Leadership †Chrysalids Essay

A leader is someone who guides, helps, or directs others. In the novel The Chrysalids by John Wyndhyam, leadership is what helps the telepathic group escape successfully and survive outside the community of Waknuk. David, Gordon and Michael’s leadership skills help all of the group members in various ways. These three characters are good leaders because they guide and direct their group to reach their goals. Firstly, when David takes on the role of being a leader, he gives precise orders, which helps their plan be successful. For example, when Michael informs David that they need to escape out of Waknuk at that very moment, David tells Petra, â€Å"Get dressed as fast as you can. Overalls. And be very quiet† (123). David is making sure Petra knows exactly what needs to be done in order for them to get out of Waknuk safely and quickly. Another example is when Michael tells David what to tell the Norms in case of an examination. David passes on the information to Petra by saying, â€Å"Do you understand that Petra? You tell them you can just make think-pictures to Rosalind and me. Nothing about Michael, or Sealand people† (155). David is reassuring that Petra understands what to say and what not to tell them because if she tells them something she’s not supposed to, their plan will be unsuccessful. Finally, when David is teaching Petra about thought shapes, he tells her, â€Å"Do it slowly and gently, as if you were making it out of cobwebs† (113). As David educates Petra, he specifically tells her how and what the thought shapes should be like, which helps Petra learn everything faster. David always has an objective in mind and it’s always reached when he tries his best to guide others. Secondly, Gordon leads his group by making sure his men are strong enough to know that they need to go to any extent until their purpose is complete. For example, when Gordon is telling his men what to do with David, he says, â€Å"Chuck him out. And if he doesn’t seem to understand that that means stay out, shoot him† (164). Gordon’s men know that they will need to go to any extent like killing David if any problems arise. Also, when all the Fringes people are getting ready to ambush the Norms, David thinks to himself, â€Å"He seemed [seems] to be dividing his men up into parties and instructing them by drawing diagrams in the bare earth† (184). Gordon tries to explain to his men carefully and completely what needs to happen, by drawing the diagrams in the bare earth. That helps them give a visual view. In addition, when everyone is getting ready to attack, David thinks, â€Å"For one thing there were standing orders from the spider-man to shoot me† (185). He knows that if he does anything foolish, Gordon’s men won’t think twice before shooting David. This shows that Gordon is a strong leader because all his men will not dare to go against his word and will make sure they go to any limit to fulfill orders given. Gordon conducts his group and makes sure anything and everything is done so the victory is his. Also Michael does everything in his power to ensure the safety of his group. Whenever Michael advises the group, he makes sure every detail is covered so there is no chance of error. Firstly, when all of the group members are trying to put together the details of what the Sealand woman says, Michael tries to figure it out by saying, â€Å"But what she seemed to me to be putting across was that she was particularly surprised to find it among†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (140-141). Michael discusses what is heard with the group. Secondly, when David, Petra and Rosalind are on the run, Michael keeps filling them in and tells them, â€Å"They’ll start to follow your tracks as soon as it’s light. Better get moving soon. I don’t know how it is in front of you, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (142-143). Michael helps his group by telling them all the information he knows. The information Michael finds out and passes onto the rest of the group, is helpful for their goal of getting out of Waknuk without getting caught. Lastly, when David, Petra and Rosalind are on the run, while Petra and Rosalind are sleeping, Michael tells David, â€Å"You mustn’t let them get hold of Rosalind or Petra – far better to kill them yourself than let that happen to them† (143). Michael ensures that David knows that it is better for them to not live than to go through the torture the norms would put them through if they were to be caught. He tells David what the best thing to do is if they are in that situation. The group reaches their goals faster when Michael keeps filling them in on what’s going on everywhere else and when he helps them with what needs to be done. In conclusion, in order for goals to be reached, a group needs strong leaders for guidance and direction. David gives precise orders as a leader, which helps everything to be done quicker and there are more chances of the plan being successful. There are times when Gordon gives strong orders, causing people following the orders to go out of their way to fulfill them. Michael is a good leader who will do everything possible to keep his group away from any danger. Good leaders possess strong leadership qualities such as guidance and direction that help to succeed in what needs to be accomplished.

