, so they will be convicted at a greater rate then women. The ratio of men to women on death row and executed is 68:1 or 3400:50 (NAACP Spring 1996). From 1976-1994, men committed 7 times as many murders as women or a 7:1 ratio (Sourcebook '94). Therefore, it may be statically shown that men are, by a 70:1 ratio, more likely to be on death row then are women. Like gender bias, racial bias is nonexistent in the rulings involving the death penalty. Whites represent 56% of those executed, and blacks 38% (NAACP Summer of 1996). The other 6% are other minorities. The death penalty is not bias to any race, but by just looking at the numbers it may seem that it is. The total populations of each race will give the illusion of bias, but that is not true. The affirmative side also argues that the cost of life in prison without parole is much cheaper then the cost of the death penalty, but this, like their charge of bias, is also untrue. The death penalty is millions cheaper then life without parole in the long run, but when our numbers are compared to the affirmative's numbers no right or wrong conclusion can be reached. No one team can give impartial numbers since studies by both sides are bias. There is no need for change because the current system is working just fine. Why fix something that is not broken. The death penalty deters crime. When someone is caught, charged, tried, found guilty, and sentenced to death, that person's execution would be what will serve as a deterrent to others from committing a major crime. Houston had the highest murder rate in 1981, with 701 murders. In 1982, Texas resumed executions. Since then Houston has executed more murderers than any other city or state, except Texas, and has seen the greatest reduction in murder. The city went from 701 murders to 216 murders in a 15-year span. This is a 63% reduction and represents how many people that were saved by the death penalty. The innocents, the-would-be victims were saved from a harsh death by the death penalty that supposedly did not work. An econometric study from 1994 indicated that each execution deters 8 or more murders. That is the goal of the death penalty, not to get revenge on the crimi nal, but to prevent more crimes of the same nature form occurring. Execution equals deterrent, which ultimately leads to prevention. If a convicted murderer is put into prison for life without parole, that person is given another chance to kill again. What will happen if that person kills again in prison or even if they escape and kill again? According to the affirmative side, that person will be put back into prison and given another chance to kill. If the death penalty would have been imposed that person would have never had the second chance. Again the death penalty prevents. The death penalty is not cruel and unusual because most states favor the lethal injection, which is not cruel in anyway. It is true that botched executions do

9 New Years Eve Movies to Watch as the Ball Drops

9 New Years Eve Movies to Watch as the Ball Drops Ah, the magic of midnight and ticking clock! A wonderful occasion to gather in front of a TV screen with your family and friends or wrap yourself in a blanket to watch a movie alone. No matter if youre going to host a party or spend this night with no guests around, a nice movie wont hurt anybody. Do you like good old classic films or modern trash movies? We are sure that our tips will help you to spend the first night of the year with a good mood. Weve made a list of various films for fans of different genres and cinema eras to help you choose the best movie for your holiday night. While 2018 is coming to its end, its time to take a good holiday rest and get yourself prepared for new achievements. If you want to spend the night of December 31 with delicious food and films that will give you the holiday spirit, you should check this article. Weve prepared a New Years Eve movies list to make your night really festive and magical! 1 Four Rooms, 1995 An indie comedy that sets around New Years Eve in a fancy hotel tells 4 stories connected by the bellhop who is left alone to deal with the mess. With 4 brilliant directors Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Allison Anders, and Alexandre Rockwell, this comedy, spiced up with a bit of thriller and dark humor speaks for itself as it is one of the most viewed New Years themed movies. Starring: Tim Roth, Antonio Banderas, Sammi Davis, Amanda De Cadenet, Madonna 2 Bridget Joness Diary, 2001 A romantic comedy about an average woman trying to change her life for the better and find her true love. It can make you laugh through tears and sympathize the main characters. The plot based on the novel by Helen Fielding. Starring cast and the atmosphere of love make this movie a perfect choice for girls evening. Starring: Renà ©e Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Gemma Jones. 3 Trading Places, 1983 A classic comedy which is going to cheer you up and a perfect choice for those who wonder â€Å"what to watch on New Years Eve?† The bet of two millionaires makes two people from different social groups exchange their lives. A drastic change in the everyday routine of a broker from the upper class and homeless hustler unravels the plot that can be described as a modern vision of Mark Twains classic novel The Prince and the Pauper. Starring: Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche. 4 The Poseidon Adventure, 1972 A disaster film about the sinking of a majestic ship The Poseidon. New Years Eve party in the ocean on the way to Greece was interrupted by a sudden storm and soon becomes a real nightmare for surviving passengers. The plot leads you through this exciting escape adventure and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Starring: Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters, Red Buttons. 5 When Harry Met Sally, 1989 Watching the evolution of a relationship between two leading characters might be what you need this night. Its one of those movies that everybody mention when they are asked about favorite New Years Eve romantic film. Starring: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby 6 The Godfather Part II, 1974 The Godfather is a movie that has almost nothing to do with New Years Eve, but still is one of the most popular choices for the festive night. The relationship between the father and the son Corleone and the plot tightly tying up around their lives makes this movie one of the best family movies to watch. Check it out and you will understand why it is called the epochal drama and a cinematic masterpiece. Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton 7 Ghostbusters II, 1989 After the success of the first movie, it was obvious that the audience wanted a sequel about favorite characters coming to the big screen. Ghostbusters II reveals the following events after the incident with the ghosts attacking the city. Turns out, that the team is disbanded and, eventually, not allowed to work. But everything changes when one ghost starts to interact with the baby of Peter Venkman. Sharp humor, interesting plot and brilliant actors made this movie a real classic. Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis 8 200 Cigarettes, 1999 Multiple plot lines and numerous characters mix together for the perfect cocktail of fun, humor and colorful picture. As the plot unravels, we watch young people coping with relationships, desire, and loneliness, trying to find their place under the sun. Oh, and better watch it without your parents. Starring: Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, Dave Chappelle, Guillermo Dà ­az 9 In Search of a Midnight Kiss, 2007 A young man without any willing to love his life posts a Craigslist ad and suddenly gets a response from a girl who looks for a right man to kiss with when the ball drops. This independent romantic drama and comedy won several awards all over the world and can really catch your attention with its magical music and sudden plot twists. Starring: Scoot McNairy, Sara Simmonds, Brian McGuire, Kathleen Luong. So which movie will you choose? Let us know in a comment section! New Years Eve is a magical event and a time when anything can happen. Get ready for a new experience and have a Happy New Year!

