Human Desire To Fit In Essays (640 words) - Human Behavior, Belief

Human Desire to "fit in" Just for the Sake of Belonging Two common ways of handling a situation are either to do so according to one?s own personal needs and desires with no specific regard to other people, or one can base a decision on how it will be viewed by others. The vast majority of people fall on the side of being worried about what others are saying and thinking. Both good and bad can come from living this way, but it has seemed to remain constant throughout history. People have a natural desire to belong, and to fit in with a certain group. No matter what group an individual chooses, that individual almost always is forced sacrifice a part of them self in order to seem more a part of things. People in this world seem to need companionship and are often too weak to stand alone. As a result, they stand together in what ever group they are best suited to. It is a point of interest to many of the people who have stopped to think about this fact. The idea that people live according to how others will perceive then has been established as the rule, not the exception. The real question now lies in the reasons for this way of life. It was hypothesized by C.S. Lewis that this desire to belong and to fit in is a natural human characteristic. He believed that people have an instinctive drive to belong, in the same sort of way species reproduce. It is possible that his theory of instinctive necessity is accurate, and humans are as a whole are week and scared when they are faced with solitude. The old adage ?there is safety in numbers? is appropriate in this topic. Often in this world terrible things happen because people group up and commit unspeakable acts, then take shelter in the numbers of those involved. The Annual Freaknik ?celebration? is the perfect example. Thousands of individuals crowd the streets of Atlanta and pillage the city for a weekend, all the while they show no respect for the laws or the residents of the city. This can be directly related to the issue of people doing things to be a part of the group. If these people were asked individually why they did these terrible things, for the most part they would respond by saying ?everyone else is doing it. This could be translated to ?I am just trying to be a part of things?. In this particular example those involved sacrifice any sense of morals or upbringing that they might have had. ?Everybody is doing it?. This sentence has ruined thousands of lives. It could could be the worst four word combination in the English language. People have been convinced to begin drug use, drunk driving, cliff jumping, and countless other unwise activities. The reason behind this is clear, the human necessity to fit in and to seem cool is often to strong to compete with. A person could have the world and all of its riches, but with out someone to share it with, that person would be totally alone. People need each other. This is a fact of the world, and it will never change. This need is a natural desire that is found every where in every person with very few exceptions. It is true that trouble can brew and awful things can happen because of these groups, but the advantages associated far out weigh the costs. These groups that people form between themselves often serve as shelter for the lonely, for this reason it is natural for people to go far out their way if necessary to belong a particular crowd. As a result the opinion of others is crucial part of life.

Chinese Religious Views on Contraception essays

Chinese Religious Views on Contraception essays In many respects, the Chinese culture is very different from our own American culture. In traditional Chinese culture, families valued sons over daughters. In modern times, however, both girls and boys are valued in Chinese homes. In the United States, it is a familys choice as to the type of family planning they wish to implement, if any at all. In China, however, family planning is forced. Chinas 1982 Constitution stipulates that the state should promote the practice of family planning (art. 25), and that both husband and wife have an obligation to practice family planning . In many cases, contraception is the more widely accepted form of family planning. Oftentimes, people become wary of any type of restriction on their God-given right to reproduce. It is in these types of cases that religion and various religious beliefs become important. There are various types of religions in China. The most prominent religions are Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. Each of the religions has different views on family planning. The Buddhist religion is traditionally pronatalist (in favor of reproduction). Buddhism is, however, open to contraception and family planning. According to Parichart Suwanbubbha, it is possible to say that Buddhist teachings allow individuals, including women to have the right to plan their family according to their own circumstances using any methods of safe contraception. Contraception can be justified by economic misery and quality of life in all members in a family. According to the Middle Way of the Buddhist religion, there can be such a thing as too many children. Buddhists believe that family planning should be allowed and that a good government should provide those services. The Taoist religion is not against contraception. The ideal Tao society was the small state with a little population that could prevent people from...

The Elephant Man, Bernard Pomerance write a a comparison of two Research Paper

The Elephant Man, Bernard Pomerance write a a comparison of two characters in the play - Research Paper Example Merrick wanted to be normal as well. However, Merrick learns that modern medicine could not help Merrick. Thus on his return to London, Merrick is put into a hospital. By not curing Merrick, Dr. Treves realizes that perfection might not be what he had previously defined. Merrick wants to be normal, since he is considered a freak by the world. After finding out that he was not ever going to be normal, Merrick takes solace in the church and female friends. Although he wants a mistress, even his female friend must refuse. His disappointments in life are always challenged with graceful wit. As a result, Merrick finds that he has every normal human emotion available. Dr. Treves and Joseph Merrick do not reach their goals, but learn to live with the life given them. Merrick figures this out sooner than Dr. Treves. The doctor does not realize how much he is like Merrick until Merrick’s death. While Merrick had hours and hours to meditate on his life, Dr. Treves did not start thinking about his life until Merrick dies. Only then does Dr. Treves realize that he was just as crippled as Merrick. The only difference was Merrick had a physical deformity, whereas Dr. Treves had a mental deformity. Dr. Treves leaves the play with a better understanding of life through

Scientific Advancement in the 20th Century Essay

Scientific Advancement in the 20th Century - Essay Example Instead of analyzing the problem on scientific basis, they have adhered to their timeworn ideologies with a practical surrender to the materialistic values in vogue. Even the torchbearers, the so-called intellectuals and modern scholars of any religion pretend to be abreast with the modern scientific thought have given in to the onslaught of modern sciences and in secret depths of their hearts feel nervous how to defend their position. They are doing more harms than good by defending their post with archaic weapons. Like the case of William James in his "Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature" wrote: Failure, then, failure! So the world stamps us at every turn. We strew it with our blunders, our misdeeds, our lost opportunities, with all the memorials of our inadequacy to our vocation. And with what a damning emphasis does it then blot us out! No easy fine, no mere apology or formal expiation, will satisfy the world's demands, but every pound of flesh exacted is soaked with all its blood. The subtlest forms of suffering known to man are connected with the poisonous humiliations incidental to these results. And they are pivotal human experiences. A process so ubiquitous and everlasting is evidently an integral part of life. 'There is indeed one element in human destiny,' Robert Louis Stevenson writes, 'that not blindness itself can controvert. Whatever else we are intended to do, we are not intended to succeed; failure is the fate allotted.' And our nature being thus rooted in failure, is it any wonder that theologians should have held it to be essential, and thought that only th rough the personal experience of humiliation which it engenders the deeper sense of life's significance is reached (Varieties, p. 138) The main reason of this fall to dishonor and disdain, is the writer's indifference towards scientific disciplines. It has put among the tail-enders in the world. An in-depth inquiry of human history reveals that our forefathers disseminated thought and philosophy to the whole world and founded numerous scientific disciplines. Had our forefathers not accomplished their pioneer work in the field of empirical sciences, the contemporary scientific disciplines could never have developed into their present status. They dawned in the words of William James and others1 with wisdom on the Western thoughts and drowned in murk and darkness of ignorance. This philosophy amply fled on our illuminating heredity. And we spared everything witlessly. The science is advancing by leaps and bounds. As shown in the William work, he was rightly proud of his superior evolutionary status among the comity of nations. As he keep the poor and the deprived dependent and subdued, he also intended to see the other religions under their subjugating authority. His philosophical thought and civilization is eating up geographical distances and the world spread over millions of miles has been reduced to Global village. Owing to scientific progress, deserts are being transformed into meadows and fertile fields. The mineral wealth is drawn to one feet. Scientific knowledge has enabled to bring all the natural sources under human control and consumption. This is, however, tragic to note that his scientific approaches are adamantly bent upon keeping the backward nations dependent and subdued. In this regards, the minorities are well-defined target. Like