Do You Believe in Miracles

Ami Denman Dr. Anderson Phil 1043 4/26/13 Do You Believe In Miracles? Do you believe in miracles? I find it rather intriguing that some people still try to use science or any number of other disciplines as a way of explaining, give meaning or rationalizing the question of miracles or the existence of a higher power.I find it hard to understand why humans deny at least the possibility that everyday life presents us with mysteries that cannot simply be explained by human reasoning, rational explanations, the laws of science, or by the laws of nature, but instead just simply acknowledge that some things are unexplainable or justifiable and just miraculous.Although the belief in miracles have seemly been acknowledged as factual for centuries in works such as the Bible, many philosophers and scientists still question the validity of a miraculous event or experience and refuse to ascribe to the reasonable explanation that some things in the natural world cannot be proved by the method of s cience and are explicitly miraculous. A miracle can be de? ned by Hume as a ? transgression of a law of nature by the violation of a particular deity or invisible agent?.For scholars such as Maurice Wiles, Alastair McKinnon, and Steven Bayne a miracle can never occur because the actual concept of a miracle is incoherent. Bayne states, â€Å"Given Hume’s view on the nature of belief and belief production, it seems†¦that we should begin not by asking whether belief in a miracle can be rationally justified, but by asking whether a belief in a miracle is even possible. † However, I will aim to demonstrate why miracles can occur because ultimately the de? nition of miracles put forward by David Hume is archaic and irrelevant to today’s society.David Hume proposed a theoretical and practical case for why it is impossible for one ever to know if a miracle has occurred. His theoretical case begins by stating that all our knowledge comes from sensory experience and empirical evidence and the only proof for a miracle is its testimony. The probability that this is incorrect due to the witness being deluded or unreliable is much greater than the probability that a miracle has actually occurred, that is that the laws of nature have been violated.For this reason it seems clear that a miracle can never occur because the chance of the testimony being incorrect will always be greater than the laws of nature being wrong. For Hume ? a wise man proportions his beliefs?. There are several problems with this proposition, which demonstrate why Hume is incorrect, and miracles do actually occur. The ? rst is that his theory is founded upon Newtonian laws of nature and thus he argues that laws of nature are absolute and ? xed. However, works of Einstein have showed that laws of nature are in fact not absolute and ? ed and much of Newton? s work is to be doubted upon. Furthermore, quantum mechanics has shown that actually laws of nature don? t always have regul arity the study of particles on such a detailed level has shown that movement in the particles is random. The implications of these discoveries in science have meant that theories such as Hume, which base themselves on Newtonian laws, are also invalid like Newton’s work. Miracles can then occur and cannot be explained by science like quantum mechanics.However, there are not just problems for skeptics and scientists with accepting the existence of miracles. Maurice Wiles an American theologian suggested that if we accept miracles then we are lead to the conclusion that God is arbitrary and partisan therefore not a morally good God. Wiles says that this is unlikely, it is more likely that God is morally good and chooses not to intervene. He states that the only intervention God has in the world is creation and now sustaining his creation.Wiles on these grounds reject the notion of a miracle and suggests that they can never occur. What Wiles fails to realize is that God is not h uman, he is a being out of this world with characteristics possessed by no humans and so it is not necessary that this dilemma can be applied to him. As St Augustine said God is beyond human reasoning and it not necessarily that we will understand him or his behavior fully. Also, what Wiles is saying contradicts belief which has been around for over 2,000 years.It seems more likely that Wiles is incorrect than all the philosopher and theologians who predeceased him. For this reason, we can reject Wiles? argument and believe that miracles do actually occur. Swinburne, nevertheless, attempts to answer Wiles? dilemma. He gives that analogy of a child and parent relationship. Just like a parent keeps rules and expects the child to follow them, now and again the parent may agree to break the rules if for example a child pleads a lot. The same way God may violate the laws of nature if he so feels that it is logical.This is a credible suggestion for God? s apparent arbitrary and partisan n ature because religious scripture can be used to back up the belief that a parent and child relationship is analogous to the relationship between us and God and it makes sense. Furthermore, if God decided to constantly perform miracles there would be no such thing as faith and judgement because everyone would believe in God. We would not even make advancements because we would be so reliant on God? s intervention.This suggestions show that there may be other reasons to why God intervenes in such an â€Å"arbitrary and partisan† fashion. Alastair McKinnon went one-step ahead of Hume and stated that miracles are impossible because the concept of a miracle is incoherent. McKinnon begins by de? ning a law of nature, for McKinnon a law of nature is a descriptive sentence which describes a course of event for example, if I drop my pen and say gravity has caused my pen to fall on the ground, I am just describing what happened and nothing more than that.McKinnon goes onto question ho w can one then say miracles, which are violations of laws of nature, occur. It is impossible to suggest that a course events could be violated. McKinnon therefore concludes that the existence of miracles is impossible. McKinnon’s view on this topic is not a popular one and this is because he rests his case in the belief that laws of nature are merely descriptive. Most scholars and nearly all scientists would disagree and explain that a law of nature is more than that, a law of nature explains how things occur nd make predictions and thus it seems perfectly logical for this to be violated, hence miracles to occur. Another problem with all of the arguments explored in this essay is that they seems to categorize miracles are natural events yet there is no proof for that. Miracles may actually be supernatural events caused by something out of this and again leading to the possibility that miracles can occur. My position and the scholarly views presented have been built on the fou ndation that a miracle is a violation of a law of nature when actually this may not be true. The de? ition proposed by Hume suggests we have some kind of God of the gaps that where science cannot be used to explain something we use God when actually in our modern world a miracle is not looked at in terms of the laws of nature it has violated and probability. For most people a miracle is an event which holds religious signi? cance. This de? nition was put forward by R. F. Holland and P. Tillich and seems to be much more realistic. It can be conceived then that miracles can occur because at the end of it Hume? s de? nition of a miracle is outdated and not a clear representation of how people understand miracles today.A miracle is any event whether it breaks the laws of nature or not but holds religious signi? cance for the individual. Bibliography Anghel. Alexandru. â€Å"Hume On Miracles and the Lourdes Phenomenon†. Scientific Journal of Humanistic Studies 4. 6(2012):25-32. Ac ademic Search Complete. Web. 2 Apr. 2013. â€Å"Are Miracles Identifiable? † Web. 10 Apr. 2013. www. thywordistruth. com/Miracles/miracles. pdf Bayne, Steven M. â€Å"Hume On Miracles: Would It Take A Miracle To Believe In A Miracle? †. Southern Journal of Philosophy, 45,1,pp 1-29, Academic Search Complete.Web. 2 Apr. 2013. Corner, David. â€Å"Miracles. † Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. March 24 2005. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. www. thestudentchatroom. co. uk/Wiki/Revision:Miracles Corner, David. â€Å"Philosophy of Miracles. † Continuum Studies in Philosophy. International Publishing Group. Jan 21 2007: p 17. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. Cowan, Steven B. , and James S. Spiegel, Loving Wisdom: A ChristianIntroduction to Philosophy. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2009. Frost-Arnold, Greg. â€Å"The No-Miracles Argument For Realism: Inference To An Unacceptable Explanation. Philosophy Of Science 77. 1 (2010): 35-58. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Apr. 2013. Larmer, Robert . â€Å"Miracles, Divine Agency, And The Laws Of Nature. † Toronto Journal Of Theology 27. 2(2011): 267-290. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Apr. 2013. McKinnon, Alastair. â€Å"Miracles and Paradox. † American Philosophical Quartely 4. (Oct 1967):308-14 Academic Search Complete. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. Yurs, Mark E. â€Å"The Ethics Of Preaching On The Healing Of Jesus. † Clergy Journal 85. 1 (2008): 12-14. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Apr. 2013.