SOCI 131-Introduction to Sociology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

SOCI 131-Introduction to Sociology - Assignment Example Therefore, it is problematic for those who are deeply embedded in a culture to accept or even acknowledge the deviance of some people as a tolerable phenomenon in their own personal reality. This can, in some cases, lead to violence caused by offensive norm violations. Typically, violence only occurs when the norm violation is one that goes against the ethical or legal mores of one particular culture. In experimenting with cultural norms and deviance, it is important to recognize this barrier between the acceptable and the unacceptable, particularly in reference to one’s own safety. To that end, in my tests of cultural norms, I decided to focus on folkways, which are otherwise known as â€Å"customs† or â€Å"conventions.† These are the amoral standards of behavior that are socially approved. Even though they have no substantive moral content, these standards are still seemingly enforced within a culture. In mainstream American culture, a particularly interesting one is a sense of space. Proxemics is the study of measurable distances between people when they interact with each other. Strangers typically occupy a relatively large distance away from each other when given the choice. However, I decided to violate this space convention by sitting unnecessarily close to someone at the computer lab at the public library and, then again, in a Mosque where the sense of space is presumably different because of a sense of community culture among congregation members. The essential difference between a public library and a Mosque consists in the social variables of the environment. A public library is something that exists in the public sphere and thus is open to everyone. But despite being open to everyone, individuals still stake their claim in an individual space, such as at a desktop computer in the computer lab. Late in the evening, when the computer lab is relatively empty, individuals expect privacy in going about their

Doppelganger Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Doppelganger - Essay Example The objective shall be met by the aid of the salient delivery techniques employed by the director to effectively bring out the themes. The prestige adequately covers the theme of sacrifice that goes into deception; the kind of deception that is good enough to generate the perception that what is achieved is actually magical and cannot be replicated by someone else without the knowledge, skills and experience of the magician. A peculiar characteristic of this sacrifice is that in most instances, it is often disguised because its discovery could be fatal to the discovery of the truth thus unmasking the fact that no magic is performed. Two examples stand out to demonstrate sacrifice. One is in the characters of Borden and Chung Ling Soo. In order to perform the magic trick of entering one point and exiting the other instantaneously, Borden cleverly uses a twin brother to accomplish the same. However, great sacrifice is what makes the achievement a reality. Borden has to conceal at all costs that he has a twin brother and make sure that the status quo remains hidden for life (McGowen, 2012, p. 112). This demonstrates how far he is willing to go just to deceive his audiences. Borden cannot even reveal his twin brother to his wife Sarah who is forced into taking her own life when she suspects that she has been dealing with two men believing them to be one. Further, sacrifice is still demonstrated when Borden’s two fingers get shot off during a magic activity that goes awry. Instead of stopping bullets as originally intended, he ends up with two fingers chopped. The negative development puts the secret of his t win brother in jeopardy as the brother will be conspicuously distinguishable from him with all fingers intact. The only solution is to chop of the fingers of the other brother so that they all look the same. Perhaps, this example best demonstrates how far in the domain of sacrifice a magician can go to capture and retain audience for

Randy Pausch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Randy Pausch - Essay Example Another point that he focused on was that one individual can help other individuals in attaining their dreams. One of the most important points that Pausch talked about was head fakes. The term head fakes refer to learning that takes place in an indirect manner (Pausch 1). He stated that parents send their children to learn football, but the real purpose of this that they want their children to learn how they can become better team mates. Another essential point that Pausch talked about was the to-do-list he developed as a child and these to-do-list comprised of various things he wanted to achieve in his life. Another significant point that he talks about is that he had spent his life helping others in attaining their aims and objectives and for this reason he gives an example of the virtual world that he and his students developed. Another important point he focused on was humility which refers to being humble to others. There are various lessons in the lecture provided by Pausch and these lessons can help managers in several ways in managing their subordinates. One of the most important concepts that Pausch talked about head fakes in connection with football. Managers in organizations can use the example provided by Pausch to help develop better teams in his/her organization. A manager can arrange football matches for his/her subordinates. Playing football will help a manager’s subordinates in different ways. Football is a game that requires teams to play in a united manner and every member of the team is dependent on each other. This will help subordinates in learning the importance of team members and team members will develop trust for each other and better relationships with each other through these games. Secondly, Pausch stated that one needs to help others in attaining their aims and objectives of life. Managers can make their subordinates develop to-do-list that comprises of all the things that subordinates want to achieve. This will help