Discuss the significance of the media in shaping values and practices Essay

Discuss the significance of the media in shaping values and practices in contemprary societies - Essay Example Forms. There are different forms of media including analog and digital media, which are both equally prominent in the lives of people around the world. Media is understood to include the radio, film, television, video, newspapers, magazines, radio, films, compact discs, current affairs programs and advertising - all of which are considered in relation to media audiences. In the rise of technology, the Internet has highly become an addition to these media. Media may inform us and alert us about current events and other important information. However, media may conceal deception. This indicates that although media is intended for something positive as in providing unbiased data to the public, it can be unreliable at times. When a medium is intentionally partial to one side or deletes some details of a story, the intention of that medium is dubious. On this score, media can shape values and practices in contemporary societies positively or negatively. This significant role of media can best be understood not only in relation to our daily lives but also within the context of larger social forces such as the economy, politics and technological development (Alexander & Hanson, 1999). Characteristics. One way to understand media is to look at its certain qualities that must be taken into consideration as either positive or negative. As Pungente (1989) characterizes media, they primarily present carefully crafted constructions that are the result of many factors. For example, in the making of news, there are principles to follow and there are structures that must be adhered to. Yet, there are the factors that help shape them like ownership and control of the medium. News must be constructed and presented in such a way that it will not hurt the owners’ interests. It is the same with advertising and all the other presentations, where care and timing are considered, yet effects and impacts on the audience are equally studied - again based

