Stereotypes and Prejudice Essay Example for Free

Stereotypes and Prejudice Essay †¢What are the positive aspects of stereotypes, if any? Most stereotypes are negative and may cause much harm but there are positive stereotypes, which also have a negative impact because they influence prejudice. One positive thing that can be gained from stereotypes is self-motivation. â€Å"Still other researchers have conceptualized the benefits of stereotype use in more motivational terms, such as self-enhancement. † (Lambart, 1997, abstract, Para. 2) Negative comments can sometimes be used to reinforce our self-esteem and prove everyone wrong. From experience, I can say the statement is true, I am the oldest of three girls, and my father always had high aspirations for us, yet low expectations. Never truly believing in our capacity to complete higher education and maintain a decent job, he always said, â€Å"Hispanics are lazy and like the easy way out, we prefer money rather than obtaining a degree. † Rather than bringing me down, I set a goal to prove his beliefs are wrong, and I will be one Hispanic who succeeds. †¢What are the negative aspects of stereotypes? Stereotypes cause physical, mental, and emotional problems to most whom are offended. Emotional problems such as depression, low self-esteem, and losing the desire to succeed in life are a few of the negative aspects of stereotyping. Some suffer physical problems, which include self-mutilation caused by mental and emotional harm, and eating disorders. Some are extremely under weight to avoid stereotypes. The extent of the harm depends on how strong the person is, and their ability to surpass negative comments. †¢What can be done to prevent prejudice from occurring? Unlike categorization, prejudice is not human nature therefore we can control it. Prejudice is pre judgments that we make based on myths and hypothesis not facts. To prevent prejudice form occurring, we need to keep in mind we are all human beings, and have the right to be treated equal. Like the law states â€Å"Innocent until proven guilty,† We should first learn about the person, and find the reason toward their actions before we judge. We must keep in mind we all have the right to make mistakes and no one is free from them, but most important, we need to keep in mind that prejudiced comments hurt people in numerous ways, and we do not want to be part of their pain. I read a book â€Å"Thirteen Reasons Why† by Jay Asher, in which a teenage girl kills herself because of the prejudiced comments thirteen different people made about her. It took only 13 reasons for her to kill herself, because one comment itself didn’t hurt, but all 13 had a snowball effect and kept rolling, getting bigger every time, Once the snowball got to a certain size, she wasn’t able to take all the negative comments and decided to kill herself.

Malaysias Luxury Goods Sector

Malaysias Luxury Goods Sector Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Introduction In the 80s, luxury goods that used to belong to the upper class became visible, recognizable, and accessible to the public. Hence, the market for luxury goods went through an enormous demand growth spurt, and developed into a significant economic sector in the 90s (Roux and Floch 1996). Louis Vuitton reported sales of nearly 2.5 billion Euros, increasing its net income by 80% between 2002 and 2004 (LVMH 2005). LVMH Moà «t Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the worlds leading luxury group, achieved revenue of 4 billion euros in the first quarter of 2008. Organic revenue increased by 12% compared to the same period in 2007, which was also a period of strong growth. As a result of the negative impact of exchange rates, reported revenue growth is 5%. All business groups recorded double-digit organic revenue growth in the period, with the exception of Wines Spirits. The Group continued to record excellent performances in Asia, the US and Europe. A good attains the label â€Å"luxury† when it has the particular design, quality, performance or durability that is remarkably superior to the comparable substitute. Luxury goods have a lot to do with the consumers psyche and how it makes the person feel. In generally, luxury goods are considered to be the highest quality, and price in the market. Brand consciousness among the Malaysian society has been increasing over the past few years, especially with the young generation who are now appetite for the luxury goods and brands especially from college, university students and young working adults. The population of the youth for aged between 20 and 29 aged is 20% which nearly make up the entire population in Malaysia. Understanding the consumer behavior in this age group would be pivotal in ensuring luxury brands can better position themselves in the market and will be useful in marketing building brands. It makes good reason that research on the factor influences generation Y on the purchasing decision of luxury goods. 1.2 Background of Research â€Å"Asia is considered by many international brands as a major sales region, with the improving personal financial status of Asian consumers and with the opening up of various developing markets, there is huge room for growth in the luxury sector,† said Karen Watson, Chief Communications Officer, ACNielsen Company(Consumer and Designer Brands , April 2008). In Malaysia, the luxury goods sector has been growing along with the rest of the world over the past ten years. We can see that some of the shopping complex such as Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC) Mall that sell luxury goods and for up market. Over the years, the setting up for the up market such as Pavilions, The Garden and Star Hills have catered to the increasing demand of luxury goods. â€Å"In Malaysia the apparel industry has undergone great transformation with more and more brands entering the market, and the recent past years have seen the entry of numerous international brands. The apparel industry is worth RM 3.26 billion (approximately USD 1.1 billion) (Protà ©gà © Associates‟ Independent Market Report (2007)† (Khan and Khan, 2008) The study on consumer behavior in relevance to luxury goods has gained a lot of interest over the course of the decades. Early research on a framework to define luxury and that of luxury seeking consumers started in the 19th century by Rae (1834). The early research was showed that a summary of the luxury seeking consumer behaviour which can be seen by Vigneron and Johnson (1999) where the values are conspicuous, unique, social and