Impact of Brand Name on Consumer Decision Making

Impact of Brand Name on Consumer Decision Making Brand Name Consumer Todays generation follows the pattern of capitalism where human values are measured by, ‘you are known by what you have not by what you are’. This naturally leads to a social structure where everyone seeks uniqueness by possessing things which sets them apart from everybody else. Nowadays, brands not only represent the symbol of a company or product but also define the daily life of a person to a large extent . Products used by a person often reflect the persons tastes, status in society, and economic background. When customers purchase products, the consumer’s choice is frequently affected by brand name. Some customers purchase specific brand products only due to brand name. The purpose of this thesis is to create a deeper consideration about how brand name affects consumers when they gor for purchasing a car. Moreover the author wants to identify if there is any connection between brand name and consumer decision making. The research method involved a critically analysed review on secondary research upon the subject. It provides the reader with an understanding of the relation between companies and consumers in terms of brand equity, emotional branding, consumer behaviour, and consumer decision making. From the secondary research, the basis for primary research was created. The use of a questionnaire allowed the author to identify individual feelings when people go for purchasing car. All of the respondents answered every question upon which quantitative data and findings were produced. The findings and analysis of the research conducted, concluded that brand name is the most important aspect when people go for purchasing a car. Furthermore, the results show that most people prefer brand products which signify consumer status and social status. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the study, limitations, and recommendations for further research. Reasons for choice of topic Every brand differs in names or symbols like logo, trade mark, design and packing. A brand name is a signal to protect the customer from similar brands and protect the producer from the competitors (Aaker, 1991). Brand names present many things about a product and give number of information about it to the customers and also tell the customer or potential buyer what the product means to them (Hansen Christensen, 2003). Brand names affect consumers purchasing behaviour enormously. It is important for companies to find out customer’s decision process and pinpoint the criteria, which customers apply while making decision (Cravens Piercy, 2006). In today’s business environment, companies must work harder than ever before to achieve some degree of differentiation in their products. Many companies have sought to achieve this differentiation by branding their products, simply putting the company’s name on a product (Aaker, 1991). The author has chosen the topic to try to gain further knowledge about the subject of how brand name affects consumer decision in car choice. The reasons for attempting to gain further knowledge are simply based upon the author‟s great interest towards the car industry and consumer behaviour. The author is particularly interested in why customers prefer brand products in case of brand cars. Also the effect of brand name on consumer decision making will be of great curiosity to the author. Academic objectives of dissertation This study attempts to highlight and tackle the extent to how brand name affects consumer decision in car choice. This is to allow a greater understanding of the relation between companies and consumers in terms of brand equity, emotional branding, consumer behaviour, and consumer decision making. In order to achieve this main aim, the following objectives have been produced: To discover any assets and liabilities of brand equity in case of adding or subtracting value for customers. To understand why emotional branding creates feelings and what kind of feelings. To explore how individuals select, purchase, and use or dispose products to satisfy their needs and desires. To investigate consumer decision making and the way of information search when customers go for purchasing a car. Outline of chapters As the introduction is chapter one, the surplus of this study is organised and structured as followed: Chapter Two- This chapter is to set the scene for the study. It presents the background of the current situation of the car industry and the influence of brands in society. Chapter Three This chapter is a review of earlier research and literature on brand name and the effect it has on the consumers purchase decision. In this chapter the earlier literature is critically analysed upon its relevance and importance to the study. Chapter Four The methodology of the study is addressed in this chapter. It involves a description of the research undertaken for the study and a justification of why. The approaches and methods of research are detailed here and justified. Chapter Five This chapter is the findings and analysis of primary research as well as secondary research undertaken towards the study. The findings from the primary research are analysed against the earlier literature and research from chapter three. Chapter Six- This chapter is a conclusion, commenting on the initial objectives of the study. The limitations and recommendations for further research are also discussed in this chapter. Car Industry Background The European Union is the worlds largest car manufacturing region and the worlds biggest market, not only in size terms, but also due to the intensity of competition (Lung, 2003). Europe constitutes a true â€Å"automobile space†, inasmuch as the routing and regulation of the supply and demand for automobile products here has mainly taken place at a regional level (Carrillo, Lung, van Tulder, 2004). We can therefore say that we are in the presence of what can be called a European automobile system (Lung, 2001). From the perspective of car manufacturers the competitive pressure is increasing and their established role is threatened (Selz Klein, 1998). Franchising dominates automobile distribution because of the need to decentralize pricing and control of decisions (Vazquez, 2004). The sales and distribution sector is set to experience considerable change (Eurofund, 2004). The aim of the Commission regulation is to promote competition and a better deal for consumers. It separates new car sales, repair and parts supply, and gives more autonomy to dealers and repairers (Eurofund, 2004). The idea is that such liberalization will promote intrabrand competition, that is, competition between dealers of the same brand (Verboven, 2006). Furthermore, cars of different manufactures look increasingly similar. Product differences are reduced to design aspects, and thus require new branding concepts. At the same time, we move away from the simple durable good car to a complex bundle, incorporating diverse s and after-sales s (Dudenhà ¶ffer, 1997). When a company is deciding which new products to add to its line, it should consider two key factors: First, which new product contenders best fit its distribution system, and second, whether the distribution system will add value to the product in the eyes of the end user (Fites, 1996). Brands in Society Todays generation follows the pattern of capitalism where human values are measured by, ‘you are known by what you have not by what you are’. This naturally leads to a social structure where everyone seeks uniqueness by possessing things which sets them apart from everybody else. Brands not only represent the symbol of the company or product but to a larger extent define the general life of a person. Brand is a combination of name, symbol and design. Brands represent customer perceptions about the performance of a product. A powerful brand is which resides in the mind of the consumer. Brands differ in the amount of power and worth they have in the market place. Brands with high awareness have a high level of acceptability and customers do not refuse to buy such brands as they enjoy the brand performance (Kotler et al., 2005). The history of branding goes back when people utilized burned mark on cattle in order to identify quality (Bengtsson, 2002). Brands differ in name or symbol, trade mark, design and packing. Products are recognized through these elements and thus make it possible to differentiate one product from the other. A brand is a signal to protect the customer from similar brand names and protect the producer from the competitors (Aaker, 1991). Usually people do not buy certain brands because of design and requirements, but also in an attempt to enhance their self esteem in society (De Chernatory McDonald, 1992). Brand names present many things about products and give a number of information to customers. When customers consider to purchase they evaluate the product immediately by reconstructing the product from memory (Hansen Christensen, 2003). In today’s business environment, companies must work harder than ever before to achieve some degree of product differentiation. Many companies have sought to achieve this differentiation by branding their products, simply putting the company’s name on a product (Aaker, 1991). In this respect companies offer different packages to customers in this competition war for raising awareness among the customers about the branded product. Brand and Consumer Perceptions In every industry corporate executives are finding that to be competitive they must increase the communication and contact between their company and their customers (Girsky, 2003). Automotive is no exception: car manufacturers face mounting pressures related to acquiring and retaining customers. While many dealers have assumed that customers make decisions primarily on a rational, fact-driven basis, the truth is that most purchase decisions also involve emotion, intuition and impulse (Zaltmann, 2003). The reason customers buy cars is more connected to the overall experience of the purchase and ownership of an automobile than it is to any traditional impetus such as brand loyalty, price, or personal relationship with the dealer (Bolton, 2002). In this environment, competitive advantage will shift to the player whose value net is most tightly linked and built around