Adolescent (In)vulnerability by Marilyn Jacobs Essay

Adolescents are often viewed in a negative light that depicts them as risk-takers, irrational decision makers, and vulnerable to dangers. The validity of the above statement is proven true by the peer-reviewed journal article entitled Adolescent (In)vulnerability by Marilyn Jacobs Quadrel, Baruch Fischhoff, and Wendy Davis. The article reveals the results of three groups that were questioned on their perception of how likely they might experience different risks. The subjects included a range of individuals from different socio economic status such as middle class adults with their teenage children and high-risk adolescents receiving treatment for different diagnosis. Some of the risks included automobile accidents, unwanted pregnancies, alcoholism, being a victim of a mugging, and becoming sick from various elements such as air pollution or poison. The results show that all of the subjects feel that they would face less risk in comparison to others. See more: Basic Economic problem of Scarcity Essay The opinion of relative invulnerability was about the same for the adolescents and the adults. Boththe teenagers and their parents agree that the parents are less vulnerable to specific risks. The study reveals that there is a slight difference in the way adolescents and adults think when they are faced with making a decision. One huge problem is that adolescents may be perceived as incompetent to make a decision which could lead to their rights being revoked and wrongly diagnosing the true foundation of their risk behaviors. The study implies that one explanation for why adolescents take great risks is because they underestimate the likelihood that a negative outcome will occur to them. Although adolescents have awareness that risks are involved, they also have misunderstandings of risks associated with certain behaviors that vary due to the adolescent’s socio economic status. Overall, the study shows that there is not enough support to prove that perceived invulnerability is largely present during adolescence, but evidence is present to conclude adults steadily display invulnerability. When estimating one’s risk, the psychological process for all ages are similar and biased which leads to the result of ones belief as less vulnerable in comparison to someone else. Flaws appear in every study because of different variables such as the participants or their environment. One flaw of this study may be the aspect of time pressures created by the subjects that may differ in a real-life situation. A second imperfection of the study is pressure from peers is not accounted for and is  neglectful of social backing. This flaw is crucial because peer pressure is a huge part of teens engaging in riskier behavior. Evidence is revealed that teens are more likely to engage or partake in riskier behaviors without foreseeing the consequences when in a group or surr ounded by acquaintances. A follow up study to this one that would attempt to eradicate a major flaw would be to study both the adolescents and adults when in a group or a peer setting. The results might be different due to peer pressure and the desire to be popular or fit in. Two discussion questions that prompted from the reading of the journal article are: 1. Should the legal drinking age in the U.S. be lowered to 18? Are 18 year olds able to purchase and consume alcohol responsibly? 2. Should birth control be available to teenagers without parental consent? Would access to birth control prevent or lower the rate of unwanted teen pregnancies? I believe that this study presents many important aspects of the similarities and differences between adolescents and adults when it comes to making a decision and being perceived as vulnerable to a risk. I agree that individuals have a misconstrued awareness of one’s vulnerability to risks in comparison to friends, family members and strangers. Based on person al experience, I believe I was more inclined to be impulsive and irrational as an adolescent compared to my current age.

Political Economy Of Japan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Political Economy Of Japan - Essay Example The rise of Japan, like the phoenix bird from the ashes of total destruction to highly prosperous economy at present is a big surprise to external world. No country was ever able to achieve such rapid progress after such a big humiliation from a war. In fact, Japan has presented the external world another school of economics, the Japan model similar to the Marxist model and Keynesian model. Rixtel has argued that the topic of who is responsible for Japan’s economic progress since the Second World War is highly debatable. While on one side, market schools denied the government’s contributions, on the other side, the government controlled schools argue that Japan’s progress was mainly due to the economic policies of the government. Even though Japan has progressed a lot since the Second World War, its economic progress has slowed down a bit for the last two decades. China and India like Asian countries were progressed a lot and they escaped from the current financi al crisis whereas Japan was not able to do so. This paper is written as a debate with respect to the political economy of Japan during the post-war era. Japan has cleverly adopted a strategy during the post war in which they relied US for their security while concentrating on the economic growth alone. This strategy helped them to reduce their expenditure on defense and helped them to concentrate fully on the rebuilding process of the country. Japan has tried a dual strategy in their foreign policy towards United States which affected them in the long run. At one side they have given US the responsibility of protecting Japan from external threats. On the other side Japan tried to exploit the opportunities in US.

HOW DEVELOPMENT LEADS TO DEMOCRACY BY RONALD INGLEHART AND CHRISTIAN Essay

HOW DEVELOPMENT LEADS TO DEMOCRACY BY RONALD INGLEHART AND CHRISTIAN WELZEL - Essay Example The second is the apparent import-substitution strategies of â€Å"backward nations† such as Cuba, Myanmar, and North Korea which have grown the least in terms of political and economic growth. Finally, in contrast to backward nations, the democratization of South Korea and Taiwan confirm the logical flow of liberal economic policies leading to democratic political awareness to further growth and modernization. One of the more ambiguous arguments posited by the author, which may need further investigation is that correlations do not necessarily mean causality. In fact, in a system of institutions, the argument of endogeneity, that is, what really leads to what is often the case of debate. Is it that modernization causes democracy or democracy causes modernization? Even so, there are so many other variables in a system that can cause democracy or modernization. Finally, it is important to note that modernization, according to the author is a syndrome of social changes linked to industrialization, which penetrate all aspects of life, bringing occupational specialization, urbanization, rising educational levels rising life expectancy, and rapid economic growth. All these seem very promising, especially in the lieu of democratic institutions which promote equal and equitable social