quality. Conspicuous and quality could be seen in the summary luxury seeking framework by Vigneron and Johnson (1999) who presented the luxury value perceptions., It has been stated as the notion of â€Å"buying to impress others† by concerning the motives for consuming luxury goods (Wiedman, Hennigs, Siebel, 2007). Other researches were instrumental on other factors which influence purchase decisions, Khan and Khan (2005) provided the result by showing how reference groups influence on purchase decisions. It focuses on reference groups which are groups that individuals refer when making a purchase. From a consumer behaviour perspective, reference groups are important because they inform and make individuals aware of specific products and brands; provide individuals with opportunities to compare their own thinking with the attitudes and behaviour of the group; and influence individuals to adopt attitudes and behaviour that are consistent with the norms of the group (Khan and Khan, 2005). Aesthetics appeal on purchasing decision also gained the attention of the researchers. Researchers such as done by Virginie, Irina and Pierre (2009) and Dubois, Laurent, Czellar (2001) influence the purchase decision on luxury goods. 1.3 Research Question Most of the consumers purchase the luxury goods for one of the following reasons. Purchasing decisions could be influence by the social factor example noted by (Khan and Khan, 2005).Other factors that should be taken into consideration include brand image, conspicuous and quality value which effect the purchase decisions before making the purchase. Aesthetics are also playing a crucial role influence on purchase of luxury goods Based on the Literature Review in Chapter 2, which provides a detailed look at all the factors and variables above, the research questions at hand has to do with the present variables and the purchase decisions. The questions addressed in this research are: What are the critical factors (reference groups, perceived conspicuous, perceived quality, brand image and aesthetics) influence generations Y in purchasing decision of luxury goods in Malaysia? Is there any interaction between critical factors (reference groups, perceived conspicuous, perceived quality, brand image and aesthetics) and generation Ys purchase decision on luxury goods in Malaysia? How the critical factors (reference groups, perceived conspicuous, perceived quality, brand image and aesthetics) have impacts on generation Ys purchasing decision on luxury goods in Malaysia? 1.4 Research Objective This study aims to address the following objectives of the study: Main Objective: To determine and identify the factors influence generation Y in purchasing decision of luxury products in Malaysia. Specific objectives: To identify the critical factors (reference groups, perceived conspicuous, perceived quality, brand image and aesthetics) influence generation Y in purchasing decision of luxury products in Malaysia. To determine relationship between critical factors (reference groups, perceived conspicuous, perceived quality, brand image and aesthetics) and generation Ys purchasing decision of luxury goods in Malaysia To determine the effect of critical factors (reference groups, perceived conspicuous, perceived quality, brand image and aesthetics) on purchasing decision of luxury goods in Malaysia. 1.5 Significant of the Study The luxury goods market is growing rapidly and it is important for research to be done to understand the factors and variables that influence Generation Y purchase luxury goods in Malaysia. The research is important for a number of reasons. The factors influence purchasing decision or consumer behaviours toward luxury goods research has been done in American, Europe or Asia but there is a lack of research regarding purchase decisions on luxury brand products in Malaysia. The only research has been done was by Khan and Khan (2005). The research was about the gender differences in the purchase of luxury goods and covered with social influences and marketing influences. 1.6 Scope of the study In this research, the research will be conducted under the scope of the purchasing of luxury goods. The research will investigate the factors that influence the generation Y in purchasing decision of luxury goods in Malaysia. This research is going to focus on generation Y which includes males and females in Malaysia. The age the range of this research on generation Y between 20 to 29. This group of generation Y was chosen because they are college students, university students and young working adults. They are the consumers that showing the greatest purchasing power in the luxury goods market. Questionnaire will be given to the generation Y to know the factors that influence them in purchasing decision on luxury goods. 1.7 Organization of the Research Project The outline of this thesis can be divided into three main parts. Chapter 1 would be the introduction to the paper, where an understanding of the luxury goods market would be presented, along with the trends the market is heading. A background of the study is also provided, citing the work done by past researchers and their findings. This chapter also provides a clear understanding of the problem statements as well as the objectives of this research paper. Chapter 1 would also justify the need for this research to carried out and provide a summary of the research methodology used to carry out the survey. Chapter 2 would provide a review on the findings and results of past researchers. Chapter 2 titled literature review would be the assessment on research topics of interest to the researcher, such as topics concerning the factors that influence the purchase of luxury goods. Factors or variables that are being discussed in this chapter include the social influences, perceived conspicuous value, perceived quality value, brand image and aesthetics Onwards to chapter 3 which is titles research methodology, this chapter would detail the relationships of all the variables present with the theoretical framework. The development of the research hypotheses would also be presented in this chapter along with the sampling design and procedures that would be used in the data collection process. Chapter 3 would then round up by pointing out the methods that would be used for data analysis as well as the variety of tests that would be used to test the hypotheses. Chapter 4 is the â€Å"Data Analysis†, presents and analyses the raw data collected from the survey. After that, SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) will be used to present the most accurate statistic data and graph. Chapter 5 explains the outcomes of the testing of the hypotheses determined from Chapter 4: Data Analysis. The acceptance or rejection of the hypothesis is discussed as well. Additionally, the concluded results of the hypothesis testing from this study are compared with results from previous researches to identify the differences and similarities. 