Analysis Of Marriage As A Cultural Difference English Literature Essay

Analysis Of Marriage As A Cultural Difference English Literature Essay Although the basic meaning behind marriage is same everywhere, it is actually practised in different ways in different cultures. Every culture has its own ways and means to promote marriage. They all have inbuilt rules and restrictions which has been followed by the people all through out their existence. So keeping the above context in mind, this essay focuses on the views on Indian Hindu marriage and different European systems of marriage. Emphasis is given on the traditional marriage practises followed by Hindu Indians as well as The Irish and The English. Indian Marriage Marriage customs in India is totally different if you look from the viewpoint of Western Countries and it might look more complicated that any other country, but even though its complicated, the Indian marriage life has been very much working very much for the Indian families since generations and the bond between husband and wife is stronger than ever. The love for parents also plays a major role in the stability of Indian marriage life. Role of Arranged Marriages in India In India love marriages do happen, but they are not generally accepted and to find the spouse its not an ideal mean. The result of a man and woman falling in love can be defined as love marriages. Rather than love marriage its mostly arranged marriage in India. In India finding a groom for his daughter is the responsibility of the brides father. He approaches the prospective grooms father about the possibility of marriages after choosing from the many available prospective guys. One of the most challenging tasks that an Indian father faces is finding a groom and arranging marriage for his beloved daughter. If by a particular age the girl doesnt manage to get married her father faces a great deal of shame. Education level, location and caste decide the optimal age for marriage. In India, generally a girl gets married in her teens among Indias lower-caste tribal people and among Indias privileged higher-caste a girl gets married at older ages after college. Spouse is chosen for their children most of the times by Indian parents thinking he would be the best for their children, but marriage decisions may also arise from benefits their family might get after the marriage like for instance- Business relations, dowry etc. The Role of Astrology in Hindu Marriage When the bride and grooms fathers have agreed to a match, they move onto the next important step, that is matching the horoscope. Matching horoscope is the deciding factor in 95% of the Hindu marriage in India. So for this, both parties give their respective childrens horoscopes to the priest to see if its a match or not. The medium in which the horoscope is read is called janat patri. If there is sufficient amount of match in janat patri, it is determined that the boy and the girl are a perfect match for each other, and the arrangements for marriage starts from there. How Spouses are found in India In India a large network of family and friends of the groom are involved in the search for a matching spouse, matching the likes of not only the groom but also his family. The people of India are very good in keeping networks among various groups and also within the people of a particular group, hence once it is known that there is a search for a spouse needed for a particular groom, then word of mouth plays important role in connecting with potential spouses. The word of mouth may go along the routes of the different connections that the person has in relation to his friends, school, relatives or even business. Classified ads in newspapers also play an important part in finding a spouse in India. Matrimonial ads in newspapers do not bring about much stigma in the society as these ads are focused on life time commitment rather than temporary romantic relations which can be seen in western countries. The ads in the classifieds are mostly arranged and categorised on the basis of religion and caste and in some cases other attributes based on education and profession, region or similar characteristics are also considered. Gossips and people that are privy to particular information in the society turn out to play an important role in the matchmaking process. This can be any person in the society like a Barber who often plays an important role particularly in parts of north India. Different people tend to engage in talks with the barber leading to exchange of lots of scoops that barber may know of through other customers and in many cases lead to the fathers of the potential bride and groom meetin g up. Arranged marriage is the present norm in India and as a developing country it is seen that a small percent adopt the western culture but again it also is always arranged by families. Hence it would take a long time before love marriages similar to those in western regions would be seen in India. From a Guys Point of View An Indian guy, on sighting a girl who looks acceptable to him or what one may say  as love at first sight, would not go head over heels at her and approach her straightway.   He would rather study her from a distance, and make an interpretation of the girl portraying as his wife. If hes satisfied with his portrayal then he leaves it to the parents. One tip some parents give their son in this regard is, see if she has the qualities of your own  mother;  if she reminds you of your mother in several respects, pin her in your heart, develop a clean and sacred  friendship and after some more meetings, propose to her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The guy would never try to date her, as in there is no point in him to date her because he already knows everything about the girl.   He has properly studied her and already has all information about her, her likes and dislikes, whether shes a socially active girl or very homely girl n stuff.  If at all he decides to take her on a date, he might want her to take an adult with her for being socially responsible. And the question of pre marital sex is Never. Because virginity is something which is considered sacred and preserved by most until marriage. When they get married they start their romance in the life and fall in love with each other and From the Girls Point of View Many young girls do  fall in love with  some   man , mostly as a result of the   love at first sight syndrome but she then wouldnt think in terms of dating him but put asks her  parents to get all the details about him and see if hes a match for their family. She wouldnt have any heartily feelings for him until the marriage date is arranged with Parents consent. In most of the cases, a marriage broker is involved who is involved in the meet up and match making process of boy and girl. Once satisfied with all the required parameters, a meeting is arranged by the parents for the boy and girl to meet each other which is also called seeing ceremony which usually takes place in girls house which is often referred to as bride seeing.   During this meeting, guy and the girl will be given a brief time to make up their mind about the others acceptability as his/her life partners.   Most of the time, Boys like to have a chat with the girl before giving   his opinion, for this t hey both would be allowed into a room in the Brides   house  for a few minutes of chit chat.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If the guy and the girl like each other, then the parents take over by negotiating on various arrangements including the fixing of marriage dates, expenses, venues etc. In most of the cases there is an engagement ceremony to seal the alliance;   this takes place mostly in the case where in the   Girl   has to complete her studies or the Boy has to settle down with a good job or for some other reasons the marriage could take place only  after several months. Even during this period, the Boy and Girl are normally not allowed to date but are permitted to see each other for a chit chat but always  in one of the two homes. This is what happens in nearly 90 percent cases but the remaining rest possibly follow the Western ways and may have lots of datings  and  hangouts  to find out their compatibility and in this process  may even try out some intimacy as well. But experience shows that these relations are the one wont last long.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Hindu Weddingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ A Hindu wedding ceremony could last for couple of hours and is attended by a large number of relatives, friends, acquaintances and so on. The wedding mostly takes place in a mandap or a tent, which is beautifully decorated with flowers. Hindu wedding ceremonies can last for days and involve many rituals to be done which mainly involves a priest reciting devotional Sanskrit slogans which is done in order for the couple to get gods blessings. Traditionally, the bride wears a sari with lot of designs and hand works on it. The sari should be draped modestly over her hair. The bride is usually covered with enormous amount of jewellery but it also depends on the social status of the family. Some of them make the bride wear more jewellery just to show their social status. One feature of the brides wardrobe which has become popular is the use of mehndi to decorate her hands and feet. The groom usually wears a kafni (long shirt extending to the knees) with pijamo (leggings) or dhoti (sort of an overgrown loincloth) or sherwani which is a long coat like garment. The groom might also wear a turban. The priest in this ceremony need not be an experienced priest. The priest should be familiar with Hindu weddings and comfortable acting as a master of ceremonies, guiding the participants through their parts and explaining the meaning of the service to the audience. There is no problem in the priest having the ritual book in his hand and reading from it. Saptapadi is a very important ritual performed by the Hindu couple when they get married, it is basically a ritual ceremony to symbolise god where in the couple hold hands and circle around a sacred fire and light and it will give them holy blessings. During this the priest chants the slogans and mantras which emphasis the significance of the marriage. After this the groom applies sindoor at the beginning or completely along the parting-line of a womans hair and ties mangalsutra (the wedding chain) around her neck. Both sindoor and mangalsutra are considered religious and as a sacred symbol for them. European Marriage There are several forms of marriage in European countries and each and every country has their own traditional methods and ritual ceremonies for marriage. But conducting marriage through a religious service is a must in all the Western countries. According to the Europeans, the secret of successful marriage is based on faithfulness, or based on adequate Income or even based on agreement of politics. European Marriage Pattern In the course of early modern times, the population of Europe developed a family and marriage pattern which differed sharply from that of the most of the rest of the world. This European marriage pattern was marked by very late marriage, by the extreme rarity of households containing more than one couple and by the frequent presence of the young unmarried servants. This seemingly unique pattern has significance not only because of its impact on the nature of family life but also because of its possible connection with the emergence of other patterns of modern western life. Late marriage seems to have been connected with systems of widespread free land tenure and private property. By delaying marriage, young people were waiting to accumulate sufficient property before founding a family. (Often they served as servants in the homes of unrelated families during the period before marriage). This period of delayed gratification was a primitive form of population control and a sign of rational control over ones economic situation. By establishing a long period between physical maturation and marriage, it helped create the separate state of adolescence with its many sexual and emotional strains. It also played a role in the transition from marriage choices controlled by parents for their minor children to marriage partners chosen by the spouse themselves, many of whom were now adults parents had either dies or retired. The English Marriageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. The bride and the Wedding party enter the hall, lead by a small girl who scatters flowers all along the way until they reach the chapel. The flowered path and express hope for the brides path through life to be happy and lovely. To prevent the bride from any jealous evil wishers from cursing the bride, the bridesmaids dress very much like the bride. Brides usually sew a good luck charm, such as the silver horseshoe of royal British brides, to the hem of their wedding dresses. Old English wedding tradition also calls for the bride to carry a horseshoe, streaming with ribbons, for good luck. The traditional practise is that the couple exchange vows outside the wedding chapel doorway, so that anyone can watch the ceremony (worldweddingtraditions.com). Traditional English Wedding Receptions The English wedding is celebrated with a Wedding Cake and usually its fruit cake which is made up of dried fruits like raisins, ground almonds and cherries. The couple usually saves the top layer of the wedding cake for the baptism of their first child and this layer is usually referred to as christening cake The fruitcake is served at the wedding reception along with another traditional cake the grooms cake which originated during the Tudor period. Even the grooms cake used to be a fruitcake until sometime back but now, its usually likely to be a chocolate cake. Ribbon Pull is a unique Victorian wedding reception, where in a sterling silver charm is purchased for each of the bridesmaids. Then a ribbon is attached to each one, and the baker places them between layers of the wedding cake as it is being assembled. So when the cake is ready to be cut all the bridesmaids gather so that they can each pull one ribbon before the couple share their first slice of the cake, claiming for herself a promised good future(worldweddingtraditions.com). The olden tradition of tying shoes to the cars of newlyweds also began in England during the Tudor period. Before this, the practise of throwing shoes at the newlyweds when they were leaving the Church was widely practised for having Good Luck. The modern tradition is to tie the shoes to the honeymoon vehicle. The English also consider raining on a wedding day to be a sign of Good Fortune ahead. The Irish Marriage The Irish Claddagh Ring An Irish brides wedding ring is called a Claddagh ring. It is a heart held by two hands with the heart topped by a crown. The hands represent faith, the crown symbolizes honour, and the heart signifies love. The rings motto is: Let love and friendship reign. (worldweddingtraditions.com). A woman shows that shes single and shes ready to see guys by wearing the Claddagh Ring on her right hand with the heart facing towards the outward end of her finger and if the ring is worn on the right hand with the heart facing inward, then she is showing that she is engaged. And if the Claddagh Ring is worn on the left hand it means that the woman is married. Wedding Day Traditions in Ireland According to the Irish tradition, the wedding couple walks to the Church together before exchanging vows. Then the witness of the marriage would bless the couple with rice and sometimes uses larger items like pots and pans as well when they walk towards the chapel. Traditionally, Irish bride used to wear a blue wedding dress because it symbolized purity in olden times. But when white dress started symbolizing virginity and purity in recent times, Irish started using white wedding dress. The English Lavender flower on the brides wedding dress is supposed to help the couple have a long and happy long lasting relation and also the English Lavender was a symbol for love, devotion, loyalty and luck in ancient times. Braided hair was an ancient symbol for female power and luck, so in present weddings, women can be often seen with a braided hair during the wedding. And St. Patricks Day is treated as the luckiest day to get married in Ireland (worldweddingtraditions.com). An Irish Honeymoon mi na meala , which in Irish means The Month of Honey is part of a custom followed by the Irish newlyweds wherein the couple spend a month together drinking honeyed wine especially in those cases where the couple married by eloping away from home. It is believed that as a month passes, the girl will become pregnant and the family will accept the marriage because of that, and the girls family would desire her to live with the guys family. Even today many couples follow ancient traditions mixed with modern values so as to maintain the traditional touch in their marriage life.