You decide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

You decide - Essay Example According to the Turkish Cultural Foundation (2011), he obtained a master’s degree on the art of sculpture from Hacettepe University (2005) and completed his PhD with proficiency in arts (2009). Currently, he is based in Ankara mainly specializing in sculpture and video art. The principle message of this artwork is to highlight on the fact that how human made tools, representing science and technology, attempt to mould our natural world in an amusing but thought provoking way. The visual appearance of the artwork is surrealistic and illusive (please see the Appendix). Color combination is most important. The color of wood and other common, dull colors like black and brown gives the clothespin (which acts like a sort of central character) a real life tool. However, its size gives rise to a surrealist impression. The landscape below and around is green, and the background of the park is utterly pleasant. The combination of the clothespin and the crest of green earth gives the visual art a humorous, illusive, yet thought provoking look. As a whole, the presentation appears to be whimsical. But the technical aspects are quite complicated since the artist aims at using the space around the object in a peculiar way. There is only one object in the visual text, but the modeling of the landscape and other parts of the greenery around the artwork cleverly utilize space. In answering the question that how the elements in the image convey the message; we have to recapitulate the message itself. The message emphasizes the fact that human made tools, representing science and technology, attempt to mould our natural world in a funny but thought provoking way. The main object of the visual text, the clothespin, is the most important conveyor of this idea. The clothespin has normal appearance, looks, colors, and shape. However, it has a very big size. This anomaly regarding size shows how humans boast of their

Welfare policies in relation to people with disabilities tend to focus Essay

Welfare policies in relation to people with disabilities tend to focus on what people with disabilities are unable to do rather than what they can do - Essay Example The policies of states for people with disabilities usually reflect the level at which the needs of these people are respected by the local society. However, again problems and delays are identified in the development of these policies in practice. Most commonly, the welfare policies for people with disabilities focus on what these people are unable to do – rather on what they can actually do. This problem is reviewed and analyzed in this paper. Reference is made to the level at which welfare policies address the actual needs of people with disabilities; the barriers that these policies have to face are also presented aiming to show the reason why the policies referring to the needs and the rights of people with disabilities are based on these peoples’ inabilities rather and not on their potential/ capabilities. It is concluded that the specific strategy – using this criterion for developing the welfare policies for people with disabilities – can be explai ned using different approaches. These approaches are differentiated in each country; however, similarities exist on which the relevant explanations can be based. Another important finding of this study has been the fact that this trend – focusing on these people’s inabilities – seems to be expanded, probably because specific interests are served, as explained analytically below. It should be noted that the criteria used by the legislators when developing policies related to the needs/ interests of people with disabilities are not standardized; the political characteristics of each country – as these characteristics are changed through the decades – are of crucial importance for deciding on the terms under which disabled people will be supported (Chaudhary 2006, p.12). However, often the reasons for which welfare policies refer to the inabilities rather than the abilities/ skills of disabled persons are independent from the political and social ethi cs and trends – for instance, when these policies are applied across a particular organization, the criteria on which these policies are based cannot be controlled using the common ethical rules (Krieger, 2003); this issue is also explored in this study at the level that it helps to understand the trend of welfare policies to focus on the inabilities of disabled persons. 2. Welfare policies for people with disabilities – why these policies tend to focus on what people with disabilities are unable to do rather than what they can do The welfare policies developed within each society are usually related with the local social needs and culture; however, infrastructure available for the relevant policies is also considered to have a critical role in deciding the welfare policies that would be most appropriate for a specific country. On the other hand, the increase of the number of people with disabilities who do not work (Cousins, 2007, p.252) leads to the assumption that m ore funds are required for the financial support of these people; the identification of these funds can be a challenging task for a government – especially in periods of financial crisis and in countries that face severe financial turbulences – like Ireland; the deterioration of a country’s economy can be used as a justification for the limitation of the financial support provided by the state to people with disabilities. In countries where the support provided to disabled people has been traditionally related to the social ethics, the challenges that the local government has to face for retrieving the relevant funds are more; for instance

Ethical Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethical Issues - Essay Example Ethics can also constitute a framework of co-operation between individuals who depend on each other, which is referred to as a kind of symbiosis, wherein both politics and economics are advanced symbiosis. Ethics was primarily concerned with relations between individuals, like the Mosaic Decalogue, which later evolved into relation between individual and society and the Golden Rule tries to find a mean between these two. Man's relation to land has not been studied ethically, and so humans enjoy the privileges without fulfilling their obligations. In the use of natural resources is found the greatest question of ethics, since it is a resource on which all individuals can claim ownership. The conservation movement of our times is the beginning of the understanding of our relation with land. Man, on account of this communal living, is being seen as a member of the land community and thus it is binding on him to respect this individual, called land. Men have been shaped by the characteristics of the land on which they live. The Mississippi Valley would have been different if the land had not yielded bluegrass, while the pioneers in the South-west, due to livestock grazing caused land deterioration. This plant succession turned the course of history and that is why, land as community is invaluable. When humans live in ... In southern Wisconsin, in spite of the farmers being offered lucrative deals to conserve the environment, were found to apply their knowledge only in those areas, which gave them monetary gains and failed to practice those which may have profited the community. When asked to frame laws in exchange for community help, in maintaining their lands, they failed to do so, because it might impede their economic progress. They lacked the ecological conscience which alone can improve the environment. Land Ethics and the government Attempts at conservation generally fail because of their lack of economic value. Wild flowers and songbirds are tossed aside in spite of being an integral part of the biotic community. Many animals which may have been hunted down to extinction were saved by attaching economic importance to them. Trees which fail to give monetary returns are cut down, but in Europe, ecological enlightenment recognizes non-commercial trees as natives of the forest, hence guaranteeing their preservation. In America, government agencies promote conservation, but private landowners alone can bring about better land ethics. Men whose industries are land or forest based decry governmental regulations in land conservation. The other alternative would be that more obligation should be assigned to the private land owner so that improvement could be brought about in relation to ownership of land. Population and Land Health The density of population has an adverse impact on land health which results in exploitative agriculture. Wastage is rampant in many areas and the blame is placed on climatic changes. The soil that was once rich is depleted of nutrients which results later in poor