1.8 Conclusion This chapter has laid the foundation for the entire research. A background of the study was also given to show the progress made by past researchers on the topic at hand. An understanding of the luxury goods industry was presented along with the research questions and objectives this research intends to meet. Thus, the research question, research issues, limitations of the research and outline of the research have been presented, which will provide a guideline for the research. The above information can work as a base and lead into the detail interpretation on the research afterwards. Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.0Definition of Luxury Goods The word ‘luxury can be defined as state of life in which has uses things that please the senses or pleasing to have but not essential. â€Å"A good attains the label as a â€Å"luxury† when it has a particular design, quality, performance or durability that is remarkably superior to the comparable substitutes† (Snapshot of U.S Luxury Good Market, 2007). Dubois, Laurent and Czellar (2001) and Survanasuddhi (2007) stated a definition of the nature and characteristics of the concept of luxury. The six facets are excellent quality, very high price, scarcity and uniqueness, aesthetics and polysensuality, ancestral heritage and personal history and superfluousness. Luxury goods are rising in popularity especially as consumers buying behavior is becoming more symbolized. Consumers feel that by owning luxury products can express their personality and set them apart. Thus, â€Å"luxury goods have been defined as goods for which the mere use or display of a particular branded product brings prestige on the owner, apart from any functional utility† (Nia and Zaikowsky,2000) The term ‘prestige was defined as it consists of consumers motivations for chasing technical superiority, uniqueness, signaling wealth and status well as aesthetics appeal (Vigneron and Johnson, 1999). ‘Prestige and ‘luxury are used synonymously in the VIgneron and Johnsons research. Vigneron and Johnson (1999) categorized three types of prestige brand as upmarket brands, premium brands and luxury brands, respectively in an increasing order of prestige. Hence, it was expected that people would have different perceptions of the level of prestige for the same brands, and that the overall prestige level of a brand would consider the prestige perceptions from different people. â€Å"Luxury brands can be described as premium priced brands that consumers purchase for their psychological values (symbolic and hedonic), and not predominately for their economical and functional value† (Nueno and Quelch 1998; Stegeman, 2006). However, the definition of luxury goods or brands cannot be fully recognized. The definition of luxury will be different and may not be the same for another researcher. Chadha Husband (2006) definition limits itself in that it only pertains to luxury fashion goods instead there are other luxury goods that are also both universally available and accepted as luxury. The definition of luxury brands have been defined as fashionable and high quality consumers goods made by reputed luxury brands which contained wearable fashion goods such as handbag, wallet, shoes and belt (Chadha and Husband, 2006; Heinemann, 2008). Fashion can be reflection of the social, economic, political and artistic forces of the time. Accoding to Gao, Norton, Zhang, To (2009), â€Å"luxury fashion goods are apparel, accessories, handbags, shoes, watches, jewellery, and perfume for which use or display of particular branded products brings prestige to owners, apart from any functional utility†. Snapshot of U.S Luxury Good Market (2007) stated fashion group represent the major product sector in the luxury goods market. It is important to know that the survey showed that â€Å"one sixth (16%) of the worlds consumers claim to buy designer brands† (ACNielsen, 2008). For this research, the term luxury goods can be defined as the brands that are defined as luxurious in the annual â€Å"Consumer and Designer Brand Report 2008† by the global Nielson firm which the survey is the largest and it identified the following goods as the luxury fashion goods. Calvin Klien Giorgio Armani Celine Ralph Lauren Louis Vuitton Ferragamo Diesel Burberry Chloe Chanel Versace Marc Jacobs Christian Dior Prada Gucci Givenchy DKNY Emporio Armani Valentino Hermes Fendi Yves Saint Lauren Max Mara The fashion goods that show above are not the only goods that are stated as luxury in this research. Consumers allow to evaluate and include other brands which they think is luxury fashion goods for them. Furthermore, there are many opinions and views of luxury from different leaders viewpoint stated in KPMG research (Managing Luxury Brand Growth, 2006). Luxury is explained in the table below as following: Leaders Name and Company Definition 1. Guy Salter Private Investor, Deputy Chairman of Walpole, the British Luxury goods organization Because luxury matters in a way that didnt matter before. Increasingly, luxury is big business: the luxury segment is growing and according to most projections it will continue to grow for the next ten to fifteen years. 2. Belinda Earl, Jaeger Groups chief executive Jaeger is a luxury British brand renowned for designing stylish, innovative and superb quality womenswear, menswear and accessories. None of us are in the business selling necessities; luxury is the business of creating and satisfying desires. 3. Richard Purdey of gun makers James Purdey and Sons Famous British gun maker of London, and the name is synonymous with the very finest sporting shotguns and rifles. Purdeys hold or have held numerous warrants of appointment as gun and rifle makers to the British and other European royal families. A real luxury brands has got to have total integrity. It has to be the buyer that says ‘this is luxury. 4. Theo Fennell Theo Fennell is the jewellery maker by using his name for his company ‘Theo Fennel in London Luxury is something that everyone wants and nobody needs. 