the customer: To attract new customers, and sell more to each of them over a lifetime, manufacturers need to move away from their traditional build it and they will come approach to capture customer wallet share (IBM, 2003). To facilitate increased revenue capture over the customer lifecycle, dealers should work to create a collaborative business environment. Increased collaboration will help dealers manage customer touchpoints more efficiently and effectively, increase personalization and establish emotional bonds between themselves and their customers (IBM, 2003).Seeing, touching, and driving the product are still cruc ial to the purchase decision for most consumers (Helper, 2000). The evolution of customer needs advances continually (IBM, 2003). Successful marketing requires understanding how customers relationships with an organization change over time. Todays interactive generation demands products that are valuable to them and that enhance and enable their lifestyle as well. In this environment, quality and price are no longer enough, customers want to make purchases that improve their quality of life – and their buying power will go to the companies that offer them the best (IBM, 2003). Product differentiation is no longer adequate to ensure profits. Traditional customer-focused marketing to determine the needs and wants of target markets is still largely product, rather than customer, focused. Even customer satisfaction itself is no longer enough (IBM, 2003). Customer Touchpoints A car companys marketing instruments have different effects on customer behavior and ultimately on customer lifetime value (Bolton, 2002). Customer lifetime value is characterized by the length, depth and breadth of each customer’s relationship with a dealer in terms of the customers purchase behavior (Verhoef 2001). Length and depth are also reflected in upgrading behavior, which is the purchasing of premium higher margin products instead of low cost variants (Bolton, 2002). Loyal customers are sometimes assumed to be willing to pay higher prices (Reichheld 1996a; Reichheld 1996b) but in some markets loyal customers pay lower prices due to discounts. The breadth of a relationship primarily concerns â€Å"cross- buying† or â€Å"add-on buying† that is, the number of additional (different) products purchased from a company over time (Blattberg, Getz and Thomas 2001). In addition to purchase behavior, customer lifetime value is influenced by non-purchase behaviors, such as word-ofmouth behavior and the provision of new product ideas that may be more difficult to observe and predict (Bettencourt 1997). It is important to know how each of these categories of marketing instruments differentially influence relationship duration, customer usage and cross-buying of products. These marketing activities generate revenues via their effect on individual customer behavior (Bolton, 2002). Satisfaction and Quality Management Marketers typically assume that satisfied customers are more loyal (Szymanski and Hise 2001). However, studies of actual customer behavior have established that the effect of satisfaction on relationship length is complex. Bolton (1998) argues that satisfaction is an indicator of the subjective expected, and finds a positive effect of satisfaction on relationship length that is enhanced by relationship age. Mittal and Kamakura (2001) show that demographics, such as age and gender, moderate the effect of satisfaction on relationship length. Negative discrepancies between a customer’s satisfaction with of a product provider and its competitor (i.e., competitor performs better than company) influence customer retention, whereas positive discrepancies do not (Kumar 2002). A positive link between satisfaction and usage has been documented by Bolton and Lemon (1999). The underlying rationale for this link is that higher satisfaction scores reflect a higher utility of the provided product. This higher utility will be reflected in higher future usage rates. However, a customers’ experience with a particular product will not necessarily transfer to additional products offered by the same organization (Verhoef, Franses and Hoekstra (2001). Relationship Management In direct marketing it is distinguished between marketing instruments that directly stimulate product sales, and those that focus on the maintenance and development of customer relationships (McDonald 1998). Marketing instruments can also be classified based upon whether they provide economic gains or social benefits to the customer (Bhattacharya and Bolton 2000). But these effects of relationship marketing variables have not been extensively investigated (Jain and Singh 2002). Since direct marketing focuses on creating immediate sales, direct marketing is not expected to influence the length of the customer-firm relationship. However, in the case of successful direct marketing policies, direct marketing may positively affect the depth and/or breadth of the relationship (Bolton, 2002). A key objective of concentrating on loyalty is to enhance relationship depth, although it is also intended to increase customer-firm relationship length (Bolton, 2002). Although there is considerable anecdotal evidence that loyalty programs strengthen social bonds between customers and product providers (Sharp and Sharp 1997). In existing relationships, direct marketing is an important tool to sell additionals (Roberts and Berger 1999). Direct marketing often offers attractive propositions to customers, such as economic benefits (Bolton, 2002). Brand Equity Most observers define the brand equity in term of marketing impact that exceptionally attribute to a brand. Brand equity relates to the information that usually gets different results from marketing of a product (Keller, 2003). Brand equity is a set of brand assets and liabilities linked to a brand, its name and symbol that add to or subtract from value provided by a product to a company and/or to the companies customers (Aaker, 1991). Brand awareness, brand loyalty, perceived quality and brand association are the core assets for the brand equity. These are important assets for building strong brand equity helps in increasing the brand awareness in the market. The perceived quality and its association with the brand name can effect the customer’s satisfaction and gives him the reason to purchase. This results in the high brand loyalty among the customer and greater share in market (Chen, 2001). A power full brand enjoys a high level of customer brand awareness and loyalty. Company can have a competitive advantage through high brand equity (Kotler et al., 2005). Brand equity provides a great value for customers; brand equity assets help the customers to capture and process the brand and store large number of information about it. Brand equity can help to attract new customers and/or to maintain the loyalty and faith of old customers (Aaker, 1991). Customer based brand equity arises when customers are well acquainted with the brand name and keeps some favorable, strong and unique about brand association in memory (Keller, 2003). Brand equity also involves the value added by a product through customer relations and perceptions about a specific brand name (Wood, 2000). Brand equity supports the company in facing the competition. If a brand has a strong position in the segment, another brand will find a very difficult to compete in the same segment as they already correlate various characteristics with the recognised brand (Papanastassiu Rouhani, 2006). Brand Loyalty Brand loyalty shows customer preferences to purchase a particular brand; customers believe that the brand offers the enjoyable features, images, or standard of quality at the right price. Initially customers will purchase a brand for trial, after being satisfied, customers will keep on buying the product from the certain brand (Bolton, 2002). Brand loyalty represents an encouraging approach towards a brand resulting in regular purchase of the brand over time (Tuominen, 1992). Brand Loyalty reflects the ratio of regular buyers to satisfied buyers who like the product This is more useful in marketing the product to existing customers because of good brand loyalty it will cost less effort and money, than to attract new ones (Tuominen, 1992). When loyal customers see any lack to a brand attribute, then they immediately transfer to other brand products that offer a better deal. The reason for buying a same product from a familiar brand saves time and reduces risks (Bloemer Kasper, 1995). Perceived Quality and Brand Association Perceived quality defines a customer’s perception about product superioty. Perceived quality provides fundamental reasons to purchase. Perceived quality provides greater beneficial opportunity of charging a premium price. Perceived quality enables a strong brand to extend on a large scale (Hoyer Brown, 1990). Mostly customers prefer to buy products from a well-known and familiar brand, rather than opting for unknown or new brands (Rust et al, 1999). Perceived quality of a brand influences decision making of consumers. This influence is important when customers are unable to analysis the quality of a product (Aaker, 1991). All customers are conscious about product quality. The majority of people prefer to go for well-known brands which have high reputation in the market. Favorability, strength, and uniqueness of brand associations are the dimensions distinguishing brand knowledge that play an important role in determing responses that makes up brand equity, especially in high involvement decision settings (Chen, 2001). There are values of a brand that are not as visible as other brands. These values can be based on brand association with certain factors that provide confidence and credibility among customers. Companies try to associate certain attributes to their brand, which makes it harder for the new brands to enter the market (Aaker, 1991). Brand Name Awareness Brand name awareness plays an important role in consumer decision making; if a customer has already heard a brand name, the customer would feel more comfortable at the time of decision making. Customers do not prefer to buy unknown brands. Therefore companies’ strong brand name is a wining track as customers choose brand products (Aaker, 1991). People generally tend to buy brands that they are familiar with and in which they have