Personnel Management in Transition by Frederick Taylor Essay

Personnel Management in Transition by Frederick Taylor - Essay Example These were the most commonly used methods of work force organization. They were characterized by high levels of division and specialization of labour. These were viewed as the motivating factors for workers as well as increasing their output (Redman, T. and Wilkinson, A. 2006 86-93). In the early 20th century, Frederick Taylor developed principles whereby workers worked through division of labor and a performance based remuneration. Each worker was to be allocated a particular task in a bid to save time and increase production. Fordism took the same perspective of division of labor. It was mainly targeting division of labor in large industries with a characteristic high mechanization where by the process of production of is arranged in a sequence, with each stage of machine operations assigned to a particular operator (Antonio Gramsci’s 1993 pp. 77-81). However, managers have realized that flexibility facilitates work life balance amongst workers. They are able to control thei r working conditions such as the choice of where to work, the time when they should work as well as how they perform in the work. There are several ways through which firms can implement flexibility. These include policies on flexible hours. Flexibility of working hours allows fulfillment amongst the employees within the place of work as well as outside. This is usually beneficial to the business through improved productivity amongst the employees, which is attributed to job satisfaction. The employees are able to take care of family obligations as well as those of the work place (Bratton, J. and Gold, J. 2007 pp. 121-124). In that state, it is most likely that they will be more productive than working under tight schedules that do not allow them to take any other responsibility outside the paid work. The needs of employees towards work life balance are specific to individuals.

National Minimum Drinking Age Act Essay Example for Free

National Minimum Drinking Age Act Essay The universal question; should the age for drinking be lowered? In my personal opinion, I believe that the drinking age should be lowered to eighteen from twenty one for various reasons. The legal drinking age is currently twenty-one, but the illegal drinking age is everything under. Why is the main question asked. Some people believe that twenty one is too high to be the minimum age to be able to legally drink and others feel that it is the perfect age. This topic is very huge and has been debated for years. The United States drinking age has gone up and down and in 1984, it went up to twenty one. Many events took place before the drinking age went up. It all began when the United States slowly tried to ban alcohol in every state for every person no matter what your age was. They did succeed. This is called Prohibition. Prohibition started in 1919 and lasted until 1933. When Prohibition started, the Constitution gained the 18th Amendment. The 18th Amendment â€Å"prohibited the manufacture, sale, transport, import, or export of alcoholic beverages†. However, this amendment was removed in 1933 by the 21th amendment, which made beer and other alcohol legal. Once Prohibition ended, each state created their own set of drinking laws. Some were twenty one; others were eighteen, and then some in between. This lasted for a few years, but then the Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 came along. This act forced all states to change their drinking age to twenty one or lose part of the Federal-aid highway funds. It also said the states should pass laws that helped fight drunk driving. So, the drinking ages were set to twenty one, but this can change. Prohibition and safety issues, like underground drinking, are all factors that must be considered in making this decision. Because of these factors, the national drinking age of the United States should be lowered from twenty one to eighteen. Think for a moment on how many young adult or teenagers illegally drink underage. It is a fact that more than three in four teenagers consume alcohol when they are high school seniors. A big issue for underage drinking is where the underage drinkers actually do the drinking. It is known to people that underage drinking goes on, but where and when they do it, is something to look for. Because no one wants to get in trouble for drinking, those who are underage start taking part in â€Å"underground drinking†. Underground drinking is when people under the drinking age drink alcohol without the knowledge of anyone. People will bring alcohol anywhere, like a party, and drink it without their parents knowing. The police search for underage drinking, but, even they know that once the underage drinkers are caught, they will keep doing it. The difference is that this time, they will be smarter about it and hide it better than the time before. Wed find a party where we know theres underage drinking. We would seal the house. Surround the house with officersWe wrote hundreds and hundreds of tickets those years. All we did is we pushed it further underground. (Mark Beckner, the chief of police in Boulder, Colo.) The problem with drinking without anyone knowing can be very dangerous and someone could get seriously sick from alcohol poisoning, or go completely out of control and hurt themselves. If people under the drinking age hide when they drink, they will not want to tell anyone like an adult because they do not want to get in trouble. So, if no one wants to get in trouble, then no one will tell anyone if someone gets seriously sick. There are cases in which people have died because their friends who they were drinking with were afraid of the police. As a result, it took a couple hours for anyone to say anything, and by the time they did, it was too late to really do anything. â€Å"†¦a college freshman, Gordie Bailey, who died of alcohol poisoning during a fraternity celebration. The fraternity members left him on a couch for 9 hours before someone called 911. He died because, according to Gordies parents, the other college kids were too scared to call for help because the drinking was underage.† A lesson can be learned through this event and all the others just like it. If people under twenty one were more supervised, then adults could stop those who are drinking from getting hurt or be there to make sure they get help. It is very difficult to completely stop underage drinking, but we could work against it. If the drinking age was lowered, then there can be more supervision. Young adults at the age of eighteen generally go to college where there is a lot of alcohol usage. Perhaps if the drinking age was eighteen, those underage drinkers would not hide and be controlled by the police and therefore, stay much safer. Prohibition took place in the 1850s for certain states and the 1920s for the entire country. Prohibition was the time when the whole county, every age, was banned from drinking. Prohibition was supposed to lower crime and corruption, reduce the tax burden created by prisons and poorhouses, solve social problems, and make the health and hygiene in America better. At first, alcohol consumption lowered, but as time went by, it increased once more. Of course, everything they were trying to fix or lower went higher and out of control. â€Å"Alcohol became more dangerous to consume; crime increased and became organized; the court and prison systems were stretched to the breaking point; and corruption of public officials was rampant†¦Prohibition removed a significant source of tax revenue and greatly increased government spending.† (Mark Thornton, O. P. Alford III Assistant Professor of Economics at Auburn University.†) People also did drugs because of the lack of alcohol. Just think if that didn’t take place, then these dangerous things wouldn’t have happened. However, we did learn from it. For instance, we learned that banning it didn’t work. The alcohol consumption grew during Prohibition to â€Å"about 60-70 percent of its pre Prohibition level,† then slowly dropped to 70 percent, but after Prohibition ended, the alcohol consumption went from 70 percent to 40 percent. The reason it went up is because people were protesting. Basically, the Prohibition didn’t completely stop the use of alcohol, it just made things worse. Since the alcohol is banned from those under twenty one, people under twenty one are drinking more, so moving the drinking age down to eighteen would definitely work. As always, there are those who disagree with lowering the drinking age back to eighteen. They feel that twenty one is the proper age to start to take part drinking. People feel that those underage of twenty one can’t handle alcohol and tend to not know when to stop. One reason is that they become drunk more quickly than adults and adults don’t become dunk as often. There are also facts that state how many lives have been save and how many less accidents there have been. It is true that the number of fatal car accidents have decreased by thirteen percent for those between the ages of eighteen and twenty. That decrease saved about 21,887 people between the years 1975-2002. Others believe that the Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) can hurt the student’s academic career and also cause him or her to become an alcoholic easier. There are also some people who are afraid that they will become more venerable to do certain things. For example, young adults might be more likely to become involved in drug abuse, depression, unplanned or unprotected sex, violence, and other social ills if they drink. Also, people are worried about driving because, Americans drive more than Europeans who have a drinking age of sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen. On the other side, there are those people who want and are pro lowering the drinking age to eighteen. One reason is that people won’t get much of a thrill about drinking if they are used to being able to do it. Eventually, drinking alcohol will start to get normal and will not feel as important anymore. Besides, it is all about how responsible that person is. Anyone over or under the drinking age can drinking too much and end up hurting themselves. People also must consider the fact that underage drinking does go on, and it goes on unsupervised. If the drinking age is lowered, then those who aren’t supervised can be. Prohibition and safety issues, like underground drinking are truly good reasons to consider lowering the drinking age to eighteen. This topic has truly been discussed for years. People are either for lowering it, against it, or just do not know. But there are surly plenty of facts for the pro and con sides. To make the right decision, one must look at the history. As learned from history, banning alcohol only made things worse. Then, if one looked at how underground drinking could kill people if others around are too afraid to call 911 and risk getting in trouble, they should realize that if people were more supervised and didn’t have to hide, then those unfortunate events wouldn’t happen. The choice is simple. Lowering the drinking age to eighteen can be safer. Citations G., Harold, Wyoming, and MI. Drinking Age Should Be Lowered | Teen Essay on Drugs | Teen Ink. Teen Ink | A teen literary magazine and website. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. http://teenink.com/opinion/drugs_alcohol_smoking/article/48104/Drinking-Age-Should-Be-Lowered/. Engs, Ruth C.. Why the drinking age should be lowered: An opinion based upon research . Why the drinking age should be lowered: An opinion based upon research . N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. http://www.indiana.edu/~engs/articles/cqoped.html . National Youth Rights Association  » Legislative Analysis of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act. National Youth Rights Association . N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. http://www.youthrights.org/research/library/legislative-analysis-of-the-national-minimum-drinking-age-act/. Should the drinking age be lowered from 21 to a younger age?. Drinking Age ProCon.org . N.p., n.d. Web. 27