5. Joseph Wan of Harvey Nichols CEO of retailer Harvey Nichols Harvey Nichols is an international luxury lifestyle store, renowned both in the UK and internationally for the breadth and depth of its exclusive fashion merchandise. It offers many of the worlds most prestigious brands in womenswear, menswear, accessories, beauty, food and home. Luxury is about history. A luxury brand is a lifestyle concept and to be sustainable it has to have history, including a history of quality merchandise and of real luxury customers.. 6. Raphael le Masne de Chermont, of Shanghai Tang Executive Chair of Shanghai Tang Shanghai Tang is the first luxury brand emerging design from Chiana It is not in the price, it is in the pleasure you give to the customer. It is to do with creativity, a harmonious aesthetic with attention to details. 7.Christian Hafner Head of Branding at Swarovski Luxury is about history, authenticity, depth and being a partner. Buying a luxury product is like a love affair. 2.1Generation Y Generation Y are also referred as the Millennial Generation or Generation Next or Net Generation describes the demographic cohort following Generation X. Its members are often referred to as Millennials or Echo Boomers. According to Shareef Mahdavi (2008), Generation Y is the term used to describe children of the Baby Boomer generation, typically born between 1977 and 1995. McCrindle (2008) described the generation Y born in between 1980 and 1994. They are also referred to as ‘Millenials and ‘Echo Boomers in the western society, especially American Society. Generation Y are individuals who born between 1977 to 1994 that have a free spending spirit and consist of 71 million 8 to 25 year olds (Horovitz, 2002; Sriviroj 2007). The wealthiest groups of people are between the ages of 19 to 25 year olds who are either employed in full time jobs or part time work even though there are group amount of generation Y consumers. The greatest purchasing power in the Generation Y college student takes place within the part-time student, who spends over $400 monthly on discretionary purchases while often maintaining full-time employment (Gardyn, 2002). Those who are either part time or at full time work are college students (Martin Turley, 2004). Students always work as part time work to find extra funding for their excessive spending during the university hopdays or breaks. There are average 80% of students attending college or university are employed (Martin Turley, 2004). The financial knowledge of the average Generation Y consumer also earns them the awareness and respect of marketers even though their spending power alone is enough reason to pay significant attention to this group of consumers. The financial knowledge of the average Generation Y consumer also earns them the respect of marketers today. Generation Y consumers have a remarkable amount of disposable income due to the increasing of greater level in the economy over the past decade (Martin Turley, 2004). Besides that, the research suggested that â€Å"Generation Y has more discretionary income than the previous generations and prefer to spend it on themselves rather than others. A reason for this may be because they are starting families later in life and therefore are able to spend their income on themselves without having to worry about others† (Angela Hughes, 2008) The important of this group of consumers has taken on the greater level of meaning for marketer. â€Å"While the Baby Boomers grew up with television advertising influencing how they were marketed to and how they bought products, Generation Y has many different mediums that they grew up with, which is what makes marketing to them so much more difficult† (Angela Hughes, 2008). Marketers are playing the large part influence consumers behaviour through the knowledge of fashion. The reason is that teenagers are concerned about fashion value more than any other age groups (Koester and May,1985; Sriviroj 2007). One of the most influencers is the media because of media consist of a wide range of technology such as television, internet, mobile phone and DVD. (Angela Hughes, 2008, Sriviroj 2007). The internet has permanently changed the way that this generation shops by giving the information about products than the companies give the consumer. According to Angela Hughes (2008), he in ternet is also a powerful tool for this generation in spreading opinions about products to their peers. The largest differences between Generation Y and those that preceded them are Generation Ys tremendous awareness and confidence. Generation Y is more likely than any previous generation to look up information before purchasing a product. Generation Y is more desirable to own the products that they know their peers will accept just to show they are part of the group. On the other hand, in the research of Sriviroj (2007) stated that television is strongly influence these generation which affect them as they will reflect their perceptions in â€Å"reality† as they have seen in television world. â€Å"Of the paid advertising channels of online, outdoor, newspaper, magazine, radio, TV and Theatrical, TV and newspaper are the most trusted media† (Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey, 2009). â€Å"Generation Y is poised to take over as the largest and most lucrative consumer group for marketers, a position that has long been held by the Baby Boomer generation† (Angela Hughes, 2008). In order to understand the generation Y consumers, it is important to think about factors that motivate these individuals towards the purchasing of luxury goods. 2.2 Social Influence Previous research shows that group influences play an important role in influencing the purchase decisions (Brinberg and Plimpton, 1986; Martin and Bush 2000; Mascareches and Higby, 1993). The group members have been recognized as determinant of behavior. The fact that the people act in accordance with a frame of reference produced by the group to which they belong is a long accepted and sound premise (Merton and Rossi, 1949). However, many individuals did not behave like the majority of people in their recognized group (e.g., social class or educational level).The casual observation showed perplexing contradictions between group membership and behaviors. According to Merton and Rossi (1994), â€Å"a partial solution was found in the concept of â€Å"reference group†, which recognizes that people frequently orient themselves to other than membership group in shaping their behaviors and evaluations and that reference groups can perform a diversity of functions.