confidence. Brand awareness is responsible for loyal customers, for which unknown brands have to face tough competition (Hoyer Brown, 1990). However, well-known brands are always more likely to be recognized and therefore it is more likely that customers prefere brand products. Emotional Branding At present, successful companies have built relationships with consumers by attractively engaging them in a personal communication which responds to their needs. Marketers have done so by connecting with customers and creating strong emotional bonds with their brands (Brand Week, 2001). When companies want to know what consumers feel about them, they have to build a personal communication with them. This is the good way for a company to consider itself because customer perceptions are very important for companies. However a company can learn a lot by listing to its customers views (Daryi, 2000). For companies it is essential that its brand corresponds with its products to create emotion; thereby products become connected with a brands image in the customer’s mind (Papanastassiu Rouhani, 2006). Emotional branding is the fine approach that clarifies the values of a company to its customers (Marken, 2003). Pricing Strategies The effect of price on customer behavior in their relationships with companies do not focus only on actual prices. They also focus on price perceptions, such as price fairness or payment equity (Bolton and Lemon 1999). Higher absolute prices lead to lower perceptions of price fairness, but price fairness is also be affected by competitors’ pricing policies (Rust, Zeithaml and Lemon 2000). Negative changes in price perceptions over time (e.g., price fairness decreases), will probably have a larger influence than positive changes (Tversky and Kahneman 1991). Furthermore, differences between the price perception of the dealer and its competitors can lead to regret (Tsiros and Mittal 2000). Positive price perceptions relative to competitors have a large effect on customer retention, and negative price perceptions relative to competitors have a small effect (Bolton, Kannan and Bramlett 2000). Price plays an important role in the acquisition of new customers. In contrast, after the relationship has been established, the role of price tends to become less prominent and experiential aspects of the relationship, such as quality, become more important (Zahorik and Keiningham 1995). Brand Name The name of a brand is the fundamental indicator of the brand. The name of the brand is the basis for raising awareness of the brand and communication efforts. Often even more important is the fact that it can generate association which serves to describe the brand (Aaker, 1991). Brand name is a significant choice because sometimes it captures the central theme or key association of a product in a condensed and reasonable fashion. Brand names can be extremely successful means of communication (Keller, 2003). Some companies assign their products with a brand name that in reality has nothing to do with the emotional experience but is catchy and a name that people can easily memorize. The core base of naming a brand is that it should be unique, that it can be easily differenciated from other names, that is easy to remember, and that it is attractive for customers (Papanastassiu Rouhani, 2006). Symbol and Logo Symbols have a long history which shows brand identification of the company. Logos and symbols are an easy way to recognize a product. It is a greater success if symbol and logos became a linked in memory to corresponding brand name and product to increase brand recall. Customers may perhaps identify definite symbols but be unable to link them any particular brand or product (Keller, 2003). Logos helps companies to develop the brand equity through raised brand identification and brand loyalty. Logos are very important assets, companies spend enormous time and money to promote brand logos and symbols (Hem Iversen, 2003). Experience All brands create feelings; some brands are designed to give customers more experience in the true sense of the word than other brands. The most powerful brand goes beyond the traditional means to steal customers’ heart away and take on special meaning to customers through their product. With time and experience, consumers learn about the brands, they find out which brands satisfy their needs and which ones do not (Daryi, 2000). Customers have used a same branded car for many years, because customers have good experience company brands product. Self esteem Usually people have some pre-conceptions about themselves, which is the image of ideal self and also reflects the person’s desire how he would like to be. When the person tries to think about himself he tries to compare it to the people who are well known in society and have high image in the society. It is a very basic and natural tendency of a human being to look into his self esteem and personality by comparing it to others (Solomon, 2005). Self-esteem refers to person’s self-concept. When people have a bad self-esteem it shows that they will not perform well and they think that when they will do a certain work and they might be rejected or fail (Solomon, 2005). When self esteem advertising is done, there are attempts to change product attribute by motivating a positive feeling about the self. One approach of doing this is to challenge the customer self esteem and then it shows a product with a linkage of that can provide a solution (Solomon, 2005). Consumer Behaviour The Consumer behaviour study involves how an individual or groups select, purchase, use or dispose of products, s ideas, or experience to satisfy their need and desires (Solomon, 2005). The consumer environment influences how the consumers feel, consider and act. The environmental features are, for instance, comments taken from other customers, advertising, packing, price, and product appearance etc (Peter Olson, 2005). Consumer behaviour is related to the physical action of a consumer, which can be measured directly. Frequency of visiting stores or shopping malls can be measured. To select a specific store then to go there is very difficult to choose and observe directly. Where different types of behaviour can be measured including a shopping pattern in stores. This kind of measurement is very hard. The behaviour can be analyzed in different ways, by offering lower price, better and good quality (Papanastassiu Rouhani, 2006). Consumer behavior mainly sheds light on how consumers decides to spend their various resources like time, money etc. on various products so as to meet their needs and requirement. Consumer behavior encompasses study of what, when, why and where the consumers will buy their products. It also focuses on how often the consumers use the products. Furthermore, it also sheds light on how the consumers evaluate the products after the purchase and the effect of evaluations on their future purchases (Schiffmann, 2004). Consumer Decision Making The consumer decision making process defines different steps when a consumer goes through to purchase a product. If customer wants to make a purchase he or she takes a sequence of steps in order to do complete this purchase. Problem recognition includes when consumer feel a significant difference between the current state and ideal so consumer thinks there is some problem to be solved. The problem may be small or big. In the second step, the consumer seeks information about the product. The extent of information search relies on the level of consumer involvement. In case of expensive products, the level of involvement is high. Conversely, in case of relatively cheap products the level of involvement is usually low. In the third step, the consumer evaluates the different attributes of the brands. Consumer may consider the product attributes and compare brand products. In the final step consumer makes his choice about a product (Solomon, 2005). It’s true that a consumer may not necessarily go through all the decision making steps for every purchase he or she makes. At times, consumer makes his or her decision automatically and the decision may be based on heuristics or mental shortcuts. Other times, in case of highinvolvement products consumer may take a long time before reaching a final purchase decision. It depends on consumers’ importance of the products like purchase of a car or home (Solomon, 2005). More over consumers try to make an estimated brand universe on the basis of available information about the brands, and to make an estimated the utility function on the basis of past consumption experience (Davies, 1986). Decision Rules Consumers apply decision rules to attributes and alternatives chosen. A decision rule can be explained as a strategy used by the consumer when selecting from the alternatives. If a purchase decision is habitual, a simplistic decision rule is likely to be applied. The consumer may simply decide to buy the same brand as last time. The complexity of the decision rule depends much on the level of involvement and the perceived importance of the outcome of the purchase decision. There is clear division between more complex rules, which are compensatory and non compensatory (Solomon, 2005). Social Class Social class is an invisible stratification of the inhabitants of the society into different groups based on some traits of the people. Inhabitants in a society can be divided into different social classes according to their income level, occupation, education and so forth (Hawkins, 2004). Social class of a person is determined by a wide variety of set of variables including income, family background and occupation (Solomon, 2005). People of a certain social class will also have different choices and preferences for different products. Members of a specific class will also vary in taste. People form higher social class will have preferences for reputed branded products as they buy products not only to satisfy their needs but also to say who they are through the products (Schiffmann, 2004). Purchase Intention The purchase intention shows customers preference to purchase the product, whose image is very close to customer. Moreover customers are well aware of certain brand name through advertising, from their past experience or information form their friends and relatives (Solomon, 2005). The intention of a consumer to purchase a particular