Market Segmentation Of Jeans Brand

Market Segmentation Of Jeans Brand The report developed here is a business report that can be used effectively by a company and its management to make their future business decisions. The purpose of this business report is to do market segmentation for a specific brand product that is jeans. This report entails all essential aspects of market segmentation and its process that can be used by a company to identify its potential group of consumers. This report and its results will render a company and its management with specific recommendations for targeting their selected market segment. This business report is an all-inclusive report and can be used effectively by a company to determine its market segmentation approach. The brand product selected for discussion in this report is jeans that can be marketed with core brand attributes like honest, contemporary, fashion, approachable, comfortable, universal, style and independent. The market segmentation of selected brand product is done with the help of different section in which first section includes introduction and information background that involves brand information and industry trends. The next section is about market segmentation and use of different segmentation bases for identifying potential group of consumers. As well, a segmentation table is also used. The next section involves positioning strategy for targeting new jeans brand. Next section involves internal and external influences on primary target market purchasing decision that is man and women. In the end, recommendation related to selection of attribute based positioning, differentiation strategy, persuasive advertising, appropriate channel of communications and selection of distinctive media channels is given so that identify target market audience can be targeted easily and effectively. The report entails all significant information about market segmentation of selected product brand jeans with vital recommendations. Introduction and Background Information The specific brand product selected for market segmentation is jeans that belong to denim jeans industry. The denim jeans industry is the most fragmented out of the total apparel industry. Previously, the premium denim brands were only served for mens and womens but now it has extended to kids racks that shows its demand. The most significant trend in the industry is of colored jeans. In present scenario jeans have become a necessity and every age group people like to wear it. By age factor, sales of jeans have increased substantially in the age groups of 13-17 and 25-34 (Recent Industry Trends and the Competitive Scenario of the US Denim Jeans Market, 2008). By volume, the male jeans shipment market in U.S. has grown significantly in comparison to the womens jeans shipments. Although in last some years, the apparel industry has been critically affected by the global economic downturn but the denim jeans industrys position is comparatively much better. The denim jeans industry is continuing to hold a beneficial position in comparison to other apparel categories and it is due to the longer life span of jeans in comparison to other apparel items. The market downturn situation is handled by jeans manufacturers by reducing their prices as now consumers are more price-conscious. In spite of downturn, the industry is highly competitive as several new brands are entering the market from last few years. Most of the new brands are focussed on premium denim. According to market researchers, it is believed that by 2014 the global Jeanswear market will rise by US$4.6 billion that evidences the potential of jeans industry (Future of the Global Jeans Industry, 2007). The core brand attributes of jeans are honest, contemporary, fashion, approachable, comfortable, universal, style and independent. On the basis of these attributes the selected brand jeans can be marketed easily in a way through which consumer feels that they are getting full value for their money (Recent Industry Trends and the Competitive Scenario of the US Denim Jeans Market, 2008). By marketing jeans on the attributes like independent and comfortable, the company can easily attract more female customers as in present they prefer to be independent. The industry is doing good from last several years and in future it is also about to extend significantly due to the positive trends towards denim from all age groups. In coming future, the industry may be affected by diverse social and environmental factors but it will not be affected too much by political factors (Future of the Global Jeans Industry, 2007). Nowadays political situation of most of the countries are quite stable and this will not make any substantial affect on jeans industry as it belongs to apparel industry that is highly affected by social and environmental factors. In future, the industry may grow due to increasing social preferences of different consumers towards wearing denim. The company if marketed effectively can attain a significant position in the industry and in the minds of its target customers. More and more new brands are entering and attaining significant place that can also be done by the company with specific and well-planned approach. By considering all these trends and a descriptive methodology, the selected product can be marketed effectively with well-planned market segmentation. Market Segmentation From last several years number of trends had keep coming and going but the denim trends are evergreen and perpetually remain in the fashion industry. Although there emerged numerous fashion brands in the apparel industry but the all time favourite brand is denim. The craze of wearing denim jeans is increasing day by day in all age groups and it is all due to the its distinctive attributes. The increasing craze of wearing denims is quite helpful for the company in segmenting its target market. With the help of appropriate segmentation bases the company can easily identify its potential group of consumers or market segments (Kotler, 2002). The ever increasing craze of wearing denim among people evidence that different types of consumers can be made interested in new jeans brand. Consumers from almost all age groups like to wear jeans whether they are males or females. In present consumers like wearing denim from different kinds of purposes like fun, adventure, casual formal approach etc. Every consumer find for different benefit at the time of purchasing jeans. By considering their needs and the benefits they are looking for market can be segmented easily. The most widely used approach of segmentation is geographic, psychographic and demographic segmentation. In addition to this, another significant approach that can be used to identify potential market segments is by looking at behavioural considerations like consumer responses to benefits, use occasions or brands. Afterwards a marketer can associate his product characteristics with consumers each response. By making use of these segmentation bases, it will become easy for the company to identify its potential market segments of its new jeans brand (Lancaster Raynolds, 2005). Among all the above discussed segmentation bases the most significant segmentation bases that can be used by the company to identify its potential market