† Reference groups are generally defined as â€Å"actual or imaginary institutions, individuals, or groups conceived of having significant relevance upon an individual‟s evaluations, aspirations, or behavior† (Lessig and Park, 1975; Pertina, Prybutok, Zhang, 2008). Besides that, reference group also can be defined as â€Å"a group of people that significantly influence an individuals behavior† (Bearden and Etzel, 1982). Reference group are important because they make the individual aware to a specific goods or brands and influence individuals to adopt attitude and behaviour that are consistent with the norm of the group. The normative and informative social influences are the most widely accepted influence. Normative social influence is based on the tendency to conform to the expectation of others while informational influence is based on the desire to make informed decisions and optimize the choice (Stephen Yang and He, 2009; Khan and Khan, 2005). Berden and Etzel (1982) examined that the reference group influence by product and the brand purchase decision. Previous research studied group influences in marketing strategy and consumers purchasing behaviour. Specifically, three types of group influences are studied which is information, utilitarian and value expressive influences (Stephen Yang and He; Bearden and Etzel, 1982; Makgosa and Mohube, 2007; Pertina, Prybutok, Zhang, 2008). Informational influence is reflected when an individual perceives enhancement of knowledge and ability to cope with environment when using information from opinion leaders, experts, or product users. Utilitarian influence manifests through the process of compliance with those who can exercise reward or punishment power. Value-expressive reference group function is based on the identification process whereas an individual who associates oneself with a group to enhance self-concept adopts this groups consumption patterns. Reference groups have been found to specify what the desirable and undesirable goods are (Bristol and Malengburg, 2005; Khan and Khan, 2005). Many researchers have argued that individuals are more susceptible to reference groups influence when the goods is conspicuous and publicly consumed (Bearden and Etzel, 1982; Makgosa and Mohube, 2007; Batra, Homer, Kahle, 2009; Morris and White, 2009). The influence of a reference group on consumer behavior can be done in one of two ways, either directly or indirectly. In the research Stephen Yang and He (2009), reference groups refer the group that individual has frequent contact with (such as family members, work associates, classmates, friends, etc.). These group is refers to the groups used by an individual to direct one purchasing behaviour in particular situation. These are generally referred as direct reference group (Schiffman and Kanuk, 1994). On the other hand, it included â€Å"the groups that does not have the membership in or direct contact with, such as certain expected groups or people in a certain social level (Stephen Yang and He, 2009). Based on the work of Khan and Khan (2005), the direct reference group influence was illustrated as â€Å"families, friends, co-worker, formal social groups and other leisure groups†. This differs from the indirect reference groups comprise of â€Å"individuals and groups t hat influence consumers purchase intentions without having and direct contact such as celebrities and sport personalities† (Khan and Khan, 2005). 2.2.1 Direct Reference Groups Direct reference groups can be defined as direct contact from the individual or groups with the consumers. With the reference from †¦.., it showed that families, friends, co-worker, formal social groups and other leisure groups are under this categories. A person has several reference groups for various subjects or different decisions normally. For example, â€Å"a woman may consult one reference group when she is purchasing a car and a different reference group for lingerie† (Consumer Behaviour, no date).These direct reference groups are the one who frequently contact with the consumers, It can be seen that the groups views from direct reference groups whether purchase the goods in order to be like group members, believing in group members decisions or a sign of wanting to fit in the group. The previous researchers have carried out the investigations on how the role models (parents, relatives, peers) influence teenagers purchase intentions and behavior (Martin and Bush; Subramanian and Subramanian, 1995)) and how parents and peers influence various products and brands purchase decisions (Bearden and Etzel, 1982). Researcher has shown that overt family communication can and often does influence younger consumers attitudes toward purchases and their consumption patterns (Martin and Bush). Consumers always do not feel confident enough to evaluate alone. They will consult a friend or partner by inviting them along to a potential purchase can enhance the process. â€Å"Having a peer present meant that shop assistants become largely irrelevant and that evaluation of a brand centered largely on initial peer reaction to fit, style and price-based decisions† (Guy W.Mullarkey, 2001). â€Å"It is also interesting to note that of all the three direct reference groups, friends tend to exert the greatest influence where individuals purchase brands because they identify themselves with their peers† (Khan and Khan, 2005). From the numerous researches that have been done, direct reference groups influence make an immediate impact to the consumers. Therefore, it can be concluded that direct reference groups play a significant role in providing relevant information, deemed necessary to make a purchase and conform the group norm. 2.2.2 Indirect Reference Groups Indirect reference groups is the group that influence consumers purchase decisions without having any direct contact with the consumers such as celebrities and sport personalities. Khan and Khan (2005) defined celebrities as â€Å"individuals who are well known to the public for their advertisements in areas other than product class endorsed† and that they represent â€Å"an idealisation of life†. In luxury goods industry, it will be much easier by connecting the brand to a celebrity and is even viewed, in some instances, as a necessity. This is because a luxury goods company is in the business of building and selling dreams, and nothing is more helpful in making such dreams concrete and thus more believable in the eyes of the consumer, than communicating it through a famous personality. Celebrities are being increasingly used in marketing communication by marketers to lend personality to their products in India (Matrade Chennai, 2005).