What its Like to be a Black Girl by Patricia Smith Essay -- Papers Sm

An explanation in its purest form of â€Å"What it’s like to be a Black Girl (for those of you who aren’t)† by Patricia Smith, is just that, an explanation. From the first three syllables â€Å"First of all,† the author gives a sense of a story being told. She uses jagged sentence structure and strong forceful language to also show the reader the seriousness of her topic. Smiths poem gives the audience an insider’s view into a young black girl’s transition into black woman-hood at a time where both being a black girl and a black woman was not as welcomed. Puberty is usually defined by the biological changes a young boy or girls body undertakes around the age of 9 up until about 14. â€Å"It’s being 9 years old and feeling like you’re not finished,† writes Smith, â€Å"like your edges are wild, like there’s something, everything, wrong.† (Smith, 4) These thoughts have run around the minds of almost every puberty stricken youngster. However, Smiths subject seems to also have the added pressures of a racially jagged society. This â€Å"black girl† she refers to in her poem is feeling the awkwardness of...

Luxury Brands Essay

ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE CONCEPT OF LUXURY: AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS Bernard Dubois, Groupe H. E. C. Gilles Laurent, Groupe H. E. C. Even though recent years have not been extremely favorable for the luxury industry (the ComitT Colbert which includes many prestigious French names – Chanel, Dior, Yves Saint-Laurent, etc†¦ – reports a 1. 5% increase in real terms for 1993), its growth rate, considered over a longer period, remains impressive. Colbert companies have more than doubled their sales over the last eight years (ComitT Colbert, 1991, 1993). In 1993, they achieved a global turnover of about USD 5. 5 billion. The Pacific Rim countries represented 28% of that amount (21. 6% in 1988), equally divided between Japan and the other Asian countries. Interestingly enough, however, such growth in demand has not been matched by an equivalent progress in consumer research and what was estimated by McKinsey (in 1990) to be a USD 60 billion market largely remains unexplored territory (McKinsey, 1991). Some studies obviously have been conducted and published in the past but they tended to focus on relatively narrow aspects. For example, the consumption habits of the affluent have been investigated regularly since Veblen’s seminal work (Veblen, 1899) and, today, anecdotal reports (Stanley, 1988, 1991) as well as in-depth monographies of specific segments such as upper class wasps (Hirschman, 1988) or nouveaux-riches (LaBarbera, 1988) are available. Limiting the investigation of the luxury market to the analysis of privileged consumers however would fail to recognize that, under the influence of diffusion strategies adopted by many luxury goods companies (for brands such as Dior or Yves Saint-Laurent, accessories may represent up to two thirds of their sales), today’s demand for luxury goods primarily consists of â€Å"ordinary† consumers who, from time to time, transform their desire to acquire a luxury item into reality. Similary, a few studies have been published on luxury brands, for instance on issues such as their relative positions in people’s mind (Dubois and Duquesne, 1993 ; Weber and Dubois, forthcoming) or their adopters’ characteristics (Andrus, Silver and Johnson, 1986) but many luxury goods (houses, diamonds, furniture, etc†¦ ) belong to product categories where branding is not a salient dimension, while, at the same time, a few brands (such as FabergT) which were in the past considered as luxury names seem to have lost their affiliation to the luxury world, usually because they have overdiffused their products. Finally, some research has also been published on the determinants of the acquisition of luxury products, emphasizing economic (Leibenstein, 1950 ; Mason, 1981) socio-demographic (Dubois and Laurent, 1993) or cultural aspects (Dubois and Duquesne, 1993 ; Mason 1993) but no overall conceptual scheme, model or theory has been developed yet. Paradoxically, one of the untapped research areas concerns the very nature of perceptions and attitudes attached to the word â€Å"luxury† itself. This is somewhat surprising because even casual conversations reveal that the word â€Å"luxury† evokes rather strong connotations among people. Some attach to it very positive feelings while others are quick to express their disdain, but few are left indifferent. The absence of research on the word â€Å"luxury† also is unfortunate because, in several product categories, the luxury adjective is used routinely to segment markets and to position products. In the car industry for example, both manufacturers and consumers clearly identify luxury models (Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Infiniti, Cadillac, etc†¦ ) usually advertised as such. The same holds true for such services as hotels or restaurants. The objective of this paper is to report on an exploratory analysis of the perceptions and attitudes attached to the word (and underlying concept of) â€Å"luxury†. It is hoped that the results presented below will stimulate further research in the area and eventually contribute to the development of a theory of luxury acquisition and consumption behavior. METHOD In order to explore the meanings attached to the word â€Å"luxury†, a two-step survey methodology was adopted. Other approaches such as semiotics could also have been used but were left less appropriate to explore, and to some extent, quantify consumers’ attitudes towards the luxury concept (Wargnier, 1985). First, in-depth interviews were conducted by a professional psychologist with sixteen consumers selected for their widely different (and complementary) profiles. Both males and females were equally represented in the panel and age varied from 17 to 70 years. Occupations were also strongly contrasted, ranging from sales rep to student and from opera singer to mechanic. All interviews were conducted at home, on a face-to-face basis, and taped. On the basis of results obtained from such qualitative research, a battery of attitudinal items was developed and administered to a sample of 440 French consumers. Although not randomly drawn, the sample was chosen according to quotas set in terms of sex, age and geographical location. Given the nature of the topic under investigation, it was decided to overrepresent female respondents and to underrepresent lower income categories. All interviews were conducted by professional interviewers on a face to face basis. Although the questionnaire included many questions about specific product categories such as perfumes, jewelry, etc†¦ only the results connected with qualitative research and the general attitudinal statements are reported in this paper. RESULTS www. acrwebsite. org/search/view-conference-proceedings. aspx? Id=11539 1/4 3/4/13 Attitudes Towards the Concept of Luxury: an Exploratory Analysis by Bernard Dubois and Gilles Laurent From the results obtained through qualitative research, several important themes emerge in relation to the concept of luxury. First, the world â€Å"luxury† itself is spontaneously associated with other terms such as (in decreasing order of frequency) : â€Å"upscale†, â€Å"quality†, â€Å"good