segments are as follows: Demographic Segmentation: For identifying potential market segments the market will be divided among segments on the basis of age, gender and income. With age factor different age groups will be determined that like to wear jeans mostly. In modern era, teens, youngsters and aged all like to wear denim that can be easily targeted by identifying a group. Another significant base is gender and income as new jeans brand can be targeted to males and females and all income groups like low, middle and high class with making variations in brand offering. The selection of demographic segmentation is quite appropriate to identify potential groups of consumers because demographic variables are often associated with consumer needs and wants. Consumer wants and abilities change with age and thus age and life cycle stages are significant variables to identify segments (Baker Hart, 2007). Men and women have different attitudes and they behave differently on the basis of their genetic makeup and socialization. Their shopping behaviour is different and by considering this it will become easy to target new jeans brand. The last basis of segmentation, income group is also quite substantial and is been in use from last several years. Every group of consumers have specific income and buying power and they prefer to buy things accordingly (Proctor, 2000) Behavioural Segmentation: Benefit Sought: Another important basis that can be used to segment market is behavioural segmentation in which potential group of consumers can be identified on the basis of benefits consumers are looking from a jeans brand (Kotler, 2002). The company can target consumers on the basis of benefits like fashion, approachable, comfortable, style and independent. Benefit sought segmentation is a significant approach as it will assist in identifying market opportunities and for determining the value propositions that can be offered to different group of consumers (Kurtz, MacKenzie Snow, 2009). Usage Rate: The next important basis of segmentation is usage rate as every group of consumers have different usage rates. The company can segments its markets into light, medium and heavy product users (Baker Hart, 2007). Like in denim industry heavy product users are youngsters whereas medium and lights users are teens and aged people. By providing special schemes and offers to heavy users of jeans, the company can earn a high profit. For identifying existing profit opportunities usage rate is the most suitable bases of segmentation that can be used by the company (Peter Donnelly, 2002). Potential Group of Market Segments: With the above discussed segmentation bases, the four potential groups of market segments that can be targeted by the company with its new jeans brand are as follows: Teens Consumers ages 12-17: One of the potential market segments that can be targeted are teens as the shopping trends of these group is increasing as never before. This group likes to wear casuals and love to wear ruff tuff jeans that are a symbol of fashionable and style. This group can be easily attracted towards new brand of jeans (Rusty, 2005). Men Women: Another potential market segment that can be targeted is all men and women as in modern era both are highly independent and live with equal approach towards life. In present both the men and women like to wear jeans as they feel it is comfortable and approachable. Both of men and women prefer jeans due to different benefits. High end consumers: The Company can also target its jeans to high end consumers who belong to high class as they prefer to wear premium brands of jeans. With high brand equity and recognition, this group of consumers can be targeted easily. Old age consumers: The next substantial group of customers that can be targeted is old age consumers as nowadays these people also like to wear trendy cloths and be a part of different advanced social circles. By offering light weight jeans, the company can easily target this potential group of customers. Segmentation Table (Jeans) Primary Target Audience: All Men Women One of the substantial primary target markets that can be used by the company is all men and women as nowadays every competitor is offering jeans for all age groups for men as well as for women. The companys brand is new so it also needs to offer basic product to everyone so that it can attain a significant market position and then can target specific market segments. By offering jeans for all men and women will give recognition to company brand that in turn can be targeted to specific market segments for generating high profits. Positioning Strategy The company can position its new jeans brand on the basis of its key attributes of comfortable and stylish wear. By offering jeans on these attributes will assist the company in creating differentiation among its own jeans brand and brand offered by its competitors like Acne Jeans, Diesel, Wrangler and Lee. By positioning on these two attributes will assist the company in attracting its target segments that usually prefer to buy jeans on the basis of these two benefits. By making use of these two attributes will assist the company in positioning its different image in the minds of men and women (Weitz Wensley, 2002). The benefits of attributes based positioning strategy can also be understood with the help of perceptual map that is as follows: Comfortable High New Jeans Brand Lee Diesel Acne Jeans WranglerStylish Wrangler Low High Low The new jeans brand positioning strategy attributes comfortable and stylish will enable us in preparing the attribute based perceptual map. In this perceptual map, it can be observed that the consumers will rate it high on both the defined dimensions in comparison to its other competitive brands (Pride Ferrell, 2004). The attribute-based perceptual map of new jeans brand evidences that it can attain a significant image in the minds of its potential consumers if offered with all essential features and aspects. Analysis of the Internal and External Characteristics of Target Audience Every company markets to different market segments and different group of consumers have different internal and external stimuli that affect their purchase decisions. Every purchase decision of consumers is highly influenced by diverse internal and external characteristics and similar is the situation with selected primary target market of men and women (Kim, Forsythe, Gu Moon, 2002). The selected primary target markets decision to purchase jeans is influenced by numerous internal and external factors that are as follows: Internal Influences An internal influence that may affect identified primary target audience is also known as personal influences. It pertains to the consumers ability to advantage directly from the product or service is going to purchase. These influences include motivation, learning and perception (Solomon, 2009). The identified primary target audience purchase decision of jeans is also affected by all these internal influences. The consumers motivation to purchase jeans is an internal factor, and it may depend on his desire to attain goals associated to other internal and external factors. Like a female may want to purchase jeans for becoming a fashion symbol or more independent through her clothing style. She may need it from her collage wearing purpose or party purpose (Kim, Forsythe, Gu Moon, 2002). On the other hand man may need to purchase it for comfort or becoming trendier. Teens may want to purchase it for becoming approachable and stylish. Every consumers purchase motivations are different that need to be identified before targeting selected primary audience (Ross, 2005). In this way, it can be said that consumer motivation plays a substantial role at the time of making a purchase decision. Every purchase of an individual is influenced by some motivation and nowadays all age groups males and females that buy jeans buy it with unique motive and need (Anderson Vincze, 2006). Another substantial internal characteristic that may influence primary target audience purchasing decision is their perception that appropriates them to rationalize their buying decision on the basis of the perceived outcomes. Like men can buy it by thinking about its use with their idol personality or some well known celebrity. When consumers believe that their role models or idol persons are showing it and making use of it they also prefer to buy those jeans so that they can also reflect similar kind of personality. This evidences that consumer personality also make a substantial affect on his purchasing decisions (Kurtz, MacKenzie Snow, 2009). As well, when consumers learn from others that they used something and found it quite good they also try to purchase that product (Loudon, 2001). The identified primary target market audience may learn about new jeans and is benefits from their friends, family members or colleagues and their social circles. This in turn will also encourage them to buy jeans. In this way, it can be said that the most significant internal characteristics that may influence identified primary target audience is motivation, perception and learning. External Influences: In addition to internal influences, other characteristics that may influence consumers purchase decisions are external influences that include social norms, family roles and cultural values. All these aspects make up external or social factors. All these external factors affecting consumers buying decisions are highly influenced by industry trends and environment (Kurtz, MacKenzie Snow, 2009). The identified primary target markets decision to purchase new brand jeans may also influenced by several external factors in which one significant factors that may influence is social norms. It refers to brand name, company recognitions, new trends in design and fashion etc. If company has well established brand name it may easily influence primary target market audience purchase decisions. Trends to wear jeans in fashion industry is increasing that may also influence target market audience to buy new jeans brand in comparison to available brands. As well, cultural values are another substantial factor that may influence target market audience purchasing decision. Advertising campaigns that boast American-made or trendy stylish products are quite common that are used to attract American consumers (Kotler, 2002). If company also make use of effective advertising that evidenced identified target audience cultural values, it can positively influence their jeans purchasing decisions. The increasing use of advertising for appealing consumers shows that it is most substantial factor that can be used to inspire companys target audience purchasing decisions. In concern to advertising another external factor that can be used to influence consumers purchasing decision is the demonstration of cultural values in the ownership of the product that can be done with the help of message framing (Kurtz, MacKenzie Snow, 2009). By framing a message that includes all aspects of product and its association with its use may effectively influence target audience purchasing decisions. A well-designed message may resolve all queries of consumers regarding their purchase decisions. It should include all benefits a new jeans brand will offer, its price in comparison to other brands and its core brand values. By delivering all these aspects in message, the primary target market audience purchase decision can be influenced significantly (Wang Siu Hui, 2004). Advertising and message framing are most substantial external factors that need to be managed significantly for positively affecting purchase decisions of identified primary target market audience. Recommendations With the help of above discussion and analysis of industry trends, it can be said that for targeting identified audience, it is essential that the company make use of diverse strategies and approaches. For successful targeting, it is essential that the company understand its potential market segment needs and factors that influence them substantially. In addition to this for successful approach to primary target market, the company need to adopt following recommendations: Attribute based Positioning: The company need to position its new jeans brand on the basis of its specific attributes and core brand values. With this only it will become easy for the company to appeal its target market audience in comparison to existing brands of jeans. With the help of attribute based positioning, the company can easily deliver all its benefits to its primary target audience (Kotler, 2002). Positioning through Differentiation Strategy: The Company should position its new jeans brand with the help of differentiation strategy. The most suitable differentiation strategy that can be used is image differentiation that can be done by involving some well-known celebrity or idol personality. This strategy will appeal primary target market consumers by influencing their own personality. Persuasive Advertising: In concern to attracting primary target market audience, it is essential that the company make use of right advertising appeal that should be persuasive advertising. With the help of this advertising appeal, the company can easily create liking, preference, conviction and purchase of its new jeans brand among its identified primary target market (Groucutt, Leadley Forsyth, 2004). Selection of Communication Channels: The next substantial strategy that the management of the company should adopt is related to the selection of appropriate communication channels. In communicating with its selected primary target market it is essential that the company make use of both the personal and non personal communication channels (Fiore, Lee Kunz, 2004). In this way, only it will become able in doing successful communication. Use of Advanced Media channels with Social Media: The company should communicate its brand and its core values to its target market with the help of advanced media channels like print media (newspapers magazines), broadcast media (radio and television), electronic media (web page), network media (telephone and wireless) and display media (signs and posters) (Kelley Jugenheimer, 2008). In addition to this, the company should also communicate its brand and its benefits with the help of social media tools as it is quite popular in present among youngsters and teen agers. By adopting all these, the company easily position its new jeans brand in the year 2011 that will have different significant changes in industry trends and consumers preferences.