Use of Pathos in Writings on Torture Essay example -- Who Walk Away fr

Torture is a loaded word. It conjures images in a readers' mind of any number of horrors, physical and mental. Many writers rely on this reaction and use pathos in their articles to illicit a strong response in their audience. Pathos is an emotional appeal used to gain sympathy and trust from the audience and works for people of all intellectual levels. It often casts the author or characters in a story as an Everyman, easy to identify, and therefore see eye to eye, with. In my opinion, the more an author is able to create a personal connection to torture, the stronger their argument becomes. Strong emotions create a more appealing argument for an everyday audience. Michael Levin's â€Å"The Case for Torture† uses a few moments of pathos to convince the audience of the potential benefit of torture. He poses several scenarios of terrorists planning attacks on large numbers of innocent people and then asks, â€Å"If the only way to save those lives is to subject the terrorist to the most excruciating possible pain, what grounds can there be for not doing so?† Even if you don't agree with him, he urges the reader to â€Å"face the question with an open mind.† By doing this, Levin uses pathos as well as ethos to present himself as a nice guy who's not unreasonable. Though his argument is different from Levin's, Andrew Sullivan tries a similar approach in his article, â€Å"Bush's torturers follow where the Nazis led†. The article demonstrates a clear use of pathos from the beginning. Sullivan begins with some personal information about himself, showing that is is one of the regular people. His imagery is subtle but power ful. By implying that the government's behavior is in some way akin to the Nazis, he conjures up a powerful imagine in the readers min... ...Oct. 2008 . Ortiz, Sister Dianna. "Mr. President, stop the torture!" US Catholic Magazine Online. July 2004. 26 Sept 2008 news_iv_ctrl=1341&abbr=usc_&JServSessionIdr001=anotsvvjc1.app45a> Ortiz, Sister Dianna. "Speak Truth to Power Defender – Interview with Dianna Ortiz." Speak Truth to Power. 26 Sept 2008. . 26 Sept 2008. Sullivan, Andrew. "Bush's torturers follow where the Nazis led." Times Online. 7 October 2007. 23 Sept 2008 andrew_sullivan/article2602564.ece> Porter, Henry. "America's Dirty Torture Secret." The Guardian. 10 Sept 2003. 1 Oct 2008 .