taste†, â€Å"class†, but also â€Å"flashiness† and â€Å"bad taste†. All of these terms overlap in meaning to a certain extent but also have distinct connotations. For example, the key perceived difference between upscale and luxury products is that the former imply a relative position on an evaluative scale while the latter correspond to a self-contained entity. Upscale products also are naturally connected with material goods while the concept of luxury encapsulates symbolic and cultural values. During interviews, many respondents referred to abstracts concepts such as space, time, or freedom to convey their perceptions of luxury. The fact that both good taste and bad taste are associated with luxury, sometimes by the same people, clearly reveal the ambivalent nature of respondents’ feelings, a theme which has been recently investigated in the context of gift giving behavior (Sherry, McGrawth and Levy, 1993). Typical contrasts emerge on dimensions such as : essential/superfluous, decent/indecent, quality/gadget†¦ Given this ambivalence, it is not surprising to find that luxury items often provoke avoidance/attraction reactions. For many respondents, luxury products are desirable when contemplated at a distance, at a day-dreaming level : when a specific purchase is considered (sometimes â€Å"ruminated†), guilt feelings arise however and the buying act is experienced by many as a transgression, a not totally excusable attempt to break off daily routine and run away, at least temporarily. TABLE 1 (/volumes/ap01/01274t01. gif) (/volumes/ap01/01274t01. gif) ATTITUDINAL STATEMENTS ABOUT LUXURY (/volumes/ap01/01274t01. gif) At the same time, the luxury transgression can also be a regression, a trip back to one’s idealized childhood, when everything was warm and smooth. This would explain why the concept of luxury was felt by many to be relative and idiosyncratic. During interviews, a number of respondents spontaneously started to describe â€Å"their† luxury, as if they were talking about a secret garden, only known to them. The dual nature of luxury-a world in itself and a world for me-certainly accounts for a large proportion of the ambivalence of feelings. Without oversimplyfing too much, one could say that many negative feelings are attached to â€Å"others’ luxury†, while the positive ones are kept for â€Å"my† luxury. On the basis of such themes, a battery of 34 attitudinal items was developed, pretested and administered. The attitudinal statements as well as the overall frequencies are presented in Table 1 and discussed in the following sections. Overall results tend to confirm conclusions obtained from qualitative research about the ambivalent nature of respondents’ feelings. As far as the concept itself is concerned for example, a majority of respondents considers that luxury is synonymous with â€Å"good taste†, is â€Å"pleasant†, â€Å"not old-fashioned† and â€Å"useful† but also â€Å"flashy† and â€Å"too expensive for what it is. † When commenting on their personal rapport to luxury, most respondents express a positive attitude (â€Å"I like luxury,† â€Å"I’m interested in luxury,† â€Å"Luxury makes me dream,† â€Å"Luxury products make life more beautiful†) but also confess their relative lack of expertise (â€Å"I don’t know much about it,† â€Å"I could not talk about it for hours†) and infrequent purchase activity (â€Å"I almost never buy luxury products†). When asked (in a projective mode) to comment on others’ behavior, a vast majority subscribes to the hedonic motive (â€Å"One buys luxury goods primarily for one’s pleasure†) and refutes the snobbish argument, but more than 50% of those who express an opinion consider that â€Å"people who buy luxury products seek to imitate the rich† and, on issues like â€Å"people who buy luxury goods try to differentiate themselves from others† or â€Å"people who buy luxury products are refined people† the sample is totally divided. Similarly, one out of two respondents does not support the idea of a heavier tax but one out of three welcomes such a proposal! In order to improve our understanding of the underlying attitudinal structure, correlation and principal component analyses were performed. Rather than displaying the full 34 x 34 correlation matrix, not easy to read (1156 coefficients), we decided to attempt to graphically represent the underlying structure, even though we recognize that it is not always possible to completely eliminate arbitrariness in positioning the items on the resulting map. Figure 1 depicts the map obtained when only intercorrelations higher than 0. 4 are considered. To make it easier to read and to interpret, all items which imply a favorable predisposition towards luxury are positioned on the left side of the figure while â€Å"negative† statements appear on the right side. Coefficients between 0. 40 and 0. 50 are indicated by dotted lines while solid lines correspond to correlations above 0. 50. Obviously, all coefficients are statistically significant. It appears that the backbone of perceptions and attitudes evolves around the attraction-avoidance dimension mentioned previously. The two attitudinal statements â€Å"I like luxury† and â€Å"I’m not interested in luxury† exhibit a strong (negative) correlation, with an absolute value which is the highest one in the whole matrix. From such a map, a number of conclusions can be drawn : 1. – There are two basic reasons underlying the lack of interest in luxury. The first one is a negative perception of the luxury world, considered in an absolute, general and abstract sense. Those who adopt this perspective tend to describe luxury goods as useless, old-fashioned, too expensive and flashy. Since they fail to see much value in luxury items, they do not develop an appetite for them. 2. – The second reason is more linked to a perceived lack of fit between the individual and luxury. Those who feel this absence of connivence tend to explain it in terms of their own inexpertise, their uneasiness with luxury environments and an impression of artificiality when they wear their luxury items (in case they own some). All those factors logically result in a minimal involvement in both interest for luxury goods and acquisition behavior. 3. – Although not reported on the map, the correlations between, on the one hand, those two sets of items and, on the other hand, the group of three statements related to the perceived reasons why others buy luxury goods (located at the extreme right of the figure) are statistically significant, typically in the 0. 20 – 0. 40 range. Those who don’t feel at ease with luxury goods and admit their incompetence also tend to believe that â€Å"others† buy luxury items to imitate the rich or to differentiate themselves from the rest of the population. www. acrwebsite. org/search/view-conference-proceedings.aspx? Id=11539 2/4 3/4/13 Attitudes Towards the Concept of Luxury: an Exploratory Analysis by Bernard Dubois and Gilles Laurent Those who believe that luxury goods are too expensive and flashy have a similar perception of the behavior of â€Å"others. † But the factors underlying such perceptions are not the same for both groups. While the former find one more reason to deepen the gap which separates them from the world of luxury, it looks as if the latter have one more justification in support of their disdain of an environment perceived as sterile and futile. 