The Australian Legend and Feminism :: essays research papers fc

The Australian Legend And Feminism Until recent years it has been believed that there are two sexes, being male and female, and with these there are two genders, with these being masculinity and feminity. It may also be argued that sex is biology determined where as gender is socially and culturally constructed as studies of societies, both present and past, have shown that there is no relationship between social roles and biological sex (Abercrombie, Hill & Turner, 2000). With the introduction of post modernist feminist theories we have begun to question whether or not there are only two genders and how to classify transgender (Flax, 1990). It can be argued that masculinity has socially and culturally been constructed as dominant within the public world. In western countries, such as Australia, it is upon men that â€Å"autonomy, control over the world and mastery of others† (Porter, 1998, p. 27) has been placed. Parsons (Porter, 1998) suggested five alternative sets of positioned values which are structured as being either expressive or instrumental. Parsons (Porter, 1998) was of the belief that men embodied the instrumental values of affective neutrality (capable of unemotional and impersonal interaction), self-orientation (primary pursuit of own interests), universalism (making objective evaluations when interacting with others), achievement (ability to achieve set goals and related status) and specificity (interacting or working within a specific role). Parsons theorized that these five instrumental values were associated with western ‘advanced’ societies (Porter, 1998). In Australia, women and children are seen to be subservient to the male superiority. Parsons (Porter, 1998) believed that women embodied the expressive values of affectivity (highly emotional), collective orientation (putting others interests before your own), particularism (responding differently towards different people), ascription (having status ascribed regardless of intrinsic qualities), and diffuseness (role covers a wide range of interests and is non-specific). To Parsons these roles were seen to belong to primitive society and in modern times were to be associated with women and private life (Porter, 1998). These roles have been reinforced through popular media, for example by the bible which is the worlds’ best selling and most distributed book (Guinness World Records). Within the bible the word "man" may be found 5,335 times in 4,536 verses whilst â€Å"woman† may be found 379 times in 347 verses (Christ Unlimited Ministries, n.d.). Passages of the bible may also reinforce the notion of male superiority for example in Genesis 1:26-28 (Christ Unlimited Ministries, n.d.) which tells of god creating Adam in his own image and then creating for Adam a helper, Eve, whom God calls Woman as she is created from the rib of man.

Three Strikes And Youre Out Law Essay -- essays research papers

Three Strikes You're Out Law We have all heard of the newest anti-crime law, the "Three strikes and you’re out" law. It wasn’t easy getting this law from the bill stage in Sacramento to the law stage, because it is not a criminal friendly law. Meaning that this law’s purpose is to bring pain, suffering, and intimidation to criminals. Our state government was basically ran by the Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, now mayor of San Francisco. Brown had the power to choose who sat on what committee in the house, and using this he could terminate any bill he did not agree with. And with this attitude it took a lot of patients and perseverance by the people trying to pass this bill. But how did the bill become a bill? I will answer this question with help of the Kimber Reynolds story. Monday, June 29, 1992 in Fresno, California a young woman was brutally murdered outside The Daily Planet, a restaurant patronized by the local young people. The girl was visiting home for the summer after being in the Los Angeles area attending school. Her and a friend were getting into their car when two guys on a motorcycle rode up next to Kimber Reynolds blocking her in, taking her purse, and beating her into submission. The story made the 11 o’clock news only minutes after her father had gone to bed. When police ran a background check on the two suspected men, Joeseph Micheal Davis and Douglas Walker, both men had recently been released on parole with multiple offenses on their records. Unfortunately Davis was never brought in because when police were attempting to arrest him he began firing, wounding unsuspecting police officers and ultimately being killed. Douglas Walker was convicted of accessory to murder. Mike Reynolds, Kimber’s father, went on the radio on a local radio show called the Ray Appleton Show, KMJ 580. There he would discuss his outrage about how he was sick of repeat offenders being locked up only to be released after a fraction of the sentence was completed. He swore to the people listening that he was going to do something about the problem, even if it takes him forever. Listening to that show was Fresno Assemblyman Bill Jones (R). He was interested in the issue and arranged a meeting with Mike. They discussed ideas about how they could solve this problem. With that in mind Mike used some connections and g... ...victions. There were repeated warnings about the cost to implement the new law, but few have addressed the other side of the equation and the savings to the state, in lives and in dollars. Had our 1993 crime rate continued unaffected over these past few years, nearly 815,000 additional crimes would have been committed in California, including 217,000+ violent crimes. We would have suffered more than 4,000 homicide victims; 6000+ women would have been victims of rape. Also the savings in dollars is between $5.8 billion and $15.5 billion since the enactment of the "Three Strikes" law. There has been swift and dramatic impact on crime since the enactment of the "Three Strikes" law. The crime rate has dropped more than 30%. But there are other factors that play a part in this reduction like crime prevention, and community policing. However there has been a significant drop in the crime rate. Also the predictions about cost, over populating and others have not come true. With all of the opposition out there trying to tear this law down I believe that California can not afford to do without this law because it is saving our state money and lives.