Capitalism Promotes Greed and Selfishness

Capitalism promotes greed and selfishness In capitalism country, not everybody does things with the purpose related profit. Many people also do something or help somebody because of kindness, but for the most major companies or governments in the Capitalism country, they run with the profit purpose. In this kind of operational system, people tend to be greed and selfishness.Therefore, people in capitalism country being greed and selfishness because of they are in a profit running system; and most capitalism country are developed country, greed is from human nature, then in a specifically environment, it just become bigger; also, revolt is another thread to reflect the oversqueeze from the greed and selfishness level people. Mostly, people in high level, who work for capitalism government or companies, they are work for money. The only purpose to work is make money. Every time they decided to do something or develop some, it means that will bring them profit.Even people not in this wa y from nature, they have to be like this, because they are working in such a system. In Goldstein’s article â€Å"Capitalism moral system, greed cause its failure†, he mentioned â€Å"In fact, one of my biggest fears about entering the business world is being put into a position where I may be asked to compromise my moral integrity and how I would behave under certain pressures?. In another words, if people being too bountiful, they cannot own too much money, everything is a competition, everybody will think themselves during this competition.Greed and selfishness are the natural personality for everybody in the world, when people comment a person whether greed, selfishness or not they just focus how much percentage of this characteristic in his personality. When people in a capitalism system, the characteristics of greed and selfishness seem like put under a microscope. The reason of it is when people in a high level, they have already know and have experience of how useful the money it is, then they never back to the life with less money. People have desire, they want more, and never contented. However, it just like a trend or a flu breeding in capitalism country.When the capitalist desire more, the pressures other people get will become bigger, and when people cannot stand any more, they will against to the capitalist in many different ways. Such as the revolution in Wall Street, people protest in Wall Street, even not show any fear of the policemen. This is a side to reflect capitalist’s greed and selfishness. As what Goldstein illustrated â€Å"Capitalism is a moral system, which has unfortunately been exploited by some immoral people. Acting unethically is counter-productive to a firm's success, but selfish people motivated by short-term gains may ignore this fact. Capitalism in an immoral management causes serious consequence. In conclusion, capitalist most likely look at the profit. For this purpose they are mostly greed and self ish, and they have more desire of money, then they just being more selfish because of covetous. Also, capitalism causes consequences, people cannot always stand the egoistical capitalists, they will revolt. Therefore, capitalism mostly promotes greed and selfishness. http://www. collegiatetimes. com/stories/15078/capitalism-moral-system-greed-causes-its-failure

Education System in Nyc Essay Example

Education System in Nyc Essay Example Education System in Nyc Essay Education System in Nyc Essay This was very disturbing to read. However, I am sure it takes place everyday. Students like Tarus who want to succeed and stay in school do not always get the support they need from their community, family, and friends. It is very hard to give support in the first place if they themselves do not have it. Anyone can loose motivation and become helpless. This story kind of reminded me of the monopoly article, (i.e., starting late in life and not having the resources needed to achieve success). Although resources and support are well need for all students, I think there are other underlying problems that existed in the case Tarus, (i.e., ethics). Mrs. Abram first approached the principal before going to the school counselor. School counselors are trained to counsel students. The school culture and respect for school counselors is questionable in this school. Secondly, the principal lacked sensitivity and did not take extensive time to hear what the student was saying, he dismissed Tarus. Ethically the Principal was supposed to notify the school counselor and work together to find out ways to approach the situation, (i.e., contacting Tarusâ„ ¢s Aunt, and promoting school safety). The Principal could have also looked into which students where part of the gang and notify police to patrol the school grounds. The incident where Tarus got attacked happened in front of the school. This could have been clearly avoided if it was handled differently. I think there are too many school administrators, principals, and teachers who are not competent to deal with students, parents, faculty, and school community. They are in a position of higher power and most of them lack multicultural sensitivity and have not taken courses in understanding racial and cultural identity. As a school counselor, I am very aware that we do not get utilized properly in schools. We have so much to offer to schools but are ignored and labeled as clerical workers. In the case of Tarus, clearly the school culture is reactive as oppose to proactive. If the school had gang and violence support groups or prevention workshops perhaps, the school would be more prepared to deal with Tarus. Is it the neighborhood and limited funds that prevent these programs or is it the people in charge, (i.e., the principal), who are more concerned about running a school but do not know how to