4. – The two mechanisms underlying disinterest have their counterparts on the positive (left hand) side. Although not shown on the map, the correlation between â€Å"I like luxury† and â€Å"I could talk about it for hours† is highly significant (0. 32). People who like luxury also are people who feel knowledgeable about it, both in terms of expertise and familiarity (Alba and Hutchinson, 1987). The luxury world is â€Å"their† world and they move in it like a fish in water, as revealed by their strong opposition to the statement â€Å"I almost never buy luxury goods†. 5. – But the appetite for luxury goods can be also developed on a more abstract and symbolic dimension (upper left corner). Those who adopt this viewpoint see the luxury word as a source of fascination and enlightment. Luxury products make them dream and contribute, in their opinion, to a more beautiful life. This ethereal perception of luxury is also the most hedonic of all in nature, as revealed by the strong correlations obtained with the items related to pleasure. Luxury becomes a permanent source of inspiration and happiness, almost a goal for life, far beyond transient fads and fashions. All these facets of luxury are easily confirmed by the rotated factor structure. Applying the varimax procedure to the table of intercorrelations yields the matrix reproduced in Table 2. Ten factors were extracted explaining about 60% of the variance. While the last six correspond to specific items (or pairs of items) not directly linked with the core attitudinal structure but useful to illustrate such topics as price perceptions and their consequences (Factor 5), or the scarcity issue (Factor 6), the first four correspond rather closely to the structure discussed previously. Factor 1 expresses the lack of interest due to limited expertise and familiarity, while Factor 2 corresponds to the positive evaluation of luxury goods fostered by hedonistic motives. Factor 3 summarizes the negative perceptions attached to the behavior of others and Factor 4 corresponds to the mythical and symbolic values attached to the luxury â€Å"fairy tale†. Taken together, these four factors contribute to a better understanding of the underlying structure and can be helpful for someone interested in developing a short scale intended to measure attitudes toward the concept of luxury. As an illustration, the factorial structure of a subset of twelve items appears on Table 3 and is rather straightforward in its interpretation : While the first factor corresponds to perceptions related to the concept of â€Å"Luxury in general†, factor 2 expresses a more personal rapport to luxury, and the remaining two factors describe attitudes towards those who consume luxury items. CONCLUSIONS Despite the importance and growth of the luxury sector, the determinants of luxury acquisition and consumption have received very little attention in the consumer research literature. There is a distinct lack of systematic studies to model and test the processes whereby individuals develop an appetite for the world of luxury (or fail to do so). FIGURE 1 (/volumes/ap01/01276f01. gif) TABLE 2 (/volumes/ap01/01277t02. gif) (/volumes/ap01/01277t02. gif) FACTOR STRUCTURE (/volumes/ap01/01277t02. gif) Given its exploratory nature, the present research only represents a first step in the development of a model of luxury acquisition and consumption. Only the attitudes towards the concept in general have been investigated here. The dual nature of those attitudes has emerged as a major conclusion of both qualitative and quantitative data: The structure of people’s predispositions towards luxury, as a concept, are affected both by their perception of the luxury world in general and their perceived personal fit with such a world. Future studies could investigate: 1) the socio-demographic and psychographic elements associated with such predispositions; 2) the role of specific product categories in the development of attitudes towards luxury and 3) the evolution of these predispositions over time. A program of research on each of these topics is being conducted by the authors and its results will be reported in future contributions. TABLE 3 (/volumes/ap01/01278t03. gif) (/volumes/ap01/01278t03. gif) A TWELVE ITEM ATTITUDINAL SCALE ON THE CONCEPT OF LUXURY (/volumes/ap01/01278t03. gif) REFERENCES Alba, Joseph, W. and J. Wesley Hutchinson (1987), â€Å"Dimension of Consumer Expertise†, Journal of Consumer Research, 13, March, pp. 411-454. Andrus, David M. , Edward Silver and Dallas E. Johnson (1986), â€Å"Status Brand Management and Gift Purchase: A Discriminant Analysis†, The Journal of Consumer Marketing, vol. 3, Winter, pp. 5-13. ComitT Colbert (1993), Rapport 1992 – Perspective 1993, Paris : ComitT Colbert, and (1991), Rapport 1990 – Perspective 1991 – Paris : ComitT Colbert. Dubois, Bernard and Patrick Duquesne (1993), â€Å"Polarization Maps: A New Approach to Identifying and Assessing Competitive Position: The Case of Luxury Brands, Marketing and Research Today, vol. 21, n ¦ 2 (May), pp. 115-123 Dubois, Bernard and Patrick Duquesne (1993), â€Å"The Market For Luxury Goods: Income vs Culture†, European Journal of Marketing, vol. 23, n ¦1, pp. 35-44. www. acrwebsite. org/search/view-conference-proceedings. aspx? Id=11539 3/4 3/4/13 Attitudes Towards the Concept of Luxury: an Exploratory Analysis by Bernard Dubois and Gilles Laurent Dubois, Bernard and Gilles Laurent (1993), â€Å"Is There a Euro-Consummer For Luxury Goods? â€Å", in Fred Van Raaij and Gary Bamossy (Eds), European Advances in Consumer Research, vol. 1, Provo, UT, Association For Consumer Research, pp. 58-69. Hirschman Elizabeth (1988), â€Å"Upper Class Wasps as Consumers: A Humanistic Inquiry†, in Elizabeth Hirschmann (Ed), Research in Marketing, vol.3, pp. 115-147, JAI Press Inc. LaBarbera, Priscilla A. (1988), â€Å"The Nouveaux Riches: Conspicuous Consumption and the Issue of Self Fulfillment†, in Elizabeth Hirschman (Ed), Research in Marketing, vol. 3, pp. 179-210, JAI Press Inc. Leibenstein, H. (1950), â€Å"Bandwagon, Snob and Veblen Effects in the Theory of Consumers’ Demand†, Quarterly Journal of Economics, vol. 64, n ¦2, pp. 183-207 McKinsey Corp. (1990), The Luxury Industry: An Asset for France, Paris: McKinsey Mason,Roger (1981), Conspicuous Consumption, New-York, N. Y. : St Martin’s Press Mason, Roger (1993), â€Å"Cross Cultural Influences on the Demand for Status Goods† in Fred Van Raaij and Gary Bamossy (Eds), European Advances in Consumer Research, vol. 1, Provo, U. T. , Association for Consumer Research, pp. 46-51 Sherry, John, Jr. , Mary-Ann McGrath and Sidney Levy (1993), â€Å"The Dark Side of the Gift†, Journal of Business Research Stanley, Thomas J. (1988), Marketing to the Affluent, Homewood, Ill. :Irwin Stanley Thomas J. (1989), Selling to the Affluent, Homewood, Ill. : Irwin Veblen, Thorstein (1899), The Theory of the Leisure Class, New-York: McMillan Wargnier, StTphane (1985), â€Å"Analyse STmiologique des Produits de Luxe†, MTmoire de DEA en STmiotique – Paris : E. H. E. S. S.. Weber, Daniel and Bernard Dubois (forthcoming), â€Å"The Edge of Dream: Managing the Brand Equity in the European Luxury Market† in Lynn Kahle and M. Chiagouris (Eds), Values, Lifestyles and Psychographics, Hillsdale, N. J. : Lawrence Elbaum Associates.. —————————————- www. acrwebsite. org/search/view-conference-proceedings. aspx? Id=11539.