Busy Bubbles Laundromat and Car Cleaning Essay -- Observation Essays, D

Busy Bubbles Laundromat and Car Cleaning Free drying is for wash customers only May not be the most welcoming of banners, and yet if you are a wash customer you are one of the privileged and included. This wonderful space of washing, drying, tanning and car cleaning has to be the one and only Busy Bubbles. A small building just north of NDSU, this is an extraordinarily busy little corner of the world we call Fargo- Moorhead. Not only, can you wash your car and tan; this is a 24-hour laundromat that features: free drying! Doesn’t sound like much in the large scheme of things, and yet the numbers of people that visit this business in a week is staggering. And while the NDSU campus is very close, and the word â€Å"FREE† is connected to this establishment, it is not only college students that frequent this place of business. For an avid people watcher this place is a gold mine! Everyone needs clean clothes, and people of all kinds find their way to Busy Bubbles to complete this chore. Busy Bubbles is a smallish building considering all of the activity that goes on inside. The first thing you notice as you approach the building, are the standard car wash stalls. The functional appearance of the inside isn’t really surprising until you start to look around. The ordered green and white design on the wall seems a little at odds with the funky mismatched furniture, and the hodgepodge message board. Any one need a used truck or a new kitten? Maybe you would like to work out of your home? Or apply to be a foster care family? This board will cover any of your needs. The room appears a bit sterile, but there are little areas where you can’t miss the touch of humanity. Don’t forget to check the lost and found basket before you leave. .. ...le have entered. Two couples, one with a small child. I find it curious how both of these husbands disappear as soon as the laundry is in the wash. I can see them out starting to wash their cars. Do they know how to run the washers? Or are they intimidated by a group of women together chatting? Even my new friends husband has found other things to do in the midst of this chatter. Women always have something to chat about with complete strangers. Well in the middle of all this simple chatting I’ve finished my chore. I say goodbye to the friendly couple, knowing it’s likely I’ll never see then again. That’s how it is at the laundromat I guess. You meet people, pass the time, and then you all go your separate ways. I wonder out loud, as I go, if the pyjama lady will remember to come back for her clothes. I guess I’ll have to check out the lost and found next time.

Communication Issues in the Workplace

Running head: THE IMPORTANCE OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN THE The Importance of Effective Communication in the Workplace Christina Springer University of Phoenix The Importance of Effective Communication in the Workplace Introduction Anyone in a work environment having an understanding of what good effective Intercultural communication in the workplace entails will enhance every person’s ability to experience a successful and professional work experience. People can be exposed to misunderstandings in the workplace due to conflict of interests. These conflicts of interests can be rooted from a variety of cultural differences among distinctive ethnic backgrounds other than our own, and international individuals who are in our country solely for education or temporary work. Lack of proper understanding or skills of diversity in the workplace can cause many discrepancies among coworkers. People live in an increasingly complex world. One element of this complexity is the mixing of different cultures, languages and faiths. Within the business world intercultural communication is vital for success. Effective communication between colleagues from different cultural backgrounds ensures a team is working harmoniously. (The Six Steps to Intercultural Communication, Â ¶ 1) Situation There was a Caucasian tall skinny man with glasses who worked as a Deejay in West Virginia while attending West Virginia University. He was part German with somewhat of an accent. He had previous experience with all genres of music. His plan was to finish school and return to Germany to pursue his dream of being an internationally known Deejay. He was invited to a national hip hop celebration to perform as an artist and as a Deejay. The coordinator informed the African American Deejay’s that there would be a Caucasian Deejay coming to assist with them at the job. When he arrived to the celebration, there was a huge table of all African American Deejay’s setting up their equipment. He was told by the coordinator to set up as soon as he arrived there. So he walked up to the table of Deejay’s and they started laughing at him. They made fun of him and ridiculed him thinking it was a joke that he came to Deejay. They made fun of his appearance and did not take him serious. He went to the coordinator and told the coordinator the situation. The coordinator came over to the table of Deejay’s and explained that he was one of the Deejay’s to be performing and to clear a space for his equipment as they would not do before. Without hesitation they apologized and cleared a space for the German Deejay to set up his equipment. Diagnosis Conflict is a clash of values that is a common occurrence in the workplace. (Teo, 2006, December 13, Â ¶ 1) In this particular situation the Deejay’s at the national celebration being all African American may have misjudged the German Deejay for his appearance and accent. They may have underestimated his ability to Deejay effectively based off of his appearance of different culture and his accent. Because this was a hip hop celebration they seemed to have assumed that he was incapable of livening up the crowd. This common situation of conflict needs to be addressed more in any workplace. More often executives are expected to work internationally, hence business and social contacts between people of various nationalities increased. As these people come from disparate cultural