The Sociology of Religion Childhood Indoctrination

The Sociology of Religion Childhood Indoctrination Childhood indoctrination is one of the ways how one become religious where people are brought up and grow old while still in a given religion and always believe it. This becomes difficult to overcome because people are born and told that a certain religion is the true one making it difficult for them to question it, fail to accept it or believe it is a lie.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Sociology of Religion: Childhood Indoctrination specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The parents cannot be blamed because their main intention is to show the truth and they grew up the same way. This becomes like a circle that has no end, which is passed down from one generation to the other until someone reveals that it is not the truth. Fear makes people become religious and fail to question the religion. When people think about death they are afraid because they do not know what will happen to them after they die. The religious p eople tell them to believe in a certain religion so that they do not go to hell forever. When they believe that these people are telling the truth they fear the punishment that would follow if they do not believe. Many people cry and pray for forgiveness when they are very sick due to the fear of death. If there were no fear, people would question what they are told as the truth before they believe it. (Davie 62) People become religious when they are desperate and in need. They believe in what they are told due to lack of anything else, lack of hope and nothing to hold on. In a situation where one is satisfied completely then religion would not be significant since people would be contented with what they have as well as the way they are. In addition, people accept religion as a tradition that would be accepted for many years. The great grandparents followed the religion and therefore people follow it too. For example, the people who are born in the United States of America are like ly to be Christians while Muslims are from the Middle East. The people have many questions without answers and therefore become religious to search for answers. There are questions without answers and no one attempts to answer them while religious people leave them unanswered. When people make bad decisions, they feel guilty and fail to forgive themselves and therefore turn to God who forgives them so that they feel better. Their sins haunt them and believe that they may be punished for their deeds (Davie 49)Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Many people believe that it is only in the church that they can get a chance to socialize with others. Their main aim is not to attend the church service but interact with others and have a sense of belonging. They get the comfort they desire as well as assurance, which make them feel safe when they know that everything is all right . They remain in the religion when they think that they would have chaotic life if they stay without a religion. Many religious people are not responsible and need God so that they can be taking all their problems to him. For example, those who smoke or drink believe that they cannot stop smoking alone and put their faith in God to do everything and help them live a righteous life. People become religious for spiritual fulfillment in order for their life to have meaning. This makes them turn to religion for the spiritual void to be satisfied and live a comfortable life. People go to church and when they find others being exited, they believe that is what they require and that nothing can worry them (Davie 53) There are dogmas and beliefs in religion that are accepted and the followers are expected not to question about them. When other beliefs are available there can arise intolerance as well as inflexibility because no one is allowed to compromise the word of God. When the scriptur es are allowed to be interpreted and the interpretation is correct, it becomes difficult to solve any conflict that arises when people doubt it. The only person who is the winner is the one that will have most followers who are motivated through action. The extremists of religion who apply radical measures to fulfill the wishes of God bring about the conflict of escalation. When there is a conflict between what is evil and good, it becomes difficult to compromise by accepting the devil (Davie 27) Religious conflict can arise when evangelism has different strains. Some people may come together and not allow other religions the right to practice their own faith. They do this in order to minimize their beliefs because they feel that the religion may be dominant. For example, Christianity was suppressed in China where the government thought that it was dangerous and rival of loyalties of the citizens. The media emphasize on the negative effects of religion, which leads to hostility, as well as fear to the believers. The media do so by confusing people instead of informing them through misunderstanding the goals of different religious groups.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Sociology of Religion: Childhood Indoctrination specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The difference in religions is a potential source of conflict because people ignore other faiths. The religious group that is less popular is under tension compared to the most popular and privileged. When it happens that the group that is most popular is the minority it becomes easier to have a conflict with them and understanding becomes difficult. When crisis arise, members involved rely on extremists to provide solution. The identities of the group members can be shaped when compared to others, which makes the faith of one religion threatened by the other. Religious conflicts arise because the mind of people is unique and has different exper iences. These different individuals are located at different places where they associate with others with different experiences concerning their religion. When these characteristics are combined conflicts often arise in the course of their relationships. Hinduism has been reformed many times since it started due to conflicts when the caste system that was hereditary was rejected. Nanak emphasized that Muslims and Hindu should tolerate one another when he declared that similar God was worshipped. He could not be tolerated by the two religions, which made a new religion to be started. There serious conflict between the apostles of John and Jesus was about baptism. Those who followed Jesus were supposed to pay a price through baptism to be accepted by those who followed John. Peacemakers have been solving religious conflicts whenever they arise because they are complex. The people should be informed about the wishes of God in different religions so that they can avoid evil and do well (Davie 34) Davie, G. The Sociology of Religion. California: Sage Publications, 2007. Print.

Psychology paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Psychology paper - Essay Example One of the first similarities between what took place at the prison outside of Baghdad and what unraveled at the makeshift prison at Stanford is that the people portraying the guards had no previous experience in those roles. The United States soldiers only had experience as soldiers, but they still enforced their authoritative roles on their prisoners, much like the guards in the prison experiment. These roleplaying guards also did not have experience, though that did not stop them from making it known who had the greater power. In both cases, the soldiers and the pseudo-guards conformed to the roles of real prison guards the more that they exercised their power over the prisoners, doing what they could to dehumanize them. The guards and the prisoners alike had no choice but to accept these roles, even though the guards soon began to abuse their power. The abuse itself was similar in nature and in intensity. The purposes behind the abuse in both cases were to degrade and humiliate. The abuse was also used to instill a sense of fear in the prisoners, as well as to make it known who was in charge. The rights and bodies of the prisoners were violated, and they were denied essential aspects of a healthy life, such as food or a healthy environment.

American Indian Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

American Indian - Research Paper Example The American Indians lived in solitude for many years until the coming of the Europeans, who later discovered America, making things less peaceful. Indians experienced forceful eviction from their land leading to war and a lot of bloodshed. The Indians had different views of the Europeans and knew they would use different techniques to attack them, including use of military force (Nichols 3). There are Indians who supported the white men, while others refused completely to surrender even when they were subjected to harsh conditions. The Indian Revolution Act, implemented in 1830, made several tribes migrate to the Western side of the country. With the revolt against the British and formation of US, the idea of civilization was conceived, and the American Indians were prepared for assimilation into United States citizens. It was integral to have a manifested destiny, as that would favour the nationalist movements that were present. Family Structure of the American Indians The family s tructure of the Indians was formed in such a way that it had to be obscure that an extended family existed. An extended family that lived together in one house were enumerated as subfamily members, and all the members were related to the holder of the house. An extended family that resided in several homesteads ensured they were at a close proximity to one another. However, the families were recognised as a single entity with independent households. Both the parents and grandparents resided in a dwelling place that was mobile, and they ensured they were near the children or grandchildren. The cultural conceptions of the Indians recognised an Indian grandmother as the aunt of a child as well as the grandaunt. Extended families were responsible for the formation of kinship networks, formed based on clan memberships and not necessarily by birth, marriage or adoption. Traditional Native families retained their Indian ways and had no influence from the urban ways of life (Lamanna and Rie dman 67). The Indian families relate more to people outside immediate family in a supportive way, and this is evident in the Sioux Families; where family involvement begins in the early stages of life as parents get selected for new born babies. The families strengths are seen in the helping systems present in the community at large, and they have spiritual courage that they obtain from their religion. The Indian families also have respect for one another and this is a basis they use for their later learning. American Indian Culture American Indians enjoyed freedom and contentment in their land, before corruption and other vices brought conflicts to the community (Porter 93). American Indian culture gave rise to many familiar symbols that depict struggle and triumphs, making many modern life aspects adopt them. Tepee and Peace Pipe are some of the symbols the natives used in their culture, as a tapestry of the American Native life. Everything from plants, animals, housing, to climat e conditions defined the Indian culture, with their animals being referred to as spirits; despite the fact that they hunted and killed them. The Indians’ clothes were made of animal skins, and the meat was greatly revered thus it never went to waste. There was a belief that spirits lived, and were present among all the Indian tribes. American Indians participated in agricultural