6 Effective Ways to Survive Through College Finals

6 Effective Ways to Survive Through College Finals College finals are challenging, we all know that. The pressure on a student in this period is immense. But you can pull it through! To help you out, we have prepared a few college finals tips and tricks on how you can avoid stress and increase your productivity during your exams. When finals week gets closer, one can often meet students with bags under their eyes holding the fifth cup of coffee. You can almost see this stressing tension in the air. So, when the finals week is the only thing that stands between you and hot summer days of chilling and fun, its not surprising that you might feel a little overwhelmed. When feeling so, its hard for your brain to be focused and organized. Its not a rare case when students fail exams in spite of being well acquainted with the subject and because of not being able to pull themselves together. So, we are going to give you tips on how to survive finals week and stay calm. 1 Eat and Drink Well A lot of students feel like they are running out of time before final examinations. In pursuit of saving time, they commonly skip their meals and eat poorly. However, its not the best choice for you during this period because your body needs a lot of energy in order to keep you organized and productive. Before the finals, your body and your brain need a lot of nutritious components and water to stay hydrated. Your meal plan for this time should contain: Omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, trout, herring, nuts, olive oil, coconut oil) Iron (apples, pumpkin seeds) Vitamin C (oranges, lemons) Vitamin E (pumpkin, spinach) Flavonoids, caffeine (dark chocolate, coffee) Lutein and Zeaxanthin (eggs, broccoli, grapes) Drink at least 4-5 glasses of water every day to stay healthy and energized. If you face difficulties with eating healthy and inexpensive in college, our tips will be useful to you. 2 Plan and Prioritize When you have a lot of material to revise, its easy to fall into a chaotic state when you are just flipping through your books and notes. However, when you have a detailed plan, you can structure information better and remember it without mixing it up in your head. Create a plan of studying and put the most challenging exams first and dedicate more time to them. Make sure to review your notes right before the exam to freshen up your memory. 3 Follow a Schedule Having a schedule is the most important step when preparing for exams. Its quite easy to succumb to anxiety and sit with your notes till the late night. But this is not the best way to make your brain and concentration work. Get up in the morning and go to bed at the same time every day. Make the list of subjects that you are going to dedicate time on a certain day and schedule little breaks in between your study sessions to relax. For example, you can watch your favorite TV show or listen to music. This way it will be easier for you to stay focused and process the information. 4 Have a Great Sleep Pulling all-nighter is never good for you, so take naps whenever you can. During sleep, your body relaxes and accumulates energy for you to continue your studying. Moreover, good sleep for at least 8 hours a day increases your productivity and attentiveness. 5 Prepare Your Notes Even though you might think that its better to study for an extra hour, your ability to retain information at the end of late studying sessions is getting drastically low. So, there is no need to force yourself to stay up, better go to bed earlier. Structuring information helps with retaining and perceiving information better. Find the most effective way for you to remember the information and match your notes with the method that you chose. For example, people of the visual learning style will find organizing information on the paper effective. Different diagrams, infographics and educational videos on platforms like Coursera or Youtube will work the best. For people of auditory learning style podcasts and recorded lectures will be the best way to rehearse the material. So, prepare your notes and organize them in the best way for you. You might also use markers to highlight some points while you are rereading them or write down some quick thesis statements. Check out other useful pieces of advice for higher grades. 6 Exercise A lot of students find exercising very useful during intense study sessions, and this is not surprising. Besides helping you lose weight, sport releases hormones and helps your brain fight with stress and anxiety. Moreover, sometimes you just need to distract yourself from depressing thoughts and a good run or workout will do the magic. If a gym is not your cup of coffee, try out yoga, meditation or swimming. You will see that these simple activities will boost your energy and positive mood. The time of the day when you are the most productive is also essential when planning your study sessions. So, check out our tips on how to choose the best time to study for finals. These were our tips on how you can pull yourself through hard times of college finals and help your stress go away without using any medications.