backgrounds, geographical barriers gave way to communication barriers that lead to tensions and conflicts. Teo, Â ¶ 2) The important for leaders of any organization properly to train its employees of cultural differences and how to handle situations that may arise is increasingly important. The coordinator may have not properly informed the German Deejay of what he would be exposed to during this particular job. As a result it was somewhat of a culture shock for the German Deejay . This was a culture shock for the German Deejay especially not knowing what to think or expect. If the coordinator would have notified the African American Deejay’s of the complete extent of the German/Caucasian man’s nationality or description it would have made it easier for everyone involved at the job. The African American Deejay’s were use to working with other African American Deejay’s experienced in hip hop only. The German Deejay felt like an outcast when the African American Deejay’s made fun of him and nonverbally displayed he was unwelcomed by not clearing a space for his equipment due to their poor lack of judgment. Solutions Any person being of a different ethnicity in a completely different country can expect to experience a conflict of interest at any workplace unfortunately. A decision to be made upon the leaders of the organization to enhance its entire employee’s of the importance of diversity skills and how it can lead to success. If the coordinator would have informed the African American Deejay’s of the nationality, talent, skills, and capabilities of the German Deejay then perhaps the African American Deejay’s would have been more welcoming to the German Deejay. The German Deejay could have gone to the human resources department of the organization and he or she could offer help for this situation. Any coordinator of any national event should always inform its employees of any possibility of conflicts of interests or lack of understanding of misjudgments that may occur and how to handle a situation like that. In order to come to appreciate and understand people from different cultures, empathy is vital. Through putting yourself in someone else's shoes he or she will come to see or appreciate their point of view. The Six Steps to Intercultural Communication, Â ¶ 5) Everyone makes or has assumptions about others. Assumptions are beliefs rather than objective truth and are usually influenced by a number of subjective factors. (The Six Steps to Intercultural Communication, Â ¶ 3) Any employee of any workplace must take interest to understand the differences between cultural norms, beliefs, and values within each culture and that they are all d istinctive. People should always respect other cultures in order to create a civil and fair work environment. Conclusion Diversity skills are very important to have in any work environment. Without efficient knowledge or understanding of other cultures and the capabilities of behavior from one culture to the next, conflicts of interest may arise. If employees and leaders can work together to access and prevent any bad situation from happening it would be beneficial to the organization as well as the employee's. Regardless of the ethnic background of a person, monitoring our own behavior can always be a way of building opportunities and the ability to enhance strengths of comprehending the importance of eing equipped with proper knowledge on the expansion of diversity among worker's anywhere. References Teo, A. (2006, December 13). Intercultural Conflict in the Workplace: Every Organization’s Nightmare. Ezine Articles. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles. com/? Intercultural-Conflict-in-the-Workplace:-every-Organizations-Nightmare=385503 The Six Steps to Intercultural Communication. (). Kwintesse ntial. Retrieved from http://www. kwintessential. co. uk/cultural-services/articles/intercultural-communication. html

Bartelby & story

The narrator tries all the way through the story to truly empathize with Bartleby, but he never digs too deep because he is concerned about saving himself. He thinks that doing good deeds for Bartleby will look good for him as well. The narrator, however, sticks with Bartleby longer than most of us would.Bartleby is frustratingly honest about life. He is throroughly unexcited about life in general, and the narrator is maybe a little afraid that he is too much like Bartleby. However, he is an eminently â€Å"safe† man who has made peace with the modern world by working for rich clients but has no inner passion.2. Turkey, Nippers and Ginger Nut are oddly named characters. Turkey and Nippers are named for the volatility of their character and are in themselves caricatures. Turkey gets drunk in the afternoon and becomes enraged at the slightest thing thereafter; in other words, he acts like a real turkey. Nippers is irritable and angry in the morning when he might â€Å"nip† someone. As the day goes on, he is able to get some work done. The two of them together do the work of one man. Ginger Nut is so named because he brings the office Ginger Nut cakes.Their nicknames tell the reader that they are unreliable in assessing Bartleby, since someone could assume by their actions that they are crazy too. These characters also serve to show what the boss already puts up with. 3. Bartleby might want his story told in order to emphasize the futility of the world. He loses two jobs due to some sort of administrative change, and the world does not provide an environment for him that he can become excited about. The tone of his last statement, â€Å"Ah, Bartleby! Ah, humanity!† is a final sigh in the life of someone who has given up completely. Bartleby has not helped anyone, including himself. He may want to warn us of the emptiness of striving to make a living and the bleakness of the business world. He may also want to show us in a more realistic way wh at becomes of the nonconformist in society. It is wonderful for all of us to think about not being â€Å"part of the crowd,† but the reality is very different. Not being one of the crowd makes for a long and lonely existence. Works Cited Melville, Herman, Bartle