Gettysburg Essays - Gettysburg Battlefield, Battle Of Gettysburg

Gettysburg Essays - Gettysburg Battlefield, Battle Of Gettysburg Gettysburg This most famous and most important Civil War Battle occurred over three hot summer days, July 1 to July 3, 1863, around the small market town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It began as a skirmish but by the time it ended, it involved 160,00 Americans. Before the battle, major cities in the North such as Philadelphia, Baltimore and even Washington itself, were under threat of attack from General Robert E. Lee?s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia which had crossed the Potomac River and marched into Pennsylvania. the Union Army of the Potomac under its new and untried commander, General George G. Meade, marched to intercept Lee. On Tuesday morning, June 30, an infantry brigade of Confederate soldiers searching for shoes headed toward Gettysburg (population about 2,400). The Confederate commander looked through his field glasses and spotted a long column of Federal cavalry heading toward the town. He withdrew his brigade and informed his superior, Hen. Henry Heth, who in turn told his superior, A.P. Hill, he would go back the following morning and ?get those shoes?. This kinda of tells you how much of an advantage the North had over the South. Desperate bare-footed men risked their lives for shoes. Wednesday, July 1, two divisions of Confederates headed back to Gettysburg. They ran into Federal cavalry west of the town at Willoughby Run (I have Willoughby Run on my model here) and the skirmish began. Events quickly escalated. Lee rushed 25,000 men to the scene while the Union had less than 20,000. After much fierce fighting and heavy casualties on both sides, the Federals were pushed back through the town of Gettysburg and regrouped south of the town along the high ground near the cemetery (which is here on my map). Lee ordered Confederate General R.S. Ewell to seize the high ground from the battle tired Federals . Gen. Ewell hesitated to attack thereby giving the Union troops a chance to dig in along Cemetery Ridge and bring in reinforcements with artillery. By the time Lee realized Ewell had not attacked, it was too late to attempt the attack. Meade arrived at the area and thought it was an ideal place to do battle with the Rebel army. He expected a massive number of Union soldiers totaling up to 100,000to arrive and strengthen his defensive position. Confederate General James Lonstreet saw the Union position as nearly impenetrable and told Lee it should be left alone. He argued that the Confederate Army should instead move east between the Union Army and Washington and build a defensive position thus forcing the Federals to attack them instead. But Lee believed his army was invincible and he also didn?t have his cavalry which served as his eyes and ears. With his cavalry he could track the Unions troop movements. Cavalry leader Jev Stuart had gone off with his troops to harass the Federals leaving Lee with a disadvantage. Lee decided to attack the Union Army?s defensive position at the southern end of Cemetery Ridge which he thought was less defended. Around 10 a.m. the next morning, Thursday, July 2, Gen. Lonstreet was ordered by Lee to attack. but Lonstreet was quite slow in getting his troops into position and didn?t even attack them until 4 p.m. that afternoon. This gave the Union Army more time to strengthen their position. When Longstreet attacked, some of the most bitter fighting of the Civil War erupted at places now part of American military folklore such as Little Round Top, Devil?s Den, the Wheat Field and the Peach Orchard (which can all be seen on my model). Longstreet took the Peach Orchard but was driven back at Little Round Top. About 6:30 p.m. Gen. Ewell attacked the Union Line from the north and east at Cemetery Hill and Culp?s Hill (which can be seen on my model also). The attack lasted into darkness but was finally decided unsuccessful at Cemetery Hill, although Rebels seized some trenches on Culp?s Hill. By about 10:30 p.m., the day?s fighting came to and end. The Federals had lost some ground during the Rebel onslaught but still held the strong defensive position along Cemetery Ridge. Both sides regrouped and counted their causalities. Generals from each side gathered in war councils to plan for the coming day. Union commander Meade decided his army would remain in place and wait for Lee to attack. On the Confederate side, Longstreet once again tried to talk Lee out of attacking such a strong

Individual and Group Dynamics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Individual and Group Dynamics - Essay Example Side conversion can be considered as an example of individual and group dynamics within a work team. Side conversions can significantly contribute to positive group dynamics. Team members supporting their colleagues’ efforts may also be a good example. A good group dynamics is characterized with individual helping their team members improves their performance. It is essential for a leader to assess individual and group dynamics within his team to improve the overall group dynamics and to enhance productivity and performance efficiency of the whole team. In order to assess individual and group dynamics, a leader must maintain strong personal relationships with his team members. When the leader is in close touch with his followers, he can clearly evaluate their individual behavioral traits and attitudes towards the work. In addition, the leader must try to spend more time with his subordinates to understand their needs and wants and to identify the factors influencing the individual as well as group dynamics. The leader may also use other analytical methods and behavioral strategies to obtain a clear view of the individual and group dynamics within a team. Today using surveillance cameras could be an effective technique to analyze the group dynamics because a leader cannot spend his whole time with the team members. Promoting interpersonal relationship among team members is also an advisable strategy because such a policy can assist the leader to understand the individual dynamics of a worker from his/her colleagues. One of the major aspects of the group dynamics within a work team is how individuals interact with their teammates and the group. Therefore understanding the nature of relationships within a team is particularly relevant to analyze the overall group dynamics. It is specifically recommendable for the leader to ensure that team members obtain the

TELEVISION STUDIES Library Research Project Paper

TELEVISION STUDIES Library Project - Research Paper Example They therefore designed some fieldwork involving 20 under-two year olds, ten male and ten female, who watched the same episode of Teletubbies in their usual home or playgroup environment while being video-recorded. The tapes were then synchronised with the actual Teletubby recording, in such a way that the child’s movements, verbalizations and expressions can be seen as they relate frame by frame with the program. The tapes were analysed according to criteria of attention level, parasocial responses, TV literacy response, verbal echoing, cognitive response, pleasure, action around the TV set, and sharing with a companion. The study made various conclusions regarding the impressive attention spans that were demonstrated in particular sections of the program and the good basis that this data delivered for further â€Å"theorizing the interactivity of our young respondents with media texts† (p. 334). This article provides an excellent methodological model, based on observa tion and simple technology, which could be very useful for those wishing to explore issues around media designed for the under two age group or any other group who may not be able to verbalize their responses effectively. This chapter from an academic book was written by a Professor from Amsterdam in the Netherlands who leads a research center for research on children, adolescents and the media. It traces in detail the way that a child’s early development levels relate to the way that the child interacts with various media. What is interesting about this chapter is that it shows things from the child’s point of view, and warns against an adult, or parent, perception of what the child is doing or what the program is trying to do. So, for example, programs like Teletubbies which appear boring, repetitive and monotone to an adult, are in fact very sophisticated media texts